Lesson 1.1: Verbs

introduction

Welcome to part one of the first Na'vi Survival Guide lesson series: Basic Sentence Building

In part one, we will explore the fundamental building blocks of a simple sentence. By the end of this lesson, you should expect to be able to do the following:

• Identify the central verb in a sentence
• Understand what makes a verb transitive or intransitive

Take advantage of the review sections at the end of each lesson to practice and reinforce the skills you're learning, and join us on Discord for even more practice.

what is a verb

The core of any complete sentence is the action of the sentence, which is called the verb. Try to identify the verb in the sentence below:

He runs.

If you ask the question "what action is happening in this sentence?", you should arrive at "running". Asking this question whenever you're reading a sentence is the simplest and easiest way to identify the verb of the sentence.

verb types

There are two main types of verb that are used in the Na'vi language: intransitive verbs and transitive verbs. Both types of verb have their own set of grammar rules because they function differently. Let's look at the two different types in more detail.

• To qualify as an intransitive verb, the verb requires only a subject (the person or thing doing the action) to create a complete sentence, ie. "I sleep." All verbs can be used as intransitive verbs (used "intransitively").
• Some verbs are also able to be used in transitive sentences (used "transitively") - those are transitive verbs. To qualify as a transitive verb, the verb must be able to take an object (a person or thing being affected by the action) as well as the subject to create a complete sentence, ie. "I hunt a hexapede." These verbs will be marked as vtr. in dictionaries, for "verb: transitive".
• Verbs that can only be used intransitively will be marked vin. in any dictionary you encounter. Don't fully understand yet what a subject or object is? Don't worry! We'll cover those in the next lesson. For now, remember: Intransitive, subject. Transitive, subject and object.

Let's review what we've learned about verb types before practicing.

summary

The verb is the action of a sentence.
You can identify the verb by asking "what is being done in this sentence."
Verbs come in 2 types: intransitive (vin.) and transitive (vtr.)
All verbs can be used intransitively, and only require a subject to create a complete sentence.
Some verbs can be used transitively with a subject and an object to create a complete sentence. These will be clearly marked as (vtr.) in any dictionary.

practice

Identify the verb in the following sentences. Confirmation will appear once you've entered the correct answer. To generate a new set of practice examples, click the refresh examples button below.

conclusion