Leksion Chamoru: Betbon "man" siha ("Man" verbs)

Chamorro verbs are distinguished by whether or not they must take on an object. I call these verbs either "um" verbs or "man" verbs. Here we will look at the "man" verbs.

"Man" verbs are the verbs that have direct object associated with them. Here are some examples of "man" verbs:

• Taitai = to read (something)
  
• Hongge = to believe (something)
  
• Espiha = to search for (something)
• Sugon = to drive
  
• Fa'tinas = to make (something)

These verbs always have an understood direct object, even though they sometimes appear without an explicitly stated object. Meaning, one can "read," but it understood that the person is "reading something."

This is where the grammar gets a little tricky. Chamorro constructs sentences differently depending on whether the direct object is definite or indefinite.
Note: In general, the root verb (alone or "conjugated") connotes a completed or past action, and the progressive actions is obtained by duplicating the penultimate (2nd to last) syllable.

1. Definite Construction:
   This construction is identical to the construction of an English sentence. You take a hu-type pronoun, follow it by the verb, then follow the verb by the object (with appropriate article if applicable). Here are some examples:
   
   • Hu taitai i lepblu. = I read the book.
   • Ha hongge yo'. = She believed me.
   • Ma espipiha i tenda. = They're looking for the store.
   • Un susugon i kareta. = You are driving the car.
   • In fa'tinas i na'-måmi. = We (exclusive) made our (exclusive) food.
     
     
2. Indefinite (Generalized) Construction:
   It is almost a misnomer to call this form "indefinite." While it is used when the direct object carries an indefinite article, it is also used when the object is generalized. I.e., it is used when is in a general form ("some" books vs. "the" or "a" book), or when there is no object necessarily associated.
   To do this in the singular case we take the root verb and add the indefinite object marker prefix man- to the front, then follow it with an appropriate yo'-type pronoun, then the direct object (without an article).
   For the plural case, we take the singular form (with the man- attached) and add the pluarl subject marking prefix man- to it, then follow the verb by the appropriate yo'-type pronoun, then the object (without article).
   Here are some examples to help bring it together:
   
   • Mananaitai yo' lepblu. = I am reading a book.
   • Manmanhongge hit gi as Yu'us. = We (inclusive) believe in God.
   • Manespiha gue' tenda. = He looked for a store.
   • Mañugon gue'. = He drove (assumedly a car).
     
   • Manmama'titinas siha na'Chamoru. = They are making Chamorro food.

I hope I didn't confuse the subject too much, let me know if I could make improvements to this. :-)

Leksion Chamoru: Betbon "um" siha ("um" verbs)

Chamorro separates verbs into two categories: "um" and "man." For now we'll focus on the "um" verbs.

"Um" verbs are those that do not necessarily have an object associated with them. Some examples of "um" verbs would be:

• Hånao = to go
• Såga = to stay
• Kånta = to sing
• Li'of = to dive
• Ñangu = to swim
• O'mak = to shower
• Chocho = to eat
  

While some "um" verbs like chocho might sometimes have an object associated with them, they do not need an object to make sense. One can "eat food," but one can also simply "eat."

When the sentence has no direct object and a singular subject, you simply add the infix -um- before the first vowel of the verb, and follow the verb with a yo' type pronoun. If the subject is plural, you add the prefix man- before the root verb, and follow it with a yo' type pronoun.

Note: Sorry to throw an extra concept in here, but simply adding the -um- or man- to the verb usually connotes a completed or past action, to produce a progressive action the penultimate (2nd to last) syllable is duplicated.

Here are some examples:

• Humånao yo' para i tenda. = I went to the store.
• Sumåsåga gue' giya Ye'ña. = She's staying/lives in Yona.
• Mangånta siha. = They sang.
• Lumili'of hao gi ladera. = You (singular) were diving from the cliff.
• Manñangu hamyo gi painge. = You (plural) swam last night.
• Umo'mak yo' esta. = I showered already.
• Mañochocho hit. = We are eating.

Here's the complicated part... When the sentence has a direct object we consider two cases: definite object and indefinite object. When the object is definite you don't have to add anything to the verb. These sentences use a hu type pronoun, followed by the verb then the article and object. Luckily these types of sentences are rare, and some of them sound contrived even. E.g.:

• Hu kånta i kanta. = I sang the song.

The other case is when the object is indefinite (or generalized). These sentences are formed exactly like the sentences without an object--using -um- and man- with the yo' type pronouns--followed by the object (usually without the indefinite article). These types of sentences are also infrequent, but here's an example:

• Chumocho yo' pån. = I ate some bread.

Hopefully that sheds a little light on this type of verb :-)