Grammar » 23 » in, to, from

Inuktut has three handy affixes for describing where you are, where you are going, or where you are coming from.  They follow a similar pattern.

-mi at / in
Kanatami in Canada
   
-mit from
Kanatamit from Canada
   
-mut to 
Kanatamut to Canada

 

When -mi, -mut, & -mit are added to stems ending in -q, they change final -q to -r :
Qurluqtuq Kugluktuk
Qurluqturmit from Kugluktuk
Qurluqturmut to Kugluktuk

...and they change all other final consonants to -m :

Ikpiarjuk Arctic Bay
Ikpiarjummit from Arctic Bay
Ikpiarjummut to Arctic Bay
   
Nunavut Nunavut
Nunavummit from Nunavut
Nunavummut to Nunavut

Some speakers delete the final consonant sound when the vowel sound that comes before it is long or doubled:

Panniqtuuq Pangnirtung
Panniqtuumi in Pangnirtung
Panniqtuumut from Pangnirtung
   
Qikiqtarjuaq Qikiqtarjuaq
Qikiqtarjuami in Qikiqtarjuaq
Qikiqtarjuamit from Qikiqtarjuaq

The above affixes have a plural form: -ni, -nut, & -nit :

kinngaq hill
kinngarni in the hills; also in Cape Dorset
kinngarnit from the hills; from Cape Dorset
kinngarnut to the hills; to Cape Dorset
We can use these affixes when answering the following questions :
namiippit? Where are you?
allavvimmi at the office
 
namunngaqqit? Where are you going?
Pirurvimmut to Pirurvik
 
nakingaaqqit? Where are you coming from?
uvattinnit from our place

Or, in conversation, you may hear one of these short questions:

nami ? where?
namut? to where?
nakit? from where?