Elementary Lessons In The Swatow Dialect/Grammar
GRAMMAR.
Substantives and Adjectives are not declined: the same word expresses both the singular and the plural.
| I me | uá |
| My, mine | uá-kâi |
| We, us | ún, (or nán if the person addressed be included). |
| Our, ours | ún-kâi |
| Thou, thee | lṳ́ |
| Thy, thine | lṳ́-kâi |
| You (plural) | nín |
| Your, yours | nín-kâi |
| He, she, it, him, her | i |
| His, her, hers, its | i-kâi |
| They, them | i |
| Their, theirs | i-kâi |
Verbs remain the same in all moods, tenses, numbers and persons. These distinctons are shewn by the addition of certain auxiliary verbs, as follows:—
| To come | lâi |
| He has come | i lâi--liáu |
| He came yesterday | i tsa-jít--lâi |
| Has he come? | i ũ lâi--bô? |
| He isn’t coming | i m̄-lâi |
| He doesn't want to come | i m̃--lâi |
| He can't come | i bõi-tit-lâi, or, i m̄-ôiⁿ lâi. |
| Why hasn't he come yet? | i tsò-nî būe-lâi? |
| Is he coming? | i àiⁿ-lâi--mé? |
| You needn't come | lṳ́ mín-ēng lâi. |
| Don't you come! | lṳ́ màiⁿ-lâi! |