Content Words: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives and Adverbs

Nouns

Globasa's nouns do not distinguish between singular and plural forms.

• maux - mouse, mice
• kalamu - pen(s)

Globasa's nouns have neither definite nor indefinite articles.

• janela - (a) window, (the) window(s)

If it is necessary to emphasize definiteness, hin (this/these) or den (that/those) may be used.

• hin kitabu - this book, these books, the book(s)
• den flura - that flower, those flowers, the flower(s)

If it is necessary to emphasize singularity, un (one) may be used.

• un denta - one tooth, a tooth
• hin un denta - this (one) tooth, the tooth

If it is necessary to emphasize plurality, plu (multiple) may be used.

• plu pingo - (multiple) apples
• den plu pingo - those (multiple) apples, the apples

Gender

In Globasa, nouns denoting people and animals are typically gender-neutral.

• ixu - adult (man, woman)
• nini - kid, child (boy, girl)
• gami - spouse (husband, wife)
• mumu - cattle (bull, cow)

If it is necessary to emphasize gender, the adjectives fem (female) and man (male) may be used as prefixes.

• femnini - girl; mannini - boy
• femixu - woman; manixu - man
• femgami - wife; mangami - husband
• femmumu - cow; manmumu - bull

Etymology of fem: English (feminine), French (féminin), German (feminin), Spanish (femenina)

Etymology of man: Mandarin (男 “nán”), French (masculin), Spanish (masculino), English (masculine), German (männlich), Hindi (मर्दाना “mardana”), Persian (مردانه “mardane”)

A handful of nouns denoting people do indicate gender.

• matre or mama - mother or mom
• patre or papa - father or dad

Note: The gender-neutral word for parent(s) is atre. The gender-neutral word for mom/dad is mapa.

Nouns in Sentence Initial Phrases

Fe is often used in sentence initial phrases with nouns.

• Fe fato, - In fact, Actually
• Fe fini, - Finally
• Fe bonxanse, - Luckily, Fortunately
• Fe asif, - Regretfully, Unfortunately
• Fe onxala, - Hopefully
• Fe folo, - Therefore, Consequently, So
• Fe misal, - For example
• Fe xugwan, - Usually
• Fe benji, - In essence, Basically
• Fe moy kaso, - In any case, At any rate
• Fe alo kaso, - Otherwise
• Fe nunya, - At present, Now
• Fe leya, - In the past, Previously, Formerly
• Fe xaya, - In the future, Later (on)

Apposition

In Globasa, a noun may be followed by another noun without the use of a preposition when the second noun specifies the identity of the first. This is known as apposition.

• Hotel Kaliforni - Hotel California
• Estato Florida - the State of Florida
• Towa Babel - The Tower of Babel
• Dolo Onxala - Hope Street
• Myaw Felix - Felix the Cat
• misu doste Mark - my friend Mark
• lexi kursi - the word chair

Particle di: Culture-Specific Words and Proper Nouns

The particle di may be optionally used to mark culture-specific words and proper nouns that have identical form to ordinary words that are already established in Globasa.

• soho - reciprocal, mutual
  • (di) Soho - Soho (New York City neighborhood)

Particle ci: Endearment and Affection

A noun or proper name may be followed by the particle ci to denote endearment or affection.

• mama - mom
  • mama ci - mommy
• nini - child, kid
  • nini ci - kiddo
• Jon - John
  • Jon ci - Johnny

Honorifics: Gao and Kef

The adjective gao (high, tall) and the noun kef (boss, chief) may be used as honorifics.

• alimyen - teacher
  • gao alimyen - master
• papa - dad
  • kef papa - boss

Noun/Verbs

In Globasa, noun/verbs are words that can function as either noun or verb.

• ergo - work (noun or verb)
• danse - dance (noun or verb)
• yam - meal (noun) or eat (verb)
• lala - song (noun) or sing (verb)

Noun/Verb Comparison

Noun/verb comparison is expressed as follows using the words max (more), min (less, fewer), dennumer (that number of, as many), denkwanti (that quantity, as much), kom (as, than).

With nouns:

• max... kom... - more... than...
• min... kom... - fewer... than...

Mi hare max kitabu kom yu.
I have more books than you.

Yu hare min kitabu kom mi.
You have fewer books than I.

• max te/to kom... - more (of them) than...
• min te/to kom... - fewer (of them) than...

Mi hare max to kom yu.
I have more (of them) than you.

Yu hare min to kom mi.
You have fewer (of them) than I.

• max kom - more than
• min kom - fewer than

Mi hare max kom cen kitabu.
I have more than one hundred books.

Yu hare min kom cen kitabu.
You have fewer than one hundred books.

• dennumer... kom... - as many... as...

Te hare dennumer kitabu kom mi.
She has as many books as me.

• dennumer te/to kom... as many (of them) as...

Te hare dennumer to kom mi.
She has as many as me.

• denkwanti... kom... as much... as...

Yu yam denkwanti risi kom mi.
You eat as much rice as me.

• denkwanti to kom... as much (of it) as...

Yu yam denkwanti to kom mi.
You eat as much (of it) as me.

With verbs:

• max... kom.... or max kom... - more than

Myaw max somno kom bwaw.
or: Myaw somno max kom bwaw.
The cat sleeps more than the dog.

• min... kom.... or min kom... - less than

Bwaw min somno kom myaw.
or: Bwaw somno min kom myaw.
The dog sleeps less than the cat.

• denkwanti... kom... or denkwanti kom... - as much as

Bebe denkwanti somno kom myaw.
or: Bebe somno denkwanti kom myaw.
The baby sleeps as much as the cat.

To express the more/the less..., the more/the less..., Globasa uses folki... max/min, max/min.

Folki mi max doxo, mi max jixi.
The more I read, the more I know.

The order of these phrases may switch places:

Mi max jixi, folki mi max doxo.
I know more, the more I read.

Verb Categories

Verbs are defined in the dictionary as auxiliary, copula, transitive, intransitive, or ambitransitive.

Auxiliary Verbs

Auxiliary verbs are immediately followed by another verb, which may be omitted. There are only three auxiliary verbs in Globasa: abil (can, able to), ingay (should, ought to), musi (must, have to).

Copula Verbs

Copula verbs link the subject to its complement. There are currently 12 copula verbs: sen (be), xorsen (become), sencu (become), sengi (cause to be), kwasisen (seem), okocu (look), orecu (sound), nasacu (smell), xetocu (taste), pifucu (feel to touch), hisicu (feel physically), ganjoncu (feel emotionally).

Transitive Verbs

Transitive verbs take a direct object: haja (need), bujo (catch, capture), gibe (give). However, certain transitive verbs will sometimes or often omit the direct object: doxo (read), yam (eat).

Intransitive Verbs

Intransitive verbs do not take a direct object: idi (go), konduta (behave), loka (be located). However, certain verbs labeled as intransitive may be used as transitive verbs with the same noun/verb word repeated as the direct object, or likewise with a proper noun or category of said noun.

Mi le somno (lungo somno).
I slept (a long sleep).

Yu le haha (sotipul haha).
You laughed (a loud laugh).

Te xa lala (Hox Xencudin).
She will sing (Happy Birthday).

Te danse (tango).
He's dancing (tango).

In theory, all other intransitive verbs may be used transitively with an optional use of -gi, although it may be a better practice to apply -gi in most cases.

Kam yu fley(gi) hawanavi?
Do you fly aircraft?

Mi xa sampo(gi) bwaw fe axam.
I will walk the dog in the evening.

Ambitransitive Verbs

Ambitransitive verbs in Globasa are verbs for which both the subject of the intransitive meaning and the direct object of the transitive meaning experience the same action/state of the verb. The intransitive meaning of these verbs may optionally apply -cu and the transitive meaning may optionally apply -gi. See -cu and -gi below under Common Affixes. There are four subcategories of ambitransitive verbs: verbs of feeling, verbs of state, agentless verbs, and verbs of position/location or movement.

Verbs of Feeling

Ambitransitive verbs denoting a feeling mean to feel [root noun] or cause to feel [root noun]. Note that the intransitive meaning may also be expressed as a copula and adjective phrase: sen [root noun]-do. See -do below.

• interes(cu) - be/feel interested (feel interest)
  interes(gi) - interest (cause to feel interest)

Mi interes(cu) tem basalogi. = Mi sen interesdo tem basalogi.
I'm interested in linguistics.

Basalogi interes(gi) mi.
Linguistics interests me.

• pilo(cu) - be/feel tired (feel fatigue)
  pilo(gi) - tire (cause to feel fatigue)

Te pilo(cu). = Te sen pilodo.
She is/feels tired.

Tesu ergo pilo(gi) te.
Her work tires her.

The prefix xor- may be used with verbs of feeling to express the following distinction:

Mi le interes tem basalogi lefe multi nyan.
I was interested in linguistics many years ago.

Te le pilo dur na ergo.
She was tired while working.

vesus:

Mi le xorinteres tem basalogi lefe multi nyan.
I became interested in linguistics many years ago.

Te le xorpilo dur na ergo.
She got/became tired while working.

Verbs of State

Ambitransitive verbs of state are similar verbs of feeling. They are nouns of state that can be used as ambitransitive verbs meaning to have [noun root] or to cause to have [noun root]. Note that the intransitive meaning may also be expressed as a copula and adjective phrase: sen [root noun]-pul. See -pul below.

• termo(cu) - be hot/warm (have heat)
  termo(gi) - heat (cause to have heat)

Misu kafe no haji termo. = Misu kafe no haji sen termopul.
My coffee isn't hot any longer.

Kam yu le termo banyo-kamer?
Did you warm up the bathroom?

• cinon(cu) - be intelligent (have intelligence)
  cinon(gi) - make intelligent (cause to have intelligence)

Syensiyen cinon. = Syensiyen sen cinonpul.
The scientist is intelligent.

Eskol le cinon te.
The school made him smart.

• talento(cu) - be talented (have talent)
  talento(gi) - make talented (cause to have talent)

Lalayen talento. = Lalayen sen talentopul.
The singer is talented.

Patre le talento lalayen.
The father made the singer talented.

The prefix xor- may be used with verbs of state to express the following distinction:

Jaledin le termo. = Jaledin le sen termopul.
Yesterday was warm

To le xortermo fe midinuru. = To le xorsen/sencu termopul fe midinuru.
It got/became warm at noon.

Agentless Verbs

In the intransitive meaning of agentless ambitransitive verbs, the action is something that happens to the subject rather than something the subject performs.

• kasiru(cu) - break (get broken)
  kasiru(gi) - break (cause to break)

Janela le kasiru(cu).
The window broke.

Mi le kasiru(gi) janela.
I broke the window.

• buka(cu) - open (become open)
  buka(gi) - open (make open)

Dwer le buka(cu).
The door opened.

Mi le buka(gi) dwer.
I opened the door.

Verbs of Position/Location or Movement

In the intransitive meaning of ambitransitive verbs of position/location or movement the subject is both agent and patient.

• esto(cu) - stop (come to a stop)
  esto(gi) - stop (bring to a stop or cause to stop)

Am esto(cu)!
Stop!

Am esto(gi) mobil!
Stop the car!

• harka(cu) - move (make a movement)
  harka(gi) - move (cause to move)

Am no harka(cu)!
Don't move!

Mi le harka(gi) yusu kursi.
I moved your chair.

The following three verbs in this subcategory also use xor- as seen above to make a similar distinction in meaning:

• side(cu) - sit (be seated/sitting)
  side(gi) - seat (cause to sit)

Te side(cu) fe fronta de darsu-kamer.
He's sitting at the front of the class.

Am side(gi) bebe per hin kursi.
Seat the baby on this chair.

• xorside(cu) - sit down, have a seat

Am xorside per sofa.
Sit down on the sofa.

• estay(cu) - stand (be standing)
  estay(gi) - (cause to) stand

Yu estay(cu) per misu kamisa!
You're standing on my shirt!

Am estay(gi) bebe.
Stand the baby up.

• xorestay(cu) - stand up

Mi le xorestay denwatu hu te le inidi kamer.
I stood up when she entered the room.

• leta(cu) - lie (be lying)
  leta(gi) - lay

Myaw leta(cu) per dixan.
The cat lies on the floor.

Mi xa leta(gi) bwaw per bistar.
I will lay the dog on the bed.

• xorleta(cu) - lie down

Am no xorleta per sofa!
Don't lie down on the couch!

Adjective/Adverbs

In Globasa, adjectives and verb-modifying adverbs have identical form.

• bon - good, well
• velosi - quick(ly), rapid(ly), fast
• multi - many, much

Adjective/adverbs precede the noun/verbs they modify.

Hinto sen bon yam.
This is a good meal.

Bebe bon yam.
The baby eats well.

Uma velosi pawbu.
The horse runs fast.

Alternatively, adverbs may appear after the verb, but preceded by the direct and indirect objects, if any: Subject - Verb - (Direct and Indirect Objects) - Adverb.

Bebe yam bon.
The baby eats well.

Bwaw glu sui velosi.
The dog drinks the water quickly.

Adverbs may also be moved to the start of the sentence, so long as there is a definite pause with the comma so as to separate the phrase from the rest of the sentence. Without the pause, the adjective/adverb could be mistakenly interpreted as modifying the subject.

Velosi, bwaw glu sui.
Quickly, the dog drinks the water.

Unyum, te le idi cel banko.
First, she went to the bank.

Adjective/Adverbs in Sentence-Initial Phrases

The following are adjective/adverbs commonly used in sentence-initial phrases followed by a clear pause before the rest of the sentence.

• Ripul, - Again
• Ible, - Maybe, Perhaps
• Maxpul, - Moreover, Furthermore
• Pia, - Also
• Abruto, - Suddenly
• Total, - Absolutely, Totally
• Yakin, - Certainly
• Ideal, - Ideally
• Mimbay, - Obviously, Of course
• Mingu, - Clearly, Evidently
• Sipul, - Indeed
• Fori, - Immediately
• Pimpan, - Often, Oftentimes
• Sati, - Truly
• Umumi, - In general, Generally
• Nerleli, - Recently
• Telileli, - A long time ago
• Nerxali, - Soon
• Telixali, - In a long time

Adjective/Adverb Comparison

Adjective/adverb comparison is expressed as follows using the words maxmo (more, -er), minmo (less), denmo (as),kom (as, than).

• maxmo kimapul kom... - more expensive than...
• minmo kimapul kom... - less expensive than...
• denmo kimapul kom... - as expensive as...

To express the most (-est) and the least, Globasa uses maxim... te/to and minim... te/to. The word of means out of or off (of). Note that the pronouns te/to must immediately follow the adjective since noun phrases must always end in a noun or pronoun. See Noun Phrases.

• maxim juni te (of misu bete) - the youngest (of my children)
• minim kimapul to (of yusu mobil) - the least expensive/costly (of your cars)

To express the more/the less..., the more/the less..., Globasa uses folki maxmo/minmo, maxmo/minmo.

• folki (to sen) maxmo neo, (to sen) maxmo bon - the newer, the better

Verb/Adj-Adv Words

Besides noun/verb words and adj/adv words, Globasa has a third class of words: verb/adj-adv words. Only auxiliary verbs belong in this class which consists of only three words: abil, musi and ingay.

• abil: (verb) can, able to; (adj/adv) able, capable, which can
• musi: (verb) must, have to; (adj/adv) which must, which has to
• ingay: (verb) should, ought to; (adj/adv) which should, which ought to

Common Affixes

Noun Suffix -ya

The suffix -ya has a variety of useful functions and is equivalent to several English suffixes: -ity, -ness, -dom, -hood, -ship.

1. Abstract nouns are derived from adjective/adverbs by adding -ya.

• real - real (adj)
  realya - reality (noun)

• bimar - sick, ill (adj)
  bimarya - illness, disease (noun)

• huru - free (adj)
  huruya - freedom, liberty (noun)

• solo - alone (adj)
  soloya - solitude (noun)

2. The suffix -ya is used to derive abstract and noncount nouns from a variety of concrete and count nouns.

• poema - poem (concrete noun)
• poemaya - poetry (abstract noun)

The suffix -ya means -hood or -ship when attached to nouns denoting relationships.

• matre - mother (concrete noun)
  matreya - motherhood (abstract noun)

• patre - father (concrete noun)
  patreya - fatherhood (abstract noun)

• doste - friend (concrete noun)
  dosteya - friendship (abstract noun)

In some cases the concrete or count noun is used as a verb and the abstract or noncount noun is derived using -ya and functions as the counterpart to the verb.

• imaje - image/picture (concrete noun), imagine/picture (verb)
  imajeya - imagination (abstract noun)

• turi - trip (count noun), travel (verb)
  turiya - tourism (noncount noun)

Likewise, the body parts associated with the five senses denote the related action (verb), while -ya is used to derive the abstract noun.

• oko - eye (concrete noun), see, look (verb)
  okoya - view, sight or sense of sight (abstract noun)

• ore - ear (concrete noun), hear, listen (verb)
  oreya - hearing or sense of hearing (abstract noun)

• nasa - nose (concrete noun), smell (verb)
  nasaya - smell or sense of smell (abstract noun)

• xeto - tongue (concrete noun), taste (verb)
  xetoya - taste or sense of taste (abstract noun)

• pifu - skin (concrete noun), touch (verb)
  pifuya - touch or sense of touch (abstract noun)

3. Prepositions are turned into noun/verbs using the suffix -ya. See Prepositional Verbs.

4. The suffix -ya is also used to turn other function words into nouns. See Function Words.

Etymology of -ya: Hindi (सत्य "satya" - truth), Spanish (alegría - joy)

Prefix du-

Globasa uses the prefix du- to express the gerund.

• dudanse - (the act of) dancing
• dulala - (the act of) singing

The prefix du- is also used for the continuous/habitual verb aspect. See Verb Forms.

The prefix du- is truncated from dure (duration).
Etymology of dure: English, French, German and Spanish

Noun/Verb Suffix -gi

The suffix -gi may be applied to adjectives, nouns and verbs.

Adjectives

The suffix -gi turns adjectives into transitive verbs.

• bala - strong
  balagi - strengthen

• pul - full
  pulgi - fill

• mor - dead
  morgi - kill

Nouns

The suffix -gi means cause to be(come) when added to nouns.

• zombi - zombie
  zombigi - zombify

• korbani - victim
  korbanigi - victimize

The suffix -gi is truncated from gibe (give).
Etymology of gibe: English (give), German (geben, gibt) and Mandarin (给 “gěi”)

Verbs

The suffix -gi is also used to turn intransitive and transitive verbs into causative verbs (as seen below), or used optionally in patientive ambitransitive verbs, as seen above under Verb Categories.

• haha - laugh
  hahagi - make laugh (cause laughter)

• yam - eat
  yamgi - feed (cause to eat)

Noun/Verb Suffix -cu

The suffix -cu may be applied to adjectives and nouns, in addition to verbs, as seen above under Verb Categories.

Adjectives

The suffix -cu (get/become) turns adjectives into intransitive verbs.

• roso - red
  rosocu - blush/redden (get red)

• mor - dead
  morcu - die (become dead)

Nouns

The suffix -cu means become when added to nouns.

• zombi - zombie
  zombicu - turn into a zombie

• ixu - (human) adult
  ixucu - become an adult, come of age

The suffix -cu is truncated from cudu (take, obtain, acquire, gain)
Etymology of cudu: Mandarin (取得 "qǔdé"), Korean (취득 “chwideug”)

Adjective/Adverb Suffix -li

In Globasa, adjective/adverbs are derived from nouns by means of various suffixes. See full list of suffixes under Word Formation. One of the most common is the suffix -li (of, relating to).

• musika - music
  musikali - musical, musically

• denta - tooth
  dentali - dental

• dongu - east
  donguli - eastern

• Franse - France
  Franseli - French

The suffix -li is also used for deriving adjective/adverbs out of function words. See Function Words.

Etymology of -li: French (-el, -elle), Spanish (-al), English (-al, -ly), German (-lich), Russian (-ельный “-elni”, -альный “-alni”), Turkish (-li)

Adjective/Adverb Suffix -pul

The word pul means full. However, as a suffix -pul means with enough or more than enough.

• humor - humor
  humorpul - humorous, funny

• hatari - danger
  hataripul - dangerous

Etymology of pul: English (full), Hindi (पूर्ण “purn”), Russian (полный “poln-”)

Active Adjectives: Suffix -ne

The suffix -ne means in an active state or process of and is used to derive what are known in Globasa as active adjectives.

Active adjectives are in most cases equivalent to present participles in English (adjectives ending in -ing). However, unlike in English, active adjectives are not used to generate the progressive verb forms (I am sleeping, She is dancing, etc.). Instead, they only function as adjectives.

• somno - sleep
  somnone meliyen - sleeping beauty

• anda - walk
  andane moryen - walking dead

• danse - dance
  dansene uma - dancing horse

• interes - interest
  interesne kitabu - interesting book

• amusa - amuse, fun
  amusane filme - amusing/fun film

Etymology of -ne: English (-ing), French (-ant), Spanish (-ando), German (-en, -ende), Russian (-ный “-ny”), Turkish (-en, -an)

Sentence-Initial Active Adjectives

Active adjectives that appear sentence initially may alternatively be expressed as prepositional phrases using the infinitive verb form.

Doxone, nini le xorsomno.
Reading, the kid fell asleep.

or

Fe na doxo, nini le xorsomno.
Reading, the kid fell asleep.
or
Dur na doxo, nini le xorsomno.
While reading, the kid fell asleep.

This construction is useful particularly when the phrase includes a direct object since, unlike the present participle in English, active adjectives in Globasa cannot function as verbs.

Dur na doxo sesu preferido kitabu, nini le xorsomno.
While reading his favorite book, the kid fell asleep.

Naturally, these phrases may also be expressed as full clauses, as opposed to prepositional phrases.

Durki te le doxo (sesu preferido kitabu), nini le xorsomno.
While he read (his favorite book), the kid fell asleep.

Passive Adjectives

Active adjectives may be rendered passive by adding the passive prefix be- to derive what are known in Globasa as passive active adjectives (or passive adjectives for short). There is no exact equivalent in English for passive adjectives, but are best understood as the exact passive form of the present participle in English.

• belalane melodi - melody that is sung or being sung
• belubine doste - beloved friend or friend that is loved

Inactive Adjectives: Suffix -do

The suffix -do means in an inactive state of. Words with this suffix are known in Globasa as inactive adjectives and are typically translated as the past participle in English. However, unlike in English, inactive adjectives are not used to generate perfect or passive verb forms (I have worked, It was/got stolen, etc.). Instead, they function only as adjectives.

It is worth noting that, technically speaking, the suffix -do is added to the noun aspect of noun/verbs. For this reason, -do may be added to transitive, intransitive or ambitransitive verbs noun/verbs.

With transitive verbs

• hajado ergo - necessary work (in a state of necessity)
• bujodo morgiyen - captured murderer (in a state of capture)

With intransitive verbs

• Uncudo Nasyonlari - United Nations (in a state of union)
• awcudo fleytora - disappeared airplane (in a state of disappearance)

With ambitransitive verbs

• kasirudo janela - broken window (in a state of breakage)
• klosido dwer - closed door (in a state of closure)

Etymology of -do: English (-ed), Spanish (-ado, -ido)

Adverb Suffix -mo

Adjective/adverbs that modify other adjective/adverbs, known as adj/adv-modifying adverbs, add the suffix -mo. Compare the following pairs of phrases.

• perfeto blue oko - perfect blue eyes (blue eyes that are perfect)
  perfetomo blue oko - perfectly blue eyes (eyes that are perfectly blue)

• naturali syahe tofa - natural black hair (not a wig)
  naturalimo syahe tofa - naturally black hair (not dyed)

• sotikal doxone nini - quiet child reading
  sotikalmo doxone nini - child silently reading