4. Tense, Aspect, and Mood
Until now, this guide has been translating Kokanu sentences into the English present tense.
| Kokanu phrase | English meaning |
|---|---|
| mi le makan in kuwosi | I eat fruit |
| nin le se pi insu | a person is in the building |
However, these sentences could actually be translated into any tense or aspect, depending on context.
"mi le makan in kuwosi" could well be "I ate fruit", or "I will eat fruit", or "I have been going to eat fruit".
Kokanu does not mark tense, aspect, or mood in its base word forms.
Instead, these distinctions are expressed with modifiers, which behave like ordinary words.
Tense, aspect, and mood markers are only used when it's unclear from context what is being said, or if the speaker wants to emphasize certain information. Normally, the tense, aspect, and mood are all clear from context. Context is very important in Kokanu!
4.1 Tense
In Kokanu, verbs themselves carry no tense.
By default, the time of an action is inferred from context, or simply left vague.
For explicit marking, Kokanu uses three tense modifiers:
| Modifier | Meaning |
|---|---|
| matin | past |
| kenca | present |
| melon | future |
Examples:
| Kokanu phrase | English meaning |
|---|---|
| le kela kenca men mi | I play (now) |
| pawo le jatan melon in niku | the dog will find the meat |
| tu le sema matin in mi | you heard me |
Additionally, tense can be specified not by modifying the verb, but by stating "in [time period]" using pi.
| Kokanu phrase | English meaning |
|---|---|
| le kela men mi pi kenca | I play in the present |
| pawo le jatan pi melon in niku | the dog will find the meat in the future |
| pi matin men tu le sema in mi | you heard me in the past |
New Words
- matin = past
- kenca = present
- melon = future
- jatan = to find (a discovery)
- niku = meat/muscle
- sema = to hear
Warning
All tense, aspect, and mood markers are ordinary modifiers in Kokanu.
They have a special grammatical function, but also behave like other modifiers.
4.2 Aspect
Aspect modifiers describe how an event unfolds over time, independent of when it happens.
| Modifier | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tepu | starting / inceptive |
| konje | ending / terminative |
| conpu | repeating / frequentative |
| conca | ongoing / progressive |
| lito | unstarted / prospective |
| mulu | completed / perfect |
| luka | interrupted / pausative |
Examples:
| Kokanu phrase | English meaning |
|---|---|
| mi le antomi tepu | I start sleeping / I fall asleep |
| mi le antomi konje | I stop sleeping / I wake up |
| mi le antomi conpu | I sleep repeatedly / I often sleep |
| mi le antomi conca | I am sleeping |
| mi le antomi lito | I am yet to sleep |
| mi le antomi mulu | I am done sleeping / I have slept |
| mi le antomi luka | I sleep interruptedly / I was sleeping but woke for a moment |
New Words
- antomi = asleep
- tepu = starting
- konje = ending
- conpu = repeating
- conca = ongoing
- lito = unstarted, prospective
- mulu = complete, perfect
- luka = interrupted
Tense vs. Aspect
The difference between tense and aspect can feel unintuitive.
Compare the following:
| Kokanu phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ja le pen lito matin | they were yet to understand |
| ja le pen mulu melon | they will have understood |
Warning
Mixing tense and aspect shows they are not the same.
For example, ja le pen matin melon (“they understood in the future, in the past”) is paradoxical.
New Words
- pen = to understand (a concept)
4.3 Mood
Kokanu expresses mood through special particles.
Unlike tense and aspect, mood is less about time and more about the speaker’s attitude toward the action.
The particle o
The particle o is very versatile:
- Imperative: commands (do X!)
- Suggestive: proposals (let’s do X)
- Optative: wishes (may X happen)
| Kokanu phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| o sema ki mi | listen to me! (imperative) |
| mi o jatan in meja mi | let's find my cat / we should find my cat (suggestive) |
| o tope pi melon | may you be fine in the future (optative) |
New Words
- tope = good
Other mood markers
- hon — context / if → used for conditionals (chapter 7.1)
- kate — hypothetical (“as if”, counterfactual)
- hakiki — authentic, realis (“indeed, actually”)
| Kokanu phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| hon konco, men mi le pasan | In the context of job/ Regarding my job, I am happy |
| hon pilu kate, men mi le pasan | In the theoretical context of victory, I'd be happy (hypothetical) |
| mi le pasan hakiki | I am really / actually happy (authentic) |
New Words
- o = imperative / suggestive / optative marker
- hon = context / if (conditional)
- kate = hypothetical (as if)
- hakiki = authentic / realis
- konco = job/profession
- tope = good
Overview
| Category | How marked in Kokanu |
|---|---|
| Tense | via modifiers: matin (past), kenca (present), melon (future) |
| Aspect | via modifiers: tepu, konje, conpu, conca, lito, mulu, luka |
| Mood | via particles: o (imperative / suggestive / optative), hon (conditional), kate (hypothetical), hakiki (authentic) |