Chlouvānem/Syntax: Difference between revisions

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{{Gloss

| gloss = yesterday. evening-<small>LOC.SG</small>. temple-<small>DAT.SG</small>. <small>1SG.DIR</small>. walk.<small>MULTIDIR.PAST.IND-EXP-1SG.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>.

| translation = Yesterday [in the] evening I went to the temple on foot.

}}

Topics are very commonly used to mark a broad context, acting as a sort of "heading" for a sequence of otherwise seemingly unrelated sentences:

{{Gloss

| gloss = nāmñē.<small>DIR.SG</small>. <small>TOPIC</small>. animal-<small>DIR.PL.</small> Chlouvānem-<small>GEN.PL</small>. south-<small>GEN.SG.</small>. – seawater-<small>LOC.SG</small>. live-<small>IND.PRES-EXP-3PL.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>. – sometimes. tidal.lake-<small>LOC.PL</small>. also. – cub-<small>GEN.PL</small>. other.<small>DIR</small>. name.<small>DIR.SG.</small>. līlas.<small>DIR.SG</small>. be.<small>IND.PRES.EXP.3SG.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>. and. — this-<small>ABL</small>. Līlasuṃghāṇa.<small>DIR</small>. <small>ADP</small>. capital.city-<small>GEN.SG</small>. name.<small>DIR.SG</small>. give.birth-<small>IND.PRES-EXP-3SG.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>.

| translation = Nāmñai<ref>A kind of tropical seal, iconic and sacred in Chlouvānem culture.</ref> are animals of the Southern Inquisition that live in seawater and sometimes can also be found in tidal lakes; another name for their cubs is "līlas". This is the source of the name of the Chlouvānem capital Līlasuṃghāṇa.

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = what.<small>DIR</small>. here. do-<small>IND.PRES-EXP-3SG.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>. — <small>1SG.DIR</small>. <small>TOPIC</small>. tea.<small>DIR.SG</small>. prepare.<small>IND.PRES-EXP-3SG.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>.

| translation = What's going on here? – I am preparing tea.

}}

====Zero-copular sentences====

{{Gloss

| phrase = nunū lilyai buneyi jṛṣṇa.

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = Dāneh.<small>DIR</small>. Dulmaidana-<small>ABL</small>. more. tall.

| translation = Dāneh is taller than Dulmaidana.

Exceptionally, some very common set phrases, especially basic questions, are zero-copular sentences. Their answers may or may not be zero-copular too.

{{Gloss

| gloss = <small>2SG.FORMAL_HIGH.GEN.DIR</small>. family.<small>DIR.SG</small>. whence. – <small>1SG.GEN.DIR</small>. family.<small>DIR.SG</small>. Lāltaṣveya-<small>ABL</small>. (be.<small>IND.PRES.3SG.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>.)

| translation = (A:) Where is your family from? – (B:) My family is from Lāltaṣveya.

}}

===The tense-aspectual system===

In an appropriate context, however, the same verb form can carry an imperfective meaning:

{{Gloss

| translation = I was eating at the station yesterday when the train arrived.

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = girl.<small>DIR.SG</small>. face-<small>ACC.SG</small>. paint.<small>IND.PAST-3SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. – but. hurry.<small>SUBJ.IMPF-3SG.INTERIOR</small>. mother-<small>ERG.SG</small>. ask-<small>INF</small>-run.<small>MULTIDIR-IND.PAST-3SG.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>.

| translation = The girl was painting her [own] face, but her mother kept asking her to hurry.

The perfect “tense” here does not focus on the action, but on its result. The girl has finished painting her face, and it may be seen that her face is still painted - when she did it is still irrelevant, but it happened sufficiently close in time that the result of that action may still be seen.

The Chlouvānem perfect, however, has a broader use than the English one, compare:

{{Gloss

This sentence, on the other hand, uses the perfect tense; while wrong in English, this construction is possible - and, in fact, is frequently heard - though it often only makes sense in a broader context. For example, in a sentence like “yesterday it rained and the path collapsed, so we can’t walk there”, English uses both times a simple past, while Chlouvānem uses the perfect, as the path is still not walkable due to the rain:

{{Gloss

| gloss = yesterday. because. rain-do.<small>IND.PERF-3SG.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>. path.<small>DIR.SG</small>. collapse.<small>IND.PERF-3SG.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>. and. – therefore. <small>NEG</small>=walk.<small>MULTIDIR-POT-1DU.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>=<small>NEG</small>.

| translation = Yesterday it rained and the path collapsed, so we two can’t walk there.

Perfect "tense" with second inferential, again, as before, its interpretation is highly dependent on the context the sentence is found in. For example, there are face painting colours out of place, but it’s unlikely she did paint her face - e.g. it may not be a logical time to do it, or too little colour seems to have been used.

The Chlouvānem perfect is however also used where English would use ''past perfect'' or ''future perfect'', as the “impact on the present” is understood to be on the time the main action in the sentence takes place, thus something that happened earlier is considered to have an impact on it:

{{Gloss

Still, note that out of context both pluperfect and future perfect may be expressed analytically, by using the perfective subjunctive plus ''lā'' (with) and the past or future tense of ''jalle'' (to be).

A notable exception to this use is with so-called “chained actions”, when the second one is a direct consequence of the first and the first one is usually still ongoing; the second one is therefore only a momentane happening inside the broader context of the first, and thus the choice between present and past is once again dependent on the impact on the present. Note that in such cases the two verbs are usually connected with ''no'' instead of ''sama''. Compare:

{{Gloss

This sentence may be rephrased as "Hāliehulca opened the window, then closed it twelve ''railai'' later", in Chl.: ''hālyehulca prāgdeiru vuldate : tū māmei railų nin spṛšekte/aspṛšate''. Note that in the latter verb, in this case, both the past and the perfect may be used freely; in colloquial style this is also possible for the first verb (e.g. ''hālyehulca prāgdeiru uldekte ...''), but this is considered a mistake in more formal contexts, c.f. the alternative translation "Hālyehulca, who had opened the window, ..."

In narrative, it is common to use the perfect for a completed action and the (aspectless) past for an action that begins immediately after (examples taken from the excerpt "[[Chlouvānem#A_festive_day|A festive day]]", among the example texts on the main Chlouvānem page):

{{Gloss

| gloss = Nilāmulka.<small>DIR</small>. <small>TOPIC</small>. washing_room-<small>DAT.SG</small>. walk_into.<small>MONODIR.IND.PERF-3SG.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>. Tainā.<small>DIR</small>. <small>1SG.DIR</small>. and. wall-<small>LOC.SG</small>. sit_behind.<small>IND.PAST-1DU.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>. wait.<small>IND.PAST-1DU.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>.

| translation = Nilāmulka entered_PERF the washing room [and] me and Tainā sit_PAST behind the wall [and] waited_PAST.

}}

The same form can be expressed by the infinitive plus the auxiliary verb ''įstyāke'' or ''maityāke'', e.g. ''luvāyom lulkayįstetimu'' (lulke-įs‹te›tim-u) "I am walking to the store right now".

=====''lā''=====

* ''yųlētate lā jalṣyam'' — I will have eaten.

As noted before, this temporal collocation may be (and usually is) expressed with the bare perfect provided enough context is given.

=====Habitual actions=====

Some verbs are also semantically habitual and therefore don't need to be marked as such. Multidirectional motion verbs (in the present) are a common example (they do have frequentative verb forms, but with an iterative meaning); others include ''tṛlake'' "to know", ''lilke'' "to live", ''nīkeikake'' "to be dating", ''mulke'' (√mun-) "to be able to".<br/>

====Positional verbs for ongoing actions====

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = sit_in_corner.<small>IND.PRES-EXP-3PL.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>. and. be_loud-<small>ADV</small>. chat.<small>IND.PRES-EXP-3PL.COMMON.INTERIOR</small>.

| translation = They're chatting loudly [while sitting in the corner].

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = light.<small>DIR.SG</small>. sound-<small>ABL.SG</small>. more. be_fast.<small>IND.PRES-EXP-3S.COMMON.INTERIOR</small>.

| translation = Light is faster than sound.

When presenting a new stance that can change the general consensus, even if based on observation, it is customary to use the first inferential:

{{Gloss

| gloss = be_new.<small>IND.PRES-EXP-3S.COMMON.INTERIOR</small>. product.<small>DIR.SG</small>. more. be_effective.<small>IND.PRES-INF1-3S.COMMON.INTERIOR</small>.

| translation = The new product is, apparently, more effective.

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = <small>1SG.DIR</small>. do.<small>IND.PERF-REP2-1S.EXTERIOR-BENEF</small>.

| translation = They say this has been done to help me, but I don't trust them.

}}

The optative mood (''purmanūkire darišam'') has two main uses: expressing wishes (i.e. optative "may") and expectations or recommendations (i.e. "should" or "ought to"). As an extension of the latter use, it is also the way Chlouvānem forms imperatives.

{{Gloss

| gloss = this_time. <small>3SG.DAT</small>. be_correct-<small>ADV</small>. go.towards-<small>OPT.IMPF.3SG.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>.

| translation = May (s)he get it right this time!

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = if_only. there. be-<small>OPT.PERF.1SG.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>.

| translation = If only I had been there!

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = that.<small>DIR</small>. room.<small>DIR.SG</small>. child-<small>ESS.PL</small>. <small>NEG</small>=stay-<small>OPT.IMPF.3SG.EXTERIOR-LOC</small>=<small>NEG</small>.

| translation = Kids shouldn't stay in that room.

}}

{{Gloss

| translation = Please sit down.

}}

{{Gloss

| phrase = læmibāgam ħildenu ālīce jālejildētte pa ukulemīra.

| translation = [They say] (s)he has/they have talked about how the team won the match.

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = train-<small>ACC.SG</small>. miss-<small>SUBJ.IMPF.3.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. avoid. more. early. go.out-<small>IND.PERF.3.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>.

| translation = (S)he/they left earlier to avoid missing their train.

| translation = Maybe (s)he/they don't know [about] it.

}}

{{Gloss

| phrase = māraih lgutētte luvāmom dāmek.

| gloss = mango-<small>ACC.PL</small>. buy.<small>SUBJ.PERF-3.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. market-<small>DAT.SG</small>. walk.<small>MONODIR.IND.PAST-3SG.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>.

| translation = (S)he went/was going to the market to buy mangoes.

}}

Some verbs naturally require a subjunctive mood argument (typically in the imperfective aspect), like for example ''nīdhyuɂake'' (to call for) or ''ęrike'' (to let):

}}

The subjunctive mood is also vital in forming conditional sentence; [[#Conditional sentences|see that section for more explanations.]]

===The infinitive===

The infinitive (''emibąukire daradhūs'') is a non-finite mood which may also be used as a noun in the -eh declension. Often, the infinitive was more common in Classical Chlouvānem than in the modern standard, which replaced it in many instances with the subjunctive. Most times where a verb needs a subjunctive argument in the modern standard, Classical Chlouvānem allowed both possibilities; using the infinitive there today is a deliberate archaization of speech.

{{Gloss

| translation = I want to know/understand.

}}

As explained above in the section about the subjunctive, verbs such as ''lelke'', ''vāgdulke'' (both "to choose"), and ''mulke'' (√mun-, to know how to) often take a subjunctive argument, but if their argument is a simple verb + trigger structure (and very often the trigger is a pronoun or determiner, including adverbial ones), then the infinitive is used.

}}

{{Gloss

}}

There are particles which require a noun in the direct case: ''ga'' (adpositive), ''nali'' (benefactive marker), ''pa'' (concerning, about), and ''ras'' (antibenefactive marker).

The vocative case (''halausire dirūnnevya''), which is very often identical in form to the direct, is used for direct address:

{{Gloss

| gloss = Lairē-<small>VOC</small>. there. look-<small>OPT.IMPF.2SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>.

| translation = Lairē, look there [near you]!

A common use of the genitive is to express possession, i.e. what would be translated by the English verb "to have" (there is a Chlouvānem verb, ''cārake'', which is translated as "to have, possess", but it is mostly used in legal or literary contexts, or set phrases). This is especially often done when the possessor is not an explicit topic (as in the second example).

{{Gloss

| gloss = hero-<small>GEN.SG</small>. be_young-<small>IND.PRES.3SG.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>. lalāruṇa.<small>DIR.SG</small>.

| translation = The hero has a young lalāruṇa.

A few intransitive verbs require an argument expressed in the genitive, most commonly ''ḍhūke'' (to remember):

{{Gloss

| gloss = <small>2SG.HIGHER.GEN</small>. remember-<small>IND.PRES.1SG.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>.

| translation = I remember you.

}}

===Stative cases===

Often, these meanings correlate to nominal tense, with the exessive expressing a past state, the essive a present one, and the translative another in the future:

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = my-<small>DIR</small>. spiritual_friend.<small>DIR.SG</small>. <small>TOPIC</small>. more. be_excellent-<small>IND.PRES.3SG.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>. highness-<small>TRANS.SG</small>. great_inquisitor-<small>TRANS.SG</small>. be.<small>SUBJ.IMPF.3.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>. <small>NEG</small>=believe.<small>POT-IND.PAST.1SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>=<small>NEG</small>.

| translation = I could not believe that my best friend was the Great Inquisitor-elect.

The essive is typically used for the patient of most intransitive and interior verbs outside of patient-trigger voice:

{{Gloss

| gloss = mother.<small>DIR.SG</small>. child-<small>ESS.PL</small>. well. behave-<small>IND.PRES.3PL.EXTERIOR-BENEF</small>.

| translation = For/In order to please [their] mother, the children behave well.

}}

{{Gloss

| translation = (S)he is going out with Lairē in order to get to know her.

}}

Essive and exessive are also used to state what something is made of, or what something was produced from respectively:

{{Gloss

| gloss = mango-<small>ESS.SG</small>. melon-<small>ESS.SG</small>. and_<small>INCOMPL</small>. fruit_salad.<small>DIR.SG</small>.

| translation = a fruit salad predominantly made of mangoes and melons  

| gloss = <small>2SG.INFORMAL.ACC</small>. much. good. doctor-<small>ESS.SG</small>. consider.<small>IND.PRES-1SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>.

| translation = I consider you a very good doctor.

}}

The exessive is used to state a cause or reason if it is a concrete noun (the ablative is used for abstract ones):

It is also used in order to state something given in exchange for something else, most commonly when talking about money:

{{Gloss

}}

The three locational cases are the dative (''męlyausire dirūnnevya'', actually a dative+lative case), ablative (''tųlunūkire ~''), and locative (''yuñcūkire ~'') ones; they express destination, provenience, and state respectively (see the links in the section below for more).

{{Gloss

| gloss = Dāneh-<small>DAT</small>. give-<small>IND.PERF.1SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>.

| translation = I've given it to Dāneh.

| gloss = shelf-<small>ABL.SG</small>. book-<small>ACC.DU</small>. take-<small>IND.FUTINT.1SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>.

| translation = I'm going to take two books from the shelf.

}}

| translation = Plums are harvested for wine.

}}

The ablative case is also used in comparative structures, marking the thing being compared:

{{Gloss

| gloss = Dāneh.<small>DIR</small>. Dulmaidana-<small>ABL</small>. more. tall.

| translation = Dāneh is taller than Dulmaidana.

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = this.<small>DIR</small>. book.<small>DIR.SG</small>. all-<small>ABL</small>. more. be_beautiful-<small>IND.PRES.3SG.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>.

| translation = This book is the most beautiful.

It is also used to state a cause or reason, if it is an abstract noun:

{{Gloss

| gloss = love-<small>ABL.SG</small>. be_happy-<small>IND.PAST.3SG.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>.

| translation = (S)he was happy for love.

}}

Chlouvānem may use the essive case in order to form an [[w:absolute construction|absolute construction]] which we'll call the "essive absolute" in this section. Much like the Latin ablative absolute, the Chlouvānem essive absolute describes a circumstance which the action takes place in:

{{Gloss

| gloss = little. money-<small>ESS.SG</small>. nothing-<small>ACC</small>. buy-<small>SUBJ.IMPF.1SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. choose-<small>IND.PAST.1SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>.

| translation = Having little money, I decided not to buy anything.

* A different solution is to mark indefiniteness: this is commonly done by using either ''emibe'' "one" or, in colloquial speech, ''sorasmā'' "some kind of".

===Anaphora===

Multiple anaphora in Chlouvānem is mainly handled by a combination of the use of pronouns and of voice triggers, with the lack of distinct third person pronouns meaning that the pragmatic meaning of the sentence is driven by context nearly as much as by the semantic content.

{{Gloss

}}

In this example, the pronoun "it" is not stated as context adds it to the pragmatic meaning, as the given thing is the book; a redundant "that" (''nanau'', in accusative case, here) may be added as an explanation but would sound odd to native speakers. Both verbs refer to a single direct case argument, which is the agent in the first clause and the dative argument (receiver) in the second one.

{{Gloss

}}

A sentence where the agent is a third person is semantically ambiguous as the last clause is limited to a single verb (here "he was given"). Again, the direct argument of that clause is the same as that of the first one, with the same roles as in the sentence above, while it is context which makes clear what the given thing (patient argument) is. A sentence like this one does, however, give no clue about the identity of the latter clause's agent, apart from the actual semantic meaning of the verb "to give" implying there must be an agent, but, anyway, neither does the pronoun in English. This Chlouvānem example sentence therefore would need an explicit agent only when it needs to be specified (see first sentence below) or introduced (see the second one below). Otherwise, it is either clear by the general context (see third example below), or, as in the example given above, it is not an important information included in the pragmatic meaning given by the speaker.

{{Gloss

}}

{{Gloss

}}

{{Gloss

}}

==Comparative sentences==

{{Gloss

| gloss = this.<small>SG.DIR</small>. road.<small>DIR.SG</small>. that.<small>DISTAL.DU-ABL</small>. more. be_long.<small>IND.PRES-3S.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>.

| translation = This road is longer than those two.

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = <small>1SG.GEN-DIR</small>. female's_younger_sister.<small>DIR.SG</small>. <small>1SG.ABL</small>. more. tall.

| translation = My younger sister is taller than me.

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = be_red.<small>IND.PRES-3S.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>. liquid_soap.<small>DIR.SG</small>. be_black.<small>IND.PRES-3S.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>. that.<small>SG-ABL</small>. soap-<small>ABL.SG</small>. less. be_effective.<small>IND.PRES-3S.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>.

| translation = The red liquid soap is less effective than that black soap over there.

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = that.<small>DISTAL.SG.DIR</small>. soap.<small>DIR.SG</small>. more. be_effective.<small>IND.PRES-3S.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>.

| translation = That soap is more effective.

}}

The structure used for superlatives is the same, but the comparison class (ablative case argument) is ''yaivų'' (than all). If there is a subset class (often as a marked topic), then ''yaivų'' is optional:

{{Gloss

| gloss = that.<small>MEDIAL.SG.DIR</small>. work.<small>DIR.SG</small>. all-<small>ABL</small>. more. important.

| translation = That task [you have] is the most important.

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = that.<small>DISTAL.SG.DIR</small>. soap.<small>DIR.SG</small>. all-<small>ABL</small>. more. be_effective.<small>IND.PRES-3S.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>.

| translation = That soap is the most effective.

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = class-<small>GEN.SG</small>. boy-<small>DIR.PL</small>. <small>TOPIC</small>.  Khālbayān.<small>DIR</small>. (all-<small>ABL</small>.) more. be_careful-<small>ADV</small>. work.<small>IND.PRES-3S.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>.

| translation = Among the boys in the class, Khālbayān [is the one who] works the most carefully.

}}

{{Gloss

| phrase = nenē eṇāh nanąu svaprire.

The syntax used is the same when the verbs are used attributively:

{{Gloss

| gloss = role.<small>DIR.SG</small>. for. more. be_old.<small>IND.PRES-3S.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>. actor-<small>ACC.SG</small>. need.<small>IND.PRES-1P.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>.

| translation = For [that] role we need an older actor/actress.

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = all-<small>ABL</small>. more. be_effective.<small>IND.PRES-3S.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>. soap.<small>DIR.SG</small>. buy.<small>IND.PERF-3S.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>.

| translation = The most effective soap has been bought.

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = class-<small>GEN.SG</small>. more. be_skilled.<small>IND.PRES-3P.INTERIOR.COMMON</small>. student-<small>DIR.PL</small>. be_easy.<small>IND.PAST-3S.EXTERIOR-BENEFACTIVE</small>.

| translation = It was easy for the most skilled students in the class.

}}

===Equatives and other comparative forms===

{{Gloss

| phrase = lilyā kalineh lįs e (enūḍa) lalla.

Comparing sentences with two different verbs requires the structure [sentence 1] + ''nanąu'' (ablative of ''nanā'' "that", i.e. "than that") + optionally ''ni'' (but) + [sentence 2]:

{{Gloss

| gloss = read.<small>IND.PRES-2S.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. that.<small>DISTAL.SG-ABL</small>. but. more. be_fast-<small>ADV</small>. write.<small>IND.PRES-1S.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>.

| translation = I write faster than you read.

}}

===Only===

{{Gloss

| phrase = nęltayų viṣāmi gu vi ša, gu našabuṃṣanah!

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = moment-<small>ABL.SG</small>. more. <small>NEG</small>=request.<small>HUMBLE-INF</small>-do.<small>HUMBLE-PRES.IND.1SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>.=<small>NEG</small>.

| translation = Just a moment, please.

In Chlouvānem, the usual way of expressing the concept represented by the English verb "to prefer" is to use a comparative with the verb "to like", i.e. "to like more":

{{Gloss

| translation = I like mangoes.

}}

{{Gloss

| translation = I prefer mangoes.

}}

{{Gloss

| translation = I prefer mangoes to peaches.

}}

{{Gloss

| translation = I like peaches, but I prefer mangoes.

}}

==Relative clauses==

The structure is thus as follows:

{{Gloss

| gloss = see-<small>IND.PRES.1S.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. <small>NEG</small>- know-<small>IND.PRES.1S.INTERIOR</small>. -<small>NEG</small>.

| translation = I don’t know/understand what I see.

}}

{{Gloss

: ''plutua demye maihei '''primbyemęlya''' lila'' - the person who has been given back the bag by his/her own daughter

: ''ītulu lāṇṭaṃrye lilei '''utugamǣ''' pluta'' - the bag with which the thief has been hit on the head by the person

Such constructions can also be used where English uses gerundive constructions:

}}

Sentences expressing judgement are often translatable with evidentials (and are therefore single-clause):

| translation = They say that my son is working, but I doubt it.

}}

{{Gloss

| translation = Whom did that Kānyahǣṣa did [it] her way annoy?

}}

==Conditional sentences==

{{Gloss

| phrase = pū hālyanēṃṣom vasi ndaheɂinē ga lārvājuṣu mišiṣyeste.

| translation = If you have called Ms. Naikā, she will come. <small>OR:</small> [...] she's expected to come.

}}

{{Gloss

}}

{{Gloss

}}

{{Gloss

| phrase = pū nenē tuheiladom kitī āndriṣya.

| translation = If this were included in the [next] six-year plan, it would be built.


}}

{{Gloss

| phrase = mei tati pū kulētate yaiva gātarirya.

| translation = If I had said "yes", everything would be different (now)."

}}

{{Gloss

| phrase = mei tati pū kulētate nanā gu najēt ša.

| translation = If I had said 'yes', that wouldn't have happened.

}}

If the if-clause is omitted, then a declarative particle '''e''' is usually put at the end of the sentence:

{{Gloss

}}

==Negatives==

Chlouvānem negates sentences by using the circumfix ''gu(n) ... ša'' on the verb:

The ''ša'' part of the circumfix is omitted if the verb is attributive:

Double negatives are not proper in Chlouvānem — negating a sentence with a negative correlative makes it affirmative:

==Interrogatives==

Chlouvānem yes-no questions are formed with the particle ''dam'' at the end of the sentence:

: ''martayinām dvārmu nadāmek'' "Martayinām walked into the room" → ''martayinām dvārmu nadāmek dam?'' "did Martayinām walk into the room?"

If the sentence is negative, the ''... ša'' part of the circumfix is omitted:

Non-polar questions are formed by using an interrogative (''ya-'') correlative, without ''dam''. Unlike English, there is no mandatory wh-fronting in Chlouvānem (word order is usually flexible enough to allow all possibilities):

''nane'' and ''naihā'' are "emphatic particles" used in informal Chlouvānem which work like English tag questions; ''nane'' expects an answer of the same polarity as the question, while ''naihā'' expresses doubt or expectation of a contradictory answer (it can be translated as ", or...?"). ''dam'' is not omitted:

The English distinction between direct and indirect speech is not present in Chlouvānem; instead, it uses a quotative particle, '''tati''', which follows a quoted sentence; this instance of quoted speech is used basically everywhere English uses indirect speech:

{{Gloss

| gloss = be_ready.<small>IND.PRES-1PL.COMMON.INTERIOR</small>. <small>QUOT</small>. say.<small>IND.PAST-3PL.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>.

| translation = They said they were ready. <small>(or: "They said 'we are ready.'")</small>

}}

{{Gloss

| gloss = be_final-<small>ADV</small>. Carthage.<small>DIR</small>. destroy.<small>OPT.PERF-3SG.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>. <small>QUOT</small>. think.<small>IND.PRES-1SG.COMMON.INTERIOR</small>.

| translation = [[w:Carthago delenda est|Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.]] <small>(literally: "last [but not least], I think: 'Carthage must be destroyed.'")</small>

}}

This is the norm even in more complex sentences:

{{Gloss

| gloss = Hānihæmma.<small>DIR</small>. <small>TOP</small>. Jæhimīnta.<small>DIR</small>. that_much.<small>MEDIAL</small>. much. love.<small>IND.PRES-3SG.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>. because. / lānicunih-<small>ABL.SG</small>. more. <small>NEG</small>=be.<small>IND.PAST.3SG.PATIENT.EXTERIOR</small>=<small>NEG</small>. see-<small>FREQ-SUBJ.IMPF-1SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. after. marry-<small>DESID-IND.PRES-1SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. <small>QUOT</small>. all. friend-<small>DAT.PL</small>. say.<small>IND.PAST-3SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>.

| translation = Hānihæmma loved Jæhimīnta so much that she_{<small>1</small>} told all her_{<small>1</small>} friends that she_{<small>1</small>} wanted to marry her_{<small>2</small>} after having seen her_{<small>2</small>} for only one lunar phase!<ref>Example taken from a translation challenge on the ''Constructed Languages'' Facebook group, posted on Sep 8, 2018, adapted for the purpose of this page.</ref>

The verb ''tṛlake'' "to know, to understand" simply requires the sentences to be juxtaposed. Note that Chlouvānem uses the natural sequence of tenses:

{{Gloss

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{{Gloss

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Future in the past also uses juxtaposed sentences, with the future meaning being shown by the general future tense:

{{Gloss

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