Editing Hurrian language (section)

==== Indicative mood ====
After the derivational suffix come those marking [[Grammatical tense|tense]]. The [[present tense]] is unmarked, the [[preterite]] is marked by ''-ōš'' and the [[future tense|future]] by ''ēt''. The preterite and future suffixes also include the suffix ''-t'', which indicates intransitivity, but occurs only in truly intransitive forms, not in [[antipassive]] ones; in the present, this suffix never occurs. Another, separate, ''-t'' suffix is found in all tenses in transitive sentences – it indicates a 3rd person plural subject. In the [[indicative mood|indicative]] this suffix is mandatory, but in all other moods it is optional. Because these two suffixes are identical, ambiguous forms can occur; thus, ''unētta'' can mean "they will bring [something]" or "he/she/it will come", depending on the context.

After these endings come the vowel of transitivity. It is ''-a'' when the verb is intransitive, ''-i'' when the verb is in the antipassive and ''-o'' (in the Mitanni letter, ''-i'') in transitive verbs. The suffix ''-o'' is dropped immediately after the derivational suffixes. In transitive verbs, the ''-o'' occurs only in the present, while in the other tenses transitivity is instead indicated by the presence (or absence) of the aforementioned ''-t'' suffixes.

In the next position, the suffix of negation can occur; in transitive sentences, it is ''-wa'', whereas in intransitive and antipassive ones it is ''-kkV''. Here, the V represents a repetition of the vowel that precedes the negative suffix, although when this is /a/, both vowels become /o/. When the negative suffix is immediately followed by a clitic pronoun (except for ''=nna''), its vowel is /a/, regardless of the vowel that preceded it, e.g. ''mann-o-kka=til=an'' (be-''intr''-''neg''-''1.pl.abs''-and), "and we are not...". The following table gives the tense, transitivity and negation markers:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Transitivity
! &nbsp;
! Present
! Preterite
! Future
|-
| rowspan="2"| intransitive
| affirmative
| ''-a''
| ''-ōšta''
| ''-ētta''
|-
| negative
| ''-okko''
| ''-ōštokko''
| ''-ēttokko''
|-
| rowspan="2"| antipassive
| affirmative
| ''-i''
| ''-ōši''
| ''-ēti''
|-
| negative
| ''-ikki''
| ''-ōšikki''
| ''-ētikki''
|-
| rowspan="2"| transitive<br/>without derivational suff.
| affirmative
| Mari/Hattusha ''-o''<br/>Mitanni ''-i''
| Mari/Hattusha ''-ōšo''<br/>Mitanni ''-ōši''
| Mari/Hattusha ''-ēto''<br/>Mitanni ''-ēti''
|-
| negative
| Mari/Hattusha ''-owa''<br/>Mitanni ''-iwa''
| Mari/Hattusha ''-ōšowa''<br/>Mitanni ''-ōšiwa''
| Mari/Hattusha ''-ētowa''<br/>Mitanni ''-ētiwa''
|-
| rowspan="2"| transitive<br/>with derivational suff.
| affirmative
| ''-Ø''
| Mari/Hattusha ''-ōšo''<br/>Mitanni ''-ōši''
| Mari/Hattusha ''-ēto''<br/>Mitanni ''-ēti''
|-
| negative
| ''-wa''
| Mari/Hattusha ''-ōšowa''<br/>Mitanni ''-ōšiwa''
| Mari/Hattusha ''-ētowa''<br/>Mitanni ''-ētiwa''
|}

After this, in transitive verbs, comes the ergative subject marker. The following forms are found:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!&nbsp;
!1st person<br/>singular
!1st person<br/>plural
!2nd person<br/>singular
!2nd person<br/>plural
!3rd person<br/>sing/pl
|-
| with ''-i''<br/>(transitive)<br/>(only Mitanni)
| ''-af'',<br/>''-au''
| ''-auša''
| ''-i-o''
| ''-*aššo'',<br/>''-*aššu''
| ''-i-a''
|-
| with ''-wa''<br/>(negated)
| ''-uffu''
| ''-uffuš(a)''
| ''-wa-o''
| ''-uššu''
| ''-wa-a''
|-
| with other morphemes<br/>(no merging)
| ''-...-af'',<br/>''-...-au''
| ''-...-auša''
| ''-...-o''
| ''-...-aššo'',<br/>''-...-aššu''
| ''-...-a''
|}

The suffixes of the first person, both plural and singular, and the second person plural suffix merge with the preceding suffixes ''-i'' and ''-wa''. However, in the Mari and Hattusha dialects, the suffix of transitivity ''-o'' does not merge with other endings. The distinction between singular and plural in the third person is provided by the suffix ''-t'', which comes directly after the tense marker. In the third person, when the suffix ''-wa'' occurs before the subject marker, it can be replaced by ''-ma'', also expressing the negative: ''irnōhoš-i-ā-ma'', (like-''trans''-''3rd''-''neg'') "He does not like [it]".

In the Old Hurrian of Hattusha the ending of the third person singular ergative subject was ''-m''. A third person ''plural'' ergative subject was marked with the suffix ''-it-'', which, however, unlike the other ergative endings, occurred ''before'' instead of ''after'' the transitivity vowel: contrast ''uv-o-m'' "she slaughtered" with ''tun-it-o'' "they forced".<ref name=wegnerOH>{{harvnb|Wegner|2000|pp=110–113}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Wilhelm|2008|p=98}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Дьяконов|1967}}: [[Igor Diakonoff]] cites the suffix as ''-ido-'', but also located it before the slot of the transitivity vowel ''-o-'' – an interpretation which is also justified by the place of the corresponding suffix in the related [[Urartian language]].</ref> In the intransitive and antipassive, there was also a subject marker, ''-p'' for the third person but unmarked for the others. It is unknown whether this suffix was also found on transitive objects.

If a verb form is nominalised, e.g. to create a [[relative clause]], then another suffix is used: ''-šše''. Nominalised verbs can undergo Suffixaufnahme. Verb forms can also take other enclitic suffixes; see the section ''[[Hurrian language#Enclitic particles|Enclitic particles]]'' below.

For a list of the enclitics that mark the person and number of the absolutive participant, see the section ''[[Hurrian language#Personal pronouns|Personal pronouns]]'' above.