A serial verb (or serial) (Toaq: jeotoachue) is created when two or more verbs are placed together. This process is called serialization.
Examples
Serial verbs are a powerful construct in Toaq grammar.
Any verb with an “event/proposition”, “property”, or “relation” slot at the end can essentially act as an auxiliary verb. See Frame for how to recognize these slots.
Here is a list of examples to demonstrate the sort of thing serial verbs let you express in Toaq.
| deq koı | can walk |
|---|---|
| sheo fıeq | regret inventing |
| leo kuaq | try expressing |
| guaı kaı | work on writing |
| tua cuaı | make wet |
| jaq chuı | very early |
| joe suaq | be skilled at singing |
| taq loı | self- hate |
Merging definitions
When joining two verbs together into a serial, their definitions are merged according to the serialization algorithm.
Verbs that are treated the same in this algorithm are said to belong to the same “serial frame”.
All of the behaviors in the table above arise from a handful of rules:
| le | it is probable that | ___ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| guq | ___ | is underneath | ___ | |
| le guq | ___ is probably underneath ___ | |||
| leo | ___ tries to satisfy property | ___ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| baı | ___ | builds | ___ | |
| leo baı | ___ tries to build ___ | |||
| noa | ___ is difficult to be in relation | ___ | with |
|---|---|---|---|
| lım | ___ understands ___ | ||
| noa lım | ___ is difficult to understand. | ||
Long serials
For more than two verbs, this merging process is right-grouping:
sheo (leo kuaq)
regret (trying to express)
le (taoshao (ceo guaı))
probably (intend to (start working))
Usage
The result can be used as a verb by saying each word in 
:
Ma deq koı súq?
Are you able to walk?
Bujuı suaomıu jí ní da.
I barely care about that.
Sheo leo ruo huaq caq jí nháo da.
I regret trying to act more strong than them.
Only the first word is conjugated for tone, and everything else stays in .
táq loı
the self-hater
jâq de
very beautifully