Verb Phrases

Verb phrases (VP's) in Sereer consist of a verb optionally modified by any or all of the following components: any number of adverbs, a single determiner, a prepositional phrase, a relative clause, and a possessive NP. These components are ordered as follows:

1) Verb
2) Adverb
3) Noun Phrase
4) Prepositional Phrase

Auxilliaries

There exists an auxiliary verb xan 'future', or special preverbal morph kan (which marks predicate focus). Both are preverbal to the main verb, as in (1) and (2)

<gl id="willcook" fontsize=12> xam jaw \gll xan-am jaw FUT-1sg cook \trans I will cook </gl>

<gl id="drumming" fontsize=12> kam fakaa \gll kan-am fak-aa Prev-1sg drum-PROG \trans I am drumming </gl>

There exists a progressive aspect auxiliary in Sereer, and as an auxiliary, is distinct from verbs that express the main verbal content of the clause. Inflected for subject, this auxiliary -xe features characteristic semantic emptiness, expressing only progressive aspect, as shown in (3) - (5):

<gl id="workAboutTo" fontsize=12> mexe jalaa \gll me-xe jal-aa 1sg-PROG rain-PROG \trans I am working </gl>

<gl id="RainAboutTo" fontsize=12> axe deɓiidaa \gll a-xe deɓ-iid-aa 3sg-PROG rain-PROX-PROG \trans It's going to (start) raining </gl>

<gl id="hurtAboutTo" fontsize=12> axe ɗomiida \gll a-xe ɗom-iid-aa 3sg-PROG hurt-PROX-PROG \trans It's going to (start) hurting </gl>

Modal information is not expressed through auxiliaries, but instead through main verbs that appear to carry full verbal inflection.

Valence patterns and alignment

Intransitive Verbs

Like other Sereer verb phrases, subjects make be overtly realized preverbally, or omitted and expressed with agreement on auxilliaries and verbs:

<gl id="deadman" fontsize=12> okoor oxe axona \gll okoor ox-e a-xon-a man DET-DEF 3sg-be.dead-NPT \trans The man is dead </gl>

<gl id="man sleeping" fontsize=12> i-ƭaanaa \gll i-ƭaan-aa 3sg-sleep-PROG \trans We sleep </gl>

<gl id="man sleeping" fontsize=12> inwe ƭaanaa \gll i-nwe ƭaanaa 3sg-PROG sleep-PROG \trans We are sleeping </gl>

Transitive Verbs

Direct object arguments follow verbs, as in ()

<gl id="JegCow" fontsize=12> Jegan afala naak le \gll Jegan a-fal-a naak le masc.name 3sg.-kick-3sg. cow DET \trans Jegan kicks the cow </gl>

Ditransitive Verbs

Direct object and oblique arguments follow verbs, and there are no restrictions on the ordering of these arguments, as shown in () and ():

<gl id="YandeLetter" fontsize=12> Miñaan acooɗa (a) Yande oleetar ole \gll Miñaan a-cooɗ-a (a) Yande oleetar ol-e masc.name 3sg.-give-3sg. fem.name ol-e \trans Miñaan gave Yande the letter </gl>

<gl id="LetterYande" fontsize=12> Miñaan acooɗa oleetar ole (a) Yande \gll Miñaan a-cooɗ-a oleetar ol-e (a) Yande masc.name 3sg.-give-3sg. fem.name ol-e \trans Miñaan gave the letter (to) Yande </gl>