Present tense: actions that are ongoing in the present moment.
Present tense is constructed by adding appropriate prefixes to the present tense verb stem. The verb stem is the verb root plus the tense suffix along (either -a or -i for present tense) with changes to the root caused by sound juxtapositions.
To find the present tense stem, remove the prefixes from the "Verb 1st present" entry. Unless there are other pre-pronominal prefixes required for this verb (like w(i)-, d(a)-, or n(i)-), those prefixes are either:

For "set A" verbs: g- (before stems beginning in a vowel), ji- (before stems beginning in a consonant), or jiya- (when there is an animate object receiving the action of the verb).

For "set B" verbs: agw- (before stems beginning in a vowel) or agi- (before stems beginning in a consonant).

Jiy- or jiya- (when there is an animate object (like a person) receiving the action of the verb).
Thus, the basic present tense is:
*pronominal prefixes + verb root (along with sound changes) + present tense suffix (a or i)
(*plus any obligatory pre-pronominal prefixes required for this specific verb, like w(i)-, d(a)-, or n(i)-).
Additional prefixes and suffixes can be added to modify the meaning of most verbs. Explanations of these can be found in the following resources:
Feeling, Durbin. 1975. Cherokee-English dictionary. ed. by William Pulte. Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
Montgomery-Anderson, Brad. 2015. Cherokee Reference Grammar. University of Oklahoma Press.

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