How does Sumerian form grammatical words by adding prefixes, infixes, and suffixes?

Sumerian is an agglutinative language, meaning it expresses grammatical relationships by keeping the word root intact while attaching prefixes, infixes, and suffixes to it. This method allows the language to indicate various grammatical changes without altering the core root.1

In Sumerian, the distinction between nouns and verbs is not inherent to the root itself; rather, it is determined by syntax and the specific affixes applied to the word. For example, the root dug can function as both "speech" and "to speak" depending on these additions.1

The Sumerian verb is particularly complex, utilizing a rigid, concatenated order of elements:
* Modal elements
* Tempo elements
* Relational elements
* Causative elements
* Object elements
* Verbal root
* Subject elements
* Intransitive present-future elements1

In the preterite transitive active form, the sequence of object and subject elements is reversed. Nouns also utilize suffixes to indicate plural number (such as -ene or -me) and relational forms that function similarly to cases in other languages, such as the genitive -a(k) or the dative -ra.1