Hrmitt reference grammar

4.10. Conditional Constructions

Conditionals of the form “if A then B” are constructed by combining a hortative/imperative with a deductive future with muhr:

aŋ boktaumi bakshanu, muhr tzahetbakshami bufteku.

aŋ

imp.2sg

bok-tau-mi

stone-2sg.p-v

baksha-u

Baksha-pat

muhr

fut.infer

tzah-et-baksha-mi

teeth-3sg-Baksha-v

buf-tek-u

body-2sg-pat

If you throw stones at the Baksha, it will bite you.

The antecedent is overtly in the past tense in spite of the imperative/hortative, signalling the irrealis mood of the antecedent.

If the subject is in the first person singular, the future marker ŋu is used for the antecedent instead; however, the clause continues to be in the past tense, with past pronominal affixes:

ŋu tzapjakaumi ishettu, muhr gruŋgetmi ipfenu!

ŋu

hort.1sg

tzapjak-au-mi

feet-1sg.p-v

ish-et-tu,

house-3sg-dat

muhr

fut.infer

gruŋ-et-mi

hands-3sg-v

ipf-en-u

eye-1sg-pat

If I go to his house, he will kill me!