NAHUATL VERBS
An important feature to consider while working with Nahuatl verbs is to determine whether an expressed verb is transitive or intransitive in function. Both transitive and intransitive verbs take on a subject prefix as specified in Table 11a. Yet, only transitive verbs include an object prefix as listed in Tables 11b and 11c. The object prefix is positioned between the subject prefix and the verb (Sullivan 32) as follows: ni-mitz-tlazohtla, nimitztlazohtla 'I love you.' If the direct object is specified as a noun in the sentence, the object prefix remains attached to the verb, as such: ti-c-caqui cuicatl, ticcaqui cuicatl 'you-hear-it song' i.e., 'you hear the song.'


Table 11a. SUBJECT PREFIXES FOR TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS.

In Table 11b, the third person singular prefix QUI- has the variant form C-. Additionally, the use of QUI- changes to QU- if the QUI- prefix is "either preceded or followed by a vowel," such as occurs in Example 11.0 below (Campbell and Karttunen 1: 63).

(Example 11.0) DIRECT OBJECT PREFIX QUI- CHANGES TO QU-: AN EXAMPLE WITH EHUA 'IT RAISES SOMETHING, IT STANDS SOMETHING UP' (Campbell and Karttunen 1: 63)
ehua 'it raises something, it stands something up'
[The capitalized letters below are used only for emphasis]

niQUehua 'I raise it'
tiQUehua 'you raise it'
QUehua 'it/she/he raises it
tiQUehuah 'we raise it'
anQUehuah 'y'all raise it'
QUehuah 'they raise it'

If a verb stem starts with an "i' or an "e," such as occurs with the verb ehuah in Example 11.0, then QUI- changes to QU- and the remaining prefix remains intact, i.e. QUI- changes to QU- with no further changes.

However, if the verb stem starts with an "a" or an "o," then the pertinent Spanish orthographic convention applies, which induces a prefix change from QU- to C- such as occurs in Example 11.1 below (Campbell and Karttunen 1: 63).

(Example 11.1) HOW QU- CHANGES TO C-: AN EXAMPLE WITH AHHUA 'IT SCOLDS' (Campbell and Karttunen 1: 63)
ahhua 'it/she/he scolds' [The capitalized letters below are used only for emphasis]

niCahhua 'I scold it/her/him'
tiCahhua 'you scold it/her/him
Cahhua 'it/she/he scolds it/her/him'
tiCahhuah 'we scold it/her/him'
anCahhuah 'y'all scold it/her/him'
Cahhuah 'they scold it/him/her'

The QU- to C- prefix change also occurs in verb stems that start with a consonant if the verb stem includes a subject prefix that ends in a vowel, such as occurs in Example 11.2 below (Campbell and Karttunen 1: 63-4).

(Example 11.2) ANOTHER INSTANCE WHEN QU- CHANGES TO C-: AN EXAMPLE WITH CAQUI 'IT HEARS' (Campbell and Karttunen 1: 63)
caqui 'it/she/he hears' [The capitalized letters below are used only for emphasis]

niCcaqui 'I hear it'
tiCcaqui cuicatl 'you-hear-it song' i.e., 'you hear the song.'
QUIcaqui 'it/she/he hears it'
tiCcaquih 'we hear it'
anQUIcaquih 'y'all hear it'
QUIcaquih 'they hear it'



NOTE:In Classical Nahuatl, animate nouns have an expressed plural form and this form remains distinct from inanimate nouns which have no plural form. For example, an animate noun such as citlalli 'star' (singular) has the plural form i.e., cicitlaltin 'stars' (plural). Whereas, an inanimate noun in Classical Nahuatl such as milli is defined as both 'field' and 'fields,' or 'xochitl' is defined as both 'flower' and 'flowers' (Campbell and Karttunen 1: 65). Since Nahuatl animates exclusively form the plural in the Classical form of Nahuatl, it remains that the object prefix for the third person plural transitive verb i.e., quim- or its variant quin- (Table 11b), are incorporated to represent animate (nouns) entities. Yet, recall that Campbell and Karttunen point out in their Foundation Course in Nahuatl Grammar, that "Most speakers of Nahuatl today add the plural suffixes (pluralize) to both animate and inanimate nouns but not with consistency for the inanimate ones" (2: 32). So, this basically means that the object prefix quim- and its variant quin-, may represent animate as well as inanimate plural direct objects in modern Nahuatl dialects.