The Ligurian Dialect of the Padanian

Language
A concise grammar

Dvide Sivro

Romania Minor
http://hades.udg.es/~francesc/

Table of contents
Table of contents .............................................................................................................1
Introduction ......................................................................................................................3
Phonology........................................................................................................................3
Vowels..........................................................................................................................3
Consonants ..................................................................................................................4
Morphology ......................................................................................................................5
Articles .........................................................................................................................5
Definite article...........................................................................................................5
Indeterminate article .................................................................................................6
The Noun .........................................................................................................................7
Gender of nouns ..........................................................................................................7
Plural formation ............................................................................................................7
Pronouns .........................................................................................................................9
Personal Pronouns.......................................................................................................9
Possessive Pronouns.................................................................................................10
Numerals .......................................................................................................................11
Cardinal Numerals .....................................................................................................11
Ordinal Numerals .......................................................................................................12
Verb ...............................................................................................................................13
The Verb se (to be) ..................................................................................................13

The Verb avi (to have)..............................................................................................16

Verbs of the 1st conjugation (ending in -).................................................................19
Verbs of the 2nd conjugation (ending in -i)...............................................................22
Verbs of the 3rd conjugation (ending in unstressed -e)..............................................25
Verbs of the 4th conjugation (ending in -)..................................................................28
The Passive ...............................................................................................................31
Impersonal Construction ............................................................................................35
Vocabulary.....................................................................................................................36

Introduction
The Ligurian dialect is spoken in south-western Padania, i.e. in Liguria, parts of
southern Piedmont and lower Lunigiana, Italy, the Menton district, France, and the
Principality of Monaco.
Today, few youngsters use it other than for short phrases in the middle of sentences,
and fewer and fewer of them even understand it, although in the countryside at least
this is not always true.

Phonology
Genoese has the following sounds:

Vowels
There are nine twelve distinct phonemes.
a

as in fasu "I do";

as in fsu "false";

as in tsta "head";

as in spt "to wait";

as in dialtu "dialect". The opposition between the phonemes and disappears

in syllables closed by a nasal consonant and both sounds are right in that
position, ex.: presnte = presnte "present"; snsa = snsa "without";

as in site "town";

as in situ "silent";

as in dtu "said";

as in psu/psu "I can". The two sounds are free allophones of the same
phonemes;

o/ as in posu/psu "stale". The two sounds are free allophones of the same
phonemes;

as in bl "blue";

as in figi "kid";

as in pusu "well";

as in psu "wrist";
3

as in ttu "all";

as in frtu "fruit";

Consonants
b

as in banca "bank";

c/c'

like ch in Charles, as in ciap "to catch";

c/ch like c in corner, as in chin-a "craddle";

d

as in dnte "tooth";

as in funtan-a "fountain";

g/g'

like j in joke, as in gsgia "church";

g/gh like g in game, as in ga "throat";

j/i

semivocalic as in bacaj "to chatter" or cubia "pair";

as in lgnega "sausage";

as in magun "sadness";

like n in sin, as in Ana, woman's name;

n-

velar like ng in to sing, as in tan-a "den";

nj

as in senj "signal";

as in pin "full";

as in tera "land";

as in sun "sound";

as in Sna "Genoa";

sg

before i and e like s in usual, as in sgiafr "driver";

as in tian "pan";

semivocalic as /w/, as the first u in luu /'lowu/ "I work";

as in vin "wine".

Morphology
Genoese has two genders, masculine and feminine, and two numbers, singular and
plural.

Articles
There are two articles in Genoese: Definite article and indeterminate article.
Definite article
The definite article agrees in number and gender with the noun;the singular has two
forms depending on whether the following word has a leading vowel or a consonant:

singular

plural

consonant

vowel

masculine

feminine

When used in conjunction with the definite article, prepositions tend to contract with it,
yielding the so-called articulate prepositions:

l / l'

au

al / al'

ai

ae

cont

cun l /cun l'

cua

cui

cue

da

dau

dal / dal'

dai

dae

de

du

del / del'

da

di

de

in

intu

inte l / inte l'

inta

inti

inte

su

in sci

in sce l / in sce l'

in sci

in sc

in sc

pe

peu

pe l / pe l'

pei

Indeterminate article
The indeterminate article uses two roots for singular and plural.The root used for
singular forms is in-, akin to the numeral n, "one", whereas the plural form is in fact the
articulate preposition di which introduces apartitive complement:

singular
consonant

masculine

in

feminine

ina

vowel

plural
di

in'

de

The Noun
Gender of nouns
Feminine nouns are usually marked by the -a ending in thesingular form, -e in the
plural.Exceptions to this rule are all feminine abstract nouns formed with thesuffix -siun.
Some nouns have alternate masculine and feminine classification: a pja/u pi, "the
pear (fruit and tree)";a mja/u mi, "the apple (fruit and tree)";u prsegu/a prsega, "the
peach (fruit and tree)";a giasa/u giasu "the ice".

Plural formation
Declinable masculine nouns take the plural endings as follows:

-a > -i, ex. u puta "the poet" > i puti "the poets". There are some exceptions of
undeclinable nouns, ex.: u bcia "the assistant mason" / i bcia "the assistant
masons".

- > -e, ex. u bacal "dried salted cod" > i bacale "the pieces of dried salted
cod"

- > -e, ex. u can "the canal" > i cane "the canals". P "pair", m "sea" and
m "misfortune / disease / evil" do not usually change in the plural

-e > -i, ex. u scime "the river" > i scimi "the rivers". Nouns in -aise and -ise
change it into -aisgi and -isgi respectively, ex.: u paise "the country" > i paisgi
"the countries"; u mise "the month" > i misgi "the months"

tonic -an > -en, ex. u can "the dog" > i chen "the dogs"

tonic -un > -uin, ex. u balun "the ball" > i baluin "the balls"

-u > -ui, ex. u pescu "the fisherman" > i pescui "the fishermen"

-u > -i, ex. u libru "the book" > i libri "the books". Nouns ending -su change it into
-sgi and those in -su change it into -sci in the plural, with the exception of -su
from Latin -ceum, ex.: u vsu "the vessel" > i vsgi "the vessels"; u pasu "the
step" > i pasci "the steps", but u pagiasu "the clown" > i pagiasi "the clowns"

- > -u, ex.: u prufes "the professor" > i prufesu "the professors"

Declinable feminine nouns take the plural endings as follows:

-a > -e, ex. a tnda "the curtain" > e tnde "the curtains"

- > -e, ex. a mam "the mummy" > e mame "the mummies"

- > -e, ex. a parl "the speech" > e parle "the speeches"
7

-un > -uin, ex. a cansun "the song" > e cansuin "the songs"

- > -u, ex. a sci "the flower" > e sciu "the flowers"

Nouns other that the masculine and feminine ones having the listed respective endings
are undeclinable, ex.: camin "fireplace" and "fireplaces", crsge "cross" and "crosses".
A few nouns change gender in the plural, ex.: u senugiu "the knee" > e senuge "the
knees"; l vu "the egg" > e ve "the eggs".

Pronouns
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns come in two forms: Isolated or prefix to a verb.Prefix third person
personal pronouns have different forms depending onwhether they are used as subject
or object (direct/indirect).

Form:
Person:

prefix

isolated

subject

object

1st sg.

2nd sg.

ti

te

3rd sg.

m. u, ul
f. a, a l'

m. u, l
f. a, l'

1st pl.

m. nujtri
f. nujtre

ne

2nd pl.

m. vujtri
f. vujtre

ve

3rd pl.

(i, il)

me

m. i,
f. e

Note: The third person pluralprefix subject pronoun i can be heard in peripheric or rural variants of
Genoese.

Possessive Pronouns
The third person posessive pronouns are the same for both singular and plural,
whereas other persons distinguish between singular and plural.

singular
m.

plural
f.

1st sg.

me

2nd sg.

t, t

3rd sg.

s, s

m.

f.

1st pl.

nstru

nstra

nstri

vstri

2nd pl.

vstru

vstra

vstri

vstre

3rd pl.

s, s

10

Numerals
Cardinal Numerals
Unlike other Romance languages, cardinal numbers from one to three have different
forms for the two genders.
Like in all Romance languages, cardinal numerals between ten and twenty are formed
in an irregular way, but the formation of greater numbers follows few simple rules.

1.

m. n, f. n-a

2.

m. du, f. de

3.

m. tri, f. tre

4.

cuatru

5.

sincue

6.

si

7.

ste

8.

tu

9.

nve

10.

dsge

11.

nse

12.

duse

13.

trse

14.

cuatrse

15.

chinse

16.

sse

17.

dste

18.

disgitu

19.

disginve

20.

vinti

21.

vintn

28.

vinttu
11

30.

trnta

40.

cuaranta

50.

sincuanta

60.

sciscinta

70.

setanta

80.

tnta

90.

nuvanta

100.

sntu

200.

dsgntu

500.

sincuesntu

600.

seisntu

1000. mile

Ordinal Numerals

1.

m. primu, f. prima

2.

m. segundu, f. segunda

3.

m. trsu, f. trsa

4.

m. cuartu, f. cuarta

5.

m. cuintu, f. cuinta

6.

m. sstu, f. ssta

7.

m. stimu, setn, f. stima, setn-a

8.

m. utvu, tn, f. utva, tn-a

9.

m. nuvn, f. nuvn-a

10.

m. desgn, dsgimu, f. desgn-a, dsgima

11.

m. nsn, nssgimu, f. nsn-a, nssgima

12

Verb
The Verb se (to be)

Indicative

1st sg.

Present Simple

Present Perfect

m sun

m sun stetu

2nd sg. t t'

t t' stetu

3rd sg.

l ul /l a l'

l ul stetu/l a l' steta

1st pl.

nujtri smu

nujtri smu steti

2nd pl.

vujtri si

vujtri si steti

3rd pl.

l (i) sun

l (i) sun steti

Imperfect

Past Perfect

m a

m a stetu

1st sg.

2nd sg. t t'i

t t'i stetu

3rd sg.

l ul a/l a l'a

l ul a stetu/l a l'a steta

1st pl.

nujtri mu

nujtri mu steti

2nd pl.

vujtri i

vujtri i steti

3rd pl.

l (il) an

l (il) an steti

Future Simple

Future Perfect

m saj

m saj stetu

1st sg.

2nd sg. t ti saje

t ti saje stetu

3rd sg.

l u saj/l a saj

l u saj stetu/l a saj steta

1st pl.

nujtri sajmu

nujtri sajmu steti

2nd pl.

vujtri saji

vujtri saji steti

3rd pl.

l (i) sajan

l (i) sajan steti

13

Subjunctive
Present Simple

Present Perfect

che m sge

che m sge stetu

2nd sg. che t ti sgi

che t ti sgi stetu

1st sg.

3rd sg.

che l u sge/che l a sge

che l u sge stetu/che l a sge steta

1st pl.

che nujtri sgimu

che nujtri sgimu steti

2nd pl.

che vujtri sgi

che vujtri sgi steti

3rd pl.

che l (i) sgian

che l (i) sgian steti

Imperfect

Past Perfect

che m fse

che m fse stetu

1st sg.

2nd sg. che t ti fsci

che t ti fsci stetu

3rd sg.

che l u fse/che l a fse

che l u fse stetu/che l a fse steta

1st pl.

che nujtri fscimu

che nujtri fscimu steti

2nd pl.

che vujtri fsci

che vujtri fsci steti

3rd pl.

che l (i) fsan

che l (i) fsan steti

Conditional
Present Simple

Present Perfect

m sajiva

m sajiva stetu

2nd sg. t ti sajsci

t ti sajsci stetu

1st sg.

3rd sg.

l u sajiva/l a sajiva

l u sajiva stetu/l a sajiva steta

1st pl.

nujtri sajscimu

nujtri sajscimu steti

2nd pl.

vujtri sajsci

vujtri sajsci steti

3rd pl.

l (i) sajivan

l (i) sajivan steti

14

Imperative
2nd sg. sgi
2nd pl.

sege

Infinitive
Present

Past

se

se stetu/steta/steti/stete

Past Participle
stetu/steta/steti/stete

Gerund
Present

Past

esndu

esndu stetu/steta/steti/stete

15

The Verb avi (to have)

The verb avi is used as an auxiliary verb for transitive verbs. Its conjugation changes
when it is used as a verb meaning "to have".In that case avi is often in conjunction with
the particle ghe, yielding the verb avighe.
Indicative

1st sg.

Present Simple

Present Perfect

m (gh')

m (gh') avu

2nd sg. t ti (gh')e

t ti (gh')e avu

l ul /l a l'

l ul avu/l a l' avu

l u gh'/l a gh'

l u gh' avu/l a gh' avu

1st pl.

nujtri (gh')mu

nujtri (gh')mu avu

2nd pl.

vujtri (gh')ei

vujtri (gh')ei avu

3rd pl.

l (il) an/l (i) gh'an

l (il) an avu/l (i) gh'an avu

Imperfect

Past Perfect

m (gh')aviva

m (gh')aviva avu

2nd sg. t ti (gh')avivi

t ti (gh')avivi avu

3rd sg.

1st sg.

l ul aviva/l a l'aviva

l ul aviva avu/l a l'aviva avu

l u gh'aviva/l a gh'aviva

l u gh'aviva avu/l a gh'aviva avu

1st pl.

nujtri (gh')avivimo

nujtri (gh')avivimu avu

2nd pl.

vujtri (gh')avivi

vujtri (gh')avivi avu

3rd pl.

l (il) avivan/l (i) gh'avivan

l (il) avivan avu/l (i) gh'avivan avu

3rd sg.

16

1st sg.

Future Simple

Future Perfect

m (gh')avi

m (gh')avi avu

2nd sg. t ti (gh')avie

t ti (gh')avie avu

3rd sg.

l ul avi/l a l'avi
l u gh'/l a gh'avi

l ul avi avu/l a l'avi avu

l u gh'avi avu/l a gh'avi avu

1st pl.

nujtri (gh')avimu

nujtri (gh')avimu avu

2nd pl.

vujtri (gh')avii

vujtri (gh')avii avu

3rd pl.

l (il) avian/l (i) gh'avian

l (il) avian avu/l (i) gh'avian avu

Subjunctive
Present Simple

Present Perfect

che m (gh')age

che m (gh')age avu

2nd sg. che t ti (gh')agi

che t ti (gh')agi avu

1st sg.

3rd sg.

che l ul age/che l a l'age

che l ul age avu/che l a l'age avu

che l u gh'age/che l a gh'age

che l u gh'age avu/che l a gh'age

avu

1st pl.

che nujtri (gh')gimu

che nujtri (gh')gimu avu

2nd pl.

che vujtri (gh')agi

che vujtri (gh')agi avu

3rd pl.

che l (il) gian/l (i) gh'gian

che l (il) gian avu/l (i) gh'gian avu

Imperfect

Past Perfect

che m (gh')avse

che m (gh') avu

1st sg.

2nd sg. che t ti (gh')avsci

3rd sg.

che l ul avse/l a l'avse

che t t'e avu/t ti gh'e avu

che l ul avse avu/l a l'avse avu

che l u gh'avse/l a gh'avse

che l u gh'avse avu/l a gh'avse

avu

1st pl.

che nujtri (gh')avscimu

che nujtri (gh')avscimu avu

2nd pl.

che vujtri (gh')avsci

che vujtri (gh')avsci avu

3rd pl.

che l (il) avsan/l (i) gh'avsan

che l (il) avsan avu/l (i) gh'avsan

avu
17

Conditional

1st sg.

Present Simple

Present Perfect

m (gh')aviiva

m (gh') avu

2nd sg. t ti (gh')avisci

t t'e avu/t ti gh'e avu

3rd sg.

l ul aviiva/l a l'aviiva
l u gh'aviiva/l a gh'aviiva

l ul aviiva avu/l a l'aviiva avu

l u gh'aviiva avu/l a gh'aviiva avu

1st pl.

nujtri (gh')aviscimu

nujtri (gh')aviscimu avu

2nd pl.

vujtri (gh')avisci

vujtri (gh')avisci avu

3rd pl.

l (il) aviivan/l (i) gh'aviivan

l (il) aviivan avu/l (i) gh'aviivan

avu

Imperative
2nd sg. agi/gighe
2nd pl.

age(ghe)

Infinitive
Present

Past

avi(ghe)

avi(ghe) avu

Past Participle
avu/ava/avi/ave

Gerund
Present

Past

avndu(ghe)

avndu(ghe) avu

18

Verbs of the 1st conjugation (ending in -)

Are conjugated as mand "to send":

Indicative

1st sg.

Present Simple

Present Perfect

m mandu

m mandu

2nd sg. t ti mandi

t t'e mandu

3rd sg.

l u manda/l a manda

l ul mandu/l a l' mandu

1st pl.

nujtri mandmu

nujtri mu mandu

2nd pl.

vujtri mande

vujtri ei mandu

3rd pl.

l (i) mndan

l (il) an mandu

Imperfect

Past Perfect

m mandva

m aviva mandu

1st sg.

2nd sg. t ti mandvi

t t'avivi mandu

3rd sg.

l u mandva/l a mandva

l ul aviva mandu/l a l'aviva mandu

1st pl.

nujtri mandvimu

nujtri avivimu mandu

2nd pl.

vujtri mandvi

vujtri avivi mandu

3rd pl.

l (i) mandvan

l (il) avivan mandu

Future Simple

Future Perfect

m mandi

m avi mandu

1st sg.

2nd sg. t ti mandie

t t'avie mandu

3rd sg.

l u mandi/l a mandi

l ul avi mandu/l a l'avi mandu

1st pl.

nujtri mandimu

nujtri avimu mandu

2nd pl.

vujtri mandii

vujtri avii mandu

3rd pl.

l (i) mandian

l (il) avian mandu

19

Subjunctive

1st sg.

Present Simple

Present Perfect

che m mande

che m age mandu

2nd sg. che t ti mandi

che t t'agi mandu

3rd sg.

che l u mande/che l a mande

che l ul age mandu/l a l'age mandu

1st pl.

che nujtri mandmu

che nujtri gimu mandu

2nd pl.

che vujtri mande

che vujtri agi mandu

3rd pl.

che l (i) mndan

che l (il) gian mandu

Imperfect

Past Perfect

che m mandse

che m avse mandu

1st sg.

2nd sg. che t ti mandsci

mandse/che

che t t'avsci mandu

3rd sg.

che l u
mandse

a che l ul avse mandu/che l a l'avse

mandu

1st pl.

che nujtri mandscimu

che nujtri avscimu mandu

2nd pl.

che vujtri mandsci

che vujtri avsci mandu

3rd pl.

che l (i) mandsan

che l (il) avsan mandu

Conditional
Present Simple

Present Perfect

m mandiiva

m aviiva mandu

2nd sg. t ti mandisci

t ti avisci mandu

1st sg.

3rd sg.

l u mandiiva/l a mandiiva

l ul aviiva mandu/l a l'aviiva mandu

1st pl.

nujtri mandiscimu

nujtri aviscimu mandu

2nd pl.

vujtri mandisci

vujtri avsci mandu

3rd pl.

l (i) mandiivan

l (il) aviivan mandu

20

Imperative
2nd sg. manda
2nd pl.

mande

Infinitive
Present

Past

mand

avi mandu

Past Participle
mandu/mand/mande/mande

Gerund
Present

Past

mandandu

avndu mandu

21

Verbs of the 2nd conjugation (ending in -i)

Are conjugated as tasgi "to keep silent":

Indicative

1st sg.

Present Simple

Present Perfect

m tsgiu

m tasgiu

2nd sg. t ti tsgi

t t'e tasgiu

3rd sg.

l u tsge/l a tsge

l ul tasgiu/l a l' tasgiu

1st pl.

nujtri tasgmu

nujtri mu tasgiu

2nd pl.

vujtri tasgi

vujtri ei tasgiu

3rd pl.

l (i) tsgian

l (il) an tasgiu

Imperfect

Past Perfect

m tasgiva

m aviva tasgiu

1st sg.

2nd sg. t ti tasgivi

t t'avivi tasgiu

3rd sg.

l u tasgiva/l a tasgiva

l ul aviva tasgiu/l a l'aviva tasgiu

1st pl.

nujtri tasgivimu

nujtri avivimu tasgiu

2nd pl.

vujtri tasgivi

vujtri avivi tasgiu

3rd pl.

l (i) tasgivan

l (il) avivan tasgiu

Future Simple

Future Perfect

m tasgi

m avi tasgiu

1st sg.

2nd sg. t ti tasgie

t t'avie tasgiu

3rd sg.

l u tasgi/l a tasgi

l ul avi tasgiu/l a l'avi tasgiu

1st pl.

nujtri tasgimu

nujtri avimu tasgiu

2nd pl.

vujtri tasgii

vujtri avii tasgiu

3rd pl.

l (i) tasgian

l (il) avian tasgiu

22

Subjunctive

1st sg.

Present Simple

Present Perfect

che m tsge

che m age tasgiu

2nd sg. che t ti tsgi

che t t'agi tasgiu

3rd sg.

che l u tsge/che l a tsge

che l ul age tasgiu/l a l'age tasgiu

1st pl.

che nujtri tasgmu

che nujtri gimu tasgiu

2nd pl.

che vujtri tasgi

che vujtri agi tasgiu

3rd pl.

che l (i) tsgian

che l (il) gian tasgiu

Imperfect

Past Perfect

che m tasgse

che m avse tasgiu

1st sg.

2nd sg. che t ti tasgsci

che t t'avsci tasgiu

3rd sg.

che l u tasgse/che l a tasgse

che l ul avse tasgiu/che l a l'avse

tasgiu

1st pl.

che nujtri tasgscimu

che nujtri avscimu tasgiu

2nd pl.

che vujtri tasgsci

che vujtri avsci tasgiu

3rd pl.

che l (i) tasgsan

che l (il) avsan tasgiu

Conditional
Present Simple

Present Perfect

m tasgiiva

m aviiva tasgiu

2nd sg. t ti tasgisci

t ti avisci tasgiu

1st sg.

3rd sg.

l u tasgiiva/l a tasgiiva

l ul aviiva tasgiu/l a l'aviiva tasgiu

1st pl.

nujtri tasgiscimu

nujtri aviscimu tasgiu

2nd pl.

vujtri tasgisci

vujtri avsci tasgiu

3rd pl.

l (i) tasgiivan

l (il) aviivan tasgiu

23

Imperative
2nd sg. tsgi
2nd pl.

tasgi

Infinitive
Present

Past

tasgi

avi tasgiu

Past Participle
tasgiu

Gerund
Present

Past

tasgndu

avndu tasgiu

24

Verbs of the 3rd conjugation (ending in unstressed -e)

Are conjugated as lse "to read":

Indicative

1st sg.

Present Simple

Present Perfect

m lsu

m lesu

2nd sg. t ti lsi

t t'e lesu

3rd sg.

l u lse/l a lse

l ul lesu/l a l' lesu

1st pl.

nujtri lesmu

nujtri mu lesu

2nd pl.

vujtri lesi

vujtri ei lesu

3rd pl.

l (i) lsan

l (il) an lesu

Imperfect

Past Perfect

m lesiva

m aviva lesu

1st sg.

2nd sg. t ti lesivi

t t'avivi lesu

3rd sg.

l u lesiva/l a lesiva

l ul aviva lesu/l a l'aviva lesu

1st pl.

nujtri lesivimu

nujtri avivimu lesu

2nd pl.

vujtri lesivi

vujtri avivi lesu

3rd pl.

l (i) lesivan

l (il) avivan lesu

Future Simple

Future Perfect

m lesi

m avi lesu

1st sg.

2nd sg. t ti lesie

t t'avie lesu

3rd sg.

l u lesi/l a lesi

l ul avi lesu/l a l'avi lesu

1st pl.

nujtri lesimu

nujtri avimu lesu

2nd pl.

vujtri lesii

vujtri avii lesu

3rd pl.

l (i) lesian

l (il) avian lesu

25

Subjunctive

1st sg.

Present Simple

Present Perfect

che m lse

che m age lesu

2nd sg. che t ti lsi

che t t'agi lesu

3rd sg.

che l u lse/che l a lse

che l ul age lesu/l a l'age lesu

1st pl.

che nujtri lesmu

che nujtri gimu lesu

2nd pl.

che vujtri lesi

che vujtri agi lesu

3rd pl.

che l (i) lsan

che l (il) gian lesu

Imperfect

Past Perfect

che m lesse

che m avse lesu

1st sg.

2nd sg. che t ti lessci

che t t'avsci lesu

3rd sg.

che l u lesse/che l a lesse

che l ul avse lesu/che l a l'avse

lesu

1st pl.

che nujtri lesscimu

che nujtri avscimu lesu

2nd pl.

che vujtri lessci

che vujtri avsci lesu

3rd pl.

che l (i) lessan

che l (il) avsan lesu

Conditional
Present Simple

Present Perfect

m lesiiva

m aviiva lesu

2nd sg. t ti lesisci

t ti avisci lesu

1st sg.

3rd sg.

l u lesiiva/l a lesiiva

l ul aviiva lesu/l a l'aviiva lesu

1st pl.

nujtri lesiscimu

nujtri aviscimu lesu

2nd pl.

vujtri lesisci

vujtri avsci lesu

3rd pl.

l (i) lesiivan

l (il) aviivan lesu

26

Imperative
2nd sg. lsi
2nd pl.

lesi

Infinitive
Present

Past

lse

avi lesu

Past Participle
lesu

Gerund
Present

Past

lesndu

avndu lesu

27

Verbs of the 4th conjugation (ending in -)

Are conjugated with the endings of fin "to finish", some with the infix -sc(i)- and some
without it:

Indicative

1st sg.

Present Simple

Present Perfect

m finisciu

m finu

2nd sg. t ti finisci

t t'e finu

3rd sg.

l u finisce/l a finisce

l ul finu/l a l' finu

1st pl.

nujtri finimu

nujtri mu finu

2nd pl.

vujtri fin

vujtri ei finu

3rd pl.

l (i) finscian

l (il) an finu

Imperfect

Past Perfect

m finva

m aviva finu

1st sg.

2nd sg. t ti finvi

t t'avivi finu

3rd sg.

l u finva/l a finva

l ul aviva finu/l a l'aviva finu

1st pl.

nujtri finvimu

nujtri avivimu finu

2nd pl.

vujtri finvi

vujtri avivi finu

3rd pl.

l (i) finvan

l (il) avivan finu

Future Simple

Future Perfect

m fini

m avi finu

1st sg.

2nd sg. t ti finie

t t'avie finu

3rd sg.

l u fini/l a fini

l ul avi finu/l a l'avi finu

1st pl.

nujtri finimu

nujtri avimu finu

2nd pl.

vujtri finii

vujtri avii finu

3rd pl.

l (i) finian

l (il) avian finu

28

Subjunctive

1st sg.

Present Simple

Present Perfect

che m finisce

che m age finu

2nd sg. che t ti finisci

che t t'agi finu

3rd sg.

che l u finisce/che l a finisce

che l ul age finu/l a l'age finu

1st pl.

che nujtri finimu

che nujtri gimu finu

2nd pl.

che vujtri fin

che vujtri agi finu

3rd pl.

che l (i) finscian

che l (il) gian finu

Imperfect

Past Perfect

che m finise

che m avse finu

1st sg.

2nd sg. che t ti finisci

che t t'avsci finu

3rd sg.

che l u finise/che l a finise

che l ul avse finu/che l a l'avse finu

1st pl.

che nujtri finscimu

che nujtri avscimu finu

2nd pl.

che vujtri finisci

che vujtri avsci finu

3rd pl.

che l (i) finsan

che l (il) avsan finu

Conditional
Present Simple

Present Perfect

m finiiva

m aviiva finu

2nd sg. t ti finisci

t ti avisci finu

1st sg.

3rd sg.

l u finiiva/l a finiiva

l ul aviiva finu/l a l'aviiva finu

1st pl.

nujtri finiscimu

nujtri aviscimu finu

2nd pl.

vujtri finisci

vujtri avsci finu

3rd pl.

l (i) finiivan

l (il) aviivan finu

29

Imperative
2nd sg. finisci
2nd pl.

fin

Infinitive
Present

Past

fin

avi finu

Past Participle
finu/fina/fini/fine

Gerund
Present

Past

finindu

avndu finu

30

The Passive
The passive diathesis is formed with the verb se and the past participle agreeing with
the subject's gender, ex. with mand "to send":

Indicative

1st sg.

Present Simple

Present Perfect

m sun mandu/mand

m sun stetu mandu/mand

2nd sg. t t' mandu/mand

t t' stetu mandu/mand

3rd sg.

l ul mandu/l a l' mand

l ul stetu/l a l' steta

1st pl.

nujtri smu mande

nujtri smu steti mande

2nd pl.

vujtri si mande

vujtri si steti mande

3rd pl.

l (i) sun mande

l (i) sun steti mande

Imperfect

Past Perfect

m a mandu/mand

m a stetu mandu/mand

1st sg.

2nd sg. t t'i mandu/mand

t t'i stetu mandu/mand

3rd sg.

l ul a mandu/l a l'a mand

l ul a stetu/l a l'a steta

1st pl.

nujtri mu mande

nujtri mu steti mande

2nd pl.

vujtri i mande

vujtri i steti mande

3rd pl.

l (il) an mande

l (il) an steti mande

Future Simple

Future Perfect

m saj mandu/mand

m saj stetu mandu/mand

1st sg.

2nd sg. t ti saje mandu/mand

t ti saje stetu mandu/mand

3rd sg.

l u saj mandu/l a saj mand l u saj stetu/l a saj steta

1st pl.

nujtri sajmu mande

nujtri sajmu steti mande

2nd pl.

vujtri saji mande

vujtri saji steti mande

3rd pl.

l (i) sajan mande

l (i) sajan steti mande

31

Subjunctive
Present Simple

Present Perfect

che m sge mandu/mand

che m sge stetu mandu/mand

2nd sg. che t ti sgi mandu/mand

che t ti sgi stetu mandu/mand

1st sg.

3rd sg.

che l u sge mandu/che l a

che l u sge stetu/che l a sge steta
sge mand

1st pl.

che nujtri sgimu mande

che nujtri sgimu steti mande

2nd pl.

che vujtri sgi mande

che vujtri sgi steti mande

3rd pl.

che l (i) sgian mande

che l (i) sgian steti mande

Imperfect

Past Perfect

che m fse mandu/mand

che m fse stetu mandu/mand

1st sg.

2nd sg. che t ti fsci mandu/mand

che t ti fsci stetu mandu/mand

3rd sg.

che l u fse mandu/che l a fse

che l u fse stetu/che l a fse steta
mand

1st pl.

che nujtri fscimu mande

che nujtri fscimu steti mande

2nd pl.

che vujtri fsci mande

che vujtri fsci steti mande

3rd pl.

che l (i) fsan mande

che l (i) fsan steti mande

Conditional
Present Simple

Present Perfect

m sajiva mandu/mand

m sajiva stetu mandu/mand

2nd sg. t ti sajsci mandu/mand

t ti sajsci stetu mandu/mand

1st sg.

3rd sg.

l u sajiva mandu/l a sajiva

l u sajiva stetu/l a sajiva steta
mand

1st pl.

nujtri sajscimu mande

nujtri sajscimu steti mande

2nd pl.

vujtri sajsci mande

vujtri sajsci steti mande

3rd pl.

l (i) sajivan mande

l (i) sajivan steti mande

32

Imperative
2nd sg. sgi mandu/mand
2nd pl.

sege mande

Infinitive
Present

Past

se
se stetu mandu/steta mand/steti
mandu/mand/mande/mande mande/stete mande

Past Participle
mandu/mand/mande/mande

Gerund
Present

Past

esndu
esndu stetu/steta/steti/stete
mandu/mand/mande/mande

In the simple forms se can be replaced by the irregular verb venj, meaning also "to
come":

Indicative
Present Simple

1st sg.

m vnju mandu/mand

2nd sg.

t ti vnji mandu/mand

3rd sg.

l u vn mandu/l a vn mand

1st pl.

nujtri venjimu mande

2nd pl.

vujtri venj mande

3rd pl.

l (i) vnjan mande

33

Imperfect

1st sg.

m venjva mandu/mand

2nd sg.

t ti venjvi mandu/mand

3rd sg.

l u venjva mandu/l a venjva mand

1st pl.

nujtri venjvimu mande

2nd pl.

vujtri venjvi mande

3rd pl.

l (i) venjvan mande

Future Simple

1st sg.

m venji mandu/mand

2nd sg.

t ti venjie mandu/mand

3rd sg.

l u venji mandu/l a saj mand

1st pl.

nujtri venjimu mande

2nd pl.

vujtri venjii mande

3rd pl.

l (i) venjian mande

Subjunctive
Present Simple

1st sg.

che m vnje mandu/mand

2nd sg.

che t ti vnji mandu/mand

3rd sg.

che l u vnje mandu/che l a sge mand

1st pl.

che nujtri venjimu mande

2nd pl.

che vujtri venj mande

3rd pl.

che l (i) vnjan mande

34

Imperfect

1st sg.

che m venjise mandu/mand

2nd sg.

che t ti venjisci mandu/mand

3rd sg.

che l u venjise mandu/che l a fse mand

1st pl.

che nujtri venjscimu mande

2nd pl.

che vujtri venjisci mande

3rd pl.

che l (i) venjsan mande

Conditional Present Simple

1st sg.

m venjiiva mandu/mand

2nd sg.

t ti venjisci mandu/mand

3rd sg.

l u venjiiva mandu/l a sajiva mand

1st pl.

nujtri venjiscimu mande

2nd pl.

vujtri venjisci mande

3rd pl.

l (i) venjiivan mande

Infinitive Present
venj mandu/mand/mande/mande

Gerund Present
venjindu mandu/mand/mande/mande

Impersonal Construction
The impersonal construction is made by placing the particle se before the 2nd sg.
person form of the verb, ex.: se mangia "people eat"; se snte "people ear"; se bive in
gtu de vin "a glass of wine is drunk"; se cunta ina fa "a tale is told"; se cunstrsce di
palasi "buildings are built"; se manda de ltie "letters are sent".

35

Vocabulary
Below is a sample of Ligurian words:
u pi, "the pear";u mi, "the apple";u setrun, "the orange";u fgu, "the fig";u prsegu, "the
peach";u rbes, "the currant";u mandarin, "the tangerine";u franbuse, "the raspberry";a
ssgia, "the cherry";u mlu, "the strawberry";a nsge, "the nut";l'arbicca, "the apricot";a
brnja, "the plum";a nisa, "the hazelnut";a mua, "the blackberry";l'ga, "the grape";l
asginlu, "the grape" (the single fruit in a bunch).a nspua, "the medlar";u pinj, "the
pine-kernel";smangi, "to itch";u pursmu, "the parsley";u slou, "the celery";case, "to
fall";scarlig, "to slide";spatis, "to squash";arv, "to open";ser, "to close";u ceu, "the
light";a c, "the house", "the home";l vu, "the egg";l giu, "the eye";a buca, "the
mouth";a tsta, "the head";a schn-a, "the back";u c, "the butt";u brasu, "the arm";a
ganba, "the leg";u c, "the heart".

36