Arcadian Verbal Conjugation: Person & Number
In Arcadia, verbs are conjugated using person and number, expressed through suffixes attached to the verb stem, after the tense suffix has been added.
The stem is formed by dropping the -ir ending from the infinitive.
Arcadia is a pro-drop language: personal pronouns are omitted unless emphasis or disambiguation is required.
Persons in Arcadia
Arcadia distinguishes four grammatical persons:
| Person | Description |
|---|---|
| 1st | Speaker (I, we) |
| 2nd | Addressee (you) |
| 3rd | Other(s) (he, she, they) |
| 4th | Non-personal agents (collective forces, impersonal events, zero-agency) |
Additionally, 1st person plural distinguishes between:
- Exclusive (we, not you)
- Inclusive (we, including you)
Conjugation Rule
Each conjugated verb form is built by attaching a person vowel and a number consonant to the verb stem.
Suffix Composition
- Drop
-irfrom the infinitive to obtain the stem - Add the number suffix
- Add suffix:
[Person Vowel] + [Number Marker]
Example using sir (to be):
- sir → s- (stem extraction)
- s- → sav- (tense suffix)
- savo: I am
- savas: we (including you) are
- savul: everyone is
Person & Number Suffixes
| Person/Number | Singular | Fractional | Plural | Nullar | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | -o |
-os |
|||
| 1st (inclusive) | -as |
||||
| 2nd | -i |
-is |
|||
| 3rd | -e |
-ed |
-es |
||
| 4th | -u |
-ud |
-us |
-un |
-ul |