Dialogue: Red pen, blue pen
Vocabulary
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naasaut
ᓈᓴᐅᑦ
number
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qassinik
ᖃᔅᓯᓂᒃ
how many?
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atausiq
ᐊᑕᐅᓯᖅ
one
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marruuk
ᒪᕐᕉᒃ
two
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pingasut
ᐱᖓᓱᑦ
three
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tisamat
ᑎᓴᒪᑦ
four
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tallimat
ᑕᓪᓕᒪᑦ
five
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amiat
ᐊᒥᐊᑦ
colours
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Una qanuittuuva?
ᐅᓇ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑑᕙ?
What colour is this?
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qirniqtuq
ᕿᕐᓂᖅᑐᖅ
black
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tungujuqtuq
ᑐᖑᔪᖅᑐᖅ
blue
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kajuq
ᑲᔪᖅ
brown
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tungujurujuktuq
ᑐᖑᔪᕈᔪᒃᑐᖅ
green
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siarnaq
ᓯᐊᕐᓇᖅ
grey
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aupajuktuq
ᐊᐅᐸᔪᒃᑐᖅ
pink
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tunngutuuqtuq
ᑐᙳᑑᖅᑐᖅ
purple
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aupaqtuq
ᐊᐅᐸᖅᑐᖅ
red
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white
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quqsuqtuq
ᖁᖅᓱᖅᑐᖅ
yellow
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pualuuk
ᐳᐊᓘᒃ
mittens (a pair of)
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nasaq
ᓇᓴᖅ
hat
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nunakkuurut
ᓄᓇᒃᑰᕈᑦ
car
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uqalimaagaq
ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᖅ
book
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Grammar
18 » The Ending -mik / -nnik / -nik
The noun ending -mik (dual: -ngnik; plural: -nik) is used very frequently in Inuktut and requires a detailed explanation. Consider the following two sentences in English:
| Una qarasaujaralaaq. | This is a laptop. |
| Qarasaujaralaarmik niuviqtuq. | She is buying a laptop. |
In the first sentence, we are talking about a specific laptop that is right in front of the person who is speaking. In the second sentence, the speaker refers to the laptop very generally. The exact laptop that was purchased is irrelevant to the conversation.
In Inuktut, when we are speaking very generally about a person or a thing, we attach the affix -mik to the person or thing.
| iglumik takujuq. | She sees a house. |
The ending -mik often (but not always) changes the consonant sound that comes before it:
| qarasaujaq | computer |
| qarasaujarmik | a computer |
| inuk | person |
| inungmik | a person; an individual |
The dual form of -mik is -ngnik. It is added to the dual form of the noun.
| pualu | mitten |
| pualuuk | two mittens |
| pualuungnik | a pair of mittens |
| Pauluungnik niuvilauqtuq. | He/she bought a pair of mittens. |
Note that the dual ending -ngnik is always preceded by a long vowel sound:
| tuktu | caribou |
| tuktuungnik | a couple of caribou |
| kamik | sealskin boot |
| kamiingnik | a pair of sealskin boots. |
The plural form of -mik is -nik :
| inunik | some people |
| iglunik | some houses |
| qarasaujarnik | some computers |
The endings -mik, -ngnik and -nik are frequently used with numbers:
| atausiq | one |
| atausirmik | one of something |
| Atausirmik nasaqaqtunga. | I have one hat. |
| marruuk | two |
| marruungnik | two of something; a pair of something |
| Marruungnik nasaqaqtunga. | I have two hats |
| pingasut | three |
| pingasunik | three of something |
| Pingasunik nasaqaqtunga. | I have three hats. |
The endings -mik, -ngnik and -nik are also frequently used with colours. Note that when the root word is a colour, these endings always delete the consonant sound that comes before:
| aupaqtuq | red |
| aupaqtumik | a red one |
| Aupaqtumik titirautiqaqtunga. | I have a red pen. |
| Aupatuungnik titirautiqaqtunga. | I have a couple of red pens. |
| Aupaqtunik titirautiqaqtunga. | I have some red pens. |