In English we often use the word not to turn an affirmative sentence into a negative one:
| I am tired. | I am not tired. |
In Inuktitut, to express the negative, we often insert the affix −nngit− just before the subject of the verb:
| taqa + nngit + tunga = | taqanngittunga |
| I am not tired. | |
| qai + qqau + nngit + tut = | qaiqqaunngittut |
| They did not come. |
When -nngit- is added to a root that ends in a consonant (q,k,t), it deletes the final consonant:
| quviasuk + nngit + tuq = | quviasunngittuq |
| He/she is not happy. |
Here are some more examples of how the negative is used:
| tukisijunga | tukisinngittunga |
| I understand. | I don't understand. |
| qaijugut | qainngittugut |
| We are coming. | We are not comilng. |