Dialogue: What is your name?
Vocabulary
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ullaakkut
ᐅᓪᓛᒃᑯᑦ
Good Morning (greeting)
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ullukkut
ᐅᓪᓗᒃᑯᑦ
Good Day (greeting)
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unnusakkut
ᐅᓐᓄᓴᒃᑯᑦ
Good Afternoon (greeting)
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unnukkut
ᐅᓐᓄᒃᑯᑦ
Good Evening (greeting)
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uvanga
ᐅᕙᖓ
I; me
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uvaguk
ᐅᕙᒍᒃ
we; us (2)
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uvagut
ᐅᕙᒍᑦ
we; us (3+)
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ivvit
ᐃᕝᕕᑦ
you (1)
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ivvilli?
ᐃᕝᕕᓪᓕ?
What about you (1)?
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ilitsili?
ᐃᓕᑦᓯᓕ?
What about you (3+) ?
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ilitsik
ᐃᓕᑦᓯᒃ
you (2)
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ilitsilli?
ᐃᓕᑦᓯᓪᓕ?
What about you (2) ?
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ilitsi
ᐃᓕᑦᓯ
you (3+)
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uirngaqtuq
ᐅᐃᕐᖓᖅᑐᖅ
sleepy (he/she is...)
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uirngaqqit?
ᐅᐃᕐᖓᖅᑭᑦ?
sleepy (Are you...?)
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quviasuppit?
ᖁᕕᐊᓱᑉᐱᑦ?
happy (Are you ...?)
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quviasuktunga
ᖁᕕᐊᓱᒃᑐᖓ
happy (I am...)
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uqquuviit?
ᐅᖅᑰᕖᑦ?
hot (Are you...?)
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uqquujunga
ᐅᖅᑰᔪᖓ
hot (I am...)
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qiuvit?
ᕿᐅᕖᑦ?
cold (Are you ...?)
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qanuippit?
ᖃᓄᐃᑉᐱᑦ?
How are you?
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qanuippisik?
ᖃᓄᐃᑉᐱᓯᒃ?
How are you (2) ?
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qanuippisi?
ᖃᓄᐃᑉᐱᓯ?
How are you (3+)?
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qanuingi
ᖃᓄᐃᖏ
fine
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qanuinngittuguk
ᖃᓄᐃᙱᑦᑐᒍᒃ
We (2) are fine.
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qanuinngittugut
ᖃᓄᐃᙱᑦᑐᒍᑦ
We (3+) are fine.
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tukisivit?
ᑐᑭᓯᕕᑦ?
understand (Do you...?)
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tukisijunga
ᑐᑭᓯᔪᖓ
understand (I...)
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tukisinngittunga
ᑐᑭᓯᙱᑦᑐᖓ
understand (I don't...)
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Grammar
5 » Asking Questions
nirivit? | Are you eating? |
niriva? | Is he / she eating? |
Question endings have different forms depending on the sound that comes before them. After a root or affix that ends in a vowel, the question endings look like this:
tukisi- | to understand |
tukisivunga? | Do I understand? |
tukisivit? | Do you understand? |
tukisiva? | Does he/she understand? |
tukisivinuk? | Do we (2) understand? |
tukisivita? | Do we (3+) understand? |
tukisivisik? | Do you (2) understand? |
tukisivisi? | Do you (3+) understand? |
tukisivak? | Do they (2) understand? |
tukisivat? | Do they (3+) understand? |
isiq- | to come in |
isiqqunga? | Am I coming in? |
isiqqit? | Are you coming in? |
isiqqa? | Is he / she coming in? |
isiqqinuk? | Are we (2) coming in? |
isiqqita? | Are we (3+) coming in? |
isiqqisik? | Are you two coming in? |
isiqqisi? | Are you (3+) coming in? |
isiqqak? | Are the two of them coming in? |
isiqqat? | Are they (3+) coming in? |
- replace the final consonant of the verb with a p
- use the same endings above, replacing the v with a p.
As an example, let's use the verb root sinit-meaning to sleep:
sinippunga? | Am I sleeping? |
sinippit? | Are you sleeping? |
sinippa? | Is he/she sleeping? |
sinippinuk? | Are the two of us sleeping? |
sinippita? | Are we (3+) sleeping? |
sinippisik? | Are you two sleeping? |
sinippisi? | Are you (3+) sleeping? |
sinippak? | Are the two of them sleeping? |
sinippat? | Are they (3+) sleeping? |
6 » Personal Pronouns
In English, a verb must always be accompanied by a word to indicate who is doing the action:
I eat. | She sleeps. | They depart. |
The highlighted words above are called personal pronouns.
Inuktut has personal pronouns although they aren't used as much as in English for reasons that will be explained below.
We'll start with the simplest personal pronouns:
uvanga | I |
uvaguk | we; us (2) |
uvagut | we; us (3+) |
ivvit | you (1) |
ilitsik | you (2) |
ilitsi | you (3+) |
una | this person |
It is important to remember that Inuktut verbs always indicate who is doing the action through the verb ending:
nirijunga | I eat. |
sinittuq | She sleeps. |
aullaqtut | They depart. |
Because the verb ending already tells us who is doing an action, personal pronouns are redundant and aren’t normally used. Where personal pronouns are used is when :
- you are talking about a person or an object without a verb
- you are adding emphasis:
Qanuinngittunga. ivvilli? | I am fine, what about you? |
uvanga? | (who) me? |
uvangalu qanuinngimmijunga. | I (too) am fine. |
Notice above the use of two little endings : -li and –lu that can be tacked on to the end of the pronouns.
-li is used in conversation when you want to change the person or object you are talking about :
ivvit + li = ivvilli? | What about you (1)? |
uvanga + li = uvangali? | What about me? |
uva + li = unali? * | What about him / her? |
* This last pronoun can only be used when the person you are referring to is very close by.
-lu is an ending meaning « and » or « too »:
uirngaqtunga | I am sleepy. |
uvangalu | Me, too. |
When –li and –lu are added to personal pronouns ending in a consonant, they change the final consonants to l:
ilitsik + li = ilitsilli | What about you two? |
ivvit + lu = ivvillu | You (1), as well. |