In English, when we want to give a reason for something, we add a clause to a sentence that usually begins with the word “because”:
We are leaving because we are tired.
In Inuktut the clause that is underlined above is usually represented in one word. This word has a special ending that lets us know who we are talking about:
| ilauniangilanga niakKigigama |
| I am not going out because I have a headache. |
| ilauniangituk niakKigigami |
| He is not going out because he has a headache. |
Here is a list of these endings:
| niakKigigama | because I have a headache |
| niakKigigavit | because you (1) have a headache |
| niakKigigami / niakKigimmat * | because he / she has a headache |
| niakKigigannuk | because we (2) have headaches |
| niakKigigatta | because we (3+) have headaches |
| niakKigigattik | because you (2) have headaches |
| niakKigigatsi | because you (3+) have headaches |
| niakKigigamik / niakKigimmatik * | because they (2) have headaches |
| niakKigigamik / niakKigimmata * | because they (3+) have headaches |
Notice in the third person (he/she/it/they) that there are two options:
The endings -gami and -gamik can only be used when we are talking about the same person in a sentence:
| Peta aullalaungilak Kanimagami. |
| Peter didn’t travel because he (Peter) is sick. |
If thre is a change in who you are speaking about in the sentence, the endings -mmat, mmatik and -mmata must be used:
| Peta aullalaungilak Kitunganga Kanimammat. |
| Peter didn’t travel because his child is sick. |
All of the above endings can also be used to express the diea in English of ‘when something happened...'
| Tikimmata nigikKauvugut. | When they arrived, we ate. |
| Aullagatta sinilaujut. | When we departed, they were sleeping. |
There is also a negative form of these endings, to express the idea in English of 'because something did not happen.'
These endings follow the negative affix -ngit- and begin with the letter n- :
| suliaKanginama | because I am not working |
| suliaKanginavit | because you (1) are not working |
| suliaKanginami / suliaKangimmat * | because he / she is not working |
| suliaKanginannuk | because we (2) are not working |
| suliaKanginatta | because we (3+) are not working |
| suliaKanginattik | because you (2) are not working |
| suliaKanginatsi | because you (3+) are not working |
| suliaKanginamik / suliaKangimânik | because they (2) are not working |
| suliaKanginami / suliaKangimmata | because they (3+) are not working |