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Modal verbs
The verb is called modal if it serves to indicate modality, such as likelihood, ability, permission, request, capacity, suggestions, order and obligation, advice, etc. Modal verbs always come in pair with other verbs in infinitive or gerundive form. In this pair modal verb is auxiliary and the other one is main. Modal verbs have following characteristics:
- They are all auxiliary verbs.
- But in syntax they are considered the root verbs.
- They cannot be inflected
- They cannot take nonfinite form (infinitive, participle).
- They can take infinitive only as their complement.
- The same word can express different types of modality.
English modal verbs are can/could, may/might, must, shall/should, will/would, while some other verbs that also express modality are not considered modal (like have to, need, dare, expect, hope and many others).
Nûrlâm does not have truly modal verbs. As all of them can be inflected in tense, person and number, have participle forms and have non-modal use which is translated into English with other words. However five English modal verbs still can take only the infinitive as their complement in Nûrlâm too. Anyway they often used in Jussive or Subjunctive moods which do not have inflection in person and number.
The List of verbs expressing modality
| Black Speech | Etymology | English | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| close to truly modal verbs of English | |||
| dabh | NL < Noldorin “dâf” < Etym. “DAB” | let, allow, permit | |
| gâkh | AN, equivalent of Quenya “nai” | let's, let/may it be so | wishing, more like interjection |
| ilf | NL < Mitanni Hurrian suffixes “-(i)lefa”, “-(o)lefa” of potential mood | may, might | probability of something to happen |
| kul | LOS, compare with Quenya “cuilë” (life) | be, am, are, is, will, would, shall, should, was, were | |
| maug | NL < Noldorin “bui” (I must), “baur” (need) < Etym. “MBAW” (compel, force, subject, oppress); compare with “mog” in name “Gothmog” | must, ought to, have to, shall, should | more like “must”; used only with active infinitive; passive use (like “must be destroyed”) should be replaced with gerundive |
| pâsh | LOS | can, could, be able (to), be capable (of) | ability to do something physically or with enough knowledge |
| express modality, but not modal in English | |||
| bolk | RE | need, have to | active = “need”, perfect passive = “have to” |
| fad | NL < Quenya “vanda” (oath, pledge, solemn promise) | promise, pledge | |
| furg | NL < Quenya “þorya” + LOS “uf-” (frighten) < PN “Ufthak”, LOS “ufur-” (fear) | fear | in NL “frighten” is “ugl” |
| gashn | LOS < HG < Valarin “akašân” (he says), compare with Quenya “axan” (law, rule, commandment) | say, tell, order, command | in many dialects words for “say” and “command” are the same even when word itself is different from other dialects, but for more specific meaning see “kazh” |
| gazd | NL, combination of HG “gadhl” (to promise) < SV (but no source word given) with Noldorin “gwaedh”, “gwest” (oath, bond, troth) | swear, vow, pledge, give/make oath, guarantee | more obligatory promise, usually invoking some divine being or spirit, or by leaving a mortgage |
| has | LOS, probably from Quenya “cesta” (to seek, search for, ask) or Qenya “iqista” (“request”, “please”, n) < “IQI” | plead, please, beg, ask for, request | |
| hiz | NL < DS “hizi-”, “izhi-” | want, will | |
| irm | NL < Gnomish “erth” (wish, n.), “irm” (wish, intention, n.), “irn” (desired, wished for, adj.), Quenya “írë” < Etym. “ID” (n) “desire, wish” | wish, want | |
| kazh | ZB < Valarin “akašân” = “he (Eru) says” | order, command | see also “gashn” |
| khard | NL < Sindarin “hartha-” | hope | |
| khûl | HG (to question, ask) | demand, request, ask for | |
| thrâh | NL < TK “thrak” (bring, hale, drag by force) | suggest, propose, recommend, offer, advice | add enforcing particle “thu-” to modify meaning to “insist” |
| ton | NL < LOS “tonprakh” < SV (to suppose, presume) < LL “prakh” (to lure) | suppose, assume, guess | |
| modal-like | |||
| bozd | EH “bozd” (face, n) < GL “gwint”, compare with LOS “ozt-” < HORN “ozut-” (appear, seem) | seem | modal meaning in expressions like “it seems” |
| brogb | LOS < HG “like, favor, fancy” | love, like | but not in expression “I would like” (use “hiz” or “irm” in Subjunctive mood instead) |
| darb | NL < Etym. “DAR” | expect, wait | |
| hûr | LOS < TK PN “Mauhûr”, Noldorin “hûr” (vigour, fiery spirit) < Etym. “KHOR” | dare | |
| pant | NL < Qenya “panya-” (to plan, arrange, intend, mean) + Quenya “tel-”, Sindarin “thel” (to intend); Gnomish “panta-” (to arrange, order, settle, set, put, place) | intend, plan, be going to, be about to | may be replaced with gerundive or suffix -uth of prospective aspect |
| taur | NL < Summoning “taurzur” (dreams, n) | dream | dream about, not sleep |
| thak | NL < Sindarin “thia-” < Etym. “THÊ” | appear, seem, look (like, not “look at”) | meaning depends on aspect: perfective = “appear”, partial = “seem” |
Negation
Negative particle “nar” joins the modal verb, not the infinitive. For example, “I could not kill the dragon” = “Danarpâshuz dogut lûgum”.
