Tusaalanga Inuktitut

VERBS DEALING WITH EMOTIONS

Many of the verbs that describe emotions follow a similar pattern.

First, there is a basic form used to describe the emotion someone is feeling:

quviasuktunga

I am happy.

 

For the basic form we take the root of the verb, and in many cases, add the affix -suk- followed by the simple verb endings:

kappia-	to be afraid
kappiasuktuuk	The two of them are afraid.
quvia-	to feel happy
quviasuppiit?	Are you happy?

Next, there is a more complex form of these verbs that describes who or what is causing that emotion:

kappiagijara

I am afraid of her.

For the more complex form, the affix -gi- / -ri- is added to the root verb, followed by the more complex verb endings (see grammar notes from lesson 15)

iliragijaatigut	She is intimidated by all of us.
kappiagiviuk?	Are you afraid of it?
piugijara	I like it.

 

Note that -ri- is used after verb roots that end in Q:

mamaqtuq	It tastes good.
mamarijanga	It tastes good to her.

This affix is attached to verbs to describe:

1. Emotions or feelings

nalligusuktuq	He loves; he feels love.
titsigusuktuq	He finds something amusing.
kanngusuktuq	She is feeling shy.

2. The need for, or the desire to do something:

imirusuktunga	I am thirsty.
pisugusuktugut	We feel like walking.

Note that -gusuk- changes to -rusuk- when the affix is added to a stem ending in q:

mamaq + gusuk + tuq =	mamarusuktuq
	She finds something tasty.