In English, when we want to give a reason for something, we add a clause to a sentence that usually begins with the word “because”:
We are leaving because we are tired.
In Inuktut the clause that is underlined above is usually represented in one word. This word has a special ending that lets us know who we are talking about:
| anijjaanngittunga niaqunngugama |
| I am not going out because I have a headache. |
Here is a list of these endings:
| singular verb endings | |
| niaqunngugama | because I have a headache |
| niaqunngugavit | because you (1) have a headache |
| niaqunngugami /niaqunngummat * | because he / she has a headache |
| dual verb endings | |
| niaqunngugannuk | because we (2) have headaches |
| niaqunngugatsik | because you (2) have headaches |
| niaqunngugamik /niaqunngummatik* | because they (2) have headaches |
| plural verb endings | |
| niaqunngugatta | because we (3+) have headaches |
| niaqunngugatsi | because you (3+) have headaches |
| niaqunngugamik /niaqunngummata* | because they (3+) have headaches |
* Notice in the third person (he/she/it/they) that there are two options:
The endings -gami and -gamik can only be used if the two verbs in the sentence involve the same person:
| Piita aullalaunngittuq qanimagami. |
| Peter didn’t travel because he (Peter) is sick. |
If thre is a change in who you are speaking about in the sentence, the endings -mmat, -mmatik and -mmata must be used:
| Piita aullalaunngittuq qiturnganga qanimammat. |
| Peter didn’t travel because his child is sick. |
All of the above endings can also be used to express the idea in English of 'when something happened...’ (in the past):
| Tikiqqaummata niriqqaujugut. | When they arrived, we ate. |
| Aullalauratta sinilauqtut. | When we depated, they were sleeping. |
- Working with the endings above, the first letter of the endings that begin in g- changes to k-
- The endings above that begin with m- do not change. They delete the final -k of the stem:
| nuvak- | to have a cold |
| nuvakkama | because / when I have a cold |
| nuvakkavit | because / when you (1) have a cold |
| nuvakkami / nuvammat | because / when he / she has a cold |
| nuvakkannuk | because / when we (2) have colds |
| nuvakkatsik | because / when you (2) have colds |
| nuvakkamik / nuvammatik | because / when they (2) have colds |
| nuvakkatta | because / when we (3+) have colds |
| nuvakkatsi | because / when you (3+) have colds |
| nuvakkamik / nuvammata | because / when they (3+) have colds |
Adding these verb endings to stems ending in -t :
- The last letter of the root and the first letter of the affix both change to n-.
- The endings that begin in m- are unchanged. They delete the final -t of the root :
| tikit- | to arrive |
| tikikkama | because / when I arrived |
| tikikkavit | because / when you (1) arrived |
| tikikkami / tikimmat | because / when he / she arrived |
| tikikkannuk | because / when we (2) arrived |
| tikikkatsik | because / when you (2) arrived |
| tikikkatik / tikimmatik | because they (2) arrived |
| tikikkatta | because we (3+) arrived |
| tikikkatsi | because / when you (3+) arrived |
| tikikkamik / tikimmata | because they (3+) arrived |
Adding these verb endings to roots ending in -q :
The last consonant of the stem is deleted and the affix begins with r:| nuvak + lauq- | to have had a cold |
| nuvalaurama | because / when I had a cold |
| nuvalauravit | because / when you (1) had a cold |
| nuvalaurami / nuvalaurmat | because / when he/she had a cold |
| nuvalaurannuk | because / when we (2) had colds |
| nuvalauratsik | because / when you (2) had colds |
| nuvalauramik / nuvalaurmatik | because / when you (2) had colds |
| nuvalauratta | because we (3+) had colds |
| nuvalauratsi | because / when they (3+) had colds |
| nuvalauramik / nuvalaurmata | because / when they (3+) had colds |