In this lesson we will learn about propositives. These are particles that help verbs express the idea of “going” and “coming” to a place with the purpose of completing an action. These particles are /co/, /qui/, /to/, and /ti/, which incorporate at the ends of intransitive and transitive verbs. The roots of class 3 verbs, those that end in /ia/ and /oa/, lose their final vowel, “a.” Because the propositive particles act like past and future tenses, verbs use the present tense in order to mark number, “ø” for singular and “h” for plural.
Tlamanextilli ahahuiltiliztli tlen tlachihualiztli huan cequin tlahtolpamitl (Exmple of the conjugation of verbs and some sentences)
/-co/ “someone came” (to do something in the past tense)
Nitlachpana “I sweep”
Nitlachpanaco “I came to sweep”
Nitlacua “I eat”
Nitlacuaco “I came to eat”
Carlos icihuauh tlachpanaco nican tochan.
Maria tlacuaco huanya iyoltzin yalhuaya.
/-qui/ “someone will come” (to do something in future tense)
Nimomachtia “I study”
Nimomachtiqui “I will come to study”
Titlacua “You eat”
Titlacuaqui “You will come to eat”
Monica pan ce xihuitl huallaz momachtiqui campa itztoqueh iicnihuan.
Carla tlacuaqui moztla tochan pampa axacah inanan.
/-to/ “someone went” (to do something in past tense)
Nimaltia “I bathe”
Nimaltito “I went to bathe”
Niatlacui “I grab water”
Niatlacuito “I went to grab water”
Norma maltito.
Yalhuaya niatlacuito huanya nonanan.
/-ti/ “someone will go” (to do something in the future tense)
Nicuatleco “I climb a tree”
Nicuatlehcoti “I will go to climb a tree”
Timomachtia “You study”
Timomachtiti “You will go to study”
Moztla nicuatlehcoti pan alaxocuahuitl.
Niyaz nimomachtiti amoxcalli.
Tequitl ce (Activity one): Make sentences with the following verbs
Pixca
Huica (to sing)
Cohua
Chiya
Maltia
Ihtoa
Nahua
Pa