Editing Comorian languages (section)

== Grammar ==

=== Noun class ===
As in other Bantu languages, Shikomor displays a noun class/gender system in which classes share a prefix. Classes 1 through 10 generally have singular/plural pairings.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Class
!Prefix
!Class
!Prefix
|-
!1
|''m(u)-, mw''
!2
|''wa-''
|-
!3
|''m(u)-,mw-''
!4
|''m(i)-''
|-
!5
|''Ø-''
!6
|''ma-''
|-
!7
|''shi-''
!8
|''zi-''
|-
!9
|''Ø-''
!10
|''Ø-''
|-
!10a
|''ngu-''
!11
|''u-''
|}
Classes 9 & 10 consists mainly of borrowed words, such as ''dipe'' (from French ''du pain'' 'some bread') and do not take prefixes. Class 7 & 8 and class 9 & 10 take on the same agreements in adjectives and verbs. Class 10a contains a very small amount of words, generally plurals of Class 11. Class 15 consists of verbal infinitives, much like English gerunds. 
{{Interlinear|Ufanya hazi njema|15.do work good|Working is good
| abbreviations = 15:Class 15
}}
Class 16 contains only two words, ''vahana'' and ''vahali'', both meaning 'place'. It was probably borrowed from Swahili ''pahali'', which was borrowed from Arabic ''mahal''. Class 17 consists of locatives with the prefix ''ha-'', and Class 18 consists of locatives with the prefix ''mwa-.''<ref name=":2" /><ref>Rombi, Mmie-Franyoise 1983. Le Shimaore Paris: SELAF.</ref>

=== Numerals ===
Numerals in Comorian follow the noun. If the number is 1 through 5 or 8, it must agree with the class of its noun.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Numerals
!Number
!Comorian
!Num.
!Comorian
|-
!1
|oja/muntsi
!6
|sita
|-
!2
|ili/mbili
!7
|saba
|-
!3
|raru/ndraru
!8
|nane
|-
!4
|nne
!9
|shendra
|-
!5
|tsano/ntsanu
!10
|kumi/kume
|}

=== Demonstratives ===
There are three demonstratives: One that refers to a proximate object, a non-proximate object, and an object that  was previously mentioned in the conversation.<ref name=":2" />

=== Possessives ===
The possessive element -''a'' agrees with the possessed noun. The general order of a possessive construction is possessed-''Ca''-possessor.<ref name=":2" />
{{Interlinear|gari l-a Sufa|5.car 5-GEN Sufa|Sufa's car
| abbreviations = 5:Class 5
}}

=== Verbs ===
Comorian languages exhibit a typical Bantu verb structure. 
{| class="wikitable"
|+Comorian Verb Structure
!Slot
!1
!2
!3
!4
!5
!6
!7
!8
|-
|Content
|Verbal preprefix (pre)
|Subject Marker (SM)
|Tense-Aspect-Mood
|Object Marker (OM)
|Root
|Extension
|Final Vowel
|Suffix
|}
Although there is only one form of the subject marker for personal plural subjects and for subjects belonging to the classes 3-18.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subject Pronouns<ref name=":3">{{cite journal |last1=Full |first1=Wolfram |title=Two past tenses in Comorian: morphological form and inherent meaning |journal=Swahili Forum |date=2001 |volume=8 |pages=49–58 |url=https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:15-qucosa-91542 |access-date=2024-02-24 |archive-date=2024-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306034800/https://ul.qucosa.de/landing-page/?tx_dlf&#91;id&#93;=https%3A%2F%2Ful.qucosa.de%2Fapi%2Fqucosa%253A11537%2Fmets |url-status=live }}</ref>
!
!Set 1
!Set 2
!Set 3 
(Shingazija and Shimwali only)
|-
!1sg
|''ni-''
|''tsi-''
|''-m-''
|-
!2sg
|''u-''
|''hu-/u-''
|''-o-''
|-
!3sg
|''a-''
|''ha-/a-''
|''-u-''
|-
!1pl
| colspan="3" |''ri-''
|-
!2pl
| colspan="3" |''m-/mu-''
|-
!3pl
| colspan="3" |''wa-''
|}
In Proto-Sabaki, the 2sg and 2sg subject markers were ''*ku'' and *''ka'', respectively. However, the ''*k'' was weakened to ''h'' in Shingazija and further to ''Ø'' in all other dialects.<ref>{{cite journal |id={{INIST|6144169}} |last1=Nurse |first1=D |title=The Proto-Sabaki Verb System and its Subsequent Development |journal=The Proto-Sabaki Verb System and Its Subsequent Development |date=1983 |volume=5 |pages=45–109 }}</ref> 

Verbs can be negated by adding the prefix ''ka-''. However, occasionally other morphemes of the verb may take on different meanings when the negative prefix is added, such as in the following example, where the suffix ''-i'', usually the past tense, takes on the present habitual meaning when it is in a negative construction.

{{Interlinear|ri-dy-i nyama|1PL-eat-PST meat|We ate meat
}}{{Interlinear|ka-ri-dy-i nyama|NEG-1PL-eat-PRES.HAB.NEG meat|We don't eat meat
}}
The present progressive uses the prefix si-/su-, the future tense uses tso-, and the conditional uses a-tso-.There are two past tense constructions in Comorian. <ref name=":2" />The first of these is the simple past tense, which uses the structure SM-Root-Suffix 1. 

The second is the compound past, using the structure SM-''ka'' SM-Root-Suffix 1. <ref name=":3" />
{{Interlinear|tsi-ka tsi-hu-on-o|1sg.NOM-PST 1sg.NOM-2sg.ACC-see-FV|I(sg) saw you(sg)
| abbreviations = FV:final vowel
}}