Datapoint Sri Lanka Portuguese/‘Want’ complement subjects
The form kera is treated as a quasi-verbal particle since it does not take TAM or other markers charactersitic of verbs. It has both desiderative and intentive (translated as 'be going to V')readings, which are often indistinguishable. It also occurs as a predicator, meaning 'want/need' (seen in Examples 15 and 18), taking a dative experiencer and an NP complement. Elicitations of the type 'A wants B to Verb' yield constructions with a nominative experiencer and an infinitival or nominalized complement. E.g. eev kera boos taam pa-vii/ki-ta-vii [1SG want 2SG CONJ INF-come/NMLZ-PRS-come] 'I want you to come too.' No examples of this type are found in the spontaneous corpus. Kera has a corresponding negative form, nikara (which is also used as a prohibitive and as a habitual negative).
Values 
Desiderative particle
- Example 41-160:
-
noospa avara gitaarpa um pesaam keranoos-pa1pl-datavaranowgitaar-paguitar-datuŋonepesaampersonkerawant.Now we need a person for the guitar.
Source: Smith 1974-5: 5498
- Example 41-161:
-
tɔɔna pintuura kera pegaa?tɔɔnaafterwardspintuurapicturekerawant/volpegaa?takeSo, do you want to take a picture? / So, are you going to take a picture?
Source: Smith 1974-5: 5343
- Example 41-162:
-
etuspa kapstaayley noos kera mustraa kamfalaa, noos mesprenda[etus-pa[3pl.hon-datkapstaay=leycleverness=likenoos1plkerawant/volmustraashowkam-falaa],cond-say]noos1plmes-prendaoblig-studyIf we want to/are going to demonstrate cleverness to them (i.e. the government), we must study.
Source: Smith 1974-5: 5218
- Confidence:
- Certain