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Q. car- v. (basic-verb) “to do, make” (Category: to Do, Make)

Q. car-, v. (basic-verb) “to do, make, ⚠️[ᴹQ.] build” (Category: to Do, Make)

Car- is the Quenya verb for “do, make”, derived from the root √KAR of the same meaning, and was very well established in Tolkien’s mind. ᴱQ. karin “I do, make” dates back all the way to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/45), and appeared regularly in Tolkien’s writings thereafter. Tolkien frequently used car- in examples of conjugating basic verbs, so the inflections of car- are pretty representative of Tolkien’s evolving notations of the Quenya verb system.

The English verb “do” has many specialized functions, such as in the formation of questions like “do you want to go?”. Quenya car- does not share many of those functions. Quenya car- serves as a “generic action” verb, in some sense acting like verbal pronoun, which can be substituted for a more specific verb. For example, in phrases like A carnë ta yallë B (carnë) “A did that as / like B (did)” (PE17/74) or ecuva nin carë sa nöa “I may do that tomorrow” (VT49/20), the verb car- is a placeholder for the specific action done, in the same way that ta and sa is a pronominal placeholder for the action as a noun.

The English verb “do” often requires a generic object like “it”, but that is not the case for Quenya car-: consider English “don’t do it” [with object] vs. Quenya áva carë [without object] (WJ/371) or the Quenya phrase á carë ancárië “try harder” (PE17/94), more literally “*do [it] with more doing”. When car- has a specific direct object, it generally has the sense “make” or “build”, as in ma caruvalwë ohta “shall we make war” (PE22/161) or i carir quettar ómainen “those who form [make] words with voices” (WJ/391).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had ᴹQ. karin “I make, build” under the root ᴹ√KAR {“make, do” >>} “make, build, construct” (Ety/KAR), and in this period kar- was more often glossed “make” rather than “do”, such as in the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s. It could be that in the 1930s and 40s this verb was more limited in sense than it was earlier and later.

References ✧ NM/239; PE17/58, 68, 74, 94, 129, 132, 144; PE22/152, 154-155, 161-162, 167; VT39/20; VT41/13, 17; VT42/33-34; VT43/15, 26; VT49/16, 20, 34; WJ/371, 391

Variations

Related

Changes

Inflections

karil(y)a active-participle   ✧ PE22/152: aorist act[ive adj.]
karila active-participle “doing” ✧ PE22/155
care aorist “make” ✧ PE17/144
care aorist “*done” ✧ VT43/15
care aorist   ✧ VT49/16
cari- aorist “make” ✧ VT43/26: stem
kare aorist   ✧ PE17/94; PE17/132
kare aorist “to do” ✧ VT42/34
karimmo aorist 1st-dual-exclusive   ✧ PE17/132
karilmo aorist 1st-dual-inclusive   ✧ PE17/132
karilme aorist 1st-pl-exclusive   ✧ PE17/129: a merge of exclusive and inclusive forms [as part of Tolkien’s attempt to justify Frodo using -lmo in the first edition of The Lord of the Rings]
karimbe aorist 1st-pl-exclusive   ✧ PE17/132
karilme aorist 1st-pl-inclusive   ✧ PE17/132
karin aorist 1st-sg “I make” ✧ PE22/152: aor.
karin(ye) aorist 1st-sg   ✧ PE17/132
karillo aorist 2nd-dual   ✧ PE17/132
karistar aorist 2nd-dual-honorific   ✧ PE17/132
karille aorist 2nd-pl   ✧ PE17/132
kariltar aorist 2nd-pl-honorific   ✧ PE17/132
karitar aorist 2nd-sg-honorific   ✧ PE17/132
carilye aorist 2nd-sg-polite “you do” ✧ PE17/58
karil(ye) aorist 2nd-sg-polite   ✧ PE17/132
karisto aorist 3rd-dual   ✧ PE17/132
karinte aorist 3rd-pl   ✧ PE17/132
karis aorist 3rd-sg   ✧ PE17/129
karis aorist 3rd-sg “he is ... to do” ✧ PE22/162
karis(se) aorist 3rd-sg   ✧ PE17/132
karis- aorist 3rd-sg   ✧ PE17/129
karit aorist dual   ✧ PE17/132
karir aorist plural   ✧ PE17/132
karir aorist plural “form” ✧ WJ/391
carilta aorist plural with-pl-object   ✧ VT43/26
carires aorist plural with-sg-object   ✧ VT43/26
carita aorist with-pl-object   ✧ VT43/26
caris aorist with-sg-object; object-suffix-only   ✧ VT43/26
caruva future “shall make” ✧ PE17/144
karuvalwe future 1st-pl-inclusive “we [shall] make” ✧ PE22/161
caruvan(ye) future 1st-sg “I am going to do/shall do (it)” ✧ PE22/167
kăruvn(ye) future 1st-sg   ✧ PE22/152: fut.
karuvas future 3rd-sg   ✧ PE22/162
karuvaila future-participle   ✧ PE22/152; PE22/155
karuvala future-participle   ✧ PE22/155
kăruvalya future-participle   ✧ PE22/152
karie gerund   ✧ PE17/68: general infinitive
kărie gerund “doing” ✧ PE22/152
cara imperative “*done” ✧ VT43/15
care infinitive “do” ✧ VT49/34
kar-e infinitive “do, make” ✧ PE22/152
kare infinitive “(to) do” ✧ PE17/68: simplest aorist infinitive
kare infinitive   ✧ PE22/152
kare infinitive “doing” ✧ PE22/154
kare infinitive “do” ✧ VT49/20
kare infinitive “do [it]” ✧ WJ/371
añkárie intensive gerund   ✧ PE17/94
karita particular-infinitive “to do (in this case)” ✧ PE22/154
karita particular-infinitive “to do” ✧ VT41/17; VT42/33
karitalya(s) particular-infinitive 2nd-sg-polite-poss with-sg-object “your doing (it)” ✧ PE22/154; VT41/17; VT42/33
karitas particular-infinitive with-sg-object   ✧ PE22/154
karitas particular-infinitive with-sg-object “to do it” ✧ VT41/13
karitas particular-infinitive with-sg-object “to do so” ✧ VT41/13
karitas particular-infinitive with-sg-object “doing it” ✧ VT41/17
karitas particular-infinitive with-sg-object “doing this” ✧ VT42/34
carina passive-participle “*done” ✧ VT43/15
karina passive-participle   ✧ PE22/152: aor. passive adj.
carne past “did make” ✧ PE17/144
karne past “did” ✧ PE17/74
karne past   ✧ PE22/152
karnen past 1st-sg   ✧ PE22/152: past
kāren past 1st-sg   ✧ PE22/152
carnes past with-sg-object; object-suffix-only   ✧ NM/239
akárienye perfect 1st-sg   ✧ PE22/152: perf.
karnelya perfect-participle   ✧ PE22/152
kárielya perfect-participle   ✧ PE22/152
káriéla perfect-participle; prosodic-lengthening   ✧ PE22/152; PE22/155
kárienwa perfect-passive-participle   ✧ PE17/68: a past form [of the passive participle?]; rare; [it seems to be formed form the perfect (a)kárie]
kari-nwa perfective-participle   ✧ PE17/68: simple past passive participle
cára present “am making” ✧ PE17/144
káranye present 1st-sg   ✧ PE22/152: pres. cont

Element In

Cognates

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

karize- > karis- [karise] > [karize] > [karire] ✧ PE17/129
kar|ubā|ni > caruvan(ye) [karubāni] ? [karubān] > [karuβān] > [karuβan] > [karuvan] ✧ PE22/167

ᴹQ. kar- v. (basic-verb) “to do, make, build” (Category: to Do, Make)

References ✧ Ety/KAR; LR/47, 56, 72; PE17/14; PE22/97, 99-101, 103-112, 116, 118-119, 121-123, 127; SD/246, 310; VT43/15

Changes

Inflections

karia active-participle   ✧ PE22/100
karia active-participle “making” ✧ PE22/106
karia active-participle   ✧ PE22/109; PE22/116
karia active-participle   ✧ PE22/109
karia active-participle “active (in making)” ✧ PE22/110
kare aorist “do” ✧ PE22/106
kare aorist   ✧ PE22/109
kare aorist “make(s)” ✧ PE22/109
kare aorist “to make” ✧ PE22/127
kărĕ aorist   ✧ PE22/99
kărĭ- aorist “do” ✧ PE22/99
karin aorist 1st-sg “I make, build” ✧ Ety/KAR
karit aorist dual   ✧ PE22/99
karit aorist dual   ✧ PE22/109
karir aorist plural   ✧ PE22/99; PE22/109
karin aorist with-1st-sg-object “makes me” ✧ PE22/99
karin aorist with-1st-sg-object   ✧ PE22/109
karin aorist with-1st-sg-object   ✧ PE22/109
karilthi aorist with-pl-object “to make them” ✧ PE22/127
karis aorist with-sg-object   ✧ PE22/109
karis aorist with-sg-object “make it” ✧ PE22/127
karit aorist with-sg-object “make it” ✧ PE22/127
karite aorist with-sg-object “making it” ✧ PE22/119
karite aorist with-sg-object “make it” ✧ PE22/123
karalyane consuetudinal-past “I used to make” ✧ PE22/101
karalyane consuetudinal-past   ✧ PE22/109
karalyane consuetudinal-past   ✧ PE22/109
karuva future “shall/will/am going to make” ✧ PE22/105
karuva future   ✧ PE22/109
karuva future   ✧ PE22/109
karuvā- future “will make, (originally) is proceeding to/going to make” ✧ PE22/97
karuvar future plural   ✧ PE22/109
karuvan future with-1st-sg-object   ✧ PE22/109
karalyuva future-imperfect   ✧ PE22/109
karuvalya future-participle “about to make” ✧ PE22/109
karuvalya future-participle   ✧ PE22/109
karuvalya future-participle   ✧ PE22/109
karuvaina future-passive-participle “going to be made” ✧ PE22/109
karuvaina future-passive-participle   ✧ PE22/109
karuvanta future-passive-participle “going to be made” ✧ PE22/109
karuvanta future-passive-participle   ✧ PE22/109; PE22/109
akáriéva future-perfect; prosodic-lengthening “shall have made” ✧ PE22/105
karnéva future-perfect; prosodic-lengthening   ✧ PE22/105; PE22/109
karnēva future-perfect; prosodic-lengthening “shall have made” ✧ PE22/104
káriéva future-perfect; prosodic-lengthening   ✧ PE22/109
káriéva future-perfect; prosodic-lengthening “has finished” ✧ PE22/121
karie gerund “making” ✧ PE22/99; PE22/119
karie gerund   ✧ PE22/109
karie gerund   ✧ PE22/109
karie gerund “making (things)” ✧ PE22/119
kariemma gerund 1st-pl-inclusive-poss “our doing” ✧ PE17/14
karalya imperfect-participle “doing, making” ✧ PE22/107
karalya imperfect-participle   ✧ PE22/109
karalya imperfect-participle   ✧ PE22/109
karalya imperfect-participle “making” ✧ PE22/123
karaina imperfect-passive-participle   ✧ PE22/109
karanta imperfect-passive-participle “being made” ✧ PE22/108
karanta imperfect-passive-participle   ✧ PE22/109; PE22/109
káraina imperfect-passive-participle “being made” ✧ PE22/108
kare infinitive   ✧ PE22/99
kare infinitive “(to) make” ✧ PE22/109
karilthi infinitive plural with-remote-pl-object “to make them (other things)” ✧ PE22/118
karilte infinitive plural with-sg-object “to make it” ✧ PE22/118
karin infinitive with-1st-sg-object   ✧ PE22/99
karithe infinitive with-remote-sg-object “to do it” ✧ PE22/118
karite infinitive with-sg-object “to make it” ✧ PE22/118
akarnelye long-perfect   ✧ PE22/109
akarnelye long-perfect   ✧ PE22/109
akárielye long-perfect “I have been making” ✧ PE22/104
akărnelye long-perfect   ✧ PE22/104
karina passive-participle   ✧ PE22/109
karina passive-participle   ✧ PE22/109
karina passive-participle “made” ✧ PE22/111; VT43/15
karĭna passive-participle “made” ✧ PE22/107
karne past   ✧ Ety/KAR; PE22/109
karne past “made” ✧ PE22/103
karne past   ✧ PE22/109
káre past “made” ✧ LR/72; SD/246
kāre past “made” ✧ LR/47; SD/310
karner past plural   ✧ PE22/109
karnen past with-1st-sg-object   ✧ PE22/109
karnes past with-sg-object   ✧ PE22/121
karnet past with-sg-object   ✧ PE22/121
karnéte past with-sg-object; prosodic-lengthening “had made (lit. made) it” ✧ PE22/118
karuváne past-future; prosodic-lengthening “was going to make” ✧ PE22/105
karúvane past-future; prosodic-lengthening   ✧ PE22/105: later
karúvane past-future; prosodic-lengthening   ✧ PE22/109
karúvane past-future; prosodic-lengthening   ✧ PE22/109
(a)káriévane past-future-perfect; prosodic-lengthening “was going to have made” ✧ PE22/105
karnévane past-future-perfect; prosodic-lengthening   ✧ PE22/109
káriévane past-future-perfect; prosodic-lengthening   ✧ PE22/109
kárane past-imperfect “was making” ✧ PE22/101
kárane past-imperfect   ✧ PE22/109
kárane past-imperfect   ✧ PE22/109
káraner past-imperfect plural   ✧ PE22/109
akárie perfect   ✧ PE22/103; PE22/109
akárie perfect   ✧ PE22/109
kárie perfect “made” ✧ LR/56
kárie perfect; augmentless “finishes” ✧ PE22/121
kárielto perfect 3rd-pl; augmentless “they made” ✧ LR/72
kárier perfect plural; augmentless “they made” ✧ LR/72
ăkárier perfect plural   ✧ PE22/109
akárin perfect with-1st-sg-object   ✧ PE22/109
akárielya perfect-participle   ✧ PE22/108; PE22/108
akárielya perfect-participle “that is already built” ✧ PE22/108
akárielya perfect-participle   ✧ PE22/109
karnelya perfect-participle   ✧ PE22/108; PE22/109
karnelya perfect-participle “having built” ✧ PE22/108
karnelya perfect-participle “that had been (already) built” ✧ PE22/108
karnelya perfect-participle   ✧ PE22/109
kárielya perfect-participle   ✧ PE22/108
(a)kárienwa perfect-passive-participle   ✧ PE22/109
kárienwa perfect-passive-participle “having been made” ✧ PE22/109
kárienwa perfect-passive-participle   ✧ PE22/109
{a}kárienwa perfect-passive-participle   ✧ PE22/109
karinwa perfective-participle “made, finished, done, completed” ✧ PE22/106
karinwa perfective-participle   ✧ PE22/109
karinwa perfective-participle   ✧ PE22/109
karinwa perfective-participle “fully made, completed” ✧ PE22/112
karnelyane pluperfect “I was having made, I had made” ✧ PE22/104
karnelyane pluperfect “had made” ✧ PE22/108
karnelyane pluperfect   ✧ PE22/109
karnelyane pluperfect   ✧ PE22/109
kára present   ✧ PE22/109
kára present   ✧ PE22/109
kāra present “be doing” ✧ PE22/100
kára present infinitive “(to) be making” ✧ PE22/100
kára present plural “are ... making” ✧ PE22/127
kárar present plural   ✧ PE22/109
káralti present plural with-pl-object “are ... making them” ✧ PE22/127
káran present with-1st-sg-object   ✧ PE22/109
kárathe present with-remote-sg-object “is (then) making it” ✧ PE22/118
kára(za) present with-sg-object “doing it” ✧ PE22/122
káraza present with-sg-object “doing this” ✧ PE22/122

Element In

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

ᴹ√KAR > karin [karin] ✧ Ety/KAR
ᴹ√KAR > karne [karne] ✧ PE22/103

ᴱQ. kara- v. “to do, make” (Category: to Do, Make)

References ✧ PE14/58, 84; PE15/71; QL/45

Glosses

Variations

Inflections

karne past   ✧ PE14/58; PE15/71
karne past “did” ✧ PE14/84
káre past   ✧ QL/45
kārie past   ✧ PE15/71
kare present “make” ✧ PE14/58
kare present   ✧ PE15/71
karin present 1st-sg “I make, do” ✧ QL/45

Element In

Cognates

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

ᴱ✶kar > kare [kar-] ✧ PE14/58
ᴱ√KARA > karin [kar-] ✧ QL/45