Object Prefixes
When an action is done to someone or something (you eat it, you see her), OVP marks that with a small prefix on the front of the verb. These are the object pronouns.
The object prefixes
| Prefix | English |
|---|---|
| i- | me |
| ü- | you |
| ta- | you & me / us (inclusive) |
| ma- | him / her / it (nearby) |
| a- | him / her / it (nearby) |
| u- | him / her / it (far) |
| ni- | us (not you; exclusive) |
| üi- | you all |
| mai- | them (nearby) |
| ai- | them (nearby) |
| ui- | them (far) |
The same near/far split you saw in Pronouns is here too: ma- / a- for a nearby object, u- for one that's far or out of sight. (For a nearby third person you'll hear both ma- and a-.)
They go on the front of the verb
Unlike subject pronouns, which stand alone, object prefixes attach directly to the verb:
Notice tüka ("eat") turned into ma-düka. The t softened to d once the prefix went in front. That's the fortis/lenis shift from Sounds and Spelling, and object prefixes are one of its most common triggers.
Examples!
Put it together: a subject pronoun, an object prefix on the front of the verb, and a tense/aspect ending.
| OVP | English |
|---|---|
| Nüü ma-düka-ti | I am eating it (nearby) |
| Üü u-hibi-ti | You are drinking it (far) |
| Mahu i-buni-ti | He/she (nearby) sees me |
| Nüü ü-buni-ku | I saw you |
| Uhu a-buni-wei | He/she (far) will see him/her (nearby) |
| Nüü mai-düka-ti | I am eating them (nearby) |
| Mahu ni-buni-ti | He/she sees us (not you) |
| Nüü ui-buni-pü | I have seen them (far) |
Remember tüka → düka after the prefix: that's the fortis/lenis softening again.
What's next
If you're following the suggested reading path, the next step is Nouns: how to name the people, animals, and things around you.