Adyghe verbs

In Adyghe, like all Northwest Caucasian languages, the verb is the most inflected part of speech. Verbs are typically head final and are conjugated for tense, person, number, etc.

Dynamic and steady-state verbs

Dynamic verbs express (process of) actions that are taking place (natural role of verbs in English).

• Сэ сэчъэ /sa sat͡ʂa/ "I am running";
• Сэ сэтIэ /sa satʼa/ "I am digging",
• Сэ сэIо /sa saʔʷa/ "I am speaking".

Steady-state verbs express the condition, they express states or results of actions.

• Сэ сыщыт /sa səɕət/ "I am standing",
• Сэ сыщылъ /sa səɕəɬ/ "I am lying.",
• Сэ сис /sa səjs/ "I am sitting inside.",

Every noun and adjective can be used as a stative verb :

• Сэ сыкӏуачӏ /sa səkʷʼaːt͡ʂ/ "I am strong",
• Сэ сыпрофeссор /sa səprofesor/ "I am a professor.",

Transitivity

In Adyghe there exist intransitive verbs, transitive verbs and ditransitive verbs. Verbs in Adyghe can be monovalent (e.g. I am sitting), bivalent (e.g. I am hitting an enemy), trivalent (e.g. I am giving a book to a friend), possibly also quadrivalent (e.g. I am telling the news to someone with my friend).

Intransitive verbs

Intransitive verbs in Adyghe are monovalent having one argument, an absolutive case subject. With intransitive verbs in a sentence there is, usually, no direct objects, and the real subject is usually expressed by a noun in the nominative case. There are two kinds of intransitive verbs in Adyghe : A static intransitive verb and dynamic intransitive verb.

Static intransitive verbs

Examples :

• кӏалэр щыс /t͡ʃʼaːɮar ɕəs/ the boy is sitting.
• кӏалэр тет /t͡ʃʼaːɮar tajt/ the boy is standing on.
• кӏалэр илъ /t͡ʃʼaːɮar jəɬ/ the boy is laying inside.
• кӏалэр щыӏ /t͡ʃʼaːɮar ɕəʼ/ the boy exists.

Subject pronouns		Affixes		Examples
		Cyrillic	IPA
Singular	1st person	сы~	/sə~/	сыщыс /səɕəs/ – I am sitting сычӏэлъ /sət͡ʂʼaɬ/ - I am laying under сытет /sətajt/ - I am standing on.
	2st person	у~	/wə~/	ущыс /wəɕəs/ – you are sitting учӏэлъ /wət͡ʂʼaɬ/ - you are laying under утет /wətajt/ - you are standing on.
	3rd person	-	-	щыс /ɕəs/ – (s)he is sitting чӏэлъ /t͡ʂʼaɬ/ - (s)he is laying under тет /tajt/ - (s)he are standing on.
Plural	1st person	ты~	/tə~/	тыщыс /təɕəs/ – we are sitting тычӏэлъ /tət͡ʂʼaɬ/ - we are laying under тытет /tətajt/ - we are standing on.
	2nd person	шъу~	/ʃʷə~/	шъущыс /ʃʷəɕəs/ – you are sitting шъучӏэлъ /ʃʷət͡ʂʼaɬ/ - you are laying under шъутет /ʃʷətajt/ - you are standing on.
	3rd person	~ых	/~əx/	щысых /ɕəsəx/ – they are sitting чӏэлъых /t͡ʂʼaɬəx/ - they are laying under тетых /tajtəx/ - they are standing on.

Кӏалэр	чъыгым	ӏулъ
Кӏалэ-р	чъыгы-м	ӏу-лъ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	t͡ʂəɣəm	ʔʷəɬ]
boy (abs.)	tree (erg.)	(s)he is laying near
"The boy is laying near the tree."

Кӏалэр	пхъэнтӏэкӏум	тес
Кӏалэ-р	пхъэнтӏэкӏу-м	те-с
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	pχantʼakʷʼəm	tajs]
boy (abs.)	chair (erg.)	(s)he is sitting on
"The boy is sitting on the chair."

Кӏалэр	унэм	ис
Кӏалэ-р	унэ-м	и-с
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	wənam	jəs]
boy (abs.)	house (erg.)	(s)he is sitting inside
"The boy is sitting inside the house."

Dynamic intransitive verbs

Examples :

• кӏалэр макӏо /t͡ʃʼaːɮar maːkʷʼa/ the boy is going.
• кӏалэр мачъэ /t͡ʃʼaːɮar maːt͡ʂa/ the boy is running.
• кӏалэр машхэ /t͡ʃʼaːɮar maːʃxa/ the boy is eating.
• кӏалэр маплъэ /t͡ʃʼaːɮar maːpɬa/ the boy is looking.
• кӏалэр мэгущаӏэ /t͡ʃʼaːɮar maɡʷəɕaːʔa/ the boy is speaking.
• кӏалэр малӏэ /t͡ʃʼaːɮar maːɬʼa/ the boy is dying.

Subject pronouns		Affixes		Examples
		Cyrillic	IPA
Singular	1st person	сэ~	/sa~/	сэшхэ /saʃxa/ - I am eating сэкӏо /sakʷʼa/ - I am going
	2nd person	о~	/wa~/	ошхэ /waʃxa/ - you are eating окӏо /wakʷʼa/ - you are going
	3rd person	ма~	/maː~/	машхэ /maːʃxa/ - (s)he is eating макӏо /maːkʷʼa/ - (s)he is going
Plural	1st person	тэ~	/ta~/	тэшхэ /taʃxa/ - we are eating тэкӏо /takʷʼa/ - we are going
	2nd person	шъо~	/ʃʷa~/	шъошхэ /ʃʷaʃxa/ - you are eating шъокӏо /ʃʷakʷʼa/ - you are going
	3rd person	ма~ and ~эх	/maː~/ and /~ax/	машхэх /maːʃxax/ - they are eating макӏох /maːkʷʼax/ - they are going

Томэр	машхэ	тиунэкӏэ
Том-эр	машхэ	ти-унэ-кӏэ
[tomar	maːʃxa	tiwnat͡ʃʼa]
Tom (abs.)	he is eating	house (ins.)
"Tom is eating in our house"

кӏалэр	тиунэ	къакӏо
кӏалэ-эр	ти-унэ	къа-кӏо
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	tiwna	qaːkʷʼa]
the boy (abs.)	our house	(s)he is coming
"The boy is coming to our house"

пшъашъэр	маплъэ	тиунэ	пакӏэ
пшъашъэ-эр	маплъэ	ти-унэ	пакӏэ
[pʂaːʂar	maːpɬa	tiwna	paːt͡ʃʼa]
the girl (abs.)	(s)he is looking	our house	direction
"The girl is looking at our house's direction"

Transitive verbs

Transitive verbs in Adyghe are usually bivalent, meaning they only require two arguments : a subject and a direct object.

Transitive verbs with absolutive subjects

A sentence that has a transitive verb with an absolutive case subject

In a sentence with this type of verb, the subject is in absolutive case while the object is in ergative case. This indicates that the subject's state is being changed due to the verb.

Examples :

• кӏалэр егупщысэ /t͡ʃʼaːɮar jaɡʷəpɕəsa/ the boy is thinking of.
• кӏалэр ео /t͡ʃʼaːɮar jawa/ the boy is playing a.
• кӏалэр еджэ /t͡ʃʼaːɮar jad͡ʒa/ the boy is reading a.
• кӏалэр еплъы /t͡ʃʼaːɮar maːpɬa/ the boy is looking at.
• кӏалэр еупчӏы /t͡ʃʼaːɮar jawt͡ʂʼə/ the boy is asking a.
• кӏалэр елӏыкӏы /t͡ʃʼaːɮar jaɬʼət͡ʃʼə/ the boy is dying of.

Кӏалэр	пщынэ	ео
Кӏалэ-р	пщынэ	ео
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	pɕəna	jawa]
boy (abs.)	accordion	(s)he playing a
"The boy is playing an accordion"

лӏыр	узым	ылӏыкӏэгъ
лӏы-р	узы-м	ылӏыкӏэ-гъ
[ɬʼər	wəzəm	əɬʼət͡ʃʼaʁ]
the old man (abs.)	disease (erg.)	(s)he died of
"the old man is drying from the disease"

кӏалэм	еплъы	пшъашъэр
кӏалэ-эр	еплъы	ти-унэ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	japɬə	pʂaːʂar]
the boy (erg.)	(s)he is looking at	the girl (abs.)
"The girl is looking at the boy"

More Examples :

• уеплъы /wajpɬə/ "you are looking at him".
• усэплъы /wsapɬə/ "I am at you".
• сеупчӏы /sajwpt͡ʂʼə/ "I am asking him".
• укъысэупчӏы /wəqsawpt͡ʂʼə/ "you are asking me".
• осэшхы /wasaʃxə/ "I am eating you".
• ошхых /waʃxəx/ "you are eating them".

An example of the prefixes with the verb еплъын /japɬən/ "to look at" :

Pronouns			Object pronouns
			To me	To you	To him	To us	To you (plural)	To them	To self
Subject pronouns	Singular	1st person	-	усэплъы сыкъыоплъы	сеплъы	-	шъусэплъы сыкъышъоплъы	саплъы	сызэплъыжьы
		2nd person	укъысэплъы	-	уеплъы	укъытэплъы	-	уаплъы	узэплъыжьы
		3rd person	къысэплъы	къыоплъы	еплъы	къытэплъы	къышъоплъы	аплъы	зэплъыжьы
	Plural	1st person	-	утэплъы тыкъыоплъы	теплъы	-	шъутэплъы тыкъышъоплъы	таплъы	тызэплъыжьы
		2nd person	шъукъысэплъы	-	шъуеплъы	шъукъытэплъы	-	шъуаплъы	шъузэплъыжьы
		3rd person	къысэплъых	къыоплъых	еплъых	къытэплъых	къышъоплъых	аплъых	зэплъыжьых

сэ	о	усэплъы
сэ	о	у-сэ-плъы
[sa	wa	wəsapɬə]
I	you	I am looking at you
"I am looking at you."

кӏалэр	сэ	къысао
кӏалэ-р	сэ	къы-са-о
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	sa	qəsaːwa]
the boy (abs.)	I	(s)he is hitting me
"The boy is hitting me."

Transitive verbs with ergative subjects

A sentence that has a transitive verb with an ergativ case subject

In a sentence with this type of verb, the subject is in ergative case while the object is in absolutive case. This indicates that the object's state is being changed due to the verb.

Examples :

• кӏалэм елъэгъу /t͡ʃʼaːɮam jaɬaʁʷə/ the boy is seeing a.
• кӏалэм ешхы /t͡ʃʼaːɮam jaʃxə/ the boy is eating it.
• кӏалэм егъакӏо /t͡ʃʼaːɮam jaʁaːkʷʼa/ the boy is making someone go.
• кӏалэм егурыӏо /t͡ʃʼaːɮam jaɡʷərəʔʷa/ the boy is understanding the.
• кӏалэм еукӏы /t͡ʃʼaːɮam jawt͡ʃʼə/ the boy is killing a.

Томэм	ешхы	мые
Том-эм	ешхы	мые
[tomam	jaʃxə	məja]
Tom (erg.)	(s)he is eating a	apple
"Tom is eating an apple"

Иусыфым	кӏалэр	тучаным	егъакӏо
Иусыф-ым	кӏалэр	тучан-ым	егъакӏо
[jəwsəfəm	t͡ʃʼaːɮar	tut͡ʃaːnəm	jaʁaːkʷʼa]
Joseph (erg.)	the boy (abs.)	shop (erg.)	(s)he is making him go
"Joseph is making the boy go to the shop"

кӏалэм	елъэгъу	пшъашъэр
кӏалэ-эр	елъэгъу	ти-унэ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	jaɬaʁʷə	pʂaːʂar]
the boy (erg.)	(s)he is seeing the	the girl (abs.)
"The boy is seeing the girl"

More Examples :

• уелъэгъу /wajɬaʁʷə/ "(s)he is seeing you".
• осэлъэгъу /wasaɬaʁʷə/ "I am seeing you".
• сэгъакӏо /saʁaːkʷʼa/ "I am making him go".
• сэбэгъакӏо /sabaʁaːkʷʼa/ "you are making me go".
• саукӏы /saːwt͡ʃʼə/ "they are killing me".
• оукӏых /wawt͡ʃʼəx/ "you are killing them".

An example of the prefixes with the verb ылъэгъун /əɬaʁʷən/ "to see it" :

Pronouns			Object pronouns
			To me	To you	To him	To us	To you (plural)	To them	To self
Subject pronouns	Singular	1st person	-	осэлъэгъу	сэлъэгъу	-	шъосэлъэгъу	сэлъэгъух	зэсэлъэгъужьы
		2nd person	сэбэлъэгъу	-	олъэгъу	тэбэлъэгъу	-	олъэгъух	зэбэлъэгъужьы
		3rd person	селъэгъу	уелъэгъу	елъэгъу	телъэгъу	шъуелъэгъу	елъэгъух	зелъэгъужьы
	Plural	1st person	-	отэлъэгъу	тэлъэгъу	-	шъотэлъэгъу	тэлъэгъух	зэтэлъэгъужьы
		2nd person	сэшъолъэгъу	-	шъолъэгъу	тэшъолъэгъу	-	шъолъэгъух	зэшъолъэгъужьы
		3rd person	салъэгъу	уалъэгъу	алъэгъу	талъэгъу	шъуалъэгъу	алъэгъух	залъэгъужьы

о	сэ	сыкъэбэлъэгъу
о	сэ	сы-къэ-бэ-лъэгъу
[wa	sa	səqabaɬaʁʷə]
you	I	you are seeing me
"You are seeing me."

кӏалэм	сэ	сеупчӏы	упчӏэкӏэ
кӏалэ-м	сэ	с-е-упчӏы	упчӏэ-кӏэ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	sa	sajwpt͡ʂʼə	wəpt͡ʂʼat͡ʃʼa]
boy (erg.)	I	I am asking him/her	using a question (ins.)
"I am asking the boy a question."

Ditransitive verbs

A sentence with three arguments.

Ditransitive verbs in Adyghe are usually trivalent, meaning they require three arguments : a subject, a direct object and an indirect object. In a sentence with this type of verb, the subject is in ergative case, the direct object is in absolutive case and the indirect object is also in ergative case. To distinguish between the ergative case subject and the ergative case indirect object, the subject should be placed before the indirect object.

Examples :

• кӏалэм реӏо /t͡ʃʼaːɮam rajʔʷa/ the boy is saying it to him.
• кӏалэм реты /t͡ʃʼaːɮam rajʔʷa/ the boy is giving it to him.
• уесэубытэ /wajsawbəta/ "I am holding you forcefully in it".
• уесэӏуатэ /wajsaʔʷaːta/ "I snitching you to him".
• уесэты /wajsatə/ "I am giving you to him".
• уесэгъэлъэгъу /wesaʁaɬaʁʷə/ "I am making him see you".

кӏалэм	шхыныр	пшъашъэм	реты
кӏалэ-м	шхыны-р	пшъашъэ-м	реты
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	ʃxənər	pʂaːʂam	rajtə]
boy (erg.)	food (abs.)	girl (erg.)	(s)he is giving it to him/her
"The boy is giving the food to the girl."

кӏалэм	пшъашъэм	реӏо	дахэу	мэзэкӏонэу
кӏалэ-м	пшъашъэ-м	ре-ӏо	дахэ-у	мэзэкӏо-нэ-у
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	pʂaːʂam	rajʔʷa	daːxaw	mazakʷʼanaw]
boy (erg.)	girl (erg.)	(s)he is saying it to him/her	beautifully	to behave well
"The boy is saying to the girl to behave well."

The verbal prefixes in a ditransitive verb.

Examples of the prefixes of trivalent verbs, with the verbs етын /rəjtən/ "to give it to" and егъэлъэгъун /jaʁaɬaʁʷən/ "to make him see it" :

• When the subject gives me to the object and when the subject makes the object see me :

Pronouns			Direct object (Me)
			To me	To you	To him	To us	To you (plural)	To them	To self
Subject	Singular	1st person	-	зыкъыосэты зыосэгъэлъэгъу	зкъесэты зесэгъэлъэгъу	-	зыкъышъосэты зышъосэгъэлъэгъу	зкъасэты засэгъэлъэгъу	зызэсэтыжьы зызэсэгъэлъэгъужьы
		2nd person	зэсэбэты зэсэбэгъэлъэгъу	-	себэты себэгъэлъэгъу	-	-	сабэты сабэгъэлъэгъу	сызэбэтыжьы сызэбэгъэлъэгъужьы
		3rd person	зысеты зысегъэлъэгъу	сыкъыуеты сыуегъэлъэгъу	сыреты сырегъэлъэгъу	-	сыкъышъуеты сышъуегъэлъэгъу	сареты сарегъэлъэгъу	сызетыжьы сызегъэлъэгъужьы
	Plural	1st person	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
		2nd person	сызэшъоты сызэшъогъэлъэгъу	-	сешъоты сешъогъэлъэгъу	-	-	сашъоты сашъогъэлъэгъу	сызэшъотыжьы сызэшъогъэлъэгъужьы
		3rd person	зысаты зысагъэлъэгъу	сыкъыуаты сыуагъэлъэгъу	сыраты сырагъэлъэгъу	-	сыкъышъуаты сышъуагъэлъэгъу	сараты сарагъэлъэгъу	сызатыжьы сызагъэлъэгъужьы

сыкӏэлэцӏыкӏоу	зэхъун,	сиянэ	ишыпхъу	сыратэу щытэгъ
сы-кӏэлэцӏыкӏо-у	зэхъун,	си-янэ	и-шыпхъу	сы-р-а-тэ-у щыт-эгъ
[sət͡ʃʼaɮat͡sʼəkʷʼaw	zaχʷəm	sijaːna	jəʃəpχʷ	səraːbaw ɕətaʁ]
while I am a child	when it was	my mother	(s)he's sister	they used to give me to him/her
"When I used to be a child, they used to give me to my aunt."

• When the subject gives you to the object and when the subject makes the object see you :

Pronouns			Direct object (You)
			To me	To you	To him	To us	To you (plural)	To them	To self
Subject	Singular	1st person	-	зыоcэты зыоcэгъэлъэгъу	уесэты уесэгъэлъэгъу	-	-	уасэты уасэгъэлъэгъу	узэсэтыжьы узэсэгъэлъэгъужьы
		2nd person	зысэбэты зысэбэгъэлъэгъу	-	зебэты зебэгъэлъэгъу	зытэбэты зытэбэгъэлъэгъу	-	забэты забэгъэлъэгъу	зызэбэтыжьы зызэбэгъэлъэгъужьы
		3rd person	укъысеты усегъэлъэгъу	узеты узегъэлъэгъу	уреты урегъэлъэгъу	укъытеты утегъэлъэгъу	-	уареты уарегъэлъэгъу	узэретыжьы узэрегъэлъэгъужьы
	Plural	1st person	-	зыотэты зыотэгъэлъэгъу	уетэты уетэгъэлъэгъу	-	-	уатэты уатэгъэлъэгъу	узэтэтыжьы узэтэгъэлъэгъужьы
		2nd person	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
		3rd person	укъысаты усагъэлъэгъу	узаты узагъэлъэгъу	ураты урагъэлъэгъу	укъытаты утагъэлъэгъу	-	уараты уарагъэлъэгъу	узэратыжьы узэрагъэлъэгъужьы

зысэбгъэлъэгъурагъуа	тыдэмыкӏыгъэу
зы-сэ-бэ-гъэ-лъэгъу-рагъу-а	ты-дэ-мы-кӏы-гъэ-у
[zəsabʁaɬaʁʷraːʁʷaː	tədamt͡ʃʼəʁaw]
do you want to show yourself to me?	before we get out
"Do you want to show yourself to me before we get out?"

• When the subject gives it to the object and when the subject makes the object see it :

Pronouns			Direct object (It)
			To me	To you	To him	To us	To you (plural)	To them	To self
Subject	Singular	1st person	-	къыосэты осэгъэлъэгъу	есэты есэгъэлъэгъу	-	къышъосэты шъосэгъэлъэгъу	асэты асэгъэлъэгъу	зэсэтыжьы зэсэгъэлъэгъужьы
		2nd person	къысэбэты сэбэгъэлъэгъу	-	ебэты ебэгъэлъэгъу	къытэбэты тэбэгъэлъэгъу	-	абэты абэгъэлъэгъу	зэбэтыжьы зэбэгъэлъэгъужьы
		3rd person	къысеты сегъэлъэгъу	къыуеты уегъэлъэгъу	реты регъэлъэгъу	къытеты тегъэлъэгъу	къышъуеты шъуегъэлъэгъу	ареты арегъэлъэгъу	зретыжьы зрегъэлъэгъужьы
	Plural	1st person	-	къыотэты отэгъэлъэгъу	етэты етэгъэлъэгъу	-	къышъотэты шъотэгъэлъэгъу	атэты атэгъэлъэгъу	зэтэтыжьы зэтэгъэлъэгъужьы
		2nd person	къысэшъоты сэшъогъэлъэгъу	-	ешъоты ешъогъэлъэгъу	къытэшъоты тэшъогъэлъэгъу	-	ашъоты ашъогъэлъэгъу	зэшъотыжьы зэшъогъэлъэгъужьы
		3rd person	къысаты сагъэлъэгъу	къыуаты уагъэлъэгъу	раты рагъэлъэгъу	къытаты тагъэлъэгъу	къышъуаты шъуагъэлъэгъу	араты арагъэлъэгъу	зэратыжьы зэрагъэлъэгъужьы

кӏалэм	лӏым	ышӏагъэхэр	пшъашъэм	реӏуатэрэп
кӏалэ-м	лӏы-м	ы-шӏа-гъэ-хэ-р	пшъашъэ-м	р-е-ӏуатэ-рэп
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	ɬʼəm	jəʃʼaːʁaxar	pʂaːʂam	rajʔʷaːtarap]
boy (erg.)	man (erg.)	the things (s)he done (abs.)	girl (erg.)	(s)he is not telling it to him
"The boy is not telling the girl the things the man did."

• When the subject gives us to the object and when the subject makes the object see us :

Pronouns			Direct object (Us)
			To me	To you	To him	To us	To you (plural)	To them	To self
Subject	Singular	1st person	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
		2nd person	-	-	тебэты тебэгъэлъэгъу	зэтэбэты зэтэбэгъэлъэгъу	-	табэты табэгъэлъэгъу	тызэбэтыжьы тызэбэгъэлъэгъужьы
		3rd person	-	тыкъыуеты тыуегъэлъэгъу	тыреты тырегъэлъэгъу	зытеты зытегъэлъэгъу	тыкъышъуеты тышъуегъэлъэгъу	тареты тарегъэлъэгъу	тызетыжьы тызегъэлъэгъужьы
	Plural	1st person	-	зыкъыотэты зыотэгъэлъэгъу	зкъетэты зетэгъэлъэгъу	-	зыкъышъостты зышъотэгъэлъэгъу	зкъатэты затэгъэлъэгъу	зызэтэтыжьы зызэтэгъэлъэгъужьы
		2nd person	-	-	тешъоты тешъогъэлъэгъу	тызэшъоты тызэшъогъэлъэгъу	-	ташъоты ташъогъэлъэгъу	тызэшъотыжьы тызэшъогъэлъэгъужьы
		3rd person	-	тыкъыуаты тыуагъэлъэгъу	тыраты тырагъэлъэгъу	зытаты зытагъэлъэгъу	тыкъышъуаты тышъуагъэлъэгъу	тараты тарагъэлъэгъу	тызатыжьы тызагъэлъэгъужьы

кӏалэм	мы	джанэхэр	къэтщыгъэхэу	тыуигъэлъэгъуа
кӏалэ-м	мы	джанэ-хэ-р	къэс-щыгъэ-хэ-у	ты-у-и-гъэ-лъэгъу-а
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	mə	d͡ʒaːnaxar	qasɕəʁaxaw	təwəjʁaɬaʁʷaː]
boy (erg.)	this	shirts (abs.)	while we were wearing it	did (s)he showed us to you
"Did the boy showed you us with these shirts?"

• When the subject gives you (plural) to the object and when the subject makes the object see you (plural) :

Pronouns			Direct object (You plural)
			To me	To you	To him	To us	To you (plural)	To them	To self
Subject	Singular	1st person	-	-	шъуесэты шъуесэгъэлъэгъу	-	зышъоcэты зышъоcэгъэлъэгъу	шъуасэты шъуасэгъэлъэгъу	шъузэсэтыжьы шъузэсэгъэлъэгъужьы
		2nd person	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
		3rd person	укъысеты шъусегъэлъэгъу	-	шъуреты шъурегъэлъэгъу	шъукъытеты шъутегъэлъэгъу	шъузеты шъузегъэлъэгъу	шъуареты шъуарегъэлъэгъу	шъузэретыжьы шъузэрегъэлъэгъужьы
	Plural	1st person	-	-	шъуетэты шъуетэгъэлъэгъу	-	зышъотэты зышъотэгъэлъэгъу	шъуатэты шъуатэгъэлъэгъу	шъузэтэтыжьы шъузэтэгъэлъэгъужьы
		2nd person	зысэшъоты зысэшъогъэлъэгъу	-	зешъоты зешъогъэлъэгъу	зытэшъоты зытэшъогъэлъэгъу	-	зашъоты зашъогъэлъэгъу	зызэшъотыжьы зызэшъогъэлъэгъужьы
		3rd person	шъукъысаты шъусагъэлъэгъу	-	шъураты шъурагъэлъэгъу	шъукъытаты шъутагъэлъэгъу	шъузаты шъузагъэлъэгъу	шъуараты шъуарагъэлъэгъу	шъузэратыжьы шъузэрагъэлъэгъужьы

кӏэлэегъаджэм	шъуесӏотагъ	шъушӏагъэм	фэшӏыкӏэ
кӏэлэегъаджэ-м	шъу-е-с-ӏот-агъ	шъу-шӏа-гъэ-м	фэшӏыкӏэ
[t͡ʃʼaɮajaʁaːd͡ʒam	wajsʔʷataːʁ	ʃʷəʃʼaːʁam	faʃʼət͡ʃʼa]
teacher (erg.)	I snitched you (plural) to him	what you (plural) did	because of it
"I snitched you to the teacher because of what you did (said to plural)"

• When the subject gives them to the object and when the subject makes the object see them :

Pronouns			Direct object (Them)
			To me	To you	To him	To us	To you (plural)	To them	To self
Subject	Singular	1st person	-	къыосэтых осэгъэлъэгъу	есэтых есэгъэлъэгъу	-	къышъосэтых шъосэгъэлъэгъу	асэтых асэгъэлъэгъу	зэсэтыжьых зэсэгъэлъэгъужьы
		2nd person	къысэбэтых сэбэгъэлъэгъу	-	ебэтых ебэгъэлъэгъу	къытэбэтых тэбэгъэлъэгъу	-	абэтых абэгъэлъэгъу	зэбэтыжьых зэбэгъэлъэгъужьы
		3rd person	къысетых сегъэлъэгъух	къыуетых уегъэлъэгъух	ретых регъэлъэгъух	къытетых тегъэлъэгъух	къышъуетых шъуегъэлъэгъух	аретых арегъэлъэгъух	зретыжьых зрегъэлъэгъужьых
	Plural	1st person	-	къыотэтых отэгъэлъэгъух	етэтых етэгъэлъэгъух	-	къышъотэтых шъотэгъэлъэгъух	атэтых атэгъэлъэгъух	зэтэтыжьых зэтэгъэлъэгъужьых
		2nd person	къысэшъотых сэшъогъэлъэгъух	-	ешъотых ешъогъэлъэгъух	къытэшъотых тэшъогъэлъэгъух	-	ашъотых ашъогъэлъэгъух	зэшъотыжьых зэшъогъэлъэгъужьых
		3rd person	къысатых сагъэлъэгъух	къыуатых уагъэлъэгъух	ратых рагъэлъэгъух	къытатых тагъэлъэгъух	къышъуатых шъуагъэлъэгъух	аратых арагъэлъэгъух	зэратыжьых зэрагъэлъэгъужьых

кӏэлэцӏыкӏумэ	аджэгуалъэхэр	сагъэлъэгъух
кӏэлэцӏыкӏу-мэ	а-джэгуалъэ-хэ-р	с-а-гъэ-лъэгъу-х
[t͡ʃʼaɮat͡sʼəkʷʼəma	jaːd͡ʒaɡʷaːɬaxar	saːʁaɬaʁʷəx]
children (erg.)	their toys (abs.)	they are showing them to me
"The children are showing their toys to me."

Quadrivalent

A sentence with four arguments.

In Adyghe, some certain prefixes (like sociative /дэ~/, benefactive /фэ~/ and causative /гъэ~/) can add an additional argument to the verb. Because of that some transitive and ditransitive verbs might have four or even five arguments. For example :

• уресэгъэты /wresaʁatə/ "I am making him to take you to someone".
• сыфрегъэплъы /sədrajʁapɬə/ "(S)he is making me watch it for someone.".
• сыдрегъэплъы /sədrajʁapɬə/ "(S)he is making me watch it with him.".
• сыдрегъаӏо /sədrajʁaːʔʷa/ "(S)he is making me say it to him with someone.".
• дрегъэӏо /drajʁaʔʷa/ - (S)he is making him say it to someone with someone

кӏалэм	лӏым	мыер	пшъашъэм	ригъэтрэп
кӏалэ-м	лӏы-м	мые-р	пшъашъэ-м	ри-гъэ-т-рэп
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	ɬʼəm	məjar	pʂaːʂam	rəjʁatrap]
boy (erg.)	man (erg.)	the apple (abs.)	girl (erg.)	(s)he doesn't allow him to give it to him
"The boy doesn't allow the man to give the girl the apple."

кӏалэм	сэ	нысащэм	сыдегъакӏо
кӏалэ-м	сэ	нысащэ-м	сы-д-е-гъа-кӏо
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	sa	nəsaːɕam	sədəjʁaːkʷʼa]
boy (erg.)	I	wedding (erg.)	(s)he is allowing me to go with
"(S)he is allowing me to go to the wedding with the boy."

Infinitives

Adyghe infinitives are created by suffixing -н to verbs. For example:

• кӏо /kʷʼa/ "go" → кӏон /kʷʼan/ "to go"
• ӏо /ʔʷa/ "say" → ӏон /ʔʷan/ "to say"

Along with roots, verbs already inflected can be conjugated, such as with person:

• ошхэ /waʃxa/ "you are eating" → ушхэн /wəʃxan/ "(for) you (to) eat"

Also, due to the interchangeability of nouns and verbs, infinitives can be constructed from nouns, resulting in verbs that describe the state of being the suffixed word.

• мафэ /maːfa/ - day → мэфэн /mafan/ - to be a day.
• кӏалэ /t͡ʃʼaːɮa/ - boy → кӏэлэн /t͡ʃʼaɮan/ - to be a boy.
• дахэ /daːxa/ - pretty → дэхэн /daxan/ - (for) he/she/it (to) be pretty.
• кӏэхьы /t͡ʃʼaħə/ - long → кӏэхьын /t͡ʃʼaħən/ - (for) he/she/it (to) be long.

цIыфым	шъушхэн	фай	къышъуиӏуагъ
[t͡sʼəfəm	ʃʷəʃxan	faːj	qʷəʃʷiʔʷaːʁ]
the person (erg.)	(you plural) to eat	must	he told you (plural)
"the person told you, you must eat"

лъэпкъэу	узыхэсым	ыбзэ	пшIэн	фае
[ɬapqʷəw	wəzəxasəm	əbza	pʃʼan	faːja]
People/Ethnic group (adv.)	the people you live among (erg.)	their language	(you) to know	must
"You have to know the language of the people, among which you live"

пшъашъэр	дэхэн	фай
[pʂaːʂar	daxan	faːj]
the girl (abs.)	to be pretty	must/have to
"the girl must be pretty"
"the girl have to be pretty"

тиунэ	укъихьэн	фэшӏыкӏэ	укӏэлэн	фай
[tiwna	wqiħan	faʃʼət͡ʃʼa	wt͡ʃʼalan	faːj]
our house	(to) you come in	for him (ins.)	you (to) be boy	must/have to
"to come inside our house, you have to be a boy"
"to come inside our house, you must be a boy"

Future Tense Suffix -ну (-nəw):

сэ	къыосӏонэу	сыфай
[sa	qəwasʔʷanəw	səfaːj]
i	I (to) tell you	I want
"I want to tell you"

цIыфым	шъушхэнэу	къышъуиӏуагъ
[t͡sʼafəm	ʃʷəʃxanəw	qəʃʷiʔʷaːʁ]
the person (erg.)	you (plural) (to) eat (adv.)	he told you (plural)
"the person told you, to eat (plural)"

Verbal affixes

Imperative mood

The imperative mood of the second person singular has no additional affixes:

• штэ /ʃta/ "take"
• кӏо /kʷʼa/ "go"
• тхы /txə/ "write"
• шхэ /ʃxa/ "eat"

When addressing to several people, The prefix шъу- /ʃʷə-/ is added:

• шъушт /ʃʷəʃt/ "take (said to plural)"
• шъукӏу /ʃʷəkʷʼ/ "go (said to plural)"
• шъутх /ʃʷətx/ "write (said to plural)"
• шъушх /ʃʷəʃx/ "eat (said to plural)"

Positional conjugation

The positional conjugations in Adyghe.

Here is the positional conjugation of some verbs, showing how the root changes indicate position:

	stands	sits	lies
Body position/Pose	щыт (ɕət)	щыс (ɕəs)	щылъ (ɕəɬ)
On	тет (tat)	тес (tas)	телъ (taɬ)
Under	чӏэт (ʈ͡ʂʼat)	чӏэс (ʈ͡ʂʼas)	чӏэлъ (ʈ͡ʂʼaɬ)
Among	хэт (xat)	хэс (xas)	хэлъ (xaɬ)
Within some area	дэт (dat)	дэс (das)	дэлъ (daɬ)
Near or around	ӏут (ʔʷət)	ӏyc (ʔʷəs)	ӏулъ (ʔʷəɬ)
Inside	ит (jət)	иc (jəs)	илъ (jəɬ)
Hanged or attached	пыт (pət)	пыc (pəs)	пылъ (pəɬ)
Corner or behind	къот (qʷat)	къоc (qʷas)	къолъ (qʷaɬ)
Side	бгъодэт (bʁʷadat)	бгъодэc (bʁʷadas)	бгъодэлъ (bʁʷadaɬ)
In front of	пэӏут (paʔʷət)	пэӏуc (paʔʷəs)	пэӏулъ (paʔʷəɬ)
Inside within	кӏоцӏэт (kʷʼat͡sʼat)	кӏоцӏэc (kʷʼat͡sʼas)	кӏоцӏэлъ (kʷʼat͡sʼaɬ)
Beyond	шъхьэпыт (ʂħapət)	шъхьэпыс (ʂħapəs)	шъхьэпылъ (ʂħapəɬ)
Over	шъхьэдэт (ʂħadat)	шъхьэдэс (ʂħadas)	шъхьэdaлъ (ʂħapəɬ)
On the nick	шӏохэт (ʃʷaxat)	шӏохэс (ʃʷaxas)	шӏохэлъ (ʃʷaxaɬ)
Directly	джыхэт (d͡ʒəxat)	джыхэс (d͡ʒəxas)	джыхэлъ (d͡ʒəxaɬ)

Body position/Pose

• щ(ы)~ /ɕə-/ designates abode/residence somewhere. For example :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throw	щыдзын	ɕəd͡zən	to throw an object somewhere
to fit	щыхьэн	ɕəħan	to fit clothes and foot-wears
to look	щыплъэн	ɕəpɬan	to look somewhere
to fit	щыфэн	ɕəfan	to fit clothes and foot-wears
to take off	щыхын	ɕəxəx	to take off clothes and foot-wears
to wear off	щыкӏын	ɕət͡ʃʼən	to wear off clothes or foot-wears
to stand in	щыуцун	ɕəwt͡sʷən	to stand somewhere
to wear off	щызын	ɕəzən	to wear off clothes or foot-wears
to drop off	щытӏэрын	ɕətʼarən	to wear off clothes or foot-wears
to tear off	щытхъын	ɕətχən	to tear off clothes or foot-wears

кӏалэр	щыс	егупшысэу
кӏалэ-р	щыс	егупшысэ-эу
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	ɕəs	jaɡʷəpʃəsaw]
the boy (abs.)	(s)he is sitting	while (s)he is thinking
"the boy is sitting while thinking."

мы	цуакъэхэр	къэсщыфэхэрэп
мы	цуакъэ-хэ-р	къэ-с-щы-фэ-хэ-рэп
[mə	t͡sʷaːqaxar	qasɕəfaxarap]
this	shoes (abs.)	they are not fitting me
"these shoes are not fitting me."

моу	мыжъохэр	щымыдзых
моу	мыжъо-хэ-р	щы-мы-дзы-х
[maw	məʒʷaxar	ɕəməd͡zəx]
here	rocks (abs.)	don't throw them
"don't throw rocks here."

On

• те~ /taj-/ designates location/being on something. For example :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throws at	тедзэн	tajd͡zan	to throw an object on something
to go on	техьэн	tajħan	to go on something, to assault somewhere
to look on	теплъэн	tajpɬan	to look on something
to fit on to hit on	тефэн	tajfan	to fit an object on something an object to be hit above something
to take from	техын	tajxən	to take an object from something
to go away from	текӏын	tajt͡ʃʼən	to come down from something
to put on	телъхьэн	tajɬħan	to put an object on something or someone
to stand on	теуцон	tajwt͡sʷan	to stand on something
to fall from on	тезын	tajzən	to fall from above something
to be dropped on	тетӏэрэн	tajtʼaran	to be dropped above something
to be dropped from above	тетӏэрын	tajtʼarən	to be dropped from above something
to tear from on	тетхъын	tajtχən	to tear something from above something

кӏалэр	унашъхьэм	тет
кӏалэ-р	унашъхьэ-м	тет
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	wənaːʂħam	tajt]
the boy (abs.)	the roof (erg.)	(s)he is on
"the boy is on the roof."

шхынэр	ӏанэм	бзылъфыгъэм	трелъхьэ
шхынэ-р	ӏанэ-м	бзылъфыгъэ-м	тре-лъхьэ
[ʃxənar	ʔaːnam	bzəɬfəʁam	trajɬħa]
the fiid (abs.)	the table (erg.)	the woman (abs.)	(s)he is putting it on
"the woman is putting the food on the table."

джыдэдэм	ӏанэм	къытекӏ
джыдэдэм	ӏанэ-м	къы-те-кӏ
[d͡ʒədadam	ʔaːnam	qətajt͡ʃʼ]
right now	the table (erg.)	go down from
"go down from the table right now"

Under

• чӏэ~ /t͡ʂʼa-/ designates being under something. In the Shapsug dialect it is кӏэ~ /t͡ʃʼa-/ and in the Abzakh dialect it is ӏьэ~ /ʔʲa-/. For example :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throw under	чӏэдзэн	t͡ʂʼad͡zan	to throw an object under something
to go under	чӏэхьэн	t͡ʂʼaħan	to go under something
to look under	чӏэплъэн	t͡ʂʼapɬan	to look under something
to fit under to hit under	чӏэфэн	t͡ʂʼafan	to fit an object under something an object to be hit under something
to take from	чӏэхын	t͡ʂʼaxən	to take an object under something
to go away from	чӏэкӏын	t͡ʂʼat͡ʃʼən	to come out under something
to put under	чӏэлъхьэн	t͡ʂʼaɬħan	to put an object under something or someone
to stand under	чӏэуцон	t͡ʂʼawt͡sʷan	to stand under something
to fall from under	чӏэзын	t͡ʂʼazən	to fall from under something
to be dropped under	чӏэтӏэрэн	t͡ʂʼatʼaran	to be dropped under something
to be dropped from under	чӏэтӏэрын	t͡ʂʼatʼarən	to be dropped from under something
to tear from under	чӏэтхъын	t͡ʂʼatχən	to tear something from under something

кӏэлэцӏыкӏор	ӏанэм	чӏэс
кӏэлэцӏыкӏо-р	ӏанэ-м	чӏэс
[t͡ʃʼaɮat͡sʼəkʷʼar	ʔaːnam	t͡ʂʼas]
the little boy (abs.)	the table (erg.)	(s)he is sitting under
"the little boy is sitting under the table."

кӏалэр	унэчӏэгъым	чӏахьэ
кӏалэ-р	унэчӏэгъ-ым	чӏа-хьэ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	wənat͡ʂʼaʁəm	t͡ʂʼaːħa]
the boy (abs.)	under house (erg.)	(s)he is entering under
"the boy is entering under the house."

сэ	чъыгым	тӏэкӏурэ	сычӏэгъулъхьэщт
сэ	чъыгы-м	тӏэкӏу-рэ	сы-чӏэ-гъулъхьэ-щт
[sa	t͡ʂəɣəm	tʼakʷʼəra	sət͡ʂʼaʁʷəɬħaɕt]
I	the table (erg.)	for a little while	I will lay under
"I will lay under the tree for a little while."

Among

• хэ~ /xa-/ designates being among people, plants, animals or objects. For example :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throw among	хэдзэн	xad͡zan	to throw an object among some objects or people
to go among	хэхьэн	xaħan	to go to an area with a lot people or plants
to look among	хэплъэн	xapɬan	to look among some people or objects
to fit among to fall among	хэфэн	xafan	to fit among some people or objects an object to fall among people or objectss
to take from	хэхын	xaxən	to take an object among objects
to go away among	хэкӏын	xat͡ʃʼən	to get away from people or objects
to put among	хэлъхьэн	xaɬħan	to put an object among other objects
to stand among	хэуцон	xawt͡sʷan	to stand among objects or other people
to fall among	хэзын	xazən	to be dropped from a group of objects or people
to be dropped among	хэтӏэрэн	xatʼaran	to be dropped into a group of objects or people
to be dropped from among	хэтӏэрын	xatʼarən	to be dropped from a group of objects or people
to tear among	хэтхъын	xatχən	to tear something from a group of objects or people

кӏалэр	цӏыфыхэмэ	ахэт
кӏалэ-р	цӏыфы-хэ-мэ	а-хэт
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	t͡sʼəfəxama	jaːxat]
the boy (abs.)	the people (erg.)	(s)he is standing among
"the boy is standing among the people."

лӏыр	мэзым	ызакъоу	хахьэ
[ɬʼər	mazəm	jəzaːqʷaw	xaːħa]
the man (arg.)	in the forest (erg.)	lonely	(s)he is entering
"the man is entering the forest alone."

джэгуалъэр	адрэ	джэгуалъэмэ	ахалъхь
джэгуалъэ-р	адрэ	джэгуалъэ-мэ	а-ха-лъхь
[d͡ʒaɡʷaːɬar	aːdra	d͡ʒaɡʷaːɬama	jaːxaːɬħ]
the toy (abs.)	other (abs.)	toys (erg.)	put it among
"put the toy among the other toys."

• хэ~ /xa-/ also designates being in some mass like for example in a liquid, fire, solid, gas and etc. For example :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throw into	хэдзэн	xad͡zan	to throw an object into some mass
to go into	хэхьэн	xaħan	to enter an area with some mass
to look into	хэплъэн	xapɬan	to look into an area with some mass
to fit into to fall into	хэфэн	xafan	to fit inside an area with some mass an object to fall to an area with some mass
to take from	хэхын	xaxən	to take an object form an area with some mass
to get out from	хэкӏын	xat͡ʃʼən	to get out from an area with some mass
to put into	хэлъхьэн	xaɬħan	to put an object into an area with some mass
to stand in	хэуцон	xawt͡sʷan	to stand in an area with some mass to stand on a surface with some mass (like dirt or liquid)
to fall from	хэзын	xazən	to fall from an area with some mass
to be dropped among	хэтӏэрэн	xatʼaran	to be dropped to an area with some mass
to be dropped from among	хэтӏэрын	xatʼarən	to be dropped from an area with some mass
to tear from	хэтхъын	xatχən	to tear a small part from a solid object

машӏом	пхъэхэ	хамыдзэх
машӏо-м	пхъэ-хэ	ха-мы-дзэ-х
[maːʃʷʼam	pχaxa	xaːməd͡ʒax]
the fire (erg.)	woods	don't throw them into
"don't throw woods into the fire."

кӏалэм	мыжъор	хым	къыхехыжьы
кӏалэ-м	мыжъо-р	хы-м	къы-хе-хы-жьы
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	məʒʷar	xəm	qəxajxəʑə]
the boy (erg.)	the rock (abs.)	the sea (erg.)	(s)he is taking it from
"the boy is taking the rock out of the sea."

мыджишыныр	дэпкъым	хэкӏышъущта?
мыджишыны-р	дэпкъы-м	хэ-кӏы-шъу-щт-а?
[mədʒɪʃənər	dapqəːm	xat͡ʃʼəʃʷəɕtaː]
magician (arg.)	wall (erg.)	can (s)he go through
"can the magician go through the wall?"

Within some area

• дэ~ /da-/ designates being of an object on a definite territory. For example :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throw into	дэдзэн	dad͡zan	to throw an object on a definite territory
to go into	дэхьэн	daħan	to enter a definite territory
to look into	дэплъэн	dapɬan	to look at a definite territory
to fit into to fall into	дэфэн	dafan	to be fit is a definite territory an object to fall into a definite territory
to take from	дэхын	daxən	to take an object from a definite territory
to get out from	дэкӏын	dat͡ʃʼən	to get our from a definite territory
to put inside	дэлъхьэн	daɬħan	to put an object into a definite territory
to stand in	дэуцон	dawt͡sʷan	to stand in a definite territory
to be dropped into	дэтӏэрэн	datʼaran	to be dropped into a definite territory
to be dropped from	дэтӏэрын	datʼarən	to be dropped from a definite territory
to fall from	дэзын	dazən	to fall from a definite territory

кӏалэр	щагум	дахьэ
кӏалэ-р	щагу-м	да-хьэ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	ɕaːɡʷəm	daːħa]
the boy (abs.)	the yard (erg.)	(s)he is entering
"the boy is entering the yard."

кӏалэр	чылэм	дэсыгу
кӏалэ-р	чылэ-м	дэ-сы-гу
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	t͡ʃəlam	dasəɡʷ]
the boy (abs.)	the village (erg.)	(s)he is sitting for now
"the boy is in the village for now."

шъуздэхьагъэм	шъукъыдэкӏ	псынкӏэу
шъу-з-дэ-хьа-гъэ-м	шъу-къы-дэ-кӏ	псынкӏэу
[ʃʷəzdaħaːʁam	ʃʷəqədat͡ʃʼ	psənt͡ʃʼaw]
the place you (plural) entered	get out from the place (said to plural)	quickly
"get away from the place you (plural) entered quickly."

• дэ~ /da-/ also designates being of an object inside another object. For example :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throw into	дэдзэн	dad͡zan	to throw an object inside another object
to go into	дэхьэн	daħan	to enter inside another object
to look into	дэплъэн	dapɬan	to look inside another object
to fit into to fall into	дэфэн	dafan	to fit inside another object an object to fall inside another object
to take from	дэхын	daxən	to take an object from inside another object
to get out from	дэкӏын	dat͡ʃʼən	to get our from inside another object
to put inside	дэлъхьэн	daɬħan	to put an object inside another object
to stand on	дэуцон	dawt͡sʷan	to stand inside another object
to fall from inside	дэзын	dazən	to fall from inside another object
to be dropped inside	дэтӏэрэн	datʼaran	to be dropped inside another object
to be dropped outside	дэтӏэрын	datʼarən	to be dropped outside another object
to tear from inside	дэтхъын	datχən	to tear something from inside another object

джанэхэр	дэлъыпӏэм	дэлъых
джанэ-хэ-р	дэлъыпӏэ-м	дэ-лъы-х
[d͡ʒaːnaxar	daɬəpʼam	daɬəx]
the shirts (abs.)	closet (erg.)	they are laying inside
"the shirts are inside the closet."

компютэрым	диск	дэлъэп
компютэры-м	диск	дэ-лъэ-п
[kompjuːtarəm	diːskʲ	daɬap]
the computer (erg.)	a disk	not laying inside
"there is no disk inside the computer."

кӏалэм	тхылъыпӏэр	тхылъым	дретхъы
кӏалэ-м	тхылъыпӏэ-р	тхылъы-м	дре-тхъы
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	txəɬəpʼar	txəɬəm	drajtχə]
the boy (erg.)	the paper (abs.)	book (erg.)	(s)he is tearing it from inside another object
"the boy is tearing the paper from the book."

Near or around

• ӏу~ /ʔʷə-/ designates drawing near, approaching somebody or something, being of an object around or near something or someone else. For example :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throw around	ӏудзэн	ʔʷəd͡zan	to throw an object around or near something
to go around	ӏухьэн	ʔʷəħan	to approach something or someone
to look around	ӏуплъэн	ʔʷəpɬan	to look around or near something or someone
to fit around to fall around	ӏуфэн	ʔʷəfan	to fit around or near something an object to fall around or near something
to take from	ӏухын	ʔʷəxən	to take an object from around something
to go away from	ӏукӏын	ʔʷət͡ʃʼən	to get away from
to put around	ӏулъхьэн	ʔʷəɬħan	to put an object around or near something
to stand near	ӏууцон	ʔʷəwt͡sʷan	to stand near or around something
to fall from near	ӏузын	ʔʷəzən	to fall from near or around something
to be dropped near	ӏутӏэрэн	ʔʷətʼaran	to be dropped near or around something
to be dropped near	ӏутӏэрын	ʔʷətʼarən	to be dropped from near or around something
to tear from near	ӏутхъын	ʔʷətχən	to tear something from near or around something

кӏалэр	тучаным	ӏухьагъ
кӏалэ-р	тучан-ым	ӏу-хь-агъ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	təwt͡ʃaːnəm	ʔʷəħaːʁ]
the boy (abs.)	shop (erg.)	(s)he is approaching
"the boy approached the shop."

ӏэгуаоу	чъыгым	ӏулъэр	къэсфэхь
ӏэгуао-у	чъыгы-м	ӏу-лъ-эр	къэ-с-фэ-хь
[ʔaɡʷaːwaw	t͡ʂəɣəm	ʔʷəɬar	qasfaħ]
the ball (abs.)	the tree (erg.)	the thing near it (abs.)	bring it for me
"bring me the ball near the tree."

мы	джэгуалъэхэр	ӏушъухыжьых
мы	джэгуалъэ-хэ-р	ӏу-шъу-хы-жь-ых
[mə	d͡ʒaɡʷaːɬaxar	ʔʷəʃʷxəʑəx]
this	toys (abs.)	take these away (said to plural)
"take theses toys away (said to plural)"

Inside

• и~ /jə-/ designates being inside/in something. For example :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throw inside	идзэн	jəd͡zan	to throw an object inside something
to enter	ихьэн	jəħan	to enter somewhere
to look inside	иплъэн	jəpɬan	to look inside something
to fit inside to fall inside	ифэн	jəfan	to fit inside something an object to fall inside something
to take from	ихын	jəxən	to take an object from inside something
to exit	икӏын	jət͡ʃʼən	to exit from somewhere
to put inside	илъхьэн	jəɬħan	to put an object inside something
to stand inside	иуцон	jəwt͡sʷan	to stand inside something
to fall from inside	изын	jəzən	to fall from inside something
to be dropped inside	итӏэрэн	jətʼaran	to be dropped into inside something
to be dropped outside	итӏэрын	jətʼarən	to be dropped outside something
to pull out	итхъын	jətχən	to pull a plant from the ground

ныор	унэм	ис
ныо-р	унэ-м	и-с
[nəwar	wənam	jəs]
the old woman (abs.)	house (erg.)	(s)he is sitting inside
"the old woman is sitting inside the house."

мыер	матэм	илъхь
мыер	матэ-м	и-лъхь
[məjar	maːtəm	jəɬħ]
the apple (abs.)	basket (erg.)	put it inside
"put the apple inside the basket."

мары,	унэм	сихьэни	скъикӏыжьыщт
мары	унэ-м	с-и-хьэн-и	с-къ-и-кӏы-жьы-щт
[maːrə	wənam	səjħanəj	sqəjt͡ʃʼəʑəɕt]
a moment	house (erg.)	I will enter then	I will exit
"A moment, I will enter the house and will exit it."

къэгъагъэхэр	имытхъых,	къэцыхэр ары	ибытхъын	фаехэр
къэгъагъэ-хэ-р	и-мы-тхъы-х,	къэцы-хэ-р ары	и-бы-тхъын	фае-хэ-р
[qaʁaːʁaxar	jəmətχəx	qat͡səxar aːrə	jəbətχən	faːjaxar]
flowers (abs.)	don't pull them out	it is the thorns	you (to) pull them out	must
"don't pull the flowers out, it is the thorns you must pull out."

Hanged or attached

• пы~ /pə-/ designates addition or joining, adherence, attached, hanged (like fruits on a tree or clothes on a hanger). For example :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throw at	пыдзэн	pəd͡zan	to throw an object on a hanger
to attache to	пыхьэн	pəħan	to attache to somewhere
to look at	пыплъэн	pəpɬan	to look inside a tree
to fit at to fall at	пыфэн	pəfan	to fit on a hanger an object to fall on a tree
to take from	пыхын	pəxən	to take an object from a hanger or tree to unplug
to come down from	пыкӏын	pət͡ʃʼən	to get off a hanger or tree to pick a fruit from a tree to separate from
to put at	пылъхьэн	pəɬħan	to put an object on a hanger or tree
to stand on	пыуцон	pəwt͡sʷan	to stand on a tree
to fall from	пызын	pəzən	to fall from a hanger or tree
to be dropped from	пытӏэрын	pətʼarən	to be dropped from a hanger or tree
to tear from	пытхъын	pətχən	to pick something from a hanger or tree

ныор	унэм	ис
ныо-р	унэ-м	и-с
[nəwar	wənam	jəs]
old woman (abs.)	house (erg.)	(s)he is sitting inside
"the old woman is sitting inside the house."

сиджанэ	джэнэпылъапӏэм	пылъ
си-джанэ	джэнэпылъапӏэ-м	пы-лъ
[səjd͡ʒaːna	d͡ʒanapəɬaːpʼam	pəɬ]
my shirt	clothes hanger (erg.)	it is handing on
"my shirt is hanging on the clothes hanger."

тиӏэгуаор	чъыгы лъагэм	къыпыпхышъущта?
ти-ӏэгуао-р	чъыгы лъагэ-м	къы-пы-п-хы-шъу-щт-а?
[təjʔaɡʷaːwar	t͡ʂəɣə ɬaːɣam	qəpəpxəʃʷəɕtaː]
our ball (abs.)	long tree (erg.)	can you take it from
"can you take the ball from the tree?"

пхъэ унэ	чъыгым	пыфэщтэп
пхъэ унэ	чъыгы-м	пы-фэ-щт-эп
[pχa wəna	t͡ʂəɣə	pəfaɕtap]
a tree house	tree (erg.)	it won't fit on
"a tree house won't fit on the tree."

Corner or behind

• къо~ /qʷa-/ designates an object behind something or in the corner. it also designates motion directed to the back of something or someone.

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throw to behind	къодзэн	qʷad͡zan	to throw an object behind something or to the corner
to approach behind	къохьэн	qʷaħan	to approach behind something or to the corner
to look behind a	къоплъэн	qʷapɬan	to look behind something or to the corner
to fit behind to fall behind	къофэн	qʷafan	to fit behind something or to the corner an object to fall behind something or to the corner
to take from behind a	къохын	qʷaxən	to take an object behind something or from the corner
to come out behind	къокӏын	qʷat͡ʃʼən	to come out behind something or to get away from the corner
to put behind	къолъхьэн	qʷaɬħan	to put an object behind something or to the corner
to stand behind	къоуцон	qʷawt͡sʷan	to stand on behind something or to the corner
to be dropped behind	къотӏэрэн	qʷatʼarən	to be dropped behind something or to the corner
to be dropped from behind	къотӏэрын	qʷatʼarən	to be dropped from behind something or to the corner
to fall from behind	къозын	qʷazən	to fall from behind something or to the corner

тыгъэр	къокӏы
тыгъэ-р	къо-кӏы
[təʁar	qʷat͡ʃʼə]
the sun (abs.)	it is getting out
"the sun is getting out."

бзылъфыгъэм	кӏалэр	къурнэм	къыуигъэхьагъ
бзылъфыгъэ-м	кӏалэ-р	къурнэ-м	къы-у-и-гъэ-хь-агъ
[bzəɬfəʁam	t͡ʃʼaːɮar	qʷərnam	qʷəjʁaħaːʁ]
the woman (erg.)	boy (abs.)	corner (erg.)	(s)he made him go to
"the woman made the boy go to the corner."

уцым	кӏалэр	къопкӏэгъ
уцы-м	кӏалэ-р	къо-пкӏэ-гъ
[wət͡səm	t͡ʃʼaːɮar	qʷapt͡ʃʼaʁ]
grass (erg.)	the boy (abs.)	(s)he jumped from behind
"the boy jumped from behind the bushes."

дыу	ӏанэм	къуаплъи	си	къэлэм	ӏулъмэ	еплъ
дыу	ӏанэ-м	къу-аплъ-и	си	къэлэ-м	ӏу-лъ-мэ	еплъ
[dəw	ʔaːnam	qʷaːpɬəj	səj	qalam	ʔʷəɬəma	japɬ]
that over there	table (erg.)	look behind it and	my	pencil	if it is near it	look
"look behind that table and see if my pencil is there."

Side

• бгъодэ~ /bʁʷada-/ designates an action directed towards the side of something or someone. In the Chemguy dialect it is го~ /ɡʷa-/. Examples :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throw aside	бгъодэдзэн	bʁʷadad͡zan	to throw an object on the side of something or someone
to approach aside	бгъодэхьэн	bʁʷadaħan	to approach by the side of something or someone
to look aside	бгъодэплъэн	bʁʷadapɬan	to look aside something or someone
to fit aside to fall aside	бгъодэфэн	bʁʷadafan	to fit aside something or someone an object to fall aside something or someone
to take from	бгъодэхын	bʁʷadaxən	to take an object from aside something or someone
to move away	бгъодэкӏын	bʁʷadat͡ʃʼən	to go away from aside something or someone
to put aside	бгъодэлъхьэн	bʁʷadaɬħan	to put an object aside something or someone
to stand aside	бгъодэуцон	bʁʷadawt͡sʷan	to stand aside someone or something
to drop from aside	бгъодэзын	bʁʷadazən	to fall aside someone or something
to drop aside	бгъодэтӏэрэн	bʁʷadatʼaran	to be dropped aside someone or something
to drop from aside	бгъодэтӏэрын	bʁʷadatʼarən	to be dropped from aside someone or something

кӏалэр	шым	бгъодэт
кӏалэ-р	шы-м	бгъодэ-т
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	ʃəm	bʁʷadat]
the boy (abs.)	horse (erg.)	(s)he is standing aside
"the boy is standing aside the horse."

кӏалэм	бгъодэкӏ
кӏалэ-м	бгъодэ-кӏ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	bʁʷadat͡ʃʼ]
the boy (abs.)	go away from
"go away from the boy."

• къыбгъодэ~ /qəbʁʷada-/ designates an action directed from the side of something or someone. for example :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throw by the side	къыбгъодэдзэн	qəbʁʷadad͡zan	to throw an object from the side of something or someone
to approach by the side	къыбгъодэхьэн	qəbʁʷadaħan	to approach from the side of something or someone
to look by the side	къыбгъодэплъэн	qəbʁʷadapɬan	to look from the side of something or someone
to fit by the side to fall by the side	къыбгъодэфэн	qəbʁʷadafan	to fit from the side something or someone an object to fall from the side something or someone
to take by the side	къыбгъодэхын	qəbʁʷadaxən	to take an object from the side of something or someone
to get away from the side	къыбгъодэкӏын	qəbʁʷadat͡ʃʼən	to go away from the side of something or someone
to put on the side	къыбгъодэлъхьэн	qəbʁʷadaɬħan	to put an object to the side of something or someone
to stand by the side	къыбгъодэуцон	qəbʁʷadawt͡sʷan	to stand on the side of something or someone
to fall by the side	къыбгъодэзын	qəbʁʷadazən	to fall from the side of something or someone

мащинэм	къыбгъодахь
мащинэ-м	къыбгъода-хь
[maːɕinam	qəbʁʷadaːħ]
car (erg.)	enter by the side of
"enter by the side of the car."

кӏалэр	шым	къыбгъодэт
кӏалэ-р	шы-м	къыбгъодэ-т
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	ʃəm	qəbʁʷadat]
the boy (abs.)	horse (erg.)	(s)he is standing by the side
"the boy is standing by the side of the horse."

мы	гущыӏэм	къыбгъодатх
мы	гущыӏэ-м	къыбгъода-тх
[mə	ɡʷəɕəʔam	qebʁʷadaːtx]
this	letter (erg.)	write aside a
"write aside this word."

In front of

• пэӏу~ /paʔʷə-/ designates being in front of someone or something usually for the purpose of opposition. for example :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to throw in front of	пэӏудзэн	paʔʷəd͡zan	to throw an object in front of something or someone
to approach in front of	пэӏухьэн	paʔʷəħan	to approach in front of something or someone
to look in front of	пэӏуплъэн	paʔʷəpɬan	to look in front of something or someone
to fit in front of to fall in front of	пэӏуфэн	paʔʷəfan	to fit in front of something or someone an object to fall in front of something or someone
to take in front of	пэӏухын	paʔʷəxən	to take an object from front of something or someone
to move away in front of	пэӏукӏын	paʔʷət͡ʃʼən	to go away from the front of something or someone
to put in front of	пэӏулъхьэн	paʔʷəɬħan	to put an object in front of something or someone
to stand on	пэӏууцон	paʔʷəwt͡sʷan	to stand against someone
to fall from on	пэӏузын	paʔʷəzən	to fall in front of someone or something

тхьэлӏыкӏум	пхъэхэр	пэӏуалъхьагъэх	бламыгъэкӏын	фэшӏкӏэ
тхьэлӏыкӏу-м	пхъэ-хэ-р	пэӏу-а-лъхь-агъ-эх	бла-мы-гъэ-кӏын	фэшӏкӏэ
[tħaɬʼəkʷʼəm	pχaxar	paʔʷaːɬħaːʁax	bɮaːməʁat͡ʃʼən	faʃʼt͡ʃʼa]
prophet (erg.)	woods (abs.)	they put in front of	to not let someone pass	for
"they put woods in front of the prophet to prevent him from passing."

кӏалэр	къэспэӏууцуи	сыблигъэкӏыгъэп
кӏалэр	къэ-с-пэӏу-уцу-и	сы-бли-гъэ-кӏы-гъэ-п
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	qaspaʔʷəwt͡sʷəj	səbɮəjʁat͡ʃʼəʁap]
the boy (abs.)	(s)he stood in front of me	(s)he didn't let me pass
"the boy stood if front of me and didn't let me pass."

Inside within

The prefix кӏоцӏы~ (kʷʼat͡sʼə) designates motion directed inside something, or from within something, through something; for example :

Meaning	Adyghe		Notes
	Cyrillic	IPA
to enter within	кӏоцӏыхьан	t͡ʂʼaħan	to enter inside within something; to consume; to penetrate
to go away from within	кӏоцӏыкӏын	t͡ʂʼat͡ʃʼən	to come out within something; to emit
to put within	кӏоцӏылъхьэн	t͡ʂʼaɬħan	to put an object within something

пкӏантӏэ	бэ	къэскӏоцӏыкӏы
[pt͡ʼaːntʼa	ba	qaskʷʼat͡sʼət͡ʃʼə]
sweat	a lot	It is emitting from me
"I am emitting a lot of sweat"

булитэр	пхъэм	кӏоцӏахьэ
[buːlitar	pχam	kʷʼat͡sʼaːħa]
bullet (abs.)	wood (erg.)	it penetrates
"The bullet 'penetrates the wood."

It also designates location of somebody or something inside something, or extraction of somebody from inside something. for example :

сабыим	пӏэтехъор	кӏоцӏылъхьэн
[saːbəjəm	pʼateχʷar	kʷʼat͡sʼəɬħan]
the child (erg.)	blanket	to put on
"to wrap up the child in the blanket"

Beyond

The verbal prefix шъхьэпы~ /ʂħapə~/ designates movement of an object beyond something. Transference of an object beyond something. for example :

• шъхьэпыкӏын /ʂħapət͡ʃʼən/ to bypass in values.
• шъхьэпыхын /ʂħapəxən/ to barely pass beyond someone or something very closely and quickly.
• дзын /d͡zən/ to throw → шъхьэпыдзын /ʂħapəd͡zən/ to throw beyond something.
• плъэн /pɬən/ to look → шъхьэпыплъын /ʂħapəppɬən/ to look beyond something
• пкӏэн /pt͡ʃʼan/ to jump → шъхьэпыппкӏын /ʂħapəpt͡ʃʼən/ to jump beyond something.
• он /wan/ to hit; to shot → шъхьэпыун /ʂħapəwən/ to shot beyond something or someone.

цӏыфыхэмэ	сашъхьэпэплъы
цӏыфы-хэ-мэ	с-а-шъхьэпэ-плъы
[t͡sʼfəxama	saːʂħapapɬə]
people (erg.)	I am looking beyond their heads
"I am looking beyond the people."

унэм	мыжъор	шъхьэпыдзын	ӏо
унэ-м	мыжъо-р	шъхьэпы-дзы-н	ӏо
[wənam	məʒʷar	ʂħapəd͡zən	ʔʷa]
house (erg.)	rock (abs.)	to throw beyond	try
"Try throwing the rock beyond the house."

Мыжъор	кӏалэм	шъхьэпихэгъ
Мыжъо-р	кӏалэ-м	шъхьэпи-хэ-гъ
[məʒʷaw	t͡ʃʼaːɮam	ʂħapəd͡zən]
rock (abs.)	boy (erg.)	it missed one's head
"The rock barely passed beyond the boy."

Over

The verbal prefix шъхьэдэ~ /ʂħada~/ designates movement of an object over something. Transference of an object over something. for example :

• шъхьэдэкӏын /ʂħapat͡ʃʼən/ to go pass over something.
• дзын /d͡zən/ to throw → шъхьэдэдзын /ʂħadad͡zən/ to throw over something.
• плъэн /pɬən/ to look → шъхьэдэплъын /ʂħadapɬən/ to look over something or someone.
• пкӏэн /pt͡ʃʼan/ to jump → шъхьэдэпкӏын /ʂħadapt͡ʃʼən/ to jump over something.

къэлапчъэм	кӏалэр	шъхьэдэплъы
къэлапчъэ-м	кӏалэ-р	шъхьэдэплъы
[t͡sawpt͡ʂam	t͡ʃʼaːɮar	ʂħadapɬə]
gate (erg.)	boy (abs.)	to look over something
"The boy is looking over the gate."

боксым	шъхьэдэпкӏ
боксым	шъхьэдэ-пкӏ
[boksəm	ʂħadapt͡ʃʼ]
box (erg.)	jump over something
"Jump over the box."

On the neck

The verbal prefix шӏохэ~ /ʃʷʼaxa~/ designates action directed to the neck for example :

• шӏохэлъын /ʃʷʼaxaɬən/ to be wore on one's neck.
• шӏохэфэн /ʃʷʼaxafan/ to fit on one's neck.
• шӏохэзын /ʃʷʼaxazən/ to fall from one's neck.
• шӏохэлъхьэн /ʃʷʼaxaɬħan/ to wear on one's neck.
• дзын /d͡zən/ to throw → шӏохэдзэн /ʃʷʼaxad͡zan/ to throw on one's neck.
• плъэн /pɬən/ to look → шӏохэплъэн /ʃʷʼaxapɬan/ to look on one's neck.
• пкӏэн /pt͡ʃʼan/ to jump → шӏохэпкӏын /ʃʷʼaxapapt͡ʃʼən/ to jump on one's neck.

пшъэдалъхьэр	къэсшӏохалъхь
пшъэдалъхь-р	къэ-с-шӏоха-лъхь
[pʂadaːɬħar	qasʃʷʼaxaːɬħ]
necktie (abs.)	Wear it on my neck
"Wear the necktieon my neck."

кӏалэм	джэгъукӏэлъ	шӏохэлъ
кӏалэ-м	джэгъукӏэлъ	шӏохэ-лъ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮam	d͡ʒaʁʷt͡ʃʼaɬ	ʃʷʼaxaɬ]
boy (erg.)	necklace	it is wore on one's neck
"The necklace is wore on the boy's neck."

Directly

The verbal prefix джыхэ~ (d͡ʒəxa~) designates action directed at something or someone forcefully, usually for assault. In some dialects (like the Kemguy dialect) the prefix is жэхэ~ (ʒaxa~). for example :

• джыхэхьэн /d͡ʒəxaħan / to collide with someone or something.
• джыхэлъхьэн /d͡ʒəxaħan/ to shove something at someone's face
• джыхэлъэдэн /d͡ʒəxaɬadan/ to assault someone running.
• он /wan/ to hit → джыхэон /d͡ʒəxawan/ to hit someone.
• дзын /d͡zən/ to throw → джыхэдзэн /d͡ʒəxad͡zan/ to throw at someone
• плъэн /pɬən/ to look → джыхэплъэн /d͡ʒəxapɬan/ to look steadily at; to gaze at
• пкӏэн /pt͡ʃʼan/ to jump → джыхэпкӏын /d͡ʒəxapapt͡ʃʼən/ to jump on someone for assault
• жъутхэн /ʒʷətxan/ to spit → джыхэжъутхэн /d͡ʒəxaʒʷətxan/ to spit on someone.
• хъунэн /χʷanan/ to curse → джыхэхъонэн /d͡ʒəxaχʷanan/ to curse someone directly.
• быбын /bəbən/ to fly→ джыхэбыбэн /d͡ʒəxabəban/ to assault someone flying.

сыкъэпгъэгуабжымэ	иджы	усджыхэощт
сы-къэ-п-гъэгуабжы-мэ	иджы	у-с-жэхэ-о-щт
[sqapʁaɡʷaːbʒəma	jəd͡ʒə	wəsd͡ʒəxawaɕt]
if you make me angry	now	I gonna hit you
"If you will make me angry now, I gonna hit you."

кӏалэр	псынкӏэу	мачъэу	дэпкъым	джыхэхьагъ
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	psənt͡ʃʼaw	maːt͡ʂaw	dapqəm	d͡ʒəxaħaːʁ]
boy (abs.)	quickly	while s(he) was running	wall (erg.)	(s)he collide with
"The boy while he was running quickly collided with the wall."

кӏалэхэр	зэджыхэсых
кӏалэ-хэ-р	зэ-джыхэ-сы-х
[t͡ʃʼaːɮaxar	zad͡ʒəxasəx]
the boys (abs.)	they are sitting forcefully together
"The boys are sitting forcefully together."

Towards and off

In Adyghe, the positional conjugation prefixes in the transitive verbs are indicating the direction of the verb. According to the verb's vowels, it can be described if the verb is done toward the indicated direction or off it. Usually high vowels (е /aj/ or э /a/) designates that the verb is done towards the indicated direction while low vowels (ы /ə/) designates that the verb is done off the indicated direction. For example :

• The word пкӏэн /pt͡ʃʼan/ "to jump" :

Position	Towards			Away
	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
On	тепкӏэн	tajpt͡ʃʼan	to jump on something	тепкӏын	tajpt͡ʃʼən	to jump off from somewhere
Under	чӏэпкӏэн	t͡ʂʼapt͡ʃʼan	to jump under something	чӏыпкӏын	t͡ʂʼəpt͡ʃʼən	to jump up from the bottom
Among	хэпкӏэн	xapt͡ʃʼan	to jump into some mass	хэпкӏын	xapt͡ʃʼən	to jump off from some mass
Inside	ипкӏэн	jəpt͡ʃʼan	to jump inside something	ипкӏын	jəpt͡ʃʼən	to jump outside something

о	унашъхьэм	нэс	укъычӏыпкӏышъущтэп
о	унашъхьэ-м	нэс	у-къы-чӏы-пкӏы-шъу-щт-эп
[wa	wənaːʂħam	nas	wqət͡ʂʼəpt͡ʃʼəʃʷəɕtap]
you	house roof (erg.)	until	you can't jump from the bottom to here
"You cant jump up to the roof."

ӏанэм	укъытемыпкӏагъэу	сыкъытегъэпкӏыжь
ӏанэ-м	у-къы-те-мы-пкӏ-агъ-эу	сы-къы-те-гъэ-пкӏы-жь
[ʔaːnam	wqətajməpt͡ʃʼaːʁaw	səqətajʁapt͡ʃʼəʑ]
table (erg.)	before you jump on it	Let me jump down from it
"Before you jump on the table, let me jump off it."

• The word дзын /d͡zən/ "to throw" :

Position	Towards			Away
	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
On	тедзэн	tajd͡zan	to throw an object on something	тэдзын	tajt͡ʃʼən	to throw an object off somewhere
Under	чӏэдзэн	t͡ʂʼad͡zan	to throw an object under something	чӏыдзын	t͡ʂʼəd͡zən	to throw an object up from the bottom
Among	хэдзэн	xad͡zan	to throw an object into some mass	хэдзын	xad͡zən	to throw an object off from some mass to remove an object/participant from a group
Inside	идзэн	jəd͡zan	to throw inside	идзын	jəd͡zən	to throw outside

унашъхьэм	пхъэхэр	къытесэдзых
унашъхьэ-м	пхъэ-хэ-р	къы-те-сэ-дзы-х
[wənaːʂħam	pχaxar	qətajsad͡zax]
house roof (erg.)	woods (abs.)	I am throwing them off it
"I am throwing the woods off the house roof."

мыӏэрысхэр	шхыныхэмэ	къахэдз
мыӏэрыс-хэ-р	шхыны-хэ-мэ	къ-а-хэ-дз
[məʔarəsxar	ʃxənəxama	qaːxad͡z]
the apples (erg.)	the foods (erg.)	remove it from them
"Remove the apples from the foods."

• The word плъэн /pɬan/ "to look at" :

Position	Towards			Away
	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
On	теплъэн	tajpt͡ʃʼan	to look on something	теплъын	tajpt͡ʃʼən	to look off something
Under	чӏэплъэн	t͡ʂʼapt͡ʃʼan	to look under something	чӏыплъын	t͡ʂʼəpt͡ʃʼən	to look above
Among	хэплъэн	xapt͡ʃʼan	to look into some mass	хэплъын	xapɬən	to look from some mass to look through something
Inside	иплъэн	jəpt͡ʃʼan	to look inside	иплъын	jəpt͡ʃʼən	to look outside

моу	къычӏыплъ
моу	къы-чӏы-плъ
[mow	qət͡ʂʼəpɬ]
here	look above here
"Look above here"

сэ	апчым	скъыхэплъы
сэ	апч-ым	с-къы-хэ-плъы
[sa	aːpt͡ʃəm	sqəxapɬə]
I	glass (erg.)	I am looking through it
"I am looking through the glass."

кӏалэр	уцыхэмэ	къахэплъы
кӏалэ-р	уцы-хэ-мэ	къ-а-хэ-плъы
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	wət͡səxama	qaːxapɬə]
boy (abs.)	the grasses (erg.)	(s)he is looking from behind them
"The boy is looking from behind the grasses ."

Tense

Past tense

Type 1 :

The past tense of verbs of type 1 are formed by adding -aгъ /-aːʁ/. It indicates that the action took place, but with no indication as to the duration, instant nor completeness of the action.

Examples :

• кӏо /kʷʼa/ go → мэкӏуагъ /makʷʼaːʁ/ (s)he went
• къакӏу /qaːkʷʼ/ come → къэкӏуагъ /qakʷʼaːʁ/ (s)he went
• шхэ /ʃxa/ eat! → мэшхагъ /maʃxaːʁ/ (s)he ate
• ӏо /ʔʷa/ say → ыӏуагъ /jəʔʷaːʁ/ (s)he said
• еплъ /japɬ/ look at → еплъэгъ /japɬaʁ/ (s)he looked at
• шхы /ʃxə/ eat it → ышхэгъ /jəʃxaʁ/ (s)he ate it

Plurality	Person	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
Singular	First-person	скӏуагъ, седжагъ	skʷʼaːʁ, sajd͡ʒaːʁ	I went, I [have] read
	Second-person	укӏуагъ, уеджагъ	wkʷʼaːʁ, wajd͡ʒaːʁ	You went, You [have] read
	Third-person	мэкӏуагъ, еджагъ	makʷʼaːʁ, jad͡ʒaːʁ	He went, He [has] read
Plural	First-person	ткӏуагъ, теджагъ	tkʷʼaːʁ, tajd͡ʒaːʁ	We went, We [have] read
	Second-person	шъукӏуагъ, шъуеджагъ	ʃʷkʷʼaːʁ, ʃʷajd͡ʒaːʁ	You (pl.) went, You [have] read
	Third-person	мэкӏуагъэх, еджагъэх	makʷʼaːʁax, jad͡ʒaːʁax	They went, They [have] read

Сиунэ	сшышхагъ
[siwna	sʃəɕxaːʁ]
my house	I ate (in)
"I ate in my house"

тыгъусэ	мые	сшэфэгъ
[təʁʷaːsa	məja	sʃafaʁ]
yesterday	an apple	I bought
"yesterday I bought an apple"

Type 2 :

This is the past perfect or past perfect continuous tense. It is formed with the additional suffix -эгъагъ /-aʁaːʁ/. It indicates that the action took place formerly at some certain time.

Examples :

• кӏо /kʷʼa/ go → мэкӏогъагъ /makʷʼaʁaːʁ/ (s)he went once upon a time, or formerly
• къакӏу /qaːkʷʼ/ come → къэкӏогъагъ /qakʷʼaʁaːʁ/ (s)he came
• шхэ /ʃxa/ eat! → мэшхэгъагъ /maʃxaʁaːʁ/ (s)he ate
• ӏо /ʔʷa/ say → ыӏогъагъ /jəʔʷaʁaːʁ/ (s)he said
• еплъ /japɬ/ look at → еплъыгъагъ /japɬəʁaːʁ/ (s)he looked at
• шхы /ʃxə/ eat it → ышхыгъагъ /jəʃxəʁaːʁ/ (s)he ate it

Plurality	Person	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
Singular	First-person	скӏогъагъ, седжэгъагъ	skʷʼaʁaːʁ, sajd͡ʒaʁaːʁ	I went, I read
	Second-person	укӏогъагъ, уеджэгъагъ	wkʷʼaʁaːʁ, wajd͡ʒaʁaːʁ	You went, You read
	Third-person	мэкӏогъагъ, еджэгъагъ	makʷʼaʁaːʁ, jad͡ʒaʁaːʁ	He went, He read
Plural	First-person	ткӏогъагъ, теджэгъагъ	tkʷʼaʁaːʁ, tajd͡ʒaʁaːʁ	We went, We read
	Second-person	шъукӏогъагъ, шъуеджэгъагъ	ʃʷkʷʼaʁaːʁ, ʃʷajd͡ʒaʁaːʁ	You (pl.) went, You read
	Third-person	мэкӏогъагъэх, еджэгъагъэх	makʷʼaʁaːʁax, jad͡ʒaʁaːʁax	They went, They read

Сиунэ	сшышхэгъагъ
[siwna	sʃəɕxaʁaːʁ]
my house	I had eaten (then) in
"I had eaten (then) in my house"

тыгъусэ	мые	сшэфгъагъ
[təʁʷaːsa	məja	sʃafʁaːʁ]
yesterday	an apple	I bought (then)
"yesterday I bought (then) an apple"

Present tense

Examples :

• кӏо /kʷʼa/ go → макӏо /makʷʼa/ (s)he goes
• къакӏу /qaːkʷʼ/ come → къакӏо /qakʷʼa/ (s)he comes
• шхэ /ʃxa/ eat! → машхэ /maʃxaʁ/ (s)he eats
• ӏо /ʔʷa/ say → еӏо /jəʔʷa/ (s)he says
• еплъ /japɬ/ look at → еплъы /japɬə/ (s)he looks at
• шхы /ʃxə/ eat it → ешхы /jəʃxə/ (s)he eats it

Plurality	Person	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
Singular	First-person	сэкӏо, седжэ	sakʷʼa, sajd͡ʒa	I go, I read
	Second-person	окӏо, уеджэ	wakʷʼa, wajd͡ʒa	You go, You read
	Third-person	макӏо, еджэ	maːkʷʼa, jad͡ʒa	He goes, He read
Plural	First-person	тэкӏо, теджэ	takʷʼa, tajd͡ʒa	We go, We read
	Second-person	шъокӏо, шъуеджэ	ʃʷakʷʼa, ʃʷajd͡ʒa	You (pl.) go, You read
	Third-person	макӏох, еджэх	maːkʷʼax, jad͡ʒax	They goes, They read

Сиунэ	сшэшхэ
[siwna	sʃaʃxa]
my house	I eat in
"I eat in my house"

мые	сэшэфы
[məja	saʃafə]
an apple	I am buying
"I am buying an apple"

Future tense

The future tense is normally indicated by the suffix ~(э)щт /~(a)ɕt/ (close to future simple), reduced to ~т in some dialects, such as Hatukai, Bzhedug and Great Shapsug.

Examples :

• макӏо /maːkʷʼa/ (s)he is going → мэкӏощт /makʷʼaɕt/ (s)he will go
• къакӏо /qaːkʷʼa/ (s)he is coming → къэкӏощт /qakʷʼaɕt/ (s)he will come
• машхэ /maːʃxa/ (s)he is eating → мэшхэщт /maʃxaɕt/ (s)he will eat
• еӏо /jaʔʷa/ (s)he says → ыӏощт /jəʔʷaɕt/ (s)he will say
• еплъы /jajapɬə/ (s)he looks at → еплъыщт /japɬəɕt/ (s)he will look at
• ешхы /jaʃxə/ (s)he eats it → ышхыщт /jəʃxəaɕt/ (s)he will eat it

Plurality	Person	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
Singular	First-person	скӏощт, седжэщт	skʷʼaɕt, sajd͡ʒaɕt	I will go, I will read
	Second-person	укӏощт, уеджэщт	wkʷʼaɕt, wajd͡ʒaɕt	You will go, You will read
	Third-person	мэкӏощт, еджэщт	makʷʼaɕt, jad͡ʒaɕt	He will go, He will read
Plural	First-person	ткӏощт, теджэщт	tkʷʼaɕt, tajd͡ʒaɕt	We will go, We will read
	Second-person	шъукӏощт, шъуеджэщт	ʃʷkʷʼaɕt, ʃʷajd͡ʒaɕt	You (pl.) will go, You will read
	Third-person	мэкӏощтых, еджэщтых	makʷʼaɕtəx, jad͡ʒaɕtəx	They will go, They will read

Сиунэ	сшышхэщт
[siwna	sʃəʃxaɕt]
my house	I will eat in
"I will eat in my house"

мые	сшэфыщт
[məja	sʃafəɕt]
an apple	I will buy
"I will buy an apple"

To indicate some uncertainty the suffix ~нэ ит (~na jət) is added, for example :

• макӏо /maːkʷʼa/ (s)he is going → мэкӏонэ ит /makʷʼana jət/ (s)he might go
• къакӏо /qaːkʷʼa/ (s)he is coming → къэкӏонэ ит /qakʷʼana jət/ (s)he might come
• машхэ /maːʃxa/ (s)he is eating → мэшхэнэ ит /maʃxana jət/ (s)he might eat
• еӏо /jaʔʷa/ (s)he says → ыӏонэ ит /jəʔʷana jət/ (s)he might say
• еплъы /jajapɬə/ (s)he is looks at → еплъынэ ит /japɬəna jət/ (s)he might look at
• ешхы /jaʃxə/ (s)he eats it → ышхынэ ит /jəʃxəana jət/ (s)he might eat it

Plurality	Person	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
Singular	First-person	скӏонэ ит, седжэнэ ит	skʷʼana jət, sajd͡ʒana jət	I might go, I might read
	Second-person	укӏонэ ит, уеджэнэ ит	wkʷʼana jət, wajd͡ʒana jət	You might go, You might read
	Third-person	мэкӏонэ ит, еджэнэ ит	makʷʼana jət, jad͡ʒana jət	He might go, He might read
Plural	First-person	ткӏонэ ит, теджэнэ ит	tkʷʼana jət, tajd͡ʒana jət	We might go, We might read
	Second-person	шъукӏонэ ит, шъуеджэнэ ит	ʃʷkʷʼana jət, ʃʷajd͡ʒana jət	You (pl.) might go, You might read
	Third-person	мэкӏонэ итых, еджэнэ итых	makʷʼana jətəx, jad͡ʒana jətəx	They might go, They might read

мыер	матэм	илъынэ ит
мые-р	матэ-м	и-лъы-нэ ит
[məja	maːtam	jəɬəna jət]
apple (abs.)	basket (erg.)	It might be inside it
"'The apple might be inside the basket."

уиунэ	непчыхьэ	сыкъэкӏонэ ит
уи-унэ	непчыхьэ	сы-къэ-кӏо-нэ ит
[wəjwəna	najpt͡ʃəħa	səqakʷʼana jət]
your house	tonight	I might come
"I might come tonight to your house."

Future in the past

Future in the past tense is indicated by the suffix ~(э)щтэгъ /(a)ɕtaʁ/, reduced to ~тэгъ in some dialects, such as Bzhedug, Shapsug and Natukhai.

Examples :

• кӏо /kʷʼa/ go → мэкӏощтэгъ /makʷʼaɕtaʁ/ (s)he was going to go.
• къакӏу /qaːkʷʼ/ come → къэкӏощтэгъ /qakʷʼaɕtaʁ/ (s)he was going to come
• шхэ /ʃxa/ eat! → мэшхэщтэгъ /maʃxaɕtaʁ/ (s)he was going to eat
• ӏо /ʔʷa/ say → ыӏощтэгъ /jəʔʷaɕtaʁ/ (s)he was going to say
• еплъ /japɬ/ look at → еплъыщтэгъ /japɬəɕtaʁ/ (s)he was going to look at
• шхы /ʃxə/ eat it → ышхыщтэгъ /jəʃxəɕtaʁ/ (s)he was going to eat it

Plurality	Person	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
Singular	First-person	скӏощтэгъ, седжэщтэгъ	skʷʼaɕtaʁ, sajd͡ʒaɕtaʁ	I was going to go, I was going to read
	Second-person	укӏощтэгъ, уеджэщтэгъ	wkʷʼaɕtaʁ, wajd͡ʒaɕtaʁ	You were going to go, You was going to read
	Third-person	мэкӏощтэгъ, еджэщтэгъ	makʷʼaɕtaʁ, jad͡ʒaɕtaʁ	(S)he was going to go, He was going to read
Plural	First-person	ткӏощтэгъ, теджэщтэгъ	tkʷʼaɕtaʁ, tajd͡ʒaɕtaʁ	We were going to go, We was going to read
	Second-person	шъукӏощтэгъ, шъуеджэщтэгъ	ʃʷkʷʼaɕtaʁ, ʃʷajd͡ʒaɕtaʁ	You (pl.) were going to go, You was going to read
	Third-person	мэкӏощтэгъэх, еджэщтэгъэх	makʷʼaɕtaʁax, jad͡ʒaɕtaʁax	They were going to go, They was going to read

сыкӏощтэгъ	еджапӏэм	укъэмыкӏуагъэу
сы-кӏо-щтыгъ	еджапӏэ-м	у-къэ-мы-кӏу-агъ-эу
[səkʷʼaɕtəʁ	jad͡ʒaːpʼam	wqaməkʷʼaːʁae]
I was going to	the school (erg.)	before you came
"I was going to go to school before you came."

сеощтыгъэп	ау	сегъэгуабжи	сеожьгъэ	аужьы-р-ым
с-ео-щтыгъ-эп	ау	се-гъэ-гуабж-и	с-ео-жь-гъэ	аужьырым
[sajwaɕtəʁap	aːw	sajʁaɡʷaːbʒəj	sajwaʑʁa	jaːwʑərəm]
I wasn't going to hit him	but	because (s)he is making me angry	I hit him	in the end
"I wasn't going to hit him, but then he made me angry and I actually hit him in the end."

Conditional perfect

Conditional perfect can also be indicated by the suffix ~щтэгъ /ɕtaʁ/, reduced to ~тэгъ /taʁ/ in some dialects, such as Bzhedug, Shapsug and Natukhai.

Examples :

• кӏо /kʷʼa/ go → мэкӏощтэгъ /makʷʼaɕtaʁ/ (s)he would have gone.
• къакӏу /qaːkʷʼ/ come → къэкӏощтэгъ /qakʷʼaɕtaʁ/ (s)he would have come
• шхэ /ʃxa/ eat! → мэшхэщтэгъ /maʃxaɕtaʁ/ (s)he would have eaten.
• ӏо /ʔʷa/ say → ыӏощтэгъ /jəʔʷaɕtaʁ/ (s)he would have said.
• еплъ /japɬ/ look at → еплъыщтэгъ /japɬəɕtaʁ/ (s)he would have looked at
• шхы /ʃxə/ eat it → ышхыщтэгъ /jəʃxəɕtaʁ/ (s)he would have eaten it.

Plurality	Person	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
Singular	First-person	скӏощтэгъ, седжэщтэгъ	skʷʼaɕtaʁ, sajd͡ʒaɕtaʁ	I would have gone, I would have read
	Second-person	укӏощтэгъ, уеджэщтэгъ	wkʷʼaɕtaʁ, wajd͡ʒaɕtaʁ	You would have gone, You would have read
	Third-person	мэкӏощтэгъ, еджэщтэгъ	makʷʼaɕtaʁ, jad͡ʒaɕtaʁ	(S)he would have gone, (S)he would have read
Plural	First-person	ткӏощтэгъ, теджэщтэгъ	tkʷʼaɕtaʁ, tajd͡ʒaɕtaʁ	We would have gone, We would have read
	Second-person	шъукӏощтэгъ, шъуеджэщтэгъ	ʃʷkʷʼaɕtaʁ, ʃʷajd͡ʒaɕtaʁ	You (pl.) would have gone, You would have read
	Third-person	мэкӏощтэгъэх, еджэщтэгъэх	makʷʼaɕtaʁax, jad͡ʒaɕtaʁax	They would have gone, They would have read

экзамен	зэрэтиӏэ	сышӏэгъагъэмэ	сфеджэщтэгъ
экзамен	зэрэ-ти-ӏэ	сы-шӏэ-гъагъэ-мэ	с-ф-еджэ-щтэгъ
[akzaːmen	zaratəjʔa	səʃʼaʁaːʁna	sfajd͡ʒaɕtaʁ]
exam	that we have	if I knew	I would have studied for it
"If I knew we had an exam I would have studied for it."

а	пшъашъэр	къэсгъотышъущтэгъ	тичылэдэсгъагъэмэ
а	пшъашъэ-р	къэ-с-гъоты-шъу-щтэгъ	ти-чылэдэс-гъагъэ-мэ
[aː	pʂaːʂar	qasʁʷatəʃʷɕtaʁ	təjt͡ʃəɮadasʁaːʁami]
that	girl (abs.)	I could have found it	if (s)he was our villager
"I could have found that girl if she was our villager."

Epistemic

The Epistemic modality is indicated by the suffix ~(э)гъэщт /(a)ʁaɕt/, reduced to ~(э)гъэт in some dialects, such as Bzhedug, Shapsug and Natukhai. It is to indicate an action that might have taken place in the past.

Examples :

• кӏо /kʷʼa/ go → мэкӏуагъэщт /makʷʼaːʁaɕt/ (s)he might have gone
• къакӏу /qaːkʷʼ/ come → къэкӏуагъэщт /qakʷʼaːʁaɕt/ (s)he might have come
• шхэ /ʃxa/ eat! → мэшхагъэщт /maʃxaːʁaɕt/ (s)he might have eaten
• ӏо /ʔʷa/ say → ыӏуагъэщт /jəʔʷaːʁaɕt/ (s)he might have said
• еплъ /japɬ/ look at → еплъэгъэщт /japɬaʁaɕt/ (s)he might have looked at
• шхы /ʃxə/ eat it → ышхэгъэщт /jəʃxaʁaɕt/ (s)he might have eaten it

Plurality	Person	Cyrillic	IPA	Meaning
Singular	First-person	скӏуагъэщт, седжагъэщт	skʷʼaɕtəʁaːʁ, sajd͡ʒaɕtəʁaːʁ	I might have gone, I might have read
	Second-person	укӏуагъэщт, уеджагъэщт	wkʷʼaɕtəʁaːʁ, wajd͡ʒaɕtəʁaːʁ	You might have gone, You might have read
	Third-person	мэкӏуагъэщт, еджагъэщт	makʷʼaɕtəʁaːʁ, jad͡ʒaɕtəʁaːʁ	(S)he might have gone, He might have read
Plural	First-person	ткӏуагъэщт, теджагъэщт	tkʷʼaɕtəʁaːʁ, tajd͡ʒaɕtəʁaːʁ	We might have gone, We might have read
	Second-person	шъукӏуагъэщт, шъуеджагъэщт	ʃʷkʷʼaɕtəʁaːʁ, ʃʷajd͡ʒaɕtəʁaːʁ	You (pl.) might have gone, You might have read
	Third-person	мэкӏуагъэщтых, еджагъэщтых	makʷʼaɕtəʁaːʁax, jad͡ʒaɕtəʁaːʁax	They might have gone, They might have read

кӏалэр	сиунэ	къэкӏуагъэщт
кӏалэ-р	си-унэ	къэ-кӏу-агъэщт
[t͡ʃʼaːɮar	səjwəna	qakʷʼaːʁaɕt]
boy (abs.)	my house	(s)he might have come
"The boy might have come to my house."