âšJavanese Modal Verbs and Aspects âš
First, Javanese doesnât really have what we usually call as grammatical tense. But, it has what we call aspect. Still, I will give the usual English tenses in order to recall some similarity to English language.
1) Present time
a. Zero modal (simple present) đ
When we want to say about our daily activities or just simply give a statement, we can use plain verb without any modal.
-) Aku amangan sĂȘga.
EN: I eat food
-) Aku atuku roti sabĂȘn dina.
EN: I buy bread every day.
b. Lagi (present continuous) đ
When we want to say about something in progress or about in the sate of doing activities, we can use Lagi as a modal.
Form: Lagi + verb
-) Aku lagi angumbah klambi.
EN: Iâm washing the clothes.
-) Lagi apa kowe?
EN: What are you doing?
2)Past
a. Zero modal (simple past) đ
Yes, in the Javanese we use aspects. So, we can state something that happened in the past without using any modal. Instead, we can use any adverb to specify the time.
-) Simbahku angisahi gelas.
EN: My grandparent washed the glasses.
-) Simbahku angisahi gelas mau wĂȘngi.
EN: My grandparent washed the glasses last night. (itâs more specific)
b. Wis (general past, present perfect) đ
When we want to say about something we have already done or simply have been done, we can use Wis modal.
Form: Wis + verb
-) Aku wis alunga mĂȘnyang pasar.
EN: I have gone to the market.
-) Pitike wis dipakani.
EN: The chicken has been fed.
If we want to make it something like past perfect, we can add adverb to make it more specific.
-) Aku wis alunga mĂȘnyang pasar SĂȘnin wingi.
EN: I had gone to the market last Monday.
-) Dhek mau wĂȘngi nalika aku wis angombe teh, adhiku anangis.
EN: Last night when I had drunk the tea, my younger sibling cried.
c. Bubar (immediate past) đ
When we want to say that something has happened just now, we can use Bubar modal. Form: Bubar + Verb
-) Aku bubar amangan.
EN: I have eaten just now.
-) Aku lagi wae bubar alunga mĂȘnyang pasar.
EN: I have been gone to the market just now. (with emphasis by adverb)
3) Future
a. Bakal (general future, distant) đ
When we want to say something in the future in general especially if itâs rather distant, we can use Bakal modal.
Form: Bakal + Verb
-) Aku bakal bisa dolanan piyano.
EN: I will be able to play piano. (maybe someday, who knows)
-) Aku bakal amangan bakmi ramen.
EN: I will eat the ramen noodle (maybe someday or eventually)
-) MĂȘngko, rotine bakal tak pangan.
EN: I will eat the bread later. (or eventually)
If you wonder about using zero modal, yes you can. As you can see, Javanese doesnât really have any tense and everything can be inferred by context and intuition. Many Asian languages do this, I mean about omitting information that seems important in English perspective. And if you need to make it more specific, you can add adverb.
-) MĂȘngko yen adhiku wis mangkat mĂȘnyang pawiyatan, tak telĂȘpun maneh.
EN: Iâll call you again later when my younger sibling has gone to school.
-) Besuk/suk mben, omah iki sok wis dadi abeda maneh.
EN: The house will be different (again) someday.
b. ArĂȘp (future, intentional) đ
When you want to say about something you are going to do in the future, you can use ArĂȘp modal. Form: ArĂȘp + Verb
-) Aku arĂȘp alunga saka kene.
EN: i am going to go from here.
-) Aku arĂȘp telĂȘpun kowe mĂȘngko sore.
EN: I am going to call you this afternoon/evening.
c. Ameh (near future) đ
When you want to say that you are just about to do something or itâs really in the near future, you can use Ameh modal.
Form: Ameh + Verb
-) Aku ameh mangkat.
EN: Iâm about to go.
-) Aku ameh turu ing kasur.
EN: Iâm about to sleep on the bed.
-) Bar iki, kuwi ameh tak tulis.
EN: Iâm about to write that just after this.
To add some understanding, the Ameh modal can also be used to describe that something almost happened.
-) Gelase ameh anumplak.
EN: The glass almost fell (in to the table).
-) Aku ameh anjiglok saka loteng telu.
EN: I almost fell from the third floor.
Generally, you can tell from the context whether the Ameh modal means â be about toâ or âalmost. Thatâs all about the Javanese tenses and aspects.
If you have any question or suggestion, please message me. Thank you.
†Other grammars
