7 Allavvik

If you want to talk about having something in your possession, you add the affix -qaq- directly to the end of a noun:

ulu + qaq + qit? =
uluqaqqit?	Do you have an ulu?
ulu + qaq + tunga =
uluqaqtunga	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?

 

Watch out for singular nouns that end in -t.  Many of them add an -i before being put together with affixes:

titiraut + i + qaq + tunga =
titirautiqaqtunga	I have a pen.

 

If you want to talk about not having something, remember that both -qaq- and -nngit- delete any consonant that appears immediately before them:

umik + qaq + nngit + tuq =
umiqanngittuq	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:

qarasaujaqaqqa?	Does he/she have a computer?
ii, qarasaujalik.	Yes, he/she has a computer.

 

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

qarasaujaqanngittuq

He/she does not have a computer.

 

 

The affix -taqaq- is used to express the English there is / there are. It is added to the end of nouns and must be followed by a subject ending:

kaapitaqaqqa?

Is there coffee?

When we want to say "there is...", Inuktut speakers avoid the construction -taqaqtuq, and use the affix -talik instead:

ii, kaapitalik.

Yes, there is coffee.

Note that -talik is never used to make a negative sentence. Instead -taqaq- + -nngit + tuq is used.

kaapitaqanngittuq

There is no coffee.

-taqaq- deletes final consonants of any nouns it is added to:

paippaaq	paper
paippaataqaqqa?	Is there any paper?
ii, paippaatalik	Yes, there is paper.
aagga, paippaataqanngittuq	No, there is no paper.

 

In English, when we want to talk about more than one of something, we usually add an s to the end of a noun:

one door

two doors

three doors

In Inuktut, we use different endings to distinguish between two of something and more than two of something:

matu	one door
matuuk	(two) doors
matuit	(3+) doors

The dual form is used to talk about two of a particular object. You can recognize the dual form as any noun that ends in a double vowel, followed by a -k.

saak	(two) tables
uqaalautiik	(two) telephones
illuuk	(two) buildings

 

Here's how to change a noun from its singular form to the dual:

• if the object ends in a vowel, double the last vowel and add -k:

nuvuja	cloud
nuvujaak	(two) clouds

 

• if the object ends in a -t, add the ending -iik:

uqaalaut	phone
uqaalautiik	(two) phones

 

• if it ends in any consonant other than -t, delete the last consonant, double the last vowel, and add -k:

kamik	skin boot
kamiik	(two) skin boots
qarasaujaq	computer
qarasaujaak	(two) computers

Remember that in Inuktut, you almost never put together more than two vowels in a row. So if you drop the final consonant and find you already have two vowels, just add -k:

qarasaujaralaaq	laptop
qarasaujaralaak	(two) laptops

In Inuktut, the plural is used to talk about more than two of any noun:

inuk	person
inuit	people (3+)

The plural form always ends in -t. Depending on the speaker, the plural ending used may be -it or just -t:

ilisaiji	teacher
ilisaijit / ilisaijit	teachers (3+)
itsivautaq	chair
itsivautat / itsivautait	chairs (3+)
iqaluk	fish
iqalut / iqaluit	fish (3+)

 

In nouns where the last vowel sound is a long vowel or a double vowel, the plural is formed by replacing the last consonant sound (if there is one) with -t:

uqaaluutiralaaq	cell phone
uqaaluutiralaat	cell phones (3+)
umiaq	boat
umiat	boats (3+)

 

With nouns that end in -t, the ending -it or -iit is added directly to the end of the word to form the plural:

angut	man
angutit / angutiit	men (3+)
uqaalaut	phone
uqaalautit / uqaalautiit	phones (3+)
titiraut	pen
titirautit / titirautiit	pens (3+)