Volapük

Conjugate Verbs

Facts

  • Language: Volapük
  • Created: 1880
  • Alternate names:
  • Language code: cvlo
  • Language family: Conlang
  • Script: Latin script

Introduction

Invented by Johann Martin Schleyer, a Catholic priest in Baden, Volapük was the first constructed language to achieve some success. Its aim was to provide a neutral medium for international exchange. A description of the language was published in 1880, and hundreds of Volapük societies soon grew up. The language, though completely agglutinative and regular, was very complex, with a nominal case system and verbs which marked person, gender, number, tense, mood and voice. Perhaps because of this complexity, it ultimately failed, though it provided a foundation for the Esperanto movement that shortly followed.

The verb

Sample verb: binön

INDICATIVE:
Present Imperfect Perfect Pluperfect Future Future perfect
Sg.1 binob äbinob ebinob ibinob obinob ubinob
Sg.2 binol äbinol ebinol ibinol obinol ubinol
Sg.2 formal binor äbinor ebinor ibinor obinor ubinor
Sg.3 m binom äbinom ebinom ibinom obinom ubinom
Sg.3 f binof äbinof ebinof ibinof obinof ubinof
Sg.3 n binos äbinos ebinos ibinos obinos ubinos
Sg.3 indef. binon äbinon ebinon ibinon obinon ubinon
Pl.1 binobs äbinobs ebinobs ibinobs obinobs ubinobs
Pl.2 binols äbinols ebinols ibinols obinols ubinols
Pl.2 formal binors äbinors ebinors ibinors obinors ubinors
Pl.3 m binoms äbinoms ebinoms ibinoms obinoms ubinoms
Pl.3 f binofs äbinofs ebinofs ibinofs obinofs ubinofs
Pl.3 n binons äbinons ebinons ibinons obinons ubinons

Verblists

Notes