The Future mode
This mode is the future tense. When the future mode appears in a sentence, it indicates that the event the verb describes will occur sometime after the sentence is spoken. Here are some examples:
Da’adánídi | ’ats’ą́ą́ | deesghał. |
restaurant-at | ribs | 3-1-eat.F |
I’m going to eat ribs at the restaurant. |
Dziłghą́ą́’góó | deeshááł | nissin. |
mountain-top-toward | 1-go.F | 1-want.CI |
I want to go to the mountaintop. |
Note about neuter verbs in the future: Because neuter verbs do not have a future mode, a different way is needed to express one in the future. A future particle (dooleeł or doo) is used. Without the particle, a sentence with a stative verb in it will be understood as being true at the time the sentence is spoken:
Adding dooleeł results in a claim about the future:
Asdzą́ą́ | Báhoozhóní | yinishyée | dooleeł. |
woman | happy | 1-called.NI | future |
My name will be Happy Woman. |
Signal expressions
Adverbial phrases that are compatible with the future mode include:
Future oriented adverbials
- yiską́ągo ’tomorrow’
- díí tł’éé ’tonight’
Yiskáago | nighandi | naadeeshááł. |
tomorrow | 2-home-at | 2-to-1-go.F |
I will visit you tomorrow at your house. |
Expressions below clash with the future time indicated in the verb mode. [Note that we use * to indicate that the sentence is ungrammatical]:
*Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ | Bilagáanaa | bizaad | doo | dideests’į́įł | da. |
formerly | English | language | NEG | 1-understand.F | NEG |
* Long ago I will not understand English. |
*Abínídą́ą́’ | t’áadoo | ’adeeshį́į́ł | da. |
morning-past | NEG | 1-eat.F | NEG |
* Earlier this morning I will not eat anything. |
*Łáháda | ach’íí’ | deeshį́į́ł. |
rarely | rolled.intestines | 1-eat.F |
* Once in a great while I will eat rolled intestines. |