Page:Handbook of the Swatow vernacular.djvu/61

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Lesson X.
45
伊明天要來
I màⁿ-khí àiⁿ-lâi
He will come to-morrow.
霎時要落雨
Khiã-tiām àiⁿ-lóh-hõu
It will rain bye-and-bye.
伊何時正要來
I tiang-sî chiàⁿ-àiⁿ lâi?
When will he come?[1]
伊霎時正要來
I khiã-tiām chiàⁿ-àiⁿ-lâi
He will come bye-and-bye.
我下個月要轉
Uá ẽ-kâi-guêh àiⁿ-tńg
I shall go home next month.
伊會死或袂
I õi sí a-bõi?
Will he die?
伊袂死
I bõi--sí
He will not die.
伊將來會做大
I chiang-lâi õi tsò-tūa
He will be great in the future.

potential mood.

The signs of the Potential Mood are 會 õi, 袂 bõi, 會得 õi-tit, 袂得 bõi-tit, 好 hó, 着 tiéh, and 不可 m̄-móⁿ.

Õi (can) 會 implies ability, and 袂 bõi (cannot) implies its opposite, inability.

伊會氽
I õi-siû
He can swim.
伊袂走
I bõi-tsáu
He cannot run.

Õi-tit (can) 會得 implies possibility, and 袂得 bõi-tit (cannot) implies impossibility.


  1. Chiàⁿ-àiⁿ is nearly the same as the auxillary verb will, and is employed thus, e. g. I tiang-sî chiàⁿ-àiⁿ lâi? when will he come? that is to say, he is not coming now, but when will he come? and the answer is I khiã-tiām chiàⁿ-àiⁿ lâi, He will come bye and bye, that is to say, he will come, but not before the time when he intends to come.