Lesson 20: Where are you going? Where are you coming from?

This page entered by: Kevin Russell (Linguistics, University of Manitoba)

ta'n(i)te' e'tohte'yan.

'Where are you going?'

ata'wikamikohk n(i)titohta'n.

'I'm going to the store.'

ta'n(i)te' (ka'-)wi'-itohte'yan.

'Where are you going to go? Where do you want to go?'

ata'wikamikohk niwi'-itohta'n.

'I'm going to the store. I want to go to the store.'

ihta'winihk niwi'-itohta'n.

'I'm going to town.'

ta'n(i)te' ka'-(ki'-)itohte'yan.

'Where did you go?'

ta'n(i)te' e'tohte't.

'Where is he going?'

ta'n(i)te' e'tohte't kima'ma'.

'Where is your mother going?'

ta'n(i)te' kima'ma' e'tohte't.

'Where is your mother going?'

ata'wikamikohk itohte'w.

'She's going to the store.'

ta'n(i)te' ka'-(ki'-)itohte't.

'Where did he go?'

ta'n(i)te' ka'-(ki'-)itohte't kipa'pa'.

'Where did your father go?'

ata'wikamikohk ki'-itohte'w.

'He went to the store.'

ta'n(i)te' e'tohte'cik.

'Where are they going?'

ta'n(i)te' e'tohte'cik kiste'sak.

'Where are your older brothers going?'

ta'n(i)te' ka'-(ki'-)itohte'n~it okos(i)sa.

'Where did his sons go?'

an(i)te' itohte'.

'Go over there!'

ta'n(i)te' ohtohte'yan.

'Where are you coming from?'

ata'wikamikohk n(i)to'htohta'n.

'I'm coming from the store. (W. dialects: no'htohta'n for n(i)to'htohta'n.)'

ta'n(i)te' kima'ma' ka'-(ki'-)ohtohte't.

'Where did your mother come from?'

kinose'wi-si'pi'hk ohtohte'wak.

'They (just now) came from Norway House.'

ta'n(i)te' e'tohte't. kinose'wi-si'pi'hk.

'Where is he going? (To) Norway House.'

ta'n(i)te' ohtohte'cik. kinose'wi-si'pi'hk.

'Where are they coming from? (From) Norway House.'

New words

Nouns:

ihta'win

'town'

ihta'wina

'towns'

Verbs:

itohte'

'go to'

ohtohte'

'come from'

Notes

itohte' and ohtohte' are used with adverbs of place indicating the place to which one is going or from which one is coming.

Some speakers change o to we' in verbs beginning with ohc or oht in the present tense in supplementary questions. Other speakers leave this o unchanged (sentences 18, 23).

A question involving 'where to?' or 'where from?' is generally answered by an adverb of place alone, with 'to' or 'from' unexpressed (sentences 22, 23).

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