Short Notes on Grammar

Question 1

animikii

Answer 1

thunder

Question 2

miigwan

Answer 2

feather

Question 3

akik

Answer 3

kettle

Question 4

zhoomin

Answer 4

grape

Question 5

aanakwad

Answer 5

cloud

Question 6

Inini niwaabamaa.
Waakaa’igan niwaabandaan.

Answer 6

I see a man.
I see a house.

Question 7

nin-jiimaan-i-naan
gi-jiimaan-i-naan
gi-jiimaan-i-waa
o-jiimaan-i-waa

Answer 7

our (exc) boat (-i- before suffix - connecting vowel)
our (inc) boat
yinz’s boat
their boat

Question 8

gi-jiimaan-an
gi-jiimaan-iwaa-n

Answer 8

your boats
yinz’s boats

Question 9

ni-zhooniya-m
gi-zhooniya-m
o-zhooniya-m[-an]
ni-zhooniya-m-i-naan
gi-zhooniya-m-i-naan
gi-zhooniya-m-i-waa
o-zhooniya-m-i-waa[-n]

Answer 9

my money
your
her
our exclusive
our inclusive
yinz’s
their
(p2 in brackets)
m m m[an]
minaan minaan miwaa miwaa[n]

Question 10

jiimaanish
mookomaanish

Answer 10

useless boat
stoopid knife

Question 11

nimishoomisibaniig
nimookomaaniban

Answer 11

my late grandfather
my last knife
The preterit suffix is /-(i)ban/

Question 12

Misho!

Answer 12

Grandfather!
abbreviated vocative

Question 13

Bizindamog inashke, abinoojiiyidog

Answer 13

Listen to it, children
(Look! Listen to it …)
-dog vocative plural suffix

Question 14

Paul omaamaayan jiibaakwewan

Answer 14

Paul’s mother is cooking
- mother is p2

Question 15

osayeyan iniw

Answer 15

that is his older brother
- with p2 nouns only inanimate plural demonstrative pronouns are used

Question 16

awedi
ingiwedig
iwedi
iniwedin

Answer 16

that (animate) over there
those (animate) over there
that (inanimate) over there
those (inanimate) over there
(look for wedi, widi)

Question 17

nindamwaa opin

Answer 17

I eat a potato
- can’t use niwiisin

Question 18

bangishimo

Answer 18

it is sunset

Question 19

nimiijin wiiyaas

Answer 19

I eat meat VTI
- verb matches object i or a

Question 20

nindamwaa

Answer 20

I eat it - BUT animate

Question 21

nimiijin manoomin

Answer 21

I eat wild rice (inanimate)

Question 22

baapi

Answer 22

she laughs

Question 23

ni-(verb)
gi-( verb)
(verb)
ni-( verb)-min
gi-( verb)-min
gi-( verb)-m
(verb)-wag

Answer 23

vai conjugation

Question 24

gi-wiisini-m
gid-izhaa-m
wiisini-wag
izhaa-wag

Answer 24

yinz eat
yinz go
they eat
they go
vai

Question 25

giga-waabamin

Answer 25

see you later

Question 26

niwaabamidiz
giwaabam
giwaabamidiz
niwaabam
waabamidizo

Answer 26

I see myself
you see me
you see yourself
she sees me
she sees herself

Question 27

giwaabandaanim
giwaabandaanaawaa
owaabandaanaawaa

Answer 27

we (inclusive) see it
yinz see it
they see it

Question 28

waawiyeyaa
waabishkaa
bizhishigwaa

Answer 28

it’s round
it’s white
it’s empty

Question 29

gisinaa

Answer 29

it’s cold

Question 30

waaban

Answer 30

dawn

Question 31

da-zaagaate waabang

Answer 31

it will be sunny tomorrow

Question 32

onoondawaan nimaabaayan ma’iingan
nimbaabaa owaabamigoon ma’iinganan

Answer 32

The wolf hears my father
My father is seen by the wolf
- the second structure is preferred. Passive, so that father is p1

Question 33

Paul omaamaayan jiibaakwewan;
osayeyan bimosewan

Answer 33

Paul’s mother is cooking.
his older brother is walking
- mother and brother are p2

Question 34

obviative suffixes

Answer 34

Noun obviative suffix is /-an/, or /-n, -yan, -wan/. For verb obviative suffixes see Verb Paradigms.

Question 35

nisaye a’aw
gisaye a’aw
osayeyan iniw

Answer 35

that is my older brother (a’aw - ‘that’ animate)
that is your older brother
that is his older brother (iniw - only plural inanimate demonstrative pronouns are used with p2 even if singular

Question 36

Aanawi waa-gimiwang noongom, giwii-babaamosemin mitigwaakiing.

Answer 36

Even though it rains today, we will go for a walk in the forest.
-changed conjunct

Question 37

Niwaabamaa a’aw memengwaa mekawaadizid.

Answer 37

I see that beautiful butterfly.
- participle

Question 38

Niwaabamaag degoshingig.

Answer 38

I see those who arrived.
- participle

Question 39

gekinoo’amaaged

Answer 39

he who is a teacher
- participle

Question 40

zaaga’an

Answer 40

go out!

Question 41

biidoon i’iw mazina’igan
biidooyok iniw mazina’iganan

Answer 41

You, bring that book!
Yinz, bring those books!

Question 42

wiisinikan
wiisinikag

Answer 42

eat (later), you
eat (later), yinz
- delayed imperative

Question 43

gego zaaga’nken
gego zaaga’ankegon
gego doodangen

Answer 43

Don’t go outside (you)
Don’t go outside (yinz)
Don’t do it (you)
- prohibitive imperative

Question 44

note

Answer 44

both Independent and Conjunct Orders also have a set of modes: neutral, or indicative mode, preterit mode, dubitative mode, and dubitative-preterit mode. And each of those modes has its own paradigm set yay

Question 45

giwiisin ina?
giminikwe na?
ginamadab ina?
gigii-anokii na bijiinaago?
giwii-izhaa na adaawewigamigong waabang?

Answer 45

Are you eating?
drinking?
sitting?
Did you work yesterday?
Will you go to the store tomorrow?
- yes no questions

Question 46

gaawiin + sii or zii
siin or ziin
sinoon or zinoon

Answer 46

vai and most vta
vti and some vta
vii

Question 47

gaawiin niwaaband-an-ziin-an
gaawiin niwaabam-aa-sii
gaawiin niwaabam-aa-siin-aan

Answer 47

I don’t see them
I don’t see him
We don’t see him?
- negative suffix before plural suffix

Question 48

/a/ becomes /e/,
/aa/ becomes /ayaa/,
/e/ becomes /aye/,
/i/ becomes /e/,
/ii/ becomes /aa/,
/o/ becomes /we/,
/oo/ becomes /waa/,
/ji/ becomes /ge/,
/ga/ becomes /ge/.

Answer 48

practice

Question 49

/gii-/ changes into /gaa-/, /ga-/ into /ge-/, and /wii-/ into /waa-/. Initial vowel change affects the first syllable of a verb, making no difference of what this first syllable actually is - tense prefix, preverb or a verb itself.

Answer 49

yep

Question 50

aandi onji

Answer 50

where from

Question 51

aniish pii

Answer 51

when