questions

ASKING QUESTIONS

Inuktitut has a series of affixes that are used just for asking questions. To ask a question, we add one of these affixes to the end of a verb. The affix that is used changes depending on who the subject of the verb is. The example below, uses the verb niri- meaning to eat.

nirivit? niriva?
Are you eating? Is he eating?

 

The affixes that are used to ask questions also change, depending on the last letter of the verb stem they are added to. This is done to make pronunciation easier. First, the affixes that are used for verbs that end in vowels.

We will use as our example, the verb ani- meaning to leave (or go out).

anivunga? Am I leaving?
anivit? Are you leaving?
aniva? Is he/she leaving?
anivinuk? Are the two of us leaving?
anivita? Are we (three or more) leaving?
anivisik? Are you two leaving?
anivisi? Are you (three or more) leaving?
anivaak? Are the two of them leaving?
anivat? Are they (three or more) leaving?

If you want to ask a question with a verb ending in q, you use the same endings as above, replacing the v with a q. The example we'll use is isiq- meaning to come in.

isiqqunga? Am I coming in?
isiqqit? Are you coming in?
isiqqa? Is he/she coming in?
isiqqinuk? Are the two of us coming in?
isiqqita? Are we (three or more) coming in?
isiqqisik? Are you two coming in?
isiqqisi? Are you (three or more) coming in?
isiqqaak? Are the two of them coming in?
isiqqat? Are they (three or more) coming in?
If the verb ends in any other consonant, you do the following:

  • replace the final consonant of the verb with a p
  • use the same endings above, replacing the v with a p.

As an example, let's use the verb sinik- meaning to sleep.

sinippunga? Am I sleeping?
sinippit? Are you sleeping?
sinippa? Is he/she sleeping?
sinippinuk? Are the two of us sleeping?
sinippita? Are we (three or more) sleeping?
sinippisik? Are you two sleeping?
sinippisi? Are you (three or more) sleeping?
sinippaak? Are the two of them sleeping?
sinippat? Are they (three or more) sleeping?
YES / NO QUESTIONS

In spoken Inuktitut, when you are asking a question to which you expcet either a yes or no answer, you draw out the last syllable of the question. In written Inuktitut, this is often represented by the doubling of the vowel in the question affix:

Kinauvit? What's your name? yes or no answer not possible.
Kaapiturumaviit? Do you want coffee?
 		answered with yes or no
Sinippaat? Are the 3 of them sleeping? answered with yes or no