Realis mood facts for kids
A realis mood is a way verbs change to show that something is a fact or is really happening. Think of it as the "truth mood" for verbs. When you use a verb in a realis mood, you're saying that what you're talking about is a known situation or a statement of fact.
Most languages have one main realis mood called the indicative mood. This is the mood we use most often when we're just stating things. Some languages might have other realis moods to show how sure someone is about a fact.
The opposite of a realis mood is an irrealis mood. This mood is used when something isn't known to be true, like a wish, a possibility, or something that hasn't happened yet.
Let's look at an example in English:
- "He works." Here, "works" is in the indicative mood. It's a direct statement about something real.
- "It is necessary that he work." Here, "work" is in the subjunctive mood, which is an irrealis mood. This sentence isn't saying he *is* working, but that it's *desired* or *necessary* for him to work. He might not actually be working!
Sometimes, a language might use a realis form (like the indicative) even when the meaning isn't strictly a fact. For example, in English, we say "I hope it works." Even though "works" is indicative, we're talking about a hope, not a definite fact. So, the indicative mood often acts as a "default" mood for verbs when no other special mood is needed.
The Indicative Mood in English
In modern English, the indicative mood is used for things that are actual facts or very likely to happen. It's also the mood we use by default when no other specific mood is required.
Here are some examples of the indicative mood in English:
- The spine-tailed swift flies faster than any other bird. (This is a present fact.)
- The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers rose to record heights in 1993. (This is a past fact.)
- Mid-westerners will remember the flooding for many years. (This is a future prediction.)
You can also use words like "do," "does," or "did" with indicative verbs. This can be for emphasis, or to form questions or negative sentences. For example, "He does work hard," "Did you see that?", or "I do not like spiders."
In older forms of English, like Old English, there were more special endings on verbs to show if they were indicative or subjunctive. Today, in modern English, we use fewer special endings. The indicative mood is usually the standard form of the verb.
Other moods in English include the imperative mood (used for commands, like "Be quiet!") and sometimes the conditional mood (used for things that might happen, like "I would be quiet").
Other Realis Moods
While the indicative is the main realis mood in many languages, some languages have other special realis moods.
Energetic Moods
In Arabic and other similar languages, there are two kinds of energetic moods. These moods show that something is strongly believed or that the speaker wants to emphasize it. The exact meaning changes depending on small words added to the verb.
For example:
- The long energetic mood can show a strong obligation. If you say yaktubanna (يَكتُبَنَّ), it means "he certainly writes." If you add a word like la before it, layaktubanna, it means "he must write."
- The short energetic mood shows a weaker obligation. yaktuban means "he almost writes." With la before it, layaktuban, it means "he should write."
Declarative Mood
The declarative mood is another term that means a statement is true without any doubts. For many languages, this is just another name for the indicative mood. However, sometimes a language might use "declarative" to specifically mean a statement of fact, especially if it contrasts with a mood that shows you're guessing or inferring something.
Sometimes, people talk about a "generic mood" for general statements, like "Birds fly." This is often just a part of how verbs work, rather than a separate mood.
Other ways languages show if something is real or factual include Evidentiality. This is when a verb form shows how the speaker knows the information (e.g., "I saw it," "I heard it," "I inferred it").
