VTA (Verb Transitive Animate) Stem

VTA stems end with a consonant. There are no vowel stems.

• Stems ending with -m, -n, -y
• Stems with alternate endings: -t or -sh
• Stems with alternate endings: -sw or -su, -shw or -shu, -hw or -hu
• Stems ending with -uw , -aw
• Stems ending with -h
• Irregular Stem: peshuweu

Stems ending with -m, -n, -y

The VTA consonant stems ending in m, n and y are the most regular.

ᐧᐋᐸᒣᐤ		waapam-eu	s/he sees him/her/it
ᐅᑎᓀᐤ		utin-eu	s/he takes him/her/it
ᐙᐸᐦᑎᔦᐤ		waapahtiy-eu	s/he shows it to him/her/it

Conjugation Table

Stems ending with alternate endings: -t or -sh

VTA stems ending in -t, become -sh in certain verb forms, mostly in 2>1 forms, singular and plural:

-t ending				-sh ending
ᓈᑌᐤ		naat-eu	s/he goes to him/her	ᓈᔥ		naash	go to him/her!
ᒋᓈᑎᑎᓐ		chinaat-itin	I go to you	ᒋᓈᔑᓐ		chinaash-in	you come to me!

Conjugation Table

Stems with ending with alternate endings: –sw or -sw, -shw or shu, -hw or hu

VTA stems ending in -sw, -shw or -hw stems become -su, -shu, -hu, in the mixed inverse (3>1 and 3>2) and in all local forms (2>1 and 1>2).

ᒫᑎᐧᔐᐤ		maatishw-eu	s/he cuts him/her/it	ᓂᒫᑎᔓᒄ		nimaatishu-kw	s/he cuts me
ᐃᔅᐧᑳᐧᓭᐤ		iskwaasw-eu	s/he burns him/her/it	ᓂᑎᔅᐧᑳᓱᒄ		nitiskwaasu-kw	s/he burns me
ᐅᑖᒥᐦᐧᐁᐤ		utaamihw-eu	s/he hits him/her/it	ᓅᑖᒥᐦᐅᒄ		nuutaamihu-kw	s/he hits me

Conjugation Table

Stems ending with -aw, -uw

VTA stems ending in -aw or -uw become -aa in the inverse forms of the independent, and in the local inverse of the conjunct (1>2 forms).

Direct: -uw ending				Inverse: -aa ending
ᒥᔅᑯᐧᐁᐤ		miskuw-eu	s/he finds him/her/it	ᒥᔅᑳᑰ		miskaa-kuu	s/he (the other) finds him/her
ᐃᑎᔕᐦᐊᒧᐧᐁᐤ		itishahamuw-eu	s/he sends it to someone	ᐃᑎᔕᐦᐊᒫᑰ		itishahamaa-kuu	someone sends it to her/him
ᓂᒥᔅᑯᐧᐋᐤ		nimiskuw-aau	I find him/her/it	ᓂᒥᔅᑳᒄ		nimiskaa-kw	s/he finds me
ᓂᑎᑎᔕᐦᐊᒧᐧᐋᐤ		nititishahamuwaau	I send it to him/her	ᓂᑎᑎᔑᐦᐊᒫᒄ		nititishihamaa-kw	s/he sends it to me
ᐁ ᒥᔅᑰᔨᓐ		e miskuuyin	when you find me	ᐁ ᒥᔅᑳᑖᓐ		e miskaataan	when I find you

Historical note: all these stems were ending in -aw long ago, but under the influence of the /w/, the /a/ became a /u/. This did not happen everywhere, depending on the suffixes that were added, and depending on how fast the language has changed in some communities.

Conjugation Table

Stems ending with h

VTA stems ending in -h cause a short vowel i in the inflection to lengthen.

ᓵᒋᐦᐁᐤ		saachiheu	s/he loves him/her
ᒋᓵᒋᐦᐄᑎᓐ		chisaachih-iitin	I love you

Conjugation Table

Irregular Stem

There is one VTA verb, ᐯᔓᐧᐁᐤ peshuweu, which is irregular and has two stems: peshi- or peshu-.

Conjugation Table