Inuktut has a series of verb endings that are used just for asking questions. To ask a question, we add one of these endings to a verb root or affix. The verb ending indicates who we are asking about:
| nirivit? | Are you eating? |
| niriva? | Is he / she eating? |
Question endings have different forms depending on the sound that comes before them. After a root or affix that ends in a vowel, the question endings look like this:
| tukisi- | to understand |
| tukisivunga? | Do I understand? |
| tukisivit? | Do you understand? |
| tukisiva? | Does he/she understand? |
| tukisivinuk? | Do we (2) understand? |
| tukisivita? | Do we (3+) understand? |
| tukisivisik? | Do you (2) understand? |
| tukisivisi? | Do you (3+) understand? |
| tukisivak? | Do they (2) understand? |
| tukisivat? | Do they (3+) understand? |
After a root or affix that ends in q-, you use the same endings as above, replacing the v with a q.
| isiq- | to come in |
| isiqqunga? | Am I coming in? |
| isiqqit? | Are you coming in? |
| isiqqa? | Is he / she coming in? |
| isiqqinuk? | Are we (2) coming in? |
| isiqqita? | Are we (3+) coming in? |
| isiqqisik? | Are you two coming in? |
| isiqqisi? | Are you (3+) coming in? |
| isiqqak? | Are the two of them coming in? |
| isiqqat? | Are they (3+) coming in? |
If the root or affix 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 root sinit-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 (3+) sleeping? |
| sinippisik? | Are you two sleeping? |
| sinippisi? | Are you (3+) sleeping? |
| sinippak? | Are the two of them sleeping? |
| sinippat? | Are they (3+) sleeping? |