Page:A Concise Grammar of the Malagasy Language.djvu/28

 act" is most in your thoughts, choose the passive voice. The Malagasy usually prefer the passive voice.

Rule for the use of the passive voice of verbs which govern two accusatives:—Either accusative may be made the nominative of a passive verb.

N.B.—When two passives exist from the same root (viz. in a- and -ina) take care to choose the right one.

The relative voice is one which is peculiar to the Malagasy language; and, although somewhat puzzling at first, its use is very convenient. It is a blending of the two other voices, both in form and in construction; and expresses some relationship between the agent of a verb and the object.

Rule for forming the relative voice (from the active voice):—1. Omit the m of the active prefix. 2. Affix -ana, or -ena, for the indicative mood; and -o, or -y, for the imperative mood; then treat the word (as regards changes) as if it were a passive in -ana. The government still remains that of the active verb, but the agent is expressed by the suffix pronoun, as if the verb were really passive.

Some relative verbs are also used for the passive voice, and their meaning must be found from the context. Also, what has been said of the twofold meaning of active verbs in maha- is equally true of relative verbs formed from them.