Datapoint Papiamentu/Uses of the progressive marker

Papiamentu has a suffixed progressive modelled on Spanish. It uses progressive participle forms ending in -ndo, combined with preverbal ta or tabata. As Birmingham (1970: 81) points out, many of these are taken intact from Spanish, e.g. teniendo 'having', siendo 'being'; compare the Papiamentu base verbs tin 'have' and ta 'be'.

Values

Progressive, habitual, current state, and future Frequency: 50.0%

Example 47-43:
E baka ta kome yerba; Baka ta kome yerba; E bakanan ta kome yerba; Bakanan ta kome yerba.
E
def
baka
cow
ta
tns
kome
eat
yerba;
grass
baka
cow
ta
tns
kome
eat
yerba;
grass
e
def
baka
cow
nan
pl
ta
tns
kome
eat
yerba;
grass
baka
cow
nan
pl
ta
tns
kome
eat
yerba.
grass
The cow is eating grass. OR: Cows (in general) eat grass. OR: The cows are eating grass.

Source: Vos-de Jesus 1989: 82-83

Example 47-92:
Mi ta gusta esei un mundo.
mi
1sg
ta
tns
gusta
like
es(un)-ei
one-dem.nprox
un
indf
mundu
world
I like that a lot.

Source: Kouwenberg nd

Example 47-96:
E papel ku mi ta uza aworaki ta papel di saka kopia.
E
def
papel
paper
ku
comp
mi
1sg
ta
tns
uza
use
awor
now
aki
dem.prox
ta
cop
papel
paper
di
of
saka
produce
kopia.
copy
The paper that I now use is photocopy paper.

Source: Kouwenberg nd

Example 47-97:
E ta ranka paña fo’i waya, koba buraku den kurá, kibra mata, [...] i hopi kos mas.
E
3sg
ta
tns
ranka
pull
paña
clothes
for
from
di
of
waya,
clothesline
koba
dig
buraku
hole
den
in
kurá,
yard
kibra
break
mata,
plant
[...]
[...]
i
and
hopi
many
kos
thing
mas.
more
It will pull clothes off the line, dig holes in the yard, break plants [...] and do many more things.

Source: nd: 7 July 2009, p.5

Confidence:
Certain

Only progressive function Frequency: 50.0%

Example 47-93:
Mi ta drechando un auto kual mi lo bende despues.
Mi
1sg
ta
tns
drechá-ndo
repair-ger
un
indf
auto
car
kual
which
mi
1sg
lo
mood
bende
sell
despues.
after
I am repairing a car which I will sell afterwards.

Source: Kouwenberg 2007: 318

Example 47-94:
Hende grandinan di ántes tabata traha hopi kos di boka dushi ku a disparsé òf ta disparsiendo.
Hende
person
grandi
old
nan
pl
di
of
ántes
before
tabata
pst
traha
work
hopi
much
kos
thing
di
of
boka
mouth
dushi
sweet
ku
comp
a
pfv
disparsé
disappear
òf
or
ta
tns
disparsé-ndo.
disappear-ger
The old people of earlier times used to prepare many sweets that have disappeared or that are disappearing.

Source: nd: 9 July 2009, p.3

Example 47-95:
E kos ta bayendo hopi leu.
E
def
kos
thing
ta
tns
bai-ndo
go-ger
hopi
very
leu.
far
The problem is becoming insurmountable.

Source: Kouwenberg 2007: 310

Confidence:
Very certain