VPsbl: Possibility is expressed through the use of an independent word that appears (indirectly or directly) after the verb.
PsblV: Possibility is expressed through the use of an independent word that appears (indirectly or directly) before the verb.
(1a) wera ūś-ti xɔ̄šǝ-l.
Vera swim-inf is_able_to-prs.3sg
‘Vera is able to swim.’ (S. O.)
(1b) wera ūś-ti wērǝt-ǝl.
Vera swim-inf can-prs.3sg
‘Vera can swim.’ (S. O.)
(2) wera-jen ūś-ti śir taj-ǝl.
Vera-2sg swim-prs.ptc way possess-prs.3sg
‘Vera can/may swim.’ (S. O.)
(3) tam lɔ̄r-n ūś-ti rāx-l.
this marsh_lake-loc swim-inf allowed-prs.3sg
‘It is allowed/possible to swim in this lake.’(S. O.)
(4) woj wēl-ti jɔ̄x ār lāŋki wēl-ti wērǝt-l-ǝt.
animal kill-prs.ptc people many squirrel kill-inf can-prs-3pl
In Synja Khanty, the following verbs are used to express situational possibility: wērǝt- ‘can’ (1), xɔ̄š- ’can, able’ (2) and the rāx- ‘may, allowed’ (3). All three modal verbs follow the infinitive of the main verb. Similarly, if the taj- ‘possess’ verb takes the noun śir ‘ability’ and its participle adjunct as its object, the construction expresses situational possibility (S. O., F. L.).‘The hunters can kill many squirrels.’ (S. O.)