The affix -tuq- is used after noun roots to indicate something one eats, drinks, wears or uses somehow:
| tetuvugut | We (3+) are drinking tea. |
-tu- changes the final -k of noun roots to t :
| puijivinik | seal meat |
| puijivinittujuk | He/she is eating seal meat. |
| umiak | boat |
| umiaittujok | The two of them are using the boat. |
| kamik | sealskin boot |
| kamittujuk | He/she puts on sealskin boots. |
If the sound before the -k is a double vowel, -tu- just deletes the final -k sound :
| panitsiak | bannock |
| panitsiatujunga | I am eating bannock. |
The root imik on its own means “water” or it can become a verb root, followed by a verb ending, to mean “to drink”. If you want to ask someone if they would like some water, do not use the affix –tu- with the root imik. The correct way to ask the question is:
| imigumaven? | Do you want to drink (some water)? |
| imigumavunga | I want to drink some water. |