Caló
Conjugate VerbsFacts
- Language: Caló
- Alternate names: Gitano, Hispanoromani, Iberian Romani
- Language code: rmq
- Language family: Indo-European, Classical Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Indo-Aryan Central zone, Romani
- Number of speakers: 70,000.
- Script: Latin script.
More information:
Introduction
Caló is a language spoken by the Spanish and Portuguese Romani. It is a mixed language based on Romance grammar, with an adstratum of Romani lexical items through language shift by the Romani community. It is often used as an argot, a secret language for discreet communication amongst Iberian Romani. Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, and Spanish caló are closely related varieties that share a common root.
The Caló Verb
- The verb conjugation of Caló has been totally changed, and now follows the conjugation of Spanish verbs in all moods, tenses, voices, numbers, and persons.
- The conjugation has adapted only the -ar conjugation, and in this conjugation the verbs are conjugated completely regularly, except in spoken language that lack moods and tenses.
- Due to its roots in the east, the language has preserved a very specific
feature; the verb ending in elar instead of ar is used
to indicate more energy in the action that it describes:
- Thus chinar is 'cut', and chinelar is 'sow';
- querar is simply 'do' and querelar is 'exercise', 'work';
- chibar is 'put', 'pose', 'throw' and chibelar is 'set', 'place', 'include'.
-
In pseudo-erudite language there is use of different forms of auxiliary verbs that
shouldn't be included in serious grammars. The only genuine auxiliary verbs are:
- sinar or sinelar, 'to be';
- terelar or aisnar, 'to have'.
- Unlike in Spanish that has two verbs for 'to be' ser and estar, Caló doesn't. Spanish estar translates to socabar 'to remain' or socabelar 'to exist'.
- Terelar is also an active verb, and then it means 'to have', 'to possess'.
- Aisnar is used seldom, and normally in questions, because it indicates action that isn't executed yet: ¿Presás ne aisnas chalao? 'Why haven't you left?'
- Although the participle ends in ao, there are some gypsies that pronounce it ado, like in Spanish. But that is an rather an exception.
- The total regularization of the verb system altered totally the character of the verb, making it sometimes hard to understand especially the spoken language.
- In spoken language the present of sinar 'to be' is irregular.
- There are 3 verbal words that have impersonal meaning:
- jomte, 'there's need for'
- astis, 'can'
- nastis, 'it's impossible'
- The Spanish hay, había 'there is' doesn't exist in Caló. It is translated in regular way: Unga terela buchí, 'There's something; sata terelaban butrés, 'There were many'.
- At the end of this page, there's a list of most common verbs, all are completely regular.
Verblist
- abillar -- venir
- alachar -- hallar
- anacar -- acontecer
- ardiñar -- subir
- asaselar -- alegrar
- asparabar -- romper
- aspasar -- saludar
- astisar -- poder
- bestelar -- sentar
- bichabar -- enviar
- bichotar -- parecer
- bigorear -- llegar
- binelar -- vender
- bucharar -- echar
- butanar -- derramar
- camelar -- querer
- canguelar -- recelar
- caquerar -- maltratar
- catanar -- juntar
- costunar -- levantar
- curarar -- castigar
- chalabear -- mover
- chalar -- ir
- chamullar -- hablar
- chanar -- saber
- chanelar -- entender
- chapescar -- escapar
- chibar -- poner
- childar -- preparar
- chinar -- cortar
- chindar -- parir
- chingarar -- reñir
- chiotar -- escupir
- chitar -- colocar
- chobelar -- lavar
- chorar -- robar
- chupendar -- besar
- darañar -- turbar
- debisar -- deber
- deterelar -- detener
- dicar -- ver
- diñar -- dar
- diquelar -- mirar
- enjallar -- recordar
- ertinar -- perdonar
- garabar -- enterrar
- garlar -- charlar
- girelar -- burlar
- guiyabar -- cantar
- golar -- vocear
- hetar -- llamar
- jabillar -- comprender
- jachar -- quemar
- jalar, jamar -- comer
- jilar -- refrescar
- jinar -- contar
- jonjabar -- engañar
- jonjanar -- defraudar
- julabar -- aparejar
- junelar -- oir
- lanar -- traer
- libanar -- escribir
- lillar -- tomar
- limbidiar -- volver
- lirenar -- leer
- listrabar -- librar
- luanar -- colgar
- lliguerar -- llevar
- machorar -- pescar
- mamisarar -- mamar
- mangar -- pedir
- marar -- matar
- mecar -- dejar
- melalar -- medir
- mucar -- cesar
- mulabar -- ajusticiar
- nacar -- pasar
- nacicar -- moler
- najabar -- perder
- najar -- marchar
- nicabar -- quitar
- nicobar -- apartar
- nichobelar -- salir
- orobar -- llorar
- orotar -- buscar
- ostinar -- despertar
- pachibelar -- creer
- pajabar -- tocar
- pandar -- atar
- pandelar -- oprimir
- parbarar -- criar
- paruguelar -- traficar
- pejar -- bajar
- penar -- decir
- penchabar -- pensar
- perar -- caer
- perelar -- llenar
- pesquibar -- probar
- pinchar -- conocer
- pindrabar -- abrir
- pirelar -- andar
- piyar -- beber
- plasarar -- pagar
- plastañar -- seguir
- prestisarar -- prestar
- pucanar -- publicar
- puchabar -- preguntar
- quelar -- bailar
- querabar -- asar
- querar -- hacer
- querelar -- ejercer
- quinar -- comprar
- randar -- hurlar
- randiñar -- trabajar
- romandiñar -- casar
- rudelar -- responder
- saplar -- sentenciar
- sicobar -- sacar
- sobelar -- reposar
- socabar -- habitar
- sonsibelar -- callar
- sornar -- dormir
- sustilar -- parar
- tasabiar -- tardar
- trajatar -- molestar
- trajelar -- engullir
- ucharar -- cubrir
- ujarar -- esperar
- urdifiar -- encender
- urjiyar -- sufrir
- ustilar -- coger
- vear -- confesar
- zermañar -- blasfemar
- zibar -- maravillar
External Links
- "Epítome de Gramática gitana", de don Francisco Quindalé, sección del libro "El gitanismo. Historia, costumbres y dialecto de los gitanos", escrito por Don Francisco de Sales Mayo, año 1870.