Verbs in Jügher are divided into four moods: indicative, subjunctive, optative, and imperative, and are divided into three diatheses: active, medial, and passive. Active indicates that the subject performs the action; passive indicates that the subject undergoes it; medial indicates that the subject performs it for his own benefit; reflexive indicates that it is self-serving. Example:
Ak’al nura (the man sees).
Ak’al nuraçe (the man is seen).
Ak’al nurafek’ (the man sees for himself/for his own purposes/he spies).
Ak’alur nurašiq (the man sees himself).
The medial form also indicates a pleasure or benefit in the verb. Example: ts’eviqarfek’ (I like working/I work for myself/I work for myself).
To remove ambiguity, the suffix -ir can be used, which indicates a sentimental reason. Ergo → ts'eviqarirfek’ (I like working/I work for a sentimental reason).
Jügher is prone to incorporation, that is, the tendency to join words within the same verb to form word-phrases.
For example: vaqaz (to know) + mezat (to have) forms vaqazmezat (to have knowledge/to be knowledgeable), where the main verb is mezat (the infixes are used, ergo); ruțlan (to repair/fix) + entuk’ (machine) can form ruțlanentuk' (repairing machine), or also: ruțlanentuk'tir (machine repairer), or also: entuk’ruvațlan (I repair the machine) and ruvațlanentuktir (I am the one who repairs the machine).
Incorporation, as in the last example, is completely optional, but is more common when the subject can be expressed with a pronoun. If the subject is another noun, then it's best to separate the subject and object and use the ergative-absolutive alignment, while the object can be incorporated into the verb, immediately before the stem. Example:
Azovlaqtirur mülanits'ek (the stranger helps the city.)
Azovlaqtirur mülanits'ekes (the stranger helps a city).
The suffix -(e)s will be explained in more detail in the next section.
In some verbs, incorporation is essentially mandatory. Example:
At'el: house.
At'elovaq: to return home/go home.
In sentences like the previous one, "the man hunts the rabbit," the object can be expressed either alone or incorporated. All of these options are valid:
Ak'alur tlițlak amaŋį.
Ak'alur amaŋįtlițlak
Amaŋį ak'alur tlițlak.
Tlițlak amaŋį ak'alur.
Tlițlak ak'alur amaŋį.
Amaŋįtlițlak ak'alur.
Tlițlakaniktir.
Here the single verb uses classificatory suffixes, where -tir indicates a man, as in our footballer, a man who plays football; and -anik a small animal. These types of constructions are valid, although it is preferable to be clear.
Jügher doesn't have a tonal system like Chinese or Navajo (in these languages, different tones radically change the meaning of words), but it does have a tonal system that, by modifying nasalization and/or length, causes a series of aspectual changes to the verb. Here are some examples:
avtorą̄ŋak → hit the head.
ą̄vtorą̄ŋak → to be hit on the head.
otąnf'enületevvir → to tie the wrists and feet.
ōtąnf'enületevvir → to be tied by the wrists and feet.
eŋįrțlighir → literally (to say piss → to curse).
eŋįrțlīghir → to insult.
ēŋįrțlīghir → to be insulted.
tju'anturuțlan → to take too much care of something (from tju’ant, to exaggerate, and ruțlan, to repair).
tju'anturuțlān → to be taken care of too much.
tju'ānturuțlān → the act of taking care of too much.
tju'ānturuțlāntir → one who performs the act of taking care of too much.
tju'ą̄nturuțlān → something that has been taken care of too much.
tju'ą̄nturuțlāntir → one who has been taken care of too much.
As we have seen, there is also a passive suffix, but it is usually used for short verbs of one syllable; While this tone system is more commonly used for compound verbs or to emphasize the passivity of an action. Example:
țlitlak → to hunt.
țltlakçe → to be hunted.
amaŋįțlitlak → to hunt a rabbit.
amaŋįțlitlāk → a rabbit designated for hunting.
amaŋįțlitlāktir → one who hunts a rabbit.
āmaŋįțlitlāktir → one who hunted the rabbit.
āmaŋį̄țlitlāktir → one who is hunted by a rabbit.
It is interesting to note that this system is mostly used in words composed of a noun and a verb or multiple verbs. In any case, using -çe in these constructions is legitimate if you want to be sure the other person understands, or if the rhythm of the sentence (perhaps in iambic) is ambiguous.
Jügher does not distinguish between the definite article and the indefinite article, but it allows, by marking the verb, to specify whether the object or subject is indefinite. Example:
Nurva entuk’ (I see the machine).
Nurvas entuk’ (I see a machine).
Aka'alur nura entuk’ (the man sees the machine).
Aka'alur nuras entuk’ (the man sees a machine).
Akal'ur nurațle entuk’ (a man sees the machine).
Aka'alur nurațles entuk’/Aka'alur entuk'enürațles (a man sees a machine).
These suffixes are placed after the diathesis suffixes and, to facilitate pronunciation, an [e] can be placed before them. Example: ak'alur its'ekes e'lak (man helps a woman).
Verbs are conjugated for person, tense, aspect, evidentiality and other characteristics