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A Grammar of the Yucatecan Mayan Language VERBS Passive Verbs 91. The normal passive verb suffixes appended to the verb root to form the passive verbs are:
However, the passive verbs are somewhat irregular as will be seen in the examples. As can be seen, the passive verb suffixes are similar to the intransitive verb suffixes, but the passive conjugation is distinguished from the intransitive conjugation by two features. The first feature is that the consonants -t-, -l-, -z-, or the causative marker -bez-, agreeing with that used in the transitive conjugation, is tacked onto the verb root before the addition of the passive verb suffixes. The second feature is that the passive marker -ab- is, for the standard or uncontracted suffixes, placed between the verb root or verb root plus consonant and the standard set of verb suffixes which operate for the intransitive and passive conjugations, as shown in Section 83. Again, these standard verb suffixes are: -al, -i, -aani, -aci Remember that the general form is conjugated with Set A pronouns while the second, third and fourth forms are conjugated with Set B pronouns, thus the ideal existence of the third person singular pronoun -i for these three forms. Thus the ideal suffixes for the passive conjugation are: -abal, -abi, -abaani, -abaci However in present-day intransitive and passive conjugations, as already noted in Section 83, for the third and fourth forms, and in the passive conjugation occasionally the second form, the third person singular pronoun is contracted out. Furthermore the b of the passive marker -ab- is often dropped except in the second form, resulting in a glottal-stopped -aa-, or alternatively for the general form the verbal suffix -al is dropped. Thus, using the verb root han (to eat) which, as noted in Section 77 takes the consonant -t-, the passive conjugation of this verb is as follows:
Concerning the frequency of use of the standard versus the contracted passive suffixes it seems that certain verbs tend more towards the use of the standard suffixes in most instances while others tend toward the use of contracted suffixes. For example, of the verbs listed below the verb root mek tends to use the contracted form mostly, the verb root han tends towards the use of the contracted suffixes moderately, the verb roots naac and lik are equally inclined to use both the contracted and standard suffixes, and the verb root hay tends towards using the standard suffixes strongly. Mek is the verb root for "embrace". The passive forms are: mekaal / mekab, mekabi, mekaan, mekaac Naac is the verb root for indicating upward motion. As noted in the transitive conjugation naac appears with the causative marker particle -z- placed between it and the verbal suffixes. The meaning of the verb in the transitive conjugation is "to lift". In the passive conjugation the meaning of naaczaal / naaczabal is "to be lifted".
naaczaal / naaczab, naaczabi, naaczaan, naaczaac Han is the verb root for "eat". In the transitive and passive conjugations han appears with the particle -t- placed between it and the verbal suffixes.
hantaal / hantab, hantabi, hantaan, hantaac Hay is the verb root for "stretch out". In the transitive and passive conjugations hay appears with the particle -l- placed between it and the verbal suffixes.
haylabal, haylabi, haylabaan, haylabac Lik is the verb root for "to get up". With the causative -z- the transitive becomes "to pick up" and the passive becomes "to be picked up", which by extension means "to be put away". This verb is included here because the third form shows a common irregularity.
likzaal / likzab, likzabi, likzahaan, likzaac A couple of irregularities in this conjugation will be noted as we go through the passive conjugation time sequence. There are instances where the particles -bil and -bilac can be used with the verb root plus consonant if any to form alternative ways of stating a couple of the tenses. The use of the particle -bil along with -aan were looked at in Section 56. Examples: labaan che = rotten tree, lubaan tunich = fallen stone, tzahbil he = fried egg, pibil nal = roasted corn, etc.
92. Passive conjugation time sequence. The model verb used here is han (to eat) (hantaal, hantabi, hantaan, hantaac). The tenses have been explained in the previously in the transitive and intransitive conjugations.
As was noted in the introductory remarks to this chapter on verbs, Section 75, the second, third, and fourth forms of the passive verbs are conjugated in each tense using pronoun Set B. Examples of these conjugations are given here.
93. The conjugation of the second form: For the verb root han (to eat):
94. The conjugation of the third form: For the verb root han (to eat):
95. The conjugation of the fourth form: For the verb root han (to eat):
96. Negation: the negation of the foregoing tenses is generally accomplished by preceding the tense by ma (not).
Exceptions are the following:
97. Interrogatives: interrogative phrases using the foregoing conjugation generally use the tenses as they are.
Exception:
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