6.2. Gramatik / Grammar

Modal constructions

Livonian uses various constructions to express obligation and need. The most common of these is the construction consisting of the auxiliary verb vȱlda ’to be’ + the main verb – the so-called debitive form (-mõst).

• The one on whom the obligation or need falls is marked with the dative case.: Mi’nnõn u’m a’ilõmõst kuodāj ’I have to run home’.
• If the dative argument is not explicitly given in the sentence, then the main verb can be used just with the verb vȱlda or by itself without the auxiliary verb: ēra je’dstõ ä’b ūo maksamõst ’You don’t have to pay for the book’;Ku o’bbõ, si’z o’bbõ, mis sǟ’l võib tī’edõ, tu’lmõst mūpõ vaŗīm ’If it’s late, then it’s late, what can I do, tomorrow I have to come earlier’.