Verbs

Mention has been made of the verbal suffixes. Their use is shown in the following paradigms:

I eat Sak-ĭn′ mang-an-ak′

You eat Sĭk-a′ mang-an-ka′

He eats Si-to-di′ mang-an′

We eat Cha-ka′-mi mang-an-ka-mi′

You eat Cha-kay′-yo mang-an-kay′-o

They eat Cha-to-di′ mang-an-cha′

I go Sak-ĭn′ u-mi-ak′

You go Sĭk-a′ u-mi-ka′

He goes Si-to-di′ u-mi′

We go Cha-ka-mi′ u-mi-ka-mi′

You go Cha-kay′-yo u-mi-kay′-yo

They go Cha-to-di′ u-mi-cha′

The suffixes are given below, and the relation they bear to the personal pronouns is also shown by heavy-faced type:

I ’ak Sak-ĭn′

You (sing) ’ka Sik-a′

He … Si′-a or Si-to-di′

We kami or tako Cha-ka′-mi or Cha-ta′-ko

You kayo Cha-kay′-yo

They cha Cha-to-di′ or cha-i′-cha

The Benguet suffixes as given by Scheerer are:

I ’ko or ’ak

You ’mo or ’ka

He ’to

We { me

tayo

You ’kayo or ’dio

They ’ra or ’cha

The verbal suffixes seem to be commonly used by the Bontoc Igorot in verbal formations. The tense of a verb standing alone seems always indefinite; the context alone tells whether the present, past, or future is indicated.