Dialogue: Can you meet with me?
Vocabulary
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katimajuk
meets; he/she is in a meeting
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katimajunejuit
meeting (they are...)
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mitsânut
about
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maligatsak
law
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nutâk
new
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Kangâ?
when? (past/future)
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Kangaulâttuk?
at what time? (in the future)
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itluatuk
good; convenient
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nane?
where?
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suliaKapvik
office
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katimapvik
boardroom; meeting place
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Atte!
Come on!; Let's go!; Go ahead.
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Grammar
42 » Double (Transitive) Verb Endings
So far, we have been using simple endings with verbs:
| takuvunga | I see. |
| takuvaga | I see him/her/it. |
The verb ending -vaga tells us two pieces of information:
- It indicates that I am the one who sees
- It indicates that he, she or it is the one who is seen.
We call this a double verb ending becuase it gives us two pieces of information. Compare the following single and double verb endings:
| tusâvunga (single verb ending) | I hear (something). |
| tusâvaga (double verb ending) | I hear him/her/it. |
| malivuk | He/she is following (someone). |
| malijânga | He/she is following me. |
Here are the simplest forms of these transitive verb endings:
| Where I am doing the action: | |
| takuvagit | I see you. |
| takuvaga | I see him / her / it. |
| Where you are doing the action: | |
| takuvamma | You see me. |
| takujait | You see him / her / it. |
| Where he/she/it is doing the action: | |
| takujânga | He/she sees me. |
| takujâtit | He/she sees you. |
| takujanga | He/she sees him/her. |
The basic form of these affixes begin with j- when added to a root ending in a vowel. With some verbs, you may hear some speakers use verb roots ending in a t: and following them with a verb ending that starts with t-:
| malit + taga = | |
| malittaga | I am following him/her. |
| ikajut + tânga = | |
| ikajuttânga | He/she is helping me. |
43 » Double Verb Endings for Questions
In this grammar note, we look at double (transitive) verb endings for asking questions. These involve both the person performing an action and the person or thing at the receiving end of the action.
| tukisiven? (simple verb ending) | Do you understand? |
| tukisivamma? (transitive verb ending) | Do you understand me? |
Here are the simplest forms of these endings:
| Kaujimavagen? | Do I know you? |
| Kaujimavaga? | Do I know him/her? |
| tukisivamma? | Do you understand me? |
| tukisijân? | Do you understand him/her? |
| tusâvânga? | Does he/she hear me? |
| tusâvâten? | Does he/she hear you? |
| tusâjangâ? | Does he/she hear him/her? |
Remember that the first letter of these endings can change after certain affixes. The endings above that start with v- may switch to K- and the endings beginning with j- may switch to t- :
| kati + Kati + gi + niak + Kammâ = | |
| katiKatiginiakKammâ? | Are you going to meet with me later? |
| kati + Kati + gi + laut + tânga = | |
| katiKatigilauttânga ippasak | He/she met with him/her yesterday. |
| atuk + niat + tân? = | |
| Una atunaittân? | Are you going to use this one? |
44 » Doing something together
The affix -Katik- is attached to a verb to indicate someone or some people who do something with someone else:
| ilinniak- | to learn |
| ilinniaKatik | classmate |
| suliaKak- | to work |
| suliaKaKatik | co-worker |
| tânsik- | to dance |
| tânsiKatik | dancing partner |
| katik- | to meet |
| katiKatik | someone with whom one meets |
-Katik is often followed by the affix -gi- meaning to have, which creates a relationship between two or more people. The affix -gi- is followed by a transitive verb ending:
| Susi ilinniaKatigijaga | Susi is my classmate (literally, I have Susi as a classmate). |
| mitsuKatigijanga | She sews with her. |
| katiKatigigajakKâma? | Can you meet with me? |
| Taiviti suliaKaKatigijân? | Do you work with Taiviti? (literally, do you have Taiviti as a co-worker)? |
With regard to the last example above, when answering a question like this, the construction is usually simplified when you answer:
| âa, suliaKaKatiga | Yes, he/she is my co-worker. |
45 » Asking for something to be done
1. The Affix -gajak-
This common affix is used to express the idea of something being possible. In English this would be the equiavent of saying would or could do something:
| âkKik- | to fix something |
| âkKigajattuk | it could be fixed |
| pijagek- | to finish something |
| pijagegajattuk akuniungituk | It could be finished in no time |
| sanak- | to make something |
| sanagajattanga? | Could he make it? |
| katiKatigi- | to meet with someone |
| katiKatigigajakKama? | Could you meet with me? |
2. The Affix -Ku
-Ku- is an affix used to express the idea of wanting, asking or telling someone else to do something. It is folllowed by a transitive verb ending.
| KaikKuvângâ ? | Does he want me to come? |
| uKâlakKujijân? | Do you want him to call? |
| anikKujanga | He asked / told her to go out. |
| itikKugok | Tell him to come it. |