Grammar
» to be
THE VERB 'TO BE'
In its simplest form, the verb “to be” is expressed with the affix –u–. It normally appears right before the subject ending:
| Piita | Peter |
| Piita + u + junga = Piitaujunga | I am Peter; My name is Peter. |
When –u– is added to a root that ends in a k or a q, it deletes the final consonant:
| inuk | Inuk |
| inuk + u + junga = inuujunga | I am Inuk. |
| inuujuq | He is alive. |
Remember: In Inuktitut, you will almost never find more than two vowels in a row. So, if you delete the final consonant, and find that you already have two vowels, you have to use the affix -ngu- instead of -u-. This makes pronunciation easier:
| pinnguaq | toy; game |
| pinnguaq + u + juq = pinnguangujuq | It is a toys; someone's playing with it. |
Adding –u– to names coming from other languages like English, can sound quite awkward in Inuktitut. If such a name ends in a vowel, it usually isn’t a problem:
| Aimi | Amy |
| Aimi + u + junga = Amiujunga | My name is Amy. |
But if the name ends in a consonant, Inuktitut speakers will usually change –u– to –ngu–, again to make pronunciation easier:
| Charles + u + junga = Charles-ngujunga. | My name is Charles. |