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 a “property” or “event” slot can essentially act as an auxiliary verb.
- With other verbs, the result is like “adjective-noun”, or “verb-object”.
Here is a list of examples to demonstrate the sort of thing serial verbs let you express in Toaq.
| deq koı | can walk |
|---|---|
| pu nuo | did sleep |
| sheo fıeq | regret inventing |
| leo kuaq | try expressing |
| guaı kaı | work on writing |
| tua cuaı | make wet |
| jaq chuı | very early |
| bu suao | be not important |
| joe suaq | be skilled at singing |
| taq loı | self- hate |
| sao meı | be a big mountain |
| joaı haq | seek food |
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:
| leo | ___ tries to satisfy property | ___ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| baı | ___ | builds | ___ | |
| leo baı | ___ tries to build ___ | |||
| le | it is probable that | ___ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| guq | ___ | is underneath | ___ | |
| le guq | ___ is probably underneath ___ | |||
| cho | ___ likes | ___ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rua | ___ | is a flower | ||
| cho rua | ___ likes flowers | |||
| sao | ___ | is big | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| paq | ___ | is a part of ___ | ||
| sao paq | ___ is a big part of ___ | |||
Long serials
For more than two verbs, this merging process is right-grouping:
sheo (leo kuaq)
regret (trying to express)
le (haı (luı (ceo guaı)))
probably (already (have (started working)))
Usage
The result can be used as a verb by saying each word in 
:
Dẻq kỏı súq moq?
Are you able to walk?
Bủ sủaojıe jí ní da.
I don't care about that.
Shẻo lẻo rủo hủaq cảq 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 lỏı
self-hater
säo mẻı
… which is a big mountain
bũ jảq dẻ
not very beautifully