1. Main clauses

The basic word order in a transitive main clause is VAP, and for intransitives VS.

  • e-we-wotu lò-a tago
    3SG-PERF-throw boy-ERG ball
    'the boy threw the ball'

  • in-igek amo-n
    3PL-talk girl-PL
    'the girls talk'

Secondary objects and oblique arguments usually follow these arguments:

  • e-wè-tagse-sig lò-a amo gagu
    3SG-PERF-buy-BEN boy-ERG girl buffalo
    'the boy bought the girl a buffalo'

  • ì-nasi susi a sag
    3SG-swim fish in water
    'the fish swims in water'

2. Verb phrases

Adverbials are almost always placed after the verb and its core arguments. The general order of the modifiers is Place-Manner-Time:

  • e-wotu lò-a tago sen wo kiwi kimu
    3SG-throw boy-ERG ball from here fast now
    'the boy throws the ball fast away from here now'

Epistemic adverbs usually appear last in a sentence, as do adverbial clauses.

3. Noun phrases

Noun phrases may, apart from the head noun, contain demonstratives, numerals, quantifiers, relative clauses, possessors and attributive modifiers (nouns or prepositional phrases). The order of these consituents is typically:

  • DEM noun NUM/QTF POSS ATTR-N ATTR-PP RELCL

This is shown in these examples:

  • tag gagu-n nawag
    DEM buffalo-PL many
    'these many buffalos'

  • e-waga-n gise amo
    3POSS-friend-PL five girl
    'the girl’s five friends'

  • uk a kug a ì-teteg
    tree in forest REL 3SG-grow
    'the tree in the forest that grows'

Attributive nouns function morphosyntactically like possessives, with the attribute as a third person possessor:

  • e-àele moku
    3POSS-house big
    'a big house'

  • ∅-tago lò enek
    3POSS-ball boy red
    'the boy’s red ball'

  • ∅-tago e-lò enek
    3POSS-ball 3POSS-boy red
    'the red boy’s ball'

  • ∅-miso susi
    3POSS-soup fish
    'fish soup'

A noun phrase may lack a head noun, replacing it with a pronoun. This does not change the order or the number of possible constituents:

  • tag èni gise
    DEM 3PL five
    'these five (ones)'

  • ∅-èi amo a sag
    3POSS-3SG girl in water
    'the girl’s one in the water'

  • ∅-èni nawag susi a ine-teteg
    3POSS-3PL many fish REL 3PL-grow
    'the many fish ones that grow'

4. Prepositional phrases

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition followed by a noun phrase. The noun is always in the unmarked form (absolutive case). The basic January 6th prepositions are te 'on', a 'in, inside', sen 'from', wig 'to', sig 'for' and ak 'with (instrumental and comitative)'.

  • a kug
    in forest
    'in the forest'

Other spatial relations are expressed by combinations of these prepositions, or of a preposition and a noun:

  • wig a kug
    to in forest
    'into the forest'

  • te e-asi nogun
    on 3POSS-head mountain
    'on top of the mountain'

  • sen e-lig àele
    from 3POSS-back house
    'from behind the house'

5. Comparatives

Comparative constructions are formed with the preposition te 'on'. An overt subject is required:

  • ∅-kug moku te uk
    3POSS-forest big on tree
    'the forest is bigger than the tree'

  • o-um àìu ago te ese
    1SG-jump high 1SG on 2SG
    'I jump higher than you'