Dairwueh: Phrasal Irrealis Verbs

Actions such as look for, hunt, propose (marriage), ask for permission, and even plan have no roots directly corresponding to them. These, all of which have a clear corresponding 'perfective' verb root in Dairwueh - bargət find, sgaran kill game, riksəl marry, srusnam be given permission, sŋalək carry out - are generally expressed as an irrealis with one of the adverbs 'kudku' (present), 'kudku hve' (past), 'kudku həy' (future), replacing kudku with 'kudkunš' negates the adverbial complex, but also calls for a negative main verb. The tense marking moves to the main verb in the negative, however:

vnu kudku hve riksiŋ - he proposed to her. He would marry her (if the proposal goes through).

vnu riksiŋ - he married her 

te kudkunš bargeyš - I did not look for it/I was not going to find it

te bargeyš - I did not find it

Even when there is a clear atelic lexeme, such as 'ratmək' ('build'), it is not uncommon to use this construction with a more telic verb instead, and sometimes even a somewhat distant one as far as meaning goes - for instance 'hargiyn' ('settle, move in')

bare ratmas
house:acc build-Isg - I build a house

bare kudku hargiyas
house:acc ADVB settle-1sg - I would/will settle a house (the one that incidentally is being built)

tsernu vidko
food.acc cook.3sgFem - she cooks food

tsernu kudku sperit kagino
food.acc ADVB front-FEM.PL.DAT cook.3sgFem - she would/will place forth (~serve) food

Thus, kudku reduces the irrealisness significantly, and rather creates an aspectual/temporal distinction, where the fulfillment of the verb is in the future of the time referred to.