Dialogue: Are you working today?
Ilisapi:
Unnusa iqqanaijarniaqqit?ᐅᓐᓄᓴ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᕐᓂᐊᖅᑭᑦ? Are you working this afternoon?
Qajaq:
Aaggai, unnusa iqqanaijajjaanngittunga. ᐋᒡᒐᐃ, ᐅᓐᓄᓴ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᔾᔮᙱᑦᑐᖓ.No, I am not working this afternoon.
Ilisapi:
Ullaaq iqqanaijaqqauvit?ᐅᓪᓛᖅ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑲᐅᕕᑦ? Did you work this morning?
Qajaq:
Aagga ullaaq iqqanaijaqqaunngittunga.ᐋᒡᒐ ᐅᓪᓛᖅ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑲᐅᙱᑦᑐᖓ.No, I didn't work this morning.
Ilisapi:
Summat?ᓱᒻᒪᑦ? Why not?
Qajaq:
Ullaaq aanniavimmiiqqaugama. ᐅᓪᓛᖅ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᕕᒻᒦᖅᑲᐅᒐᒪ.I went to the hospital this morning.
Ilisapi:
Aanniagavit?ᐋᓐᓂᐊᒐᕕᑦ? Are you sick?
Qajaq:
ii, niaqunngujunga. Suli qauppat iqqanaijajjaalaanngittunga.ᐄ, ᓂᐊᖁᙳᔪᖓ. ᓱᓕ ᖃᐅᑉᐸᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᔾᔮᓛᙱᑦᑐᖓ. Yes, I have a headache. I won't be working tomorrow either.
Ilisapi:
Asu.ᐊᓱ. Oh, dear.
Vocabulary
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Gavamalirijikkut
ᒐᕙᒪᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ
Departrment of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs
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aaggaqai
ᐋᒡᒐᖃᐃ
probably not; I don't think so.
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aippiq
ᐊᐃᑉᐱᖅ
Tuesday
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ippassaani
ᐃᑉᐸᔅᓵᓂ
yesterday (the day before...)
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ippassaq
ᐃᑉᐸᔅᓴᖅ
yesterday
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iqqanaijaqtuq
ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑐᖅ
works (he/she...)
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naammattuq
ᓇᒻᒫᑦᑐᖅ
It's O.K.
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naattiinguja
ᓈᑦᑏᖑᔭ
Sunday
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naggajjau
ᓇᒡᒐᔾᔭᐅ
Monday
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nami?
ᓇᒥ?
where?
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pinasuarusiulaaqtumi
ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᐅᓛᖅᑐᒥ
next week
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pingatsiq
ᐱᖓᑦᓯᖅ
Wednesday
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qanga?
ᖃᖓ?
when? (past/future)
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qanuinngittuq
ᖃᓄᐃᙱᑦᑐᖅ
fine (he/she/it is...)
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qauppat
ᖃᐅᑉᐸᑦ
tomorrow
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siqiniq nipijuq
ᓯᕿᓂᖅ ᓂᐱᔪᖅ
sunset
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siqiniq nuijuq
ᓯᕿᓂᖅ ᓄᐃᔪᖅ
sunrise
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sitammiq
ᓯᑕᒻᒥᖅ
Thursday
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sivataarvik
ᓯᕙᑖᕐᕕᒃ
Saturday
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tallirmiq
ᑕᓪᓕᕐᒥᖅ
Friday
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ullaaq
ᐅᓪᓛᖅ
morning
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ullulimaaq
ᐅᓪᓗᓕᒫᖅ
all day
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ullumi
ᐅᓪᓗᒥ
today
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ulluq
ᐅᓪᓗᖅ
day
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ullutamaat
ᐅᓪᓗᑕᒫᑦ
every day
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ungaliagu
ᐅᖓᓕᐊᒍ
tomorrow (the day after...)
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unnuaq
ᐅᓐᓄᐊᖅ
night
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unnuk
ᐅᓐᓄᒃ
evening
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Grammar
future tense
Inuktitut has a number of ways of talking about events that will happen in the future.
One way is to insert the affix -niaq between the verb and the subject ending. -niaq- is used only for events that will happen later the same day.
| Suvit? | Suniaqpit? |
| What are you doing? | What will you be doing? |
| nirijunga |
niriniaqtunga |
| I am eating | I will be eating |
When -niaq- is added to a root that ends in q, the q changes to r.
| kaapituq + niaq + tunga = | kaapiturniaqtunga. |
| I will be drinking coffee. |
When -niaq- is added to a root ending in k, it changes the final k to n.
| malik + niaq + tuq = | malinniaqtuq |
| He is going to be here. |
When -niaq- is added to a root ending in t, it changes the final t to n.
| tavvaniit + niaq + tuq = | tavvaniinniaqtuq |
| He is going to be here. |
The double n above is not just a quirk of spelling. When you pronounce this word, you have to hold the n sound for twice as long as you would a single n.
In Iqaluit, -langa- is the affix that is most commonly used for an event in the immediate future. -langa- can be attached directly to a root that ends in a vowel. When attached to a root ending in a consonant, it deletes the final consonant:
| Ullumi aullalangajuq | He is leaving town today. |
-laaq- is another affix that is used to talk about the future. -laaq- is used for events that will be happening the next day or further into the future.
| Arvialianiaqtunga | Arvialialaaqtunga |
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I am going to Arviat (later that day) |
I will be going to Arviat (sometime in the future). |
| takuniaqpugut | takulaarivugut |
| See you soon | See you later/ See you then. |
| pinasuarusiulaaqtumi | next week |
If -laaq- is added to a stem that ends in a consonant, it deletes the last consonant.
| aullaq + laaq + tuq = | aullalaaqtuq. |
| He will leave town. |