2 Qanuippit?

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:

tukisi-	to understand
tukisivunga?	Do I understand?
tukisivit?	Do you understand?
tukisiva?	Does he/she understand?
tukisivinuk?	Do we (2) understand?
tukisivita?	Do we (3+) understand?
tukisivisik?	Do you (2) understand?
tukisvisi?	Do you (3+) understand?
tukisivaak?	Do they (2) understand?
tukisivat?	Do they (3+) understand?

 

If you want to ask a question with a verb ending in a consonant (k, q, t), you use the same endings as above, replacing the v with a p:

sinik-	to sleep
sinikpunga?	Am I sleeping?
sinikpit?	Are you sleeping?
sinikpa?	Is he/she sleeping?
sinikpinuk?	Are the two of us sleeping?
sinikpita?	Are we (three or more) sleeping?
sinikpisik?	Are you two sleeping?
sinikpisi?	Are you (three or more) sleeping?
sinikpaak?	Are the two of them sleeping?
sinikpat?	Are they (three or more) sleeping?

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+)
ivvit	you (1 person)
ilissik	you (2)
ilissi	you (3+)
una	this person here

It is important to remember that Inuktut verbs always indicate who is doing the action through the verb ending so pronouns often aren’t 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:

Qanuinngittunga.  ivvilli?	I am fine, what about you?
uvanga?	(who) me?
uvangalu qanuinngimmijunga.	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 :

ivvit + li = ivvilli?	What about you?
una + li = unali?	What about this person?

 

-lu is an affix meaning « and » or « too »:

uirngaqtunga	I am sleepy.
uvangalu	Me, too.

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

ivvit + li = ivvilli	What about you?
ivvit + lu = ivvillu	you, too.

When the pronoun ends in a k, the final k is softened to g:

ilissik + li = ilissigli?	What about you two?
uvaguk + lu = uvaguglu	we, as well.