-ân suf. “agental suffix”
Used to make either nouns from verbs, or participles.
If one is making a participle out of a biconsonantal verb, please do not, the biconsonantal verb should not even have a participle version possible without subtly shifting the semantic meaning [1].
Triconsonantal Verbs: Making Participles
Leave the verb in full form, then add the suffix.
Example(s):
zabath (“to humble) à zabathân (“humbled, the humbled one”).
Bi/Triconsonantal Verbs: Making Nouns
Syncope the verb, then add the suffix.
If it is a biconsonantal verb, just add the suffix.
Examples(s):
phazag (“to rule, to conquer”) à phazgân (“ruler”).
saphad (“to understand”) à sapthân (“wise man, wizard”).
mag (“to build”) à magân (“wright, builder”).
bat (“to walk”) à batân (“road, path, way”).
Derived Verbs
When using the agental suffix on derived verbs, the noun created must have the original verb action come from it, not done to it (no participles allowed in summary).
The -â from both the agental suffix and the derived verb simply combine to form just one -â-.
Examples(s):
azgarâ (“to (wage) war”) à azgarân (“the warring one, the person who wages war”).
ugrudâ (“to overshadow”) à ugrudân (“the overshadowing one, the person who overshadows”).
[1]. There are one or two verbs coined by Tolkien himself that have a participle form (most notably zîr à zîrân). They are the exception, not the norm.
Also, zîrân does not necessarily break the rule, since in Adûnaic, you do not necessarily use lover by itself without it being in a verbal compound, such as Nimruzîr (“elf lover”). Where one does not use the agental suffix anyway.