Hittite

Conjugate Verbs

Facts

More information:

    Introduction

    Hittite is the extinct language once spoken by the Hittites, a people who created an empire centered on ancient Hattusas (modern Boğazkale) in north-central Anatolia (modern Turkey). Hittite is an Anatolian language. The language was spoken from approximately 1600 BC (and probably before) to 1100 BC. There is some attestation that Hittite and related languages continued to be spoken in Anatolia for a few hundred years following the collapse of the Hittite empire and the last of the Hittite texts.

    The verb

    Compared with the classical languages, Greek and Latin, Hittite has a verb system that is fairly simple. There are two types of endings for active verbs: "mi-endings," which characterize the mi-conjugation and "hi-endings," which characterize the hi-conjugation. Both conjugations include verbs that are transitive, intransitive, and stative. The verb system has two voices, active and middle; the latter is also used as a passive. The verb also has two tenses, present and preterite, or past. The present, often accompanied by appropriate adverbs, is used for the future. The verb system also has two moods: indicative and imperative.

    Sample -mi verb: ēs- 'to be'.

    Present Preterite Imperative
    Sg.1 ēs-mi ēs-un as-allu
    Sg.2 ēs-si *ēs-ta ēs
    Sg.3 ēs-zi ēs-ta ēs-tu
    Pl.1 *as-weni ēs-wen -
    Pl.2 *as-teni *ēs-ten ēs-ten
    Pl.3 as-anzi ēs-er as-antu

    Sample -hi verb: ār- 'to arrive'.

    Present Preterite Imperative
    Sg.1 ār-hi ār-hun
    Sg.2 ār-ti *ār-ta *ār
    Sg.3 ār-i ār-s ār-u
    Pl.1 *ar-weni ar-wen -
    Pl.2 ār-teni ār-tten
    Pl.3 ar-anzi ār-er *ar-antu

    Verblist

    Notes

    References