Hupa Verbs

From A Short Practical Grammar of Hupa by Victor Golla, for the Hupa Language Program, Hoopa Valley Tribe, December 1985.

"S" Definite Tense Subject Prefixes with No Modifying Prefix Examples

Subject

Subject Prefix

to get hurt

to be born

I

se:

se:-ya:t

se:lan

You

sin

sin-ya:t

sil-la:n

He/She

ts'is

ts'is-ya:t

ts'is-la:n

We

si-di

si-di-ya:t

si-di-la:n

You all

soh

soh-ya:t

soh-la:n

They

ya:-'is

ya:-'is-ya:t

ya:-'is-la:n

Comments Added by Danny Ammon

Notice the verbs all have specific "stems". To get hurt has a verb stem of -ya:t. To be born has a verb stem of -la:n.

The subject is determined by a piece of the word such as se:-, ts'is-, si-di-, ... All of the subject markers contain some form of a "s" sound.