6 Mood: Statements, questions, commands
MOOD refers to the way a sentence is being used (e.g., as a statement, a question, or a command). In Mvskoke, the last verb in a sentence takes a suffix at the end that shows its mood.
| Statement | Yvhikes. | ‘He/she is singing.’ | |
| Question | Yvhikv? | ‘Is he/she singing?’ (yes/no question) | |
| Yvhikvrēte? | ‘Will he/she sing?’ | ||
| Naken yvhika? | ‘What is he/she singing?’ (wh- question) | ||
| Yvhiketskeha? | ‘Could you sing?’ | ||
| Command | Yvhikvs! | ‘Sing!’ | |
| Yvhikvks! | ‘(You all) sing!’ | ||
| Yvhikekot! | ‘Don’t sing!’ | ||
| Yvhikvkēs! | ‘Let’s sing!’ | ||
| Yvhikekvs! | ‘Let him/her sing!’ | ||
| Yvhikvccvs. | ‘You must sing.’ |
- Statements in Mvskoke generally end in –es (or –s after a vowel).
| yvhiketv ‘to sing’ | yvhik- + -i + -s | yvhikis | ‘I am singing’ |
| yvhik- + -etsk + -es | yvhiketskes | ‘you are singing’ | |
| yvhik- + ∅ + -es | yvhikes | ‘he/she/it is singing’ | |
| yvhik- + -ē + -s | yvhikēs | ‘we are singing’ | |
| yvhik- + -atsk + -es | yvhikatskes | ‘you all are singing’ | |
| yvhik- + -ak + -es | yvhikakes | ‘they are singing’ |
Some speakers may drop –es to make a statement softer, however.
- Simple questions that seek a quick yes or no answer end in –v.
| yvhiketv ‘to sing’ | yvhik- + -vy + -v | yvhikvyv? | ‘am I singing?’ |
| yvhik- + -etsk + -v | yvhiketskv? | ‘are you singing?’ | |
| yvhik- + -∅ + -v | yvhikv? | ‘is he/she/it singing?’ | |
| yvhik- + -ey + -v | yvhikeyv? | ‘are we singing?’ | |
| yvhik- + -atsk + -v | yvhikatskv? | ‘are you all singing?’ | |
| yvhik- + -ak + -v | yvhikakv? | ‘are they singing?’ |
- When asking ‘is it?’ or ‘is he/she?’, you use the verb ometv ‘to be’. You can use -v for these questions, but you can also use a shorter form -te ‘is he/she/it?’
| Pokkot owv? | ‘Is it a ball?’ | Pokkote? | ‘Is it a ball?’ | |
| Catet owv? | ‘Is it red?’ | Catete? | ‘Is it red?’ |
The same ending -te is also used after the future tense –vrē and the remote past tense –vtē.
| Yvhikvrēte? | ‘Will he/she sing?’ | |
| Yvhikvtēte? | ‘Did he/she sing (long ago)?’ |
- A question seeking a longer answer takes -a. This ending is used with wh-words like nake ‘what’ or esti ‘who’.
| Naken yvhika? | ‘What is he/she singing?’ | |
| Estit yvhika? | ‘Who is singing?’ | |
| Estvn ahyetska? | ‘Where did you go?’ |
- The ending –ehą often makes a question more polite: would you? could you?
| Vm vnicetskv? | ‘Are you helping me?’ | |
| Vm vniceetskehą? | ‘Would you help me?’ |
Other examples:
| Mv cem atvme vm paletskehą? | ‘Would you lend me your car?’ | |
| Uewv ’svm atetskehą? | ‘Would you bring me water?’ |
Informing someone: Osket os ‘It’s raining’
Mvskoke has a short and a long way to espress a statement or question.
| Oskes. | ‘It’s raining.’ (simple description) | |
| Osket os. | ‘It’s raining.’ (informing someone) |
The long way uses ometv ‘to be’ as an auxiliary verb (helping verb). The short way is for making simple descriptions—perhaps when you’re talking to yourself, for example. The long way is when you’re informing someone about something.
The same contrast is found with adjectives.
| Kvsvppēs. | ‘It’s cold.’ (simple description) | |
| Kvsvppēt os. | ‘It’s cold.’ (informing someone) |
The long pattern can be used in questions as well as statements.
| Hompet owv? | ‘Is he/she eating?’ |
- If you use ometv ‘to be’ as an auxiliary verb, the agent person markers normally go on ometv.
| Hompet owis. | ‘I’m eating.’ | |
| Hompet owetskes. | ‘You are eating.’ | |
| Hompet os. | ‘He/she is eating.’ | |
| Hompet owēs. | ‘We are eating.’ | |
| Hompet owatskes. | ‘You all are eating.’ |
- If the main verb includes -ē (used for a state or habit), the agent person markers go on the main verb.
| Cufe hompvyēt os. | ‘I eat rabbit.’ | |
| Cufe hompetskēt os. | ‘You eat rabbit.’ | |
| Cufe hompēt os. | ‘He/she eats rabbit.’ | |
| Cufe hompeyēt os. | ‘We eat rabbit.’ | |
| Cufe hompatskēt os. | ‘You all eat rabbit.’ |
- In negative sentences, use agent person markers and -eko ‘not’ on the main verb.
| Hompvkot os. | ‘I am not eating it.’ | |
| Hompetskekot os. | ‘You aren’t eating it.’ | |
| Hompekot os. | ‘You aren’t eating it.’ | |
| Hompēkot os. | ‘We aren’t eating it.’ | |
| Hompatskekot os. | ‘You all aren’t eating it.’ |
