to have

THE VERB -QAQ

This verb expresses the idea to have. If you want to talk about having something in your possession, you add the affix -qaq directly to the end of a noun:

uluqaqqit? Do you have an ulu?
ii, uluqaqtunga. Yes, I have an ulu.

 

 

When -qaq is added to a noun ending in a consonant, it deletes the final consonant:

umik + qaq + qa = umiqaqqa? Does he have a beard?

Now, watch what happens when we answer in the negative. Remember that both -qaq and -nngit delete any consonant that appears immediately before them:

aagga, umik + qaq + nngit + tuq = aagga, umiqanngittuq.
  No, he doesn't have a beard.

 

 

When we want to say "he or she has something", Inuktitut speakers avoid the construction ...qaqtuq, and use the affix -lik instead:

nuliaqaqqa? ii, nulialik.
Does he have a wife? Yes, he has a wife.

 

Note that when –lik is added to a root ending in a consonant, it deletes the final consonant:

 nuliaq + lik =  nulialik

 

Note, too, that -lik is not used to make a negative sentence:

aaggaa, nuliaqanngittuq. No, he does not have a wife.