DESCRIBING PEOPLE & THINGS
Inuktitut, like English, has many words to describe people or things:
| takijuq |
tall |
| angijuq |
big |
| akitujuq |
expensive |
| akikittuq |
inexpensive |
In English, we call these adjectives and they do not change between the singular or plural:
|
a tall building |
some tall buildings |
|
an expensive car |
the expensive cars |
In Inuktitut, these descriptive words must reflect the number and grammar of the word that they describe. You’ll notice that many descriptive words end with the –juq ending in the singular. This ending changes if you are describing an object that is in the dual or the plural:
| Qarasaujaq akitujuq.
|
The computer is expensive.
|
| Qarasaujaak akitujuuk. |
The two computers are expensive.
|
| Qarasaujait akitujut.
|
The computers are expensive. |
These descriptive words can also change when the word they describe ends with -mik:
| nanuq angijuq |
The polar bear is big.
|
| nanurmik angijumik
|
a big polar bear
|
Note that when using -mik with descriptive words (including colours), the final consonant of the descriptive word is normally deleted, rather than switched to R or another consonant.
| umiaq + mik = umiarmik
|
a boat |
| aupaqtuq + mik = aupaqtumik
|
red
|
| umiarmik aupaqtumik
|
a red boat |