Modality

Modal verbs are used to discuss possible situations ("possible worlds") and make various kinds of conditional statements.

Toaq's modal verbs are based on the following grid:

	Indicative	Subjunctive
Necessity	she	ao
Possibility	daı	ea

Each modality type (necessity vs possibility) comes in two forms: indicative and subjunctive.

The general place structure pattern of modal verbs is as follows:

Pattern: monadic → ___ is [modal]-ly the case.

Pattern: dyadic → ___ is [modal]-ly the case in world(s) where ___ is the case.

Thanks to their place structure, Toaq’s modals can be used to express bare (unrestricted) modal claims and subjunctives by using the monadic meaning, or to express a (restricted) conditional statement by using the dyadic meaning via a prepositional construction ( tone).

Indicative

With indicative predicates we make claims about the actual (current) world. We increment our stock of knowledge hypothetically with the antecedent and then evaluate on that basis the consequent.

Necessity:

	Shè	tî	jí	mí	Pảrı	bı	tỉ	jí	Fáraqsegua.
	□ind	that-at	I	the-named	Paris	TOP	at	I	the-France
	“If I’m in Paris, then I am in France.”

Possibility:

	Dàı	tî	súq ru jí	ní	dỏaq	bı	chẻo	gẻq	múy.
	◇ind	that-at	you and I	the-this	city	TOP	reciprocal	meet	we(1+2)
	“If you and I are both in this city, we can meet.”

Subjunctive

The subjunctive verbs are counterfactual, i.e., the antecedent is contrary to the facts of the current world. They make claims about alternative universes, ones in which the antecedent holds.

Necessity:

	Ào	tî	nháo	ní	bı	hỉaı	nháo.
	□subj	that-at	they	this	TOP	laugh	they
	“If they were here, they would laugh.” (but they are not here)

Possibility:

	Èa	tî	súq	ní	bı	sỏa	súq	jí.
	◇subj	that-at	you	this	TOP	help	you	I
	“If you were here, you could help me.” (but you are not here)

Every modal verb can also be used without the restrictor phrase. Usually, this will mean using it as the head of the verbal complex. An unrestricted ao corresponds to a bare "if"-less would-sentence in English, for example:

	Ảo	pủa	súq.
	□subj	enjoy	you
	“You would have a good time.” (but you are doing something else)