Structure of Circassian verbs

In the Circassian language morphological structure of verbs is peculiar by its difficulty. Some of Circassian verbs can be morphologically simple, some of them consist only of one morpheme, like: к1о "go", штэ "take". However, generally, Circassian verbs are characterized as structurally and semantically difficult entities.

Morphological structure of a Circassian verb includes affixes (prefixes, suffixes) which are specific to the language. Verbs' affixes express meaning of

• subject,
• direct or indirect object,
• adverbial,
• singular or plural form,
• negative form,
• mood,
• direction,
• mutuality,
• compatibility,
• reflexivity,

which, as a result, creates a complex verb, that consists of many morphemes and semantically expresses a sentence. For example: уакъыдэсэгъэгущы1эжьы́ "I am forcing you to talk to them again" consists of the following morphemes: у-а-къы-дэ-сэ-гъэ-гущы1э-жьы́, with the following meanings: "you (у) with them (а)  from there (къы) together (дэ) I (сэ) am forcing (гъэ) to speak (гущы1эн) again (жьы)". It has to be said that such difficult verb complexes in every day speech are not met as often as verbs that consist of two or three morphemes.

Transitive and intransitive verbs

There are

• transitive and
• intransitive

verbs in the Circassian language.

Transitive verbs combine with nouns in the nominative grammatical case that play role of direct object in a sentence. In the sentences of this type the noun in the subject's position is in the ergative case:

• К1алэ́м письмэ́р е́тхы "The boy is writing the letter";
• Пхъаш1э́м уатэ́р къышта́гъ "The carpenter took out the hammer";
• Хьэм тхьак1умк1ыхьэ́р къыубыты́гъ "The dog has caught the hare".

In these sentences the verbs е́тхы "is writing", къышта́гъ "took out", къыубыты́гъ "has caught" are transitive verbs, and the nouns письмэ́р "letter", уатэ́р "hammer", тхьак1умк1ыхьэ́р "hare" are in the nominative case (suffix -р) and express direct object in the sentences, while the nouns к1алэм "boy", пхъаш1эм "carpenter", хьэм "dog" are subjects expressed in the ergative case.

This way transitive verbs form ergative sentences in the Circassian language.

With indirect verbs in a sentence there is, usually, no direct object, and the real subject is usually expressed by a noun in the nominative case. For example:

• Чэмахъо́р щыт "The shepherd is standing (there)";
• Пэсак1о́р мак1о́ "The security guard is going";
• Л1ыр мэчъы́е "The man is sleeping".

In these sentences with intransitive verbs, nouns that play role of subject are expressed in the nominative case: чэмахъо́-р "shepherd", пэсак1о́-р "guard", л1ы-р "man". This way intransitive verbs form nominative sentences in the Circassian language.

There are verbs in the Circassian language that in different contexts and situations can be used both as transitive and intransitive. For example:

• Апчы́р мэкъутэ́ "The glass is being broken",
• К1алэ́м апчы́р екъутэ́ "The boy is breaking the glass".

In the first sentence the verb мэкъутэ́ "is being broken" is used as an intransitive verb that creates a nominative construction. In the second sentence the verb е-къутэ́ "is breaking" creates an ergative construction. Both of the verbs are formed from the verb къутэ́-н "to break".

Intransitive verbs can be turned into transitive with the causative affix -гъэ- (meaning "to force, to make"). For example:

• Ар ма́чъэ "He is running", but Ащ ар е-гъа́-чъэ "He forces him to run",
• Ар мэку́о "He is screaming", but Ащ ар е-гъэ́-куо "He makes him scream".

The verbs in the first sentences ма́чъэ "is running", мэкуо́ "is screaming"  are intransitive, and the verbs in the second sentences  егъачъэ́ "forces ... to run", егъэкуо́ "makes ... scream" are already transitive.

Dynamic and static verbs

Circassian verbs can be either

• dynamic or
• static.

Dynamic verbs express (process of) actions that are taking place (natural role of verbs in English):

• Сэ сэ́чъэ "I am running";
• Сэ сэцуа́хъо "I am crawling",
• Сэ сэ́т1э "I am digging",
• Сэ сэ́1о "I am speaking" and so on.

Static verbs express states or results of actions:

• Сэ сыщы́т "I am standing",
• Сэ сыщы́лъ "I am lying.",
• Сэ сыпхъа́ш1 "I am a carpenter",
• Сэ сытрактори́ст "I am a tractor-driver" and so on.

Dynamic verbs, usually, can be either transitive or intransitive:

• Ащ ар къе́штэ "He takes him...", Ащ ар е́ды "He sews that" (the verbs къе́штэ "takes", е́ды "sews" are transitive).
• Ар ма́к1о "He is going"; Ар мэчъы́е "He is sleeping" (the verbs ма́к1о "is going", мэчъы́е "is sleeping" are intransitive).

Person

Circassian verbs have different forms to express different person. These forms are, mostly, created with specific prefixes. Here how it looks like in singular:

1. сэ́-тхэ "I write",
2. о́-тхэ "You write",
3. ма́-тхэ "writes";

and in plural:

1. тэ́-тхэ "We write",
2. шъо́-тхэ "You write",
3. ма́-тхэ-х "They write".

Time, moods and other forms.

Circassian verbs have special forms to express time:

Present tense (usually translated into English as simple or continuous, depending on the sentence):

сэ́-тхэ "I write", сы-щы́с "I sit", сэ́-к1о "I go", тэ́ те́-джэ "We study"; ар е́-джэ "He studies", ахэ́р е́-джэ-х "They study".

Future tense is created with the suffixes -щт, -н (usually translated as simple future or future perfect): сы-к1о́-щт "I will go", с-тхы-щт "I will have written"; сы-к1о́-н "I will go", с-тхы-н "I will have written".

Past tense is created with the suffixes -гъ(э) (close to present perfect), -щты-гъэ (close to simple past or past continuous), -гъагъэ (distant past, close to past perfect or past perfect continuous): с-тхы-гъэ́ "I have written", с-тхы-щты-гъэ́ "I was writing", с- тхы-гъагъэ́ "I had been writing (then)".

Imperative mood of second person in singular has no additional affixes: штэ "take", к1о "go", тхы "write"; in plural the affix -шъу is added in front of the verbs: шъу-къа́к1у "you (plural) go", шъу-тхы́ "you (plural) write", шъу-штэ́ "you (plural) take".

Conditional mood is expressed with affix -мэ: сы-к1о-мэ́ "if I go", сы-чъэ-мэ́ "if I run", с-ш1э-мэ́ "if I do".

Optative mood is expressed with the complex suffix -гъо-т: у-к1уа-гъо́-т "would you go", п-тхы-гъа-гъо́-т "would you write".

Affirmative form is expressed with the affix -ба: ма-т1э-ба́ "in fact he is digging", мэ-гык1э-ба́ "in fact he is washing".

Interrogative form is expressed with the affix -а: ма-д-а́? "is he sewing?", мэ-пхъаш1-а́? "is he a carpenter?".

Adverbial participle

Adverbial participles are formed from verbs with the suffixes -зэ, -эу: еджэ-зэ́ "reading", щыт-э́у "standing", гущы1э-зэ́ "speaking". Adverbial participles have different forms for different person:

1. сы-гущы1э-зэ́ "I, speaking (to you, felt uncomfortable)",
2. у-гущы1э-зэ́ "You, speaking ...",
3. гущы1э-зэ "He, speaking ...".

Participle

Present participles in the Circassian language are formed from the appropriate dynamic verbs with the suffix -рэ:

• к1о-рэ́-р "walking (man)",
• чъэ-рэ́-р "running (wolf)".

Participles can also be created from static verbs. In this case no additional morphological modifications are required. For example: щысы́р "sitting", щылъы́р "lying". In the past and future tenses participles have no special morphological attributes, in other words, their form is identical to the main form of the verb. The forms of participles in different grammatical cases are equal to the forms of the appropriate verbs. The same is also true for their time-tenses.

Masdar

Masdar (a form of verb close to gerund) in the Circassian language is expressed with the suffix -н:

• тхы-н "a write (writing)",
• чъэ-н "a run (running)",
• штэ-н "a take (taking)",
• гущы1э́-н "a talk (talking)",
• дзы-н "a throw (throwing)".

Masdar has grammatical cases:

• Nominative чъэны́-р,
• Ergative чъэны́-м,
• Instrumental чъэны-м-к1э́,
• Translative чъэн-э́у

and different forms for different person:

1. сы-чъэ́н "I will run",
2. у-чъэ́н "you will run",
3. чъэн "he will run" and so on.

In many dictionaries masdar is given as the main form of the verbs listed there: к1он "to go", чъэн "to run", ш1ын "to do".

Negative form

In the Circassian language negative form of a word is expressed with different morphemes (prefixes, suffixes). In participles, adverbial participles, masdars, imperative, interrogative and other forms of verbs their negative from is expressed with the prefix -мы, which, usually, goes before the root morpheme, that describes the main meaning:

• у-мы́-тх "you don't write",
• у-мы-1уа́т "you don't disclose",
• сы-къы-пфэ-мы-щэмэ́ "if you can't bring me",
• у-къа-мы-гъа-к1омэ́ "if you aren't forced to come" ans so on.

In verbs the negative meaning can also be expressed with the suffix -эп/-п, which usually goes after the suffixes of time-tenses. For example:

• сы-тэджырэ́-п "I am not getting up",
• сы-тэ-джыгъэ́-п "I have not got up",
• сы-тэджыщтэ́-п "I will not get up".

...

Specific feature of formation of Circassian verbs is that they, synthetically using different prefixes and suffixes,  express many meaning. In other words meanings of direction, mutuality, place, enforcement of action are express with different affixes of verb. For example:

• у-къэбзы́н "make (something) clean" (from къабзэ́ "clean"),
• гъэ-у-шъэбы́-н "make (something) soft" (from шъабэ́ "soft"),
• е-гъэ-тхы́-н "force to write (something)" (from тхын "a write (writing)").

In the last two examples the prefix -гъэ- expresses idea of enforcement. The the prefixes -дэ-, -и-, -хэ- express idea of being in a place:

• псым хэ-т "stands in the water",
• 1эгу́м дэ-хьа́-гъ "has entered the yard",
• унэ́м и-хьа́-гъ "has entered the house" and so on.

Verbs attach different affixes according to with what kind of noun it is used, what dimensional or a meaning of some other type must be shown with the verb:

• prefix -дэ- shows direction of the action: дэ-хьа́гъ "entered (inside)";
• -те- shows that action is somehow connected with a surface: те-т "stands on ....", те́-к1ы "to leave (the road)", те-с "sits on (the bench)",
• prefix -ч1э- expresses meaning that something is somehow under something ч1э-т "stands under (the table)", ч1э-хьа́гъ "has gone down (into the basement)", ч1э-лъ "lies under (the bed)",
• го- means near, beside: го-с "sits beside".

Verbs in speech usually combine with nouns and adverbs, and in a sentence it usually goes after them. For example:

• псы къысэ́т "give me water";
• дэгъо́у се́джэ "I study well",
• да́хэу сэ́тхэ "I write beautifully",
• псынк1э́у сэ́к1о "I go fast" and so on.

Thus, from the nouns, adverbs and verbs you already know, you can create phrases and sentences. This must become a daily routine, because without ability to create phrases and sentences it is impossible to study a language. Building sentences, it is important to have in mind that in the Circassian language in the most cases verbs go to the end of a sentence. For example:

• Сэ газеты́м сэ́джэ "I am reading the newspaper", literally: "By me the newspaper is being read";
• Тэ мэзы́м тэ́к1о "We are going to the forest", literally: "We towards forest are going".