Lesson 9: Sicilian verbs

Sicilian verbs have three conjugations the first with ending in ari:

Parràri to speak

Manciàri to eat

Fumàri to smoke

The second with the ending in iri short:

Ricìviri to receive

Scrìviri to write

Rispùnniri to answer

Finìri to finish

Sippillìri to bury

Durmìri to sleep

Some of these verbs can be interchanged from short to long and viceversa:

Durmìri, dòrmiri (to sleep); suffrìri, sòffriri (to suffer); murìri, mòriri (to die); gudìri, gòdiri (to enjoy)

Iu parru Siciliànu I speak Sicilian

Tu finìsci di parràri You finish talking

iddu dormi ora He sleeps now

nuiàtri manciàmu ancora We are still eating

vuiàtri parràti cu idda You talk to her

iddi finìscinu di travagghiàri

They finish working

Indicative Mode

Present

Parru I speak dormu I sleep

parri you speak dormi you sleep

parra he, she, it speaks dormi he, she, it sleeps

parràmu we speak durmèmu we sleep

parràti you speak durmìti you sleep

pàrranu they speak dòrminu they sleep

Imperfect

Parràvu I spoke durmìvi I slept

parràvi you spoke durmìvi you slept

parràva he, she, it spoke durmìva he, she, it slept

parràvamu we spoke durmèvamu we slept

parràvavu you spoke durmèvavu you slept

parràvanu they spoke durmìanu they slept

The future in Sicilian is never or very seldom used, in its place the Sicilian uses the present indicative:

Si Diu voli e campàmu dumàni nni vidèmu

If God wants and we will live we will see each other tomorrow

Present Perfect

Aiu parràtu I have spoken

aiu durmùtu I have slept

Preterite

Parrài I spoke durmì I slept

parràsti you spoke durmìsti you slept

parro` he, she, it spoke durmìu he,she,it slept

parràmu we spoke durmèmu we slept

parràstivu you spoke durmìstivu you slept

parràru they spoke durmèru they slept

Past Perfect

Avia parràtu I had spoken

avia durmùtu I had slept

Subjunctive

Present

See indicative present

Imperfect

Parràssi I spoke, might speak durmìssi, I slept, might sleep

parràssi durmìssi

parràssimu durmìssimu

parràssivu durmìssivu

parràssiru durmìssiru

Past Perfect

Avìssi parràtu I might have spoken

avìssi durmùtu I might have slept

Conditinal

Present

Parrirìa I would speak durmirìa I would sleep

Parrirìssi durmirìssi

Parrirìa durmirìa

Parrirìamu durmirìamu

Parrirìavu durmirìavu

Parrirìanu durmirìanu

Past

Avirrìa parràtu I would have spoken

avirrìa durmùtu I would have slept

Imperative

Parra (tu) speak (sing.) dormi sleep

parràti (vui) speak (plur.) durmìti sleep

Infinitive

Present

Parràri to speak

durmìri to sleep

Past

Avìri parràtu to have spoken

avìri durmùtu to have slept

Participle

Past

Parràtu spoken

durmùtu slept

Gerund

Present

Parrànnu speaking

durmènnu sleeping

Past

Avènnu parràtu having spoken

Avènnu durmùtu having slept

These are some of the verbs that are conjucated like parràri:

Manciàri to eat

amàri to love

truvàri to find

sunàri to play (an instrument)

ciatiàri to breath

fumàri to smoke

ammazzàri to kill

travagghiàri to work

These are some of the verbs that are conjugated like dormiri or durmiri:

Rìdiri to laugh

finìri to finish

gudìri to enjoy

murìri to die

esìstiri to exist

cògghiri to harvest

prèmiri to press

sèntiri to hear, to feel

In Sicilian, as in any other languge, we find irregular verbs. These verbs change the endings many times during the conjugation. The only way to know them is to memorize them. We will list only a few here and conjugate a couple to give you the sense of their behavior during conjiugation:

Diri (to say), vèniri or vinìri ( to come), sapìri (to know), vulìri ( to want), putìri (to be able), didùciri (to deduce), iri (to go), dari (to do, make), vidìri (to see)etc.

Conjiugation of vèniri or vinìri and vulìri:

Indicative

Present

Vegnu I come vogghiu I want

veni you come voi you want

veni he comes voli he, she, it wants

vinèmu we come vulèmu we want

vinìti you come vulìti you want

vennu they come vonnu they want

Imperfect

vinìa I came vulìa I wanted

vinèvi you came vulèvi you wanted

vinìa he, she it came vulìa he, she, it wanted

vinèvamu we came vulèvamu we wanted

vinèvavu you came vulèvavu you wanted

vinèvanu hey came vulèvanu they wanted

Present Perfect

Aiu vinùtu I have caome aiu vulùtu I have wanted

ài vinùtu you have come ai volùtu you have wanted

avi vinùtu he,she,it has come avi vulùtu he, she, it has wanted

avèmu vinùtu we have come avèmu volùtu we have wanted

avìti vinùtu you have come avìti volùtu you have wanted

ànnu vinùtu they have come ànnu vulùtu they have wanted

Preterite

Vinni I came vosi I wanted

vinìsti you came vulìsti you wanted

vinni he, she, it came vosi he, she, it wanted

vìnnimu we came vòsimu we wanted

vinìstivu you came vulìstivu you wanted

vìnniru they came vòsiru they wanted

Past perfect

Avìa vinùtu I had come avìa volùtu I had wanted

Subjunctive

Imperfect

Vinìssi I might come vulìssi I might want

vinìssi you vulìssi you

vinìssi he, she it vulìssi he, she, iti

vinìssimu we vulìssimu we

vinìssivu you vulìssivu you

vinìssiru they vulìssiru they

Past perfect

Avìssi vinùtu I might have come

avìssi volùtu I might have wanted

Conditional

Present

Vinirrìa I would come

vurrìa I would want

vinirrìssi you

vurrìssi you

vinirrìa he, she, it

vurrìa he, she, it

vinirrìamu we

vurrìamu we

vinirrìavu you

vurrìavu you

vinirrìanu they

vurrìanu they

Past

Avirrìa vinùtu I would have come

avirrìa volùtu I would have wanted

Imperative

Veni come (you)

voi want (you)

Vegna come (he) vògghia want (he)

Vinèmu come (we)

vulèmu want (we)

Vinìti come (you)

vulìti want (you)

Vègnanu come (they)

vògghianu want (they)

Infinitive

Present

Vèniri to come vulìri to want

Past

` Avìri vinùtu to have come

avìri vulùtu to have wanted

Participle

Past

Vinùtu come vulùtu wanted

Gerund

Present

Vinènnu coming vulènnu wanting

Past

Avènnu vinùtu having come

avènnu vulùtu having wanted

Intrrogatve Forms

The interrogative forms, most of the time, place the subject at the end of the sentence:

Ci §u a scola Maria? Did Mary go to school?

Unni sta Rosa ? Where does Rose live?

M’ascùti fìgghiu? Are you listening to me, son?

Interrogative forms chi (what), cui, cu (who, whom):

Cu vinni a tô casa? Who came to your house?

Chi fai ddocu? What are youy doing there?

Cu ti lu dissi accussì? Who told you so?

A chi servi chistu? What’ is the pourpose of this?

A cui la dugnu la l’acqua?To whom should I give the water?

Interrogative c’è (there is) and ci sunnu (thre are):

C’è la televisiòni a sô casa?

Is there a television at his house?

Ci sunnu li lampi nta scala?

Are there lights in the stairway?

C’è lu telèfunu nni tô soru?

Is there a telephone at you sister’s?

Ci sunnu li utti pi lu vinu?

Are there barrels for the wine?

The Sicilian language uses two forms of addressing people, the familiar, with peers friends and family members, and the polite with strngers, older people or people to whom one wants to show respect. In the first case is used the second person singular of the verb, in the second case is used the second person plural of the verb.

Familiar:

Pìgghiami ssu pani Get me that bread

Attàcca sta corda. Tie this rope

Chiàma lu cani Call the dog

Polite:

Vossìa chiàma a me frati Call my brother

Ci parràssi vossìa cu iddu You talk to him

Vossìa mi fa n favùri Do me a favor

A sentence is made negative by adding nun or the contracted un before the verb:

Un sacciu nenti I do not know anything

Nun capìsciu chiddu chi dici

I do not understand what you are saying