Tag: Transitive Verbs

Intermediate Actions Part 2: Making Past Tense Sentences in Chamorro With Indefinite Objects – “I bought coffee”

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro Lessons: Intermediate1 Comment

To build off of part 1 where we practiced transforming our transitive verbs with the indefinite man- prefix, in this post we will start using those transformed verbs in sentences. We will learn how to make simple sentences like “I bought coffee”; “I heard something”; or “I made some soup.” We will also add noun subjects to say things like “The woman bought coffee.” This post includes sentence drills in Chamorro with Chamorro audio, and English translations. Happy studying!

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Intermediate Actions Part 1: Introduction to Indefinite Objects in Chamorro – “The Coffee versus A Coffee”

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro Lessons: Intermediate1 Comment

In this post, we’ll start our journey on learning how to talk about indefinite objects or non-specific objects in Chamorro. A couple of years ago I wrote a rather long post about using the man- prefix with transitive verbs, back when I was first working toward a clearer understanding of indefinite objects. Now I’ll be exploring the man- prefix more systematically, starting with our transitive verbs. The use of the man- prefix surfaces repeatedly in our practice groups these days, so I guess it’s finally time to dive in!

This post is meant to be an introduction to indefinite objects and how to transform verbs with the indefinite man- prefix. If you need a more general overview of transitive verbs, I suggest starting at my Intro to Transitive Verbs post before continuing. In this post, we’ll focus primarily on practicing how to transform transitive verbs with the indefinite man- prefix. We will also talk about what learners often call “the double man-” prefix and when it is used. The post will conclude with notes about the transitive verbs that don’t take the indefinite man- prefix and how to transform them. It’s a fairly long post, but hopefully it will make clear a complicated and confusing topic. Happy studying!

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Lesson 09: Talking about Actions and Objects – Introduction to Transitive Verbs in Chamorro

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro Lessons: Beginner6 Comments

If we are getting started in making basic action sentences in Chamorro, a common starting place for learners is making transitive statements which are sentences like “I drank the coffee” or “She prepared the food.” Before we get started with making these types of sentences, let’s learn a little more about the verbs used, which are called transitive verbs. In this post we’ll go over some practical ways to understand what transitive verbs are and the features of transitive sentences that matter the most in Chamorro.

If you are at a more intermediate level, check out my post on The Man- Prefix for Transitive Verbs as it has similar content but expands to understanding how to use the MAN- prefix with transitive verbs. Happy studying!

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Lesson 17: Talking About What We Can and Can’t Do in Chamorro – “I can drink the coffee”

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro Lessons: Beginner2 Comments

In this post we’ll learn how to talk about what we can and cannot do, such as “I can drink the coffee” or “I cannot drink the milk.” To talk about what we can or cannot do in Chamorro, we must use the word siña in our sentences. We’ll learn about the word siña and some of the most basic statements we can make, then we will go through some practice sentences to talk about what we can do, cannot do, and to ask questions. Happy studying!

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Lesson 16: How to Say “Must” and “Should” in Chamorro – “I must drink the coffee”

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro Lessons: Beginner3 Comments

In this post, we’ll learn how to talk about when we must or shoud do something, such as in sentences like “I must drink the coffee” or “I should buy the coffee.” In Chamorro, we do this by using the word debidi with our future tense statements. We’ll review how to use debidi and do some sentence drills for practice. Happy studying!

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