11 Commands: Letkvs! ‘Run’
Mvskoke has different forms of verbs to show different kinds of commands or suggestions. Commands may be to one person or to several people and may be positive or negative.
- When you tell one person (or an animal) to do something, use the ending -vs.
- letketv
- ‘(one) to run’
- Letkvs!
- ‘Run! (said to one)’
- tasketv
- ‘(one) to jump’
- Taskvs!
- ‘Jump! (said to one)’
- yvhiketv
- ‘to sing’
- Yvhikvs!
- ‘Sing! (said to one)’
- hompetv
- ‘to eat’
- Hompvs!
- ‘Eat! (said to one)’
- tvmketv
- ‘(one) to fly’
- Tvmkvs!
- ‘Fly! (said to one)’
- vtotketv
- ‘to work’
- Vtotkvs!
- ‘Work! (said to one)’
Plural commands: Hompvks cē! ‘Y’all eat!’
- When you tell two or more people (or animals) to do something, use the ending -vks.
- hompetv
- ‘to eat’
- Hompvks!
- ‘Eat (said to two or more)!’
- yvhiketv
- ‘to sing’
- Yvhikvks!
- ‘Sing (said to two or more)!’
- vtotketv
- ‘to work’
- Vtotkvks!
- ‘Work (said to two or more)!’
- Adding cē to the end of a statement or command gives it strong emphasis: Hompvks cē! ‘You all eat!’
- Some verbs in Mvskoke have special plural forms. Liketv, for example, refers to one person sitting, but vpoketv refers to three or more. For words like this, use -vs with the singular verb, and -vks with plural verb forms.
- liketv
- ‘(one) to sit’
- Likvs!
- ‘Sit! (said to one)’
- kaketv
- ‘(two) to sit’
- Kakvks!
- ‘Sit! (said to two)’
- vpoketv
- ‘(three or more) to sit’
- Vpokvks!
- ‘Sit! (said to three or more)’
- hueretv
- ‘(one) to stand’
- Huervs!
- ‘Stand! (said to one)’
- sehoketv
- ‘(two) to stand’
- Sehokvks!
- ‘Stand! (said to two)’
- svpakletv
- ‘(three or more) to stand’
- Svpaklvks!
- ‘Stand! (said to three or more)’
Negative commands: Yvhikekot! ‘Don’t sing!’
- You can tell someone NOT to do something by using the ending -ekot ‘don’t’.
- yvhiketv
- ‘to sing’
- Yvhikekot!
- ‘Don’t sing! (said to one or more)’
- hompetv
- ‘to eat’
- Hompekot!
- ‘Don’t eat! (said to one or more)’
- mēcetv
- ‘to do’
- Mēcekot!
- ‘Don’t do it! (said to one or more)’
A negative command like yvhikekot! ‘don’t sing!’ is shortened from yvhikekot owvs! ‘don’t sing! (said to one)’ or yvhikekot owvks! ‘don’t sing! (said to two or more)’. The ending -ekot includes -eko ‘not’ and the connecting suffix -t.
- Here is another way to tell someone NOT to do something.
- hecetv
- ‘to look, see’
- hec-
- ‘look, see’
- hehcetskvs! / hehceccvs!
- ‘don’t look!’
- letketv
- ‘(one) to run’
- letk-
- ‘run’
- letiketskvs! / letikeccvs!
- ‘don’t run!’
- hompetv
- ‘to eat’
- homp-
- ‘eat’
- homipetskvs! / homipeccvs!
- ‘don’t eat!’
The words above are formed by applying the h-grade to a verb stem and adding the second person marker -etsk (or -ecc). If you address more than one person, use -atsk:
- hecetv
- ‘to look, see’
- hec-
- ‘look, see’
- hehcatskvs! / hehcaccvs!
- ‘don’t y’all look!’
Spontaneous commands: Vpokepvks! ‘Have a seat!’
- To suggest that someone do something, add the suffix -ep to a command.
- liketv
- ‘(one) to sit’
- Likvs!
- ‘Sit!’
- Likepvs!
- ‘Have a seat!’
- vm vnicetv
- ‘to help me’
- Vm vnicvs!
- ‘Help me!’
- Vm vnicepvs!
- ‘Please help me!’
Adding -ep to a command makes it more spontaneous and gives the listener more choice in the matter.
‘Let’s’ commands: Hompvkēs! ‘Let’s eat!’
- To make a suggestion to a group, the ending -vkēs (or -vkēts) is used.
- hompetv
- ‘to eat’
- Hompvkēs!
- ‘Let’s (two or more) eat!’
- vhoyetv
- ‘(two) to go’
- Vhoyvkēs!
- ‘Let’s (two) go!’
- vpēyetv
- ‘(three or more) to go’
- Vpēyvkēs!
- ‘Let’s (three or more) go!’
If a verb has plural forms, the plural forms must be used.
- A more casual way to say ‘let’s’ is with the ending -ę̄p.
- yvhiketv
- ‘to sing’
- Yvhikę̄p!
- ‘Let’s sing!’
- vpēyetv
- ‘(three or more) to go’
- Vpēyę̄p!
- ‘Let’s (three or more) go!’
‘Let him/her’ commands: Hompekvs ‘Let him/her eat’
- The suffix -ekvs means ‘let (someone) do something’.
- hompetv
- ‘to eat’
- hompekvs
- ‘let him/her eat’
- hompvkekvs
- ‘let them eat’
Suggestions: Eskvccvs ‘You must drink it’
- The suffix -vccvs means ‘you must’, ‘you shall’, or ‘you can’.
- nesetv
- ‘to buy’
- nesvccvs
- ‘you must buy it’
- esketv
- ‘to drink’
- eskvccvs
- ‘you must drink it’
- wvnvyetv
- ‘to tie’
- wvnvyvccvs
- ‘you must tie it’
Negative and plural forms are also possible.
- hompetv
- ‘to eat’
- hompekot owvccvs
- ‘you must not eat’
- hompekot owvkvccvs
- ‘you all must not eat’
The combination -ep + -vccvs offers the hearer more choice and translates as ‘can’ or ‘may’.
- esetv
- ‘to take’
- esepvccvs
- ‘you can take, have’
- hompetv
- ‘to eat’
- hompepvccvs
- ‘you can eat’
