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Qino: Difference between revisions
→Definitives
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===Definitives=== | ===Definitives=== | ||
Definitives always modify a noun and generally occur at the beginning of the noun phrase. Some agree with the noun in gender/number, but most are invariable. | Definitives always modify a noun and generally occur at the beginning of the noun phrase. Some agree with the noun in gender/number, but most are invariable. | ||
====Definite Article==== | |||
The definite article precedes the noun being modified. It only declines in primary cases; other cases use the absolutive forms. Plural nouns use feminine articles. | |||
The definite article always comes at the beginning of a noun phrase and has two forms: short and long. The short forms are used when the article directly preceding the noun being modified. If there is separation, the long forms can be used, especially if the short forms may cause confusion. | |||
:e.g. ''ka mana'' "that house"; ''ka wiine mana'' / ''kana wiine mana'' "that big house" (no confusion) | |||
::''ka yarka nama'' / ''kana yarka nama'' "that person who sees" (but the former could also mean "person who sees him") | |||
The definite article is used less commonly than in English. It is used for something that is known by both the speaker and the listener. To prevent confusion with the English definite article, it is translated here as "that" (instead of "the"). | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||
|+ Qino definite article | |||
|- | |||
! rowspan=2" | !! colspan="2" | Short !! colspan = "2" | Long | |||
|- | |||
! Masculine !! Feminine !! Masculine !! Feminine | |||
|- | |||
! Absolutive | |||
| ka || ta || kana || tana | |||
|- | |||
! Nominative | |||
| ku || tu || kuni || tuni | |||
|- | |||
! Genitive | |||
| ki || ti || kini || tini | |||
|- | |||
|} | |||
===Pronouns=== | ===Pronouns=== | ||