There are twelve TAM particles; further TAM distinctions must be expressed by adverbs like
ə́ṭə 'long ago' or
dip 'tomorrow'. They fit into a fairly smooth three- by four-distinction matrix, inflecting for aspect and mood, but not tense.
Aspect may be perfective, imperfective or habitual.
Mood may be realis, irrealis, contrafactual or potential.
The default TAM inflection, which takes no particle, is the realis imperfective. A table of particles appears below:
| Perfective | Imperfective | Habitual |
---|
Realis | ca | Ø | yak |
Irrealis | ḷiḍ | khə | sun |
Contrafactual | ḷiya | cha | suy |
Potential | be | ṛiw | the |
TAM particles pretty much always come immediately after the verb.
I'd write some more sentences with these particles, but I need to do some more supporting syntax first, and I can't do that until after class and lunch.