24 Time Prefixes
Models
| 1) | ȻȽ ĆEḴ SEN. | ‘I’m already big.’ |
| 2) | ȻȽ IȽEN SEN. | ‘I already ate.’ |
| 3) | TUWE X̱EṈ SEN. | ‘I’m still fast.’ |
| 4) | TUWE IȽEN SEN. | ‘I still eat.’ |
| 5) | TUWE SW͸ḴE¸ SEN. | ‘I’m still a man.’ |
| 6) | TW̱ES IȽEN SEN SE¸. | ‘I’m going to eat first.’ |
| 7) | TW̱ES YÁ¸ SEN. | ‘I’m going for a little while.’ |
| 8) | TW̱ES IȽEN SE¸ I¸ NE SYÁ¸. | ‘I'll eat first before I go.’ |
| 9) | TW̱ES IȽEN¸ I¸ ĆE YÁ¸ SEN. | ‘I ate before I left.’ |
| 10) | ȽĆIȻES I¸ ĆE JÁṈ¸. | ‘He was tired by the time he got home.’ |
‣ 1 Models 1 and 2 show the very common prefix ȻȽ. This often can be translated perfectly as ‘already,’ but sometimes that word is not the best translation. A more general meaning for this prefix is ‘at this time’ or ‘at that time.’
‣ 2 Models 3, 4, and 5 show another common prefix, TUWE. This is usually translated ‘still’ and can be put on any noun, adjective, or verb.
‣ 3 The word ‘still’ in English has many meanings. One dictionary lists over a dozen definitions for ‘still.’ Keep in mind that the SENĆOŦEN prefix TUWE is used only to express that a certain situation is or was ongoing, continuing from some previous time. For example, model 3 expresses the idea that I was fast and I continue to be fast.
‣ 4 The TUWE prefix is usually used with the ‘actual aspect’ form of a word. So a sentence that is more likely than model 4 is TUWE I¸ȽEN¸ SEN ‘I’m still eating.’ IȽEN is ‘eat’ and I¸ȽEN¸ ‘eating’ is the ‘actual aspect’ form indicating that it is continuing. There is much more detail on the actual aspect in §42.
‣ 5 Models 6, 7, 8, and 9 show several translations for the prefix TW̱ES. In the SENĆOŦEN dictionary, this prefix as listed as TW̱E with the S as part of another suffix. We have come to understand more about SENĆOŦEN grammar since the publication of the dictionary and see that the S should really be considered part of the prefix.
‣ 6 The TW̱ES prefix has the general use of expressing a situation that will or has happened first, before some other situation. Model 6 shows how the prefix is typically used. This sentence means ‘I’m going to eat first (before I do something else).’ Note that this does not mean ‘I’m going to eat first (before everyone else).’
‣ 7 Model 7 could also be translated ‘I’m going to go first,’ but the elder who provided this sentence explained that this implies ‘I’m going for a little while (before I come back).’
‣ 8 Model 8 has the explicit ‘before I go’ clause conjoined to the clause with TW̱ES. The word ĆÁȽ was covered in §23.6 where it was described as meaning ‘just at a particular time.’ Model 8 could be translated somewhat more literally as ‘I will eat before the particular time that I go.’
‣ 9 Model 9 has the TW̱ES ‘first, before’ prefix on the first of two conjoined clauses and the ĆE ‘next before’ prefix on the second clause. This sentence could be literally translated ‘I ate before and next I left.’
‣ 10 That ĆE prefix in model 9 is the last of the SENĆOŦEN time prefix to be discussed here. Model 10 shows that it can also be translated ‘by the time.’ Model 10 could also be translated ‘He was tired and next he arrived home.’
‣ 11 New vocabulary:
ȽĆIȻES ‘tired’
JÁṈ¸ ‘arrive home’
 | ȻȽ IȽEN E SW̱? | ‘Did you eat already?’ |
 | TUWE I¸ȽEN¸ SEN. | ‘I’m still eating.’ |
| TW̱ES IȽEN¸ I¸ ĆE YÁ¸ SEN. | ‘I ate before I left.’ |
| EN¸ÁN¸ SEN U¸ O¸ĆEṈ. | ‘I’m very slow.’ |
| 24A. Translate each into English. 1. ȻȽ TES SEN ¸E Ṯ METULIYE. 2. TW̱ES ITET ȽTE SE¸. 3. TUWE ITET E SW̱? 4. TW̱ES IST SEN. | 24B. Translate each into SENĆOŦEN. 1. I already ran. 2. Are you still standing at the door? 3. We just now left. 4. I’ll eat before I sleep. |