2 Qanuritpit?

Dialogue: What is your name?

Uqittuq:
Ublukkut.ᐅᑉᓗᒃᑯᑦ. Good afternoon.
Jaimisi:
Ublukkut. ᐅᑉᓗᒃᑯᑦ. Good afternoon
Uqittuq:
Kinauvit?ᑭᓇᐅᕕᑦ?What's your name?
Jaimisi:
Uvanga?ᐅᕙᖓ?(who) me?
Uqittuq:
hii, ilvit.ᕼᐄ, ᐃᓪᕕᑦ. Yes you.
Jaimisi:
Jaimisiujunga.ᔭᐃᒥᓯᐅᔪᖓ. My name is Jaimisi.
Uqittuq:
Unali kinauva?  ᐅᓇᓕ ᑭᓇᐅᕙ?I see. And who is this?
Jaimisi:
Una Jaani.ᐅᓇ ᓄᓗᖐᖅ. This is Jaani.
Uqittuq:
Tunngahugittik.ᑐᙵᓱᒋᑦᑎᒃ. Welcome (to the two of you).
Jaimisi:
Tunngahukpuguk.ᑐᙵᓱᒃᐳᒍᒃ. Response to "tunngahugittik" (literally, 'We feel welcome.')

Vocabulary
qanuritpit?
How are you?
qanuritpitik?
How are you (2) ?
qanuritpihi?
How are you (3+)?
naammaktunga
fine (I am...)
naammaktuguk
We (2) are fine.
naammaktugut
We (3+) are fine.
uvanga
I; me
ilvit
you (1)
ilvilli?
What about you (1)?
quviahukpit?
happy (Are you ...?)
quviahuktunga
happy (I am...)
quviahuktuq
happy (he/she is...)
uinngaqqit?
sleepy (Are you...?)
uinngaqtunga
sleepy (I am...)
uinngaqtuq
sleepy (he/she is...)
uunnakpit?
hot (Are you...?)
uunnaktunga
hot (I am...)
qaajuqqit?
cold (Are you ...?)
kangiqhivit?
understand (Do you...?)
kangiqhijunga
understand (I...)

Grammar

5 » Asking Questions

Inuktitut has a series of affixes that are used just for asking questions. To ask a question, we add one of these affixes to the end of a verb. The affix that is used changes depending on who the subject of the verb is. 

nirivit? Are you eating?
niriva? Is he eating?

 

The following affixes are used with roots that end in vowels:

kangiqhi- to understand
kangiqhivunga? Do I understand?
kangiqhivit? Do you understand?
kangiqhiva? Does he/she understand?
kangiqhivinuk? Do we (2) understand?
kangiqhivita? Do we (3+) understand?
kangiqhivitik? Do you (2) understand?
kangiqhivihi? Do you (3+) understand?
kangiqhivak? Do they (2) understand?
kangiqhivat? Do they (3+) understand?

If you want to add these affixes to a root ending in a q you use the same endings as above, replacing the v with a q .

taiguaq- to understand
taiguaqqunga? Am I reading?
taiguaqqit? Are you reading?
taiguaqqa? Is he reading?
taiguaqqinuk? Are we (2) reading?
taiguaqqita? Are we (3+) reading?
taiguaqqitik? Are you (2) reading?
taiguaqqihi? Are you (3+) reading?
taiguaqqak? Are they (2) reading?
taiguaqqat? Are they (3+) reading?

 

If you want to add these affixes to a root ending in a -k or -t, you use the same endings as above, replacing the v with a p.
hinik- to sleep
hinikpunga? Am I sleeping?
hinikpit? Are you sleeping?
hinikpa? Is he/she sleeping?
hinikpinuk? Are the two of us sleeping?
hinikpita? Are we (three or more) sleeping?
hinikpitik ? Are you two sleeping?
hinikpihi? Are you (three or more) sleeping?
hinikpak? Are the two of them sleeping?
hinikpat? Are they (three or more) sleeping?
Speakers of Nunavut's western dialects (including Inuinnaqtun) insert the affix -niaq- after many verbs when asking questions about events that are happening right now:
ani- to go out
aniniaqpit? Are you going out (right now)?
aniniaqpa? Is he going out (right now)?

 

6 » 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 pronouns.

Inuktut has pronouns although they aren't used as much as in English for reasons that will be explained below.

We'll start with the simplest pronouns:

uvanga I
uvaguk we; us (2) 
uvagut we; us (3+)
ilvit you (1 person) 
iliptik you (2)
iliffi you (3+)
una this person here

 

Remember that Inuinnaqtun verbs always indicate through the verb ending who is doing the action so pronouns are often not needed :

nirijunga I eat. 
siniktuq She sleeps.
aullaqtut They depart. 

Where pronouns are used is when :

  • you are talking about a person or an object without a verb
  • you are adding emphasis:
Qanurinngittunga.  ilvilli? I am fine, what about you?
uvanga? (who) me?
uvangalu qanurinnginmijunga. I (too) am fine.

 

Notice above the use of two little affixes : -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 :

ilvit + li = ilvilli? What about you?
una + li = unali? What about him?

 

-lu is an affix meaning « and » or « too ».  It is added to a pronoun when you want to re-state something that has already been said.

uirngaqtunga I am sleepy.
uvangalu Me, too.

 

When –li and –lu are added to pronouns ending in a t, they change the final t to l :

ilvit + li = ilvilli? What about you?
ilvit + lu = ilvillu  you, too.

When these affixes are added to personal pronouns ending in k, the final k softens to g:

iliptik + li = iliptigli?  What about you (2)?
uvaguk + lu = uvaguglu  and us (2).