1875.] G. H. Damant — Notes on Manipuri Grammar. 175 



ken kamoyi I have seen 



nang namum you have seen 



aniaku aniuye he has seen 



Verbs. 



The conjugation of the Manipuri verb, in its primary form, is simple 

 enough, but is rendered somewhat difficult by the number of verbal forms, 

 such as participles, and also by the great differences in the negative and 

 interrogative forms. 



The verbs are nothing more than a series of roots to which terminations 

 are attached in the simplest way. Thus the root cliat signifies " go", cM== 

 eat, pdm = love, hai = say ; but these roots are never found alone in this 

 form except in composition, in such words as tdningbd = wishing to hear 

 where td = hear, ning + the termination id = wishing. The forms in common 

 use, which are nearest the original roots, are ckatpd, chdbd,pdmbd, haibd, &c» 

 They are nothing more nor less than verbal nouns, whether adjectives or 

 substantives, though more generally used as adjectives or to qualify a 

 sentence, as kind asidd laibd, residing in that village. These forms in 

 the feminine are changed into pi and bi, as ydmnd phajabi nupi, a very 

 beautiful woman ; atumbi koubi nupi, a woman called Atumbi. The 

 forms pd and Id are the same, the change being merely for the sake of 

 euphony. In the same way t and d, I and r, and k and g, are constantly 

 interchanged. 



We may distinguish six different tenses — a present terminating in li, 

 or ri ; a future in kani or gani ; an imperative in si ; and three past tenses 

 terminating in le or re, lure or rure, and lammi or rammi. The latter refers 

 to a thing done some time ago. It is a kind of aorist. The form in lure 

 refers to something done just now, it might be called imperfect, and the form 

 in le is a simple past and resembles the perfect : it answers to such forms 

 as, went, did, saw, in English. 



The forms in le and lure seem to be often interchanged. In giving 

 names to the tenses, I have done so more to distinguish one past tense from 

 another than with any other object, as I do not mean that the perfect, 

 imperfect, and aorist, are exactly represented by the tenses here given, but 

 there is a considerable resemblance. 



The' participles are perhaps the most difficult part of the verb. There 

 are no less than ten different forms, and it is often no easy matter to know 

 which form should be used. There are two present participles ending in 

 dana and Mdana. There appears to be little if any difference between them ; 

 for they are used only with the present and imperative tenses, as ' go there 

 and see him', dsiJcd chattana {or chatkidand) inalidkpoo yengu. 



The past participles are two, ending in ladana and Mdana. They are 

 only used in reference to an action which is completely finished, and there 



