Note: All past tense transitive verbs are used in ergative constructions, so they agree in person and number with the direct object rather than the subject of the sentence. See Ergative Constructions.
Verbs in the perfect tense denote completed actions that are connected with the present. It can be translated into English with the present perfect tense.
A verb in the perfect tense is a combination of a past participle and a linking verb. The perfect forms of transitive verbs agree in gender and number with the direct object of the sentence they are used in, while the perfect forms of intransitive verbs agree in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.
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Person |
Number |
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Singular |
Plural |
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First |
"I (man) have gone" - [zA tlÁlay yAm] زٌه تْلٌلَی یم "I (woman) have gone" - [zA tlÁle yAm ] زٌه تْلٌلې یم "he has called me (man)" - [dA zA balÁlay yAm] دٌه زٌه بَلٌلَی یم "he has called me (woman)" - [dA zA balÁle yAm] دٌه زٌه بَلٌلې یم |
"we (men) have gone" - [muGh tlÁli yu ] مُوږ تْلٌلى یُو "we (women) have gone" - [muGh tlÁle yu ] مُوږ تْلٌلې یُو "he has called us (men)" - [dA muGh balÁli yu ] دٌه مُوږ بَلٌلى یُو "he has called us (women)" - [dA muGh balÁle yu ] دٌه مُوږ بَلٌلې یُو |
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Second |
"you (man) have gone" - [tA tlÁlay ye] تٌه تْلٌلَی یی "you (woman) have gone" - [tA tlÁle ye] تٌه تْلٌلې یی "he has called you (man)" - [dA tA balÁlay ye] دٌه تٌه بَلٌلَی یی "he has called you (woman)" - [dA tA balÁle ye] دٌه تٌه بَلٌلې یی |
"you (men) have gone" - [taáse tlÁli yaast ] تاسی تْلٌلى یاست "you (women) have gone" - [taáse tlÁle yaast ] تاسی تْلٌلې یاست "he has called you (men)" - [dA taáse balÁli yaast ] دٌه تاسی بَلٌلى یاست "he has called you (women)" - [dA taáse balÁle yaast ] دٌه تاسی بَلٌلې یاست |
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Third |
"he (man) has gone" - [day tlÁlay dAy ] دَی تْلٌلَی دئ "she (woman) has gone" - [daa tlÁle da] دا تْلٌلې دَه "I have called him" - [maa day balÁlay dAy] ما دَی بَلٌلَی دئ "I have called her" - [maa daa balÁle da] ما دا بَلٌلې دَه |
"they (men) have gone" - [duy tlÁli di ]دُوی تْلٌلى دى "they (women) have gone" - [duy tlÁle di ] دُوی تْلٌلې دى "I have called them (men)" - [maa duy balÁli di] ما دُوی بَلٌلى دى "I have called them (women)" - [maa duy balÁle di] ما دُوی بَلٌلې دى |
The negative forms are produced by adding the stressed negative particle "not" - نَه between the past participle and the present form of the linking verb. In informal speech, the past participle and the linking verb can change places.
"he (man) has not gone" - [day tlÁlay ná dAy] دَی تْلٌلَی نه دئ
or [day ná dAy tlÁlay] دَی نَه دئ تْلٌلَی
Modal Perfect Form
The modal perfect form is used to denote possible real actions in the past within subordinate clauses. It is a combination of the perfect verb form and the particle بٌه :
"I have probably left the town." - زٌه بٌه لٌه ښاره تْلٌلَی یم.
"They have probably called me." - زٌه بٌه یی بَلٌلَی یم.
See Also: