Mol webal naiilen, wartikunen.

282 Classifications Example Nabiriddin 126 nabirin. ‗It would be fine, if that were so.‘ Lit.: ‗Were it fine, it would be fine.‘

20.4.8.3 Wishing optative

The English concept of wishing is expressed in Kuna by the use of a contrary-to-fact conditional clause accompanied by the adverb nabirin ‗it would be good‘ in the main clause. This construction basically parallels the English expression ―It would be nice tofor ...‖ or ―I wish forto ...‖. As in English, the Kuna optative construction is used in situations which are much less likely to materialize than are situations which employ the desiderative suffix -bi-pi ‗to want to ...‘ see Section 2.4.2. Examples 1. An motor pin nikalen, nabirin. ‗I wish I had a new motor. Lit.: If I were to have a new motor, it would be good.‘ 2. An motor pin nikujalen, nabirin. ‗I wish I had had a new motor. Lit.: If I had had a new motor, it would have been good.‘ 3. An mas kuchalen, nabirin. ‗I wish had eaten. Lit.: If I had eaten it would have been nice.‘ The optative construction is also used to wish something for someone else and parallels the English construction, ―May you....‖ Examples 1. Pe nugujalen, nabirin. ‗May you get well.‘ 2. Pab Tummad be nugu takelen, nabirin. ‗May God bless you. Lit.: It would be well if God would look well on you.‘

20.4.8.4 “Almost, but not quite”

An event which almost transpired, but did not, is described by using the immediate future suffix -ne followed by the contrary-to-fact suffix -n. Examples 1. Machi iche napi purkwenen. ‗The boy almost died.‘ 2. Mu aglenen. ‗The old woman almost fell.‘ 20.4.9 Past perfect aspect suffix -n The past perfect aspect parallels the English construction, ―he had previously finished eating,‖ in contrast to the completive aspect which parallels, ―he finished eating.‖ The past perfect is formed by adding the suffix -n after the completive suffix. This -n should be distinguished carefully from the one occurring in contrary-to-fact constructions see 20.4.8. Example Amal iktual pato mas kuchan. ‗They had already eaten beforehand.‘ Note that with the positional verbs nai, mai, ti, etc., the perfective form with -n means that the position has since terminated. In the case of the suffix form -nai, -di-ti, etc., the action in progress has since terminated. Examples 1. ¿Pia pe tin? ‗Where had you been?‘ 2. Pabdin main. ‗Father had been home.‘ 3. An mas kunnain. ‗I had been eating.‘ 126 In this irregular case, the final n of nabirin becomes d before the suffix -din.