THE FUTURE TENSE
One way of forming the future tense in Inuktitut, is to insert the affix -niaq between the verb and the subject of the sentence:
| Suvit? |
Suniaqpit? |
| What are you doing? |
What will you be doing? |
| |
|
nirijunga
|
niriniaqtunga |
| I am eating |
I will be eating |
When -niaq- is added to a verb stem that ends in q, the q changes to r.
| kaapituq + niaq + tunga = |
kaapiturniaqtunga. |
| |
I will be drinking coffee. |
When
-niaq- is added to a stem ending in
k, it changes the final
t to
n.
| malik + niaq + tuq = |
malinniaqtuq |
| |
He is going to be here. |
When
-niaq- is added to a stem ending in
t, it changes the final
t to
n.
| tavvaniit + niaq + tuq = |
tavvaniinniaqtuq |
| |
He is going to be here. |
The double n above is not just a quirk of spelling. When you pronounce this word, you have to hold the N sound for twice as long as you would a single n.
In Iqaluit,
-langa- is the affix that is most commonly used for an event in the immediate future
| Ullumi aullalangajuq |
He is leaving town today.
|
-laaq- is another affix that is used to talk about the future. Whereas
-niaq- describes something that will happen in the very near future,
-laaq- is a little farther ahead in the future.
| Arvialianiaqtunga |
Arvialialaaqtunga |
|
I am going to Arviat (later that day)
|
I will be going to Arviat (sometime in the future). |
| |
| takuniaqpugut |
takulaarivugut |
| See you soon |
See you later/ See you then. |
| |
| pinasuarusiulaaqtumi |
next week |
If
-laaq- is added to a stem that ends in a consonant, it deletes the last consonant.
| aullaq + laaq + tuq = |
aullalaaqtuq. |
| |
He will leave town.
|
The ending
-qqat is used to talk about events that will happen in the future.
| qattimuuqqa? |
What time is it ? |
| qattimuuqqat? |
What time will it be ? |
| |
| Uamuuqqat. |
at 1:00. (literally, when it gets to one) |
THE AFFIX -JJAA
Finally, when using the future tense there is a special form of the negative. This involves adding the affix -jjaa- just before the negative affix -nngit-.
qainiaqtuq
|
Il va venir. |
| qaijjaanngittuq |
Il ne va pas venir. |
| |
|
| Unnusa iqqanaijarniaqtunga. |
I’ll be working this afternoon. |
| Unnusa iqqanaijajjaanngittunga.
|
I’ll not be working this afternoon. |