In these notes we will go over how to make our sentences into the present tense with intransitive verbs, which includes a step-by-step approach to reduplication. We’ll cover how to say sentences like “I am staying in the village” or “They are walking to the beach.”

Contents
Introduction to Reduplication UM Intransitive Verbs MA Intransitive Verbs Intransitive Verbs Without Affixes Keep Learning! Continue to the Next Lesson References

Introduction to Reduplication

To express our sentences in present tense, we have to reduplicate our verbs. Reduplication is used for different purposes in Chamorro, and in this context reduplicating our verbs turns our action sentences into a continuous or present tense.

To reduplicate our verbs, we repeat the vowel in the stressed syllable and the consonant it’s attached to (if any). Generally, the stressed syllable is the second to last syllable in the word.

With our intransitive verbs, we must also add UM or MA- to our reduplicated word. The easiest way to absorb this is through practice with examples, and it will feel more natural the more we use these transformed words. So let’s look at some examples.

UM Intransitive Verbs

For the verbs below, I first apply reduplication and then the UM infix. Each affix is shown in bold below, to show how the pattern works.

Root Word	Reduplication	UM Infix + Reduplication
hånao	håhånao	humåhånao
deskånsa	deskåkånsa	dumeskåkånsa
åsson	å‘åsson	umå’åsson
tohge	totohge	tumotohge
o’mak	o’o’mak	umo’o’mak
tånges	tåtånges	tumåtånges
såga	såsåga	sumåsåga

Now for some practice sentences. I am going to take the sentences from my first post on intransitive verbs, Basic Actions Part 10: Past Tense – “I stayed” and change them from past tense to continuous / present tense using our reduplicated verbs in the table above:

[ Reduplication + -UM- + Intransitive Verb ] + Yu’ Type Pronoun

Chamorro	English
Humåhånao yu’ para i fañochuyan.	I am going to the restaurant.
Dumeskåkånsa hao gi kanton tåsi.	You are resting at the beach.
Umå’åsson gue’ gi gima’.	She is lying down at the house.
Tumotohge siha gi me’nan i tribunåt.	They (2) are standing in front of the court.
Umo’o’mak hamyo gi saddok.	You (2) are bathing in the river.
Tumåtånges ham gi gima’ Yu’os.	We (2) are crying at the church.
Sumåsåga hit giya Hågat.	We (2) are staying in Agat.

MA- Intransitive Verbs

Now let’s practice with the intransitive verbs that take the MA- prefix. I apply the same order of reduplication and then adding the MA- prefix. The main exception is the word mamomokkat. Note that the reduplicated form is not mamopokkat, but mamomokkat:

Root Word	Reduplication	MA- Prefix
cho’cho	chocho’cho	machocho’cho’
tå’chong	tå’tå’chong	matå’tå’chong
udai	u’udai	ma‘u’udai
pokkat	popokkat*	mamomokkat*

Now let’s put these reduplicated verbs into sentences. The basic structure of Verb + Yu’ Type Pronoun is used, and then I add locations for a bit more color:

[ Reduplication + MA- + Intransitive Verb ] + Yu’ Type Pronoun

Chamorro	English
Machocho’cho’ yu’ gi tenda.	I am working at the store.
Matå’tå’chong hit gi santåtte.	We (2) are sitting at the back.
Ma’u’udai siha gi boti.	They (2) are riding on the boat.
Mamomokkat hamyo para i gipot.	You (2) are walking to the party.

Intransitive Verbs Without Affixes

Our final group of sentences are with intransitive verbs that don’t require either the UM or MA- affixes. First, let’s reduplicate the verbs:

Root Word	Reduplicated
Makmåta	Makmåmåta
Maigo’	Mámaigo’
Måtai	Måmåtai
Maigo’ñaihon	Maigo’ñaiñaihon
Malågu	Malålågu
Måtto	Måmåtto

Now lets put these reduplicated verbs into sentences. Again, the basic structure is Verb + Yu’ Type Pronoun, and I’ve added a little more to the sentences:

[ Reduplication + Intransitive Verb ] + Yu’ Type Pronoun

Chamorro	English
Makmåmåta yu’ gi oran alas siette gi egga’an.	I wake up at 7 o’clock in the morning.
Mamaigo’ i neni.	The baby is sleeping.
Måmåtai i tinanom.	The plant is dying.
Maigo’ñaiñaihon si nanå-hu.	My mother is taking a nap.
Malålågu siha gi kanton tåsi.	They (2) are running on the beach.
Måmåtto i oran i finatai-hu.	The hour of my death is arriving.

Keep Learning! Continue to the Next Lesson

And that’s it for our continous / present tense sentences with intransitive verbs! Click the link below to read the lesson on how to make commands with intransitive verbs:

Basic Actions Part 12: Making Future Tense Sentences in Chamorro With Intransitive Verbs – “I will stay”

---

References

Topping, D. M., & Ogo, P. M. (1980). Spoken Chamorro with Grammatical Notes and Glossary (PALI Language Texts―Micronesia) (2nd ed.). University of Hawaii Press.

• Sentence Drills: pg. 19, 25-27

Topping, D. M., & Dungca, B. C. (1980). Chamorro Reference Grammar (PALI Language Texts―Micronesia). University of Hawaii Press.

• Intransitive Verbs: pg. 82-83
• Reduplication for Continuous (Present) Tense: pg. 259