If you want to talk about having something in your possession, you add the affix -qaq- directly to the end of a noun:
| ulu + qaq + qit? = | uluqaqqit? |
| Do you have an ulu? | |
| ulu + qaq + tunga = | uluqaqtunga. |
| I have an ulu. |
When -qaq- is added to a noun ending in a consonant, it deletes the final consonant:
| umik + qaq + qa = | umiqaqqa? |
| Does he have a beard? |
Watch out for singular nouns that end in t. Many of them add an i before being put together with affixes:
| titiraut | pen |
| titiraut + i + qaq + tunga = titirautiqaqtunga | I have a pen |
Now, watch what happens when we answer in the negative. Remember that both -qaq- and -nngit- delete any consonant that appears immediately before them:
| umik + qaq + nngit + tuq = | umiqanngittuq. |
| He doesn't have a beard. |
When we want to say "he or she has something", Inuktitut speakers avoid the construction ...qaqtuq, and use the affix -lik instead:
| nuliaqaqqa? | ii, nulialik. |
| Does he have a wife? | Yes, he has a wife. |
Note that when –lik is added to a root ending in a consonant, it deletes the final consonant:
| nuliaq + lik = | nulialik |
Note, too, that -lik is not used to make a negative sentence:
| aaggaa, nuliaqanngittuq. | No, he does not have a wife. |