Lesson 7

Contents:

Grammar: inanimate pronouns

Consolidation

You already know that Abkhazian language doesn't have gender, but it has classes: animate class (person) and inanimate class.
Animate class is split into subclasses male and female.
Up until now we have only used singular animate pronouns сара I, уара you (man), бара you (woman), лара she, иара he.

Singular pronouns have one more inanimate class иара (by convention we will translate it as "it"). In form it coincides with the third person singular иара "he". However they differ in the conjugation of the verb: Иара дцоит he goes; иара (и)цоит it goes.

Сла Ка'ма илге'ит. My dog was taken by Kama (илге'ит: и - it, + л - she, + га - to take + -ит - past tense suffix). Compare: Даме'и ашко'л ахь Наа'ла дылге'ит (Damai (animate class) + Naala + to take). Damai was taken to school by Naala.
Ара' иара' дынхо'ит. Here (is where) he lives.
Ара' иара' (и)нхо'ит. Here (is where) it (inamimate class) lives.
Иара' дцо'ит. He (animate class) goes. Иара' (и)цо'ит. It (inanimate class) goes.
Иара' и'моуп. He has. Иара' иа'моуп. It has.

And so, in the singular we have the personal pronouns:

1. сара' (short form - с(а) I
2. уара' (short form - у(а) you (a man)
   бара' (short form - б(а) you (a woman)
3. иара' (short form - и(а), д(а) he
   лара' (short form - л(а), д(а) she
4. иара' (short form - и(а), а (by convention we will say "it") inanimate class.

Exercise 1
Read (following the soundtrack) and write the translation.

1. Сара бзиа бызбоит.
2. Сара бзиа узбоит.
3. Сара сла бзиа избоит.
4. Сара агазеҭ згеит.
5. Ахра ашкол ахь дызгеит.
6. Кама Ахра ашкол ахь дылгеит.
7. Сара амашьына сымоуп.
8. Сашьа амашьына имоуп.
9. Сашьа даауеит.
10. Амашьына аауеит.
11. Ара иара дынхоит.
12. Сла уара иугеит.

(Answers)

Exercise 2
You can check your knowledge!
Make the link between the pronoun and the verb.

иара бара лара иара сара иара

былгеит бызбоит дигоит сабоит иамоуп (и)нхоит

(Answers)

Exercise 3
Fill in the missing pronoun.

... Есма дигоит.
... Есма дыбгоит.
... Есма дылгоит.
... Есма дызгоит.
... Есма дугоит.
... Есма дагоит.
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Exercise 4
Match the verb абара with the corresponding pronoun.
Example: Лара сара бзиа сылбоит.
Лара уара бзиа (... абара)
Лара бара бзиа (... абара)
Лара иара бзиа ... абара
Лара иара (it) бзиа ... абара
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By now you shouldn't mix up the pronouns that you know!

Exercise 5
Make a sentence from the following words.

амазаара, амашьына, сашьа, аара, бзиа, абара, сара, ала, агара, ашьыжь.
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Exercise 6
Translate into Abkhazian.

1. I take Kama to school.
2. Akhra has got a car.
3. She always comes earlier than me.
4. She always leaves after lunch.
5. That newspaper was taken by my father.
6. Kama, are you going to school?

(Answers)