Volap�k Grammatical Forms

Collated from "An Introduction to Volap�k" by Ed Robertson,
the ten-lesson postal course by Ralph Midgley,
and Volap�k and English dictionaries.
Material applies to modern Volap�k as revised by Arie de Jong.
This reference is not intended to be a complete description of Volap�k grammar.
Please send any corrections or additions to bartlett at smart.net.

CASES

- (S) Nominative
-A(S) Genitive
-E(S) Dative
-I(S) Accusative
-U(S) Predicative
O Vocative particle

PERSONAL PRONOUNS

ob / obs I / we
ol / ols you (1 person) / you (more than 1 person)
om / oms he / they (all males)
of / ofs she / they (all females)
on / ons it / they (neuter or mixed gender)
ok / oks (reflexive)
od / ods (reciprocative)
oy "one"
os (impersonal {null subject})
   
or / ors "polite" forms of ol and ols
(hardly ever used except poetically)

Part of Arie de Jong's official modern grammar, but never used are og (you or me) and ogs (you and me / you and us).

Some other pronouns are: atos (this), etos (that), it (itself), ot (the same thing), ut (whoever), kel, kelos (who/which: relative, not question), kin (who?), kif (who? female). kim (who? male), kis (what?), ek (somebody), nek (nobody), bos (something), nos (nothing), valikos (all, everything), �m (several, some), �man (someone, such a one, such person), al (each, every).

VERB FORMS

P()- Passive (PA- for present tense)
E- Present Perfect
�- Imperfect
I- Pluperfect
O- Future
U- Future Perfect
�- Future in the Past
�- Future in the Past Perfect
-�N Infinitive
-�D Imperative (added after personal ending)
-�S Optative (added after personal ending)
-�V Conditional (added after personal ending)
-�L Participle (verbal adjective)
--LA Subjunctive (appended with hyphen)

Whether a verb is naturally transitive or intransitive varies from one word to the next. Transitive verbs can be made intransitive by inserting the affix -ik, and intransitive verbs made transitive by the use of the affix -�k.

The affix -ik can be used with intransitive verbs, and -�k with verbs that are normally transitive. In these cases, they provide a kind of medial voice or causative voice respectively.

AFFIXES

BE- (make indirect object the direct object)      -AF names of animals
D�- broken into pieces      -AG abundance
DEI- until death      -AM verbal noun
DO- downward motion      -AN someone who is or does something
DU- movement through      -AT amount of
FA- absence      -AV science
FE- complete consumption      -�B recipient of, victim
FI- to the end; completion      -�D generalisation of effect
F�I- shut      -�N country
HI- male      -�T abstraction
JI- female      -ED particularisation
LA- raising up      -EF group of people
KE- together      -EL maker of
L�X- ex-; emeritus      -EM group of things
LE- size (physical or abstract);     
ancestry (e.g., grandparent)     		 -EP plant
LU- disparagement; step relationship      -ER content(s)
L�- in-law      -ET consequential or concrete example
NE- opposite      -I�L tendency, inclination
NI- interior object      -I�R container
N�- movement into      -IL diminutive
PL�- exterior object      -IM philosophy
RU- primitive, ancient      -OD softer or less serious example
S�- remission      -OT harder or more serious example
    -OV possibility
    -�F quality
    -�P place
    -�M equipment
    -�D compass point
    -�L young of; endearment
    --LI (with hyphen) interrogative, appended to verb

ADJECTIVES

The comparative and superlative of adjectives is formed by adding -um or -�n respectively after the -ik and before any case or number agreement. The prepositions used with the comparative and superlative degrees are ka and se respectively.

INTERJECTIONS

The other parts of speech are prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. These can exist as roots in themselves, with no particular ending.

Ag! Ooh!      Fi! Nonsense!      Y�b�! Ha!
Ha! Aha!      He! Hey!      Ady�! Bye!
O! O!      �! Wow!      Y�! Hurrah!
N�! O no!      Si! O yes!      Ek�! Look!, Here is/are
S�! I say!

Any other suitable words can also be made into interjections simply by adding the final vowel -�. For example:

Dan�! Thanks!      Seil�! Shut up!
F�m�! Of course!      Spid�! Get a move on!
Lied�! Dear me!      Stop�! Halt!
Pr�d�! Look out!      Zed�! Make way!

CONJUNCTIONS

Ab but      Asa, As� as, as well as      Zu, Zuo moreover
Bi because      Ib� for, because      �f even if, in case of, insofar as
Do though      Das that      U(d){...u(d)} {either...}or
Du while      To� yet (despite)      Ni{..Ni} neither{...nor}
E(d) and      Too yet (however), nevertheless      Klu so
If if      Va whether      Ka than
�(d) or (Latin sive)      Ven when      Dat so that
�si such as      � and*

(*This conjunction is sometimes used with multiple adjectives modifying the same substantive.)

Any other suitable words can also be made into conjunctions simply by adding the final vowel -�. For example:

Bis� provided that      Kod� by reason of which
B�� before      Pas� only when
G�� on the other hand      To� despite, in spite of

PREPOSITIONS

Da through      Me by means of      Ma according to      Pro for
De of/from/off      Nen without      Nen without      Ad for, to, in order to
Dis under      Ko with      Po behind (place)      Za, Zao about
Fa by (person)      B� before (time); ago      V� between, among      Pos after
Fo in front of      Su on      In in      Se out (of), from
Ini into      Sus above      Ta against      As, �s as
T� at, in      L� by (position), with      Du during      Len at, on
P� at      Bev� between, among      Bin� (made) of      Ve along
Sis since      To in spite of      Sa together with      Plas instead (of)
�n� within (a time)      D� about, in      L� to (= direction)      T� at, on (= time)
J� up to      G� contrary to      �n at, in, on (time)      Love over
Pla besides      Bai according to

Some prepositions can take an ending -i to show motion.

Any other suitable words can also be made prepositions by the simple addition of -�. For example:

Dem� with regard to      Nil� near to      Don� below
Dom� at the house of      Bin� made of      Trav�r� across
G�n� in favour of      Lab� comprising      V�t�l� (+ noun) considering
Nem� in the name of      Kod� because of      Veg� on the way to
Tef� concerning, with regard to

VARIOUS ADVERBS (derived adverbs ordinarily end in -o)

Ai always      Us there      Vio how (relative)      Tu too (excessively)
Ba perhaps      Ya already      L�po above      Anu at this moment, now
I(d) also      Ye however      Ti almost      Go quite, very
Is here      Nu now      Nog yet (still)      Ga certainly, indeed
Mu extremely      K� where (relative)      Neai never      J�nu up to now
Plu more      K� when (relative)      Sevabo namely, that is      Igo even
Te only      Lio how (question)      T�no then      Igo no not even
Enu recently      Zu in addition, moreover      Ebo just      Sosus as soon as
Suno soon      Alna each time      �mna sometimes

The questions where? and when? are ki�po? and ki�po? respectively. These are formed from ki- then the affix of place or time respectively (-�p- or -�p-), then the adverb ending.

As for the whence? (= from where?) and the whither? (= to where?), these two adverbs are expressed in Volap�k simply and logically by the endings -AO = from where? and -IO = to where? as in: domao = from the house, and domio = to the house

NUMERICS

Numbers follow their noun.

bal 1      degbal 11      teldegbal 21        foldeg 40
tel 2      degtel 12      teldegtel 22        luldeg 50
kil 3      degkil 13      teldegkil 23        m�ldeg 60
fol 4          teldegfol 24        veldeg 70
lul 5          teldeglul 25        j�ldeg 80
m�l 6          teldegm�l 26        z�ldeg 90
vel 7          teldegvel 27   tum 100
j�l 8          teldegj�l 28        mil 1000
z�l 9          teldegz�l 29        balion 1 000 000 (10^6)
deg 10      teldeg 20      kildeg 30        telion 10^12
              kilion 10^18
              etc.  

teltumkildegfolmil lultumm�ldegvel
234 567
folbalion j�ltumveldegm�lmil kiltumteldegz�l
4 876 329

dim 0,1
zim 0,01
mim 0,001
dimmim 0,0001
zimmim 0,00001
balyim 0,000001

The fractional part should be read as if an integer number, followed by the decimal fraction word to give the order of magnitude. Thus:

0,345 = kiltumfoldeglul mim
0,123456 = tumteldegkilmil foltumluldegm�l balyim

For smaller magnitudes telyim (10^-12), kilyim (10^-18) etc. are formed in the same way as their high magnitude counterparts telion, kilion, etc.

Ordinal numerals are formed by the suffix -id;
Fractional numerals are formed by the suffix -dil;
Repetition or multiplication is expressed by the suffix -na.

CALENDAR

Monday mudel      January janul      August gustul
Tuesday tudel      February febul      September setul
Wednesday vedel      March m�zul      October tobul
Thursday d�del      April prilul      November novul
Friday fridel      May mayul      December dekul
Saturday z�del      June yunul         
Sunday sudel      July yulul         

TIME

binos minuts deg pos d�p balid = It's 1.10
binos foldil pos d�p balid = It's 1.15
binos d�palaf pos bal = It's 1.30
binos minuts teldeg b� d�p telid = It's 1.40
binos foldil b� tel = It's 1.45
binos sekuns kildeg b� d�p tel = It's thirty seconds to two o' clock

As you will see, the system is very flexible. There's a long way round (pos/b� d�p balid) or a short way round (pos/b� bal) depending on your preference. To express a.m. simply say g�da = of the morning; to express p.m. say poszedelo = after the middle of the day. The continental system works just as well, and saves a word or two. Thus 15.35 is Binos minuts teldeglul b� d�p degm�l. Again, use whatever suits you best!

Question: D�P KINID BINOS-LI?

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