Inuktut has a set of verb endings to join an event with another event happening at the same time.
| PisukKauvunga nigitlunga. | I walked as I ate. |
| Atuatsitluni sinisikKaujuk. | While he was reading, he fell asleep. |
Here is a complete list of these verb endings:
| nigitlunga | while I was eating... |
| nigitlutit | while you were eating ... |
| nigitluni | while he was eating ... |
| nigitlunuk | while the two of us were eating ... |
| nigitluta | while we (3+) were eating ... |
| nigitlusik | while the two of you were eating... |
| nigitlusi | while you (3+) were eating ... |
| nigitlutik | while the two of them were eating ... |
| nigitlutik | while they (3+) were eating ... |
Important: All of the above endings are used when the two actions that appear in a sentence are performed by the same person.
| Pisutluni tikikKaujuk | He arrived walking. |
| Itilitlunga pâlakKauvunga | As I was coming in, I fell down. |
If we want to describe two actions happening at the same time that were performed by different people we add ti- before the ending:
| uKaalattillutit sinisikKaujut | While you were speaking, they fell asleep. |
| Aullasimatilluta sulaukKit? | When we were away, what did you do? |
In both of the above sentences, the two verbs are being performed by different people.
The -ti- ending can be directly added to a root ending in a verb or a consonant without affecting the spelling.
There is one form of this verb ending that is irregular.
| -tluni becomes -tillugu | |
| Nigitillugu mitsulauttuk. | While he ate, she sewed. |
Here is a complete set of the endings beginning with ti-
| aullasimatillunga | while I was away ... (you/he/she/they)... |
| aullasimatillutit | while you were away ... (I/he/she/they)... |
| aullasimatillugu | while he was away ... (I/you/they)... |
| aullasimatillunuk | while we (2) were away ... (you/he/she/they)... |
| aullasimatilluta | while we (3+) were away ... (you/he/she/they)... |
| aullasimatillusik | while you (2) were away ... (I/he/she/they)... |
| aullasimatillusi | while you (3+) were eating ... (I/he/she/they)... |
| aullasimatillutik | while they (2) were eating ...(I/you/he/she)... |
| aullasimatillutik | while they (3+) were eating ...(I/you/he/she)... |