Grammar » 5 » Asking Questions

Inuktut has a series of verb endings that are used just for asking questions. To ask a question, we add one of these endings to a verb root or affix. The verb ending indicates who we are asking about:
nigiven? Are you eating?
nigivâ nigijong? Is he / she eating?

 

Question endings have different forms depending on the sound that comes before them. After a root or affix that ends in a vowel, the question endings look like this:

tukisi- to understand
tukisivingâ? Do I understand?
tukisiven? Do you understand?
tukisi? / tukisijong? Does he/she understand?
tukisivinok? Do we (2) understand?
tukisivitâ? Do we (3+) understand?
tukisivitek? Do you (2) understand?
tukisivise? Do you (3+) understand?
tukisivâk? tukisijok? Do they (2) understand?
tukisivât? / tukisijon? Do they (3+) understand?

Pay close attention to the fact that Inuktut has different endings for the dual (dealing with two objects or people) and the plural (three or more objects or people) :

2 people 3+ people
uinngavitek? uinngavise?
Are you two sleepy? Are you (3+) sleepy?
   
uinngajok? uinngajon?
Are the two of them sleepy? Are they (3+) sleepy?