Gerunds are words that are made from a verb and used like a noun. In English, the conversion is done by adding "-ing" to a verb, like "eat" becomes "eating". In Pwekish, the conversion is as simple as English, we just add the suffix "-n" to a verb.
Here are some examples:
dip /dip/ to eat -> dipn /ˈdipn̩/ eating
mor /mor/ to go -> morn /morn/ going
koko /ˈkoko/ to play -> kokon /ˈkokon/ playing
Apart from converting verb to gerund, Pwekish also allows converting adjective to gerund by adding the same suffix "-n" to the adjective. That gerund would mean "being (adjective)".
sil /sil/ big -> siln /ˈsiln̩/ being big
dipnusa /dipˈnusa/ hungry -> dipnusan /dipˈnusan/ being hungry
hwinke /ˈhʷinke/ happy -> hwinken /ˈhʷinken/ being happy
Gerund is treated as a noun in Pwekish. That means we can use it as the subject or object in a sentence.
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ņra teptepn nuke. | I like running. |
| Ntyu xepten hmor. | You go swimming. |
| Baln npeke. | Reading is good. |
| Dipnusan hwallu. | Being hungry is bad. |
| Nrow hwinken hnusa. | He wants to be happy. |
Sentence like "Ņra bimbo dipn nuke" (I like eating apple) is valid in Pwekish. However, a more common and natural way to say is "Ņra bimbo dipnuke" (I like to eat apple). Such sentence involves verb stacking, which will be discussed in the next chapter.
The suffix "-n" not only does it convert a word into a gerund, but also converts a word into a noun with related meanings to the original word.
For example, the word "baln" (book) is formed by adding "-n" to "bal" (to read). As we mentioned before, "baln" also means "reading". In this example, the "-n" acts as a nominalizer instead of a gerund marker.
Since the gerund and the noun derived are spelled the same, we can only distinguish the meaning by context. Below are two examples:
1. Ņra baln sano.
✅ I have a book.
❌ I have reading.
2. Ņra baln nuke.
✅ I like the book.
✅ I like reading.
Still, we may encounter cases where we cannot distinguish the meaning by one whole sentence. We need more context for such case.
Nominalization is a versatile process. The nouns derived from nominalization can have various and multiple meanings, and there is no rule to accurately recognize their meaning. Better check the dictionary if you are not sure about the meaning.
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| anun | /ˈanun/ | knowledge |
| baln | /ˈbaln̩/ | book |
| bayn | /bajn/ | eye |
| dorn | /dorn/ | home; house; building |
| kokon | /ˈkokon/ | game |
| morn | /morn/ | road |
| sanun | /ˈsanun/ | lesson |
| tolon | /ˈtolon/ | speech; dialect |
| yen | /jen/ | tool; organ |
| yesin | /ˈjesin/ | task; work; job |
1. Translate the following sentences to English. All these sentences contain gerund only.
a. Ņra kokon nuke.
b. Yesin hwallu.
c. Udaen npeke.
d. Ntyu dəkbiten nhwas.
e. Mlon adie hhayae.
a. I like playing.
b. Working is bad.
c. Being helpful is good.
d. You need to be special.
e. Being more beautiful is difficult.
2. Translate the following sentences to English. All these sentences DO NOT contain gerunds.
a. Ņra kokon nuke.
b. Ntyu yen sile hnwas.
c. Nrows morn hhisma fukusilpe.
a. I like games.
b. You need a big tool.
c. They destroy the road angrily.
3. Translate the following sentences to Pwekish.
a. I want talking.
b. He enjoys eating.
c. My mum will go running.
d. Her small bird likes flying.
e. You finished the building quickly.
f. They want drinking clean water.
g. Being angry is bad.
h. Having more money is always good.
a. Ņra tolon nusa.
b. Nrow dipn nkoye.
c. Má teptepn hnismor.
d. Tyep rine nrowe fopn hnuke.
e. Ntyu dorn hhwiwer tyere.
f. Nrows xe orlee dipxekn hnusa.
g. Fukusilpen hwallu.
h. Zim adie sanon hmolpeke.