Ex. _Nuga malele yera?_ have you taken the book? _uga nemb' emama?_ has he killed the bird? _nu aiti golà?_ would you start to-morrow? _kupa g'ilama?_ are the potatoes cooked?
Note (1). The future interrogative replies to the question, "Can I..."? or "Should I..."?
(2). The interrogative of the near past (_cf.p._ 318, 3, _b_) is formed by substituting _-una_ for _-ua_.
Ex. _nug' em' aliluna?_ Have you just come to see the village?
(3). The form of the second future as _umbibia_ is rarely heard, except with the verb _alili_, see, from which comes _'Aria?_ see?
(4). The negative interrogative is formed like the simple negative by _me_ or _mi_ preceding the verb.
The questions "What should I do?" "What should I say," How should I begin it?" are translated by the expression _do(le)... maiti_, from _do(le)?_ where?
Ex. _dotamaiti?_ how should I say? _dol' imaiti?_ what should I do? _do yela maiti?_ how shall I call?
1. In the present tense there is no substantive verb. The predicate and subject are combined as in the examples already given (cf. p. 312, 2). But when the present indicates a state in opposition to one preceding it, _ga_ is used before the adjective, or if in opposition to a future state, the verb _ando_ follows.
Ex. _Kuku ga ko_, the tobacco is bad; _balava ga ua_, the bread is finished; _indi ga kouatu_, the knife is on the box; _ambe g'ifa_, the banana is good; _ambe gos' ando_, the banana is (still) green (not ripe).
The past is more difficult to express. It always requires an adverb of time.
Ex. _Mele maleke ifa, audati ga ko_, the child formerly was good, now he is bad.
3. For other tenses the verb is translated only by the auxiliaries _-elele_ and _-angege_, for which cf. p. 322, 7.
1. The particle _ga_ may be used to make any expression whatever attributive.
Ex. _Yu g'ua_, the water is finished (_i.e_., is not); _malele ga kouatsi_, the book is in the box.
In such examples there is almost the sense of a past action, as if it were "The water (has become) nothing," "the book has been put (is already in) the box."
2. The verbs _ete, tede_, to say, or to do, and _elele_, to become, are often used to form a noun stem into a verb. _Ete_ and _tede_ give the sense of _sounding_, _elele_ gives the sense of _using_ whatever the noun expresses.