Dialogue: Shorter and Taller
Vocabulary
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mikijuq
ᒥᑭᔪᖅ
small (it is...)
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angijuq
ᐊᖏᔪᖅ
big (it is...)
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takijuq
ᑕᑭᔪᖅ
tall
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takiniqsaq
ᑕᑭᓂᖅᓴᖅ
taller
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naittuq
ᓇᐃᑦᑐᖅ
short
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nainniqsaq
ᓇᐃᓐᓂᖅᓴᖅ
shorter
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shorter (it's...)
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takiniqsaujuq
ᑕᑭᓂᖅᓴᐅᔪᖅ
taller (he/she/it is...)
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silittuq
ᓯᓕᑦᑐᖅ
wide (it is...)
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amittuq
ᐊᒥᑦᑐᖅ
narrow (it is...)
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ijjujuq
ᐃᔾᔪᔪᖅ
thick (it is...)
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saattuq
ᓵᑦᑐᖅ
thin (it is...)
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sangungajuq
ᓴᖑᖓᔪᖅ
crooked; it is not straight
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tukiliattuq
ᑐᑭᓕᐊᑦᑐᖅ
straight (it is...)
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puqtujuq
ᐳᖅᑐᔪᖅ
high (it is...)
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pukkittuq
ᐳᒃᑭᑦᑐᖅ
low (it is...)
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ikkattuq
ᐃᒃᑲᑦᑐᖅ
shallow (it is...)
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itijuq
ᐃᑎᔪᖅ
deep (it is...)
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taaqtuq
ᑖᖅᑐᖅ
dark (it is...)
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piujuq
ᐱᐅᔪᖅ
good (it is...)
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uqumaittuq
ᐅᖁᒪᐃᑦᑐᖅ
heavy (it is...)
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uqittuq
ᐅᕿᑦᑐᖅ
light (it is not heavy)
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Grammar
38 » Describing People & Things
| takijuq | (someone/something) tall; he/she/it is tall |
| uqumaittuq | (something) heavy; it is heavy |
| akitujuq | (something) expensive; it is expensive |
| naittuq | (someone/something) short; he/she/it is short |
| piujuq | (something) good; it is good |
At first glance, these words behave like verbs. We can change the ending to dual or plural and get:
| takijuuk | They (2) are tall. |
| takijut | They (3+) are tall. |
| uqumaittuuk | They (2) are heavy. |
| uqumaittut | They (3+) are heavy. |
These descriptive words must reflect the number of the word that they describe:
| Qaritaujaq akitujuq. | The computer is expensive. |
| Qaritaujaak akitujuuk. | The two computers are expensive. |
| Qaraitujait akitujut. | The computers (3+) are expensive. |
in other ways these descriptive words behave like nouns. You can, for example add noun endings to the words above:
| piujumik | a good one |
| angijumi | in the deep one |
| naittumut | to the short one |
When these words describe a person or thing ending in -mik, they also have to take -mik:
| ujaraq uqumaittuq | The rock is heavy. |
| ujaramik uqumaittumik | a heavy rock |
When we use descriptive words to talk about you or me, we also have to add the verb affix -u- which is only used after noun roots:
| takijuq + u + jutit = | |
| takijuujutit | You are tall. |
| naittuq + u + junga = | |
| naittuujunga | I am short. |
39 » Comparing People and Things
Qualities and characteristics of people and things can be compared by using the roots of the describing words followed by the endings -niqsaq- (it is more... than) or -laaq- (it is the most...):
| takijuq | It is tall; the tall one |
| takiniqsaq | It is taller; the taller one |
| takilaaq | the tallest one |
| angijuq | It is big; the big one |
| anginiqsaq | It is bigger; the bigger one |
| angilaaq | the biggest one |
| naittuq | It is short; the short one |
| nainniqsaq | It is shorter; the shorter one |
| nailaaq | the shortest one |
| taki + niqsaq + u + va? | |
| takiniqsauva? | Is he/she/it taller? |
| taki + laaq + ngu + jutit = | |
| takilaangujutit | You are the tallest. |
| Ilisapimit takiniqsaujunga. | I am taller than Ilisapi. |
| Amaruq qimmirmit anginiqsaq. | The wolf is bigger than the dog. |
| uvanga | me |
| uvamnit | than me |
| Uvamnit takiniqsaujutit. | You are taller than me. |
| igvit | you |
| ilingnit | than you |
| Kinali ilingnit takiniqsauva? | And who is taller than you? |
| ilipsik | you (2) |
| ilipsingnit | than the two of you |
| Ilipsingnit nainniqsaujunga. | I am shorter than the two of you. |
| ilipsi | you (3+) |
| ilipsinnit | than you (3+) |
40 » Simultaneous Actions
Inuktut has a set of verb endings to join an event with another event happening at the same time.
| Pisulauqtunga niriblunga. | I walked as I ate. |
| Uqalimaaqłuni sinililauqtuq | While he was reading, he fell asleep. |
Here is a complete list of these verb endings:
| niriblunga | while I was eating... |
| niriblutit | while you were eating ... |
| niribluni | while he was eating ... |
| niriblunuk | while we (2) were eating ... |
| niribluta | while we (3+) were eating ... |
| niriblutik | while you (2) were eating... |
| niriblusi | while you (3+) were eating ... |
| niriblutik | while they (2) were eating ... |
| niriblutik | while they (3+) were eating ... |
The affixes above are used with verbs that end in a vowel. When working with a verb that ends in a consonant, the beginning of the affix changes from bl to ł:
| uqaq- | to speak |
| uqaqłunga | while I was speaking ... |
| uqaqłutit | while you were speaking ... |
| uqaqłuni | while he was speaking ... |
| uqaqłunuk | while we (2) were speaking ... |
| uqaqłuta | while we (3+) were speaking ... |
| uqaqłutik | whie you (2) were speaking |
| uqaqłusi | while you (3+) were speaking ... |
| uqaqłutik | While they (2) were speaking ... |
| uqaqłutik | While they (3+) were speaking ... |
Important: All of the above endings are used when the two actions that appear in a sentence are performed by the same person.
| Pisukłuni tikiqqaujuq | He arrived walking. |
| Aniblunga paallaqqaujunga | As I was going out, I fell down. |
If we want to describe two actions happening at the same time that were performed by different people we add ti- before the ending:
| Uqaalatillutit siniliqqaujut | While you were speaking, they fell asleep. |
| Aullaqsimatilluta sulauqpit? | When we were away, what did you do? |
In both of the above sentences, the two verbs are being performed by different people.
The -ti- ending can be directly added to a root ending in a verb or a consonant without affecting the spelling.
There is one form of this verb ending that is irregular.
| -bluni becomes -tillugu | |
| Niritillugu miqsulauqtuq. | While he ate she sewed. |
Here is a complete set of the endings beginning with ti-
| aullaqsimatillunga | while I was away...(you/he/she/they)... |
| aullaqsimatillutit | while you were eating ...(I/he/she/they)... |
| aullaqsimatillugu | while he was eating ...(I/you/we/they)... |
| aullaqsimatillunuk | while we (2) were eating ...(you/he/she/they)... |
| aullaqsimatilluta | while we (3+) were eating ...(you/he/she/they)... |
| aullaqsimatillutik | while you (2) were eating...(I/he/she/they)... |
| aullaqsimatillusi | while you (3+) were eating ...(I/he/she/they)... |
| aullaqsimatillutik | while they (2) were eating ...(I/you/he/she)... |
| aullaqsimatillutik | while they (3+) were eating ...(I/you/he/she)... |