Indoojibwem!

Indoojibwem!

When I set out to look for learning materials on the web, I was initially excited to find so many search results for the language. This excitement quickly faded with the number of 404 - Not Found messages I kept getting on each click of a link. So I've created this space as a repository of resources for learning Anishinaabemowin, or more specifically, Ojibwemowin. With time, I hope it can be of use not just to me, but to others.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Stepping through a course - Lesson 28

A very short lesson today. Only two new verbs, one of which I've added at the end of the lesson.

Dialog - 

M: Gidanokii na?
F: Gidaa-anokii.
F: Nimaamaa ashange.
F: Maamaanaan ashange.
M: Aaniindi wii-ashanged? (Not part of Pimsleur)
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's a line-by-line breakdown:

M: Gidanokii na?
  • Are you going to go to work?
F: Gidaa-anokii.
  • You should go to work.
F: Nimaamaa ashange.
  • The new verb "ashange" means to serve food or to feed. She says " My mother is serving food."
F: Maamaanaan ashange.
  • Grandmother is serving food.
M: Aaniindi wii-ashanged? (I've added this myself as an example of using the verb in a question.)
  • When will she serve food?

New words this lesson:
  • ashange - feed, serve food

Other vocabulary:
  • naboobiike - make soup
  • gichi-oginii-naboob - tomato soup
    • Geyaabi imbakade, - I'm still hungry. 
    • Giwii-naboobiike na? - Will you make some soup?

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Forming questions, Part 2 - past and future tenses

Back in "Forming basic questions, Part 1", we learned how to form basic questions, using specific questions words, such as "What", "Where", "How", "When", etc. But we only learned how to form questions using these words in the present tense.

When we form questions in the past or future tense using these questions words, we need to use different tense markers. It's not difficult, just something we need to be aware of.

The basic rules for using past or future tense markers with one of these question words are:
  • The past tense question marker "gii-" changes to "gaa-".
  • The future tense questions marker "ga-" changes to "ge-".
  • The future tense question marker "da-" changes to "ge-".
  • The future desiderative tense marker "wii-" changes to "waa-".

Here are some examples of how these work:
  • Aaniin gaa-ezhiwebag bijiinaago? - How was the weather yesterday?
  • Aaniin ge-ezhiwebag waabang? - How will the weather be tomorrow?
  • Aaniin gaa-ikidoyan? - What did you say (implied: a while ago)?
  • ikido - say
    • Aaniin gaa-ikidod awedi inini? - What did that man over there say?
    • Aaniin waa-ikidoyan? - What are you going to say?
    • Aaniin ge-ikidoyan? - What will you say?
  • izhichige - do [SOMETHING]
    • Aaniin gaa-izhichigeyan bijiinaago? - What did you do yesterday?
All of these examples use "Aaniish", but the same rules apply when we use "Aaniindi",  "Aaniish apii", "Awenen", and "Wegonen".

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Stepping through a course - Lesson 27

This lesson is about introductions. I don't really know why Pimsleur waited until so late in the course to teach them. I personally think they should have been introduced way back when Giniw and Waabigwan met each other.

I've also included vocabulary and examples at the end of the lesson for work, both as a noun and as a verb.

Dialog -

M: Aaniish ezhinikaazoyan?
F: Waabigwan indizhinikaaz.
M: Giniw indizhinikaaz.
F: Awenen gidoodem?
M: Maang nindoodem.
F: Giigoonh nindoodem.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's a breakdown, line by line:


M: Aaniish ezhinikaazoyan?

  • The new verb ezhinikaazo, be called is introduced here. He's asking "What is your name? (Literally, it's "What are you named/called?")
F: Waabigwan indizhinikaaz.
  • She answers "My name is/I am called Waabigwan."
M: Giniw indizhinikaaz.
  • He says "My name is/I am called Giniw/"
F: Awenen gidoodem?
  • Here, we use the question word "Who" because our next new word - doodem, meaning "clan", is based on the belief that a human being became a certain other being, or animal. She's asking "What clan do you belong to?" (Literally "Who is your clan?")
M: Maang nindoodem.
  • Maang means "loon", He answers "I am from the Loon clan."
F: Giigoonh nindoodem.
  • Giigoonh means "fish". She says "I am from the Fish clan."

New words this lesson:
  • awenen - who
  • doodem - clan
  • maang - loon
  • giigoonh - fish
  • izhinikaazo - be called, be named
  • bimose- walk

Other vocabulary:
  • anokii - work (verb)
  • Bi-anokiin. - Come and work. (Bi- introduced in Summary, Lessons 1-10)
    • Ningii-anokii dibikong. - I worked last night.
    • Ningii-gichi-anokii. - I worked hard/I worked a lot.
    • Nitaa-anokii. - He/She works frequently/often.
  • anokiiwin - work, job (noun)
  • maajaa - leave, depart (introduced in Lesson 14)
    • Nimaajaa nindanokiiwing. - I'm going to (my) work.
    • Ishkwaa-wiisiniyaan, niwii-majaa nindanokiiwing. - I'll go to work after I eat.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Stepping through a course - Lesson 26

In this lesson we talk about feeling cold, and I also add a couple examples of cold weather at the end, using a new clause-builder, or connector - "because" or "that's why". We also learn how to ask what's happening and how to answer.

Dialog -
M: Aaniish apii wii-piindigewaad?
F: Gigiikaji na?
M: Enh, ingiikaj.
F: Gaawiin, ingiikajisii.
F: Aaniish ezhiwebak?
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's a line-by-line breakdown:


M: Aaniish apii wii-piindigewaad?
  • Because "wii-" is affixed to "bindige", the "b" changes to a "p". He says "When are they coming?"
F: Gigiikaji na?
  • Here's a new verb, "giikaji" be or feel cold.  She's asking "Are you cold?"
M: Henh, ingiikaj.
  • Yes, I'm cold. (Notice the way the verb is conjugated.)
F: Gaawiin, ingiikajisii.
  • And the negative response "No, I'm not cold." (Notice that an "i" is inserted before the negative suffix "sii".)
F: Aaniish ezhiwebak?
  • Here's another new verb - izhiwebad, meaning "happens". She's asking "What's happening?/What's new?" (Again, notice that because we're using a question word, we need to conjugate the verb in the conjunct form.)

New words this lesson:
  • gimiwan - be raining
  • giikaji - feel cold, be feeling cold
  • izhiwebad - happen so, be an event

Other vocabulary:
  • gaawiin gegoo - nothing
  • ganage - in the least, at all
  • Aaniish ezhiwebak? Gaawiin ganage gegoo. - What's happening? Nothing at all.
  • wenji- that's why/because **
  • Gisinaa agwajiing wenji-zoogipon. - It's cold out, that's why it's snowing.
  • ondin - wind comes from [A CERTAIN DIRECTION]
  • giwedin - north
  • Giiwedinong ondaanimad wenji-gisinaag. - The wind is from the north, that's why it's cold.

** A note on wenji- :

As far as I can tell, there is no straightforward way to say "because" in Ojibwe. It's translated more as "that's why", so usually we see the clauses reversed from what they would be in English.

So "Gisinaa agwajiing wenji-zoogipon." can mean either "It's cold out, that's why it's snowing." or "It's snowing because it's cold out." and "Giiwedinong ondaanimad wenji-gisinaag." can mean either "The wind is from the north, that's why it's cold." or "It's cold because the wind is from the north."

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Stepping through a course - Lesson 25

This really should have been combined with Lesson 24, since Pimsleur only introduces the animate form of the verb "smells good" and an animate noun. I've added a few more vocabulary examples to play with, and how to form the compound noun for [animal-] meat.

Dialog -

F: Minomaate i'iw waawaashkeshiiwi-wiiyaas.
M: Minomaaso a'aw ogaa.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Here's a line-by-line breakdown:


F: Minomaate i'iw waawaashkeshiiwi-wiiyaas.
  • "Waawaashkeshiiwi-wiiyaas" is a combination of "deer" and "meat" (although, see below). She's saying "That deer meat smells good."
M: Minomaaso a'aw ogaa.
  • Here, "ogaa" (walleye) is an animate noun, so we need to use an animate form of the verb "smells good" - "minomaaso". In addition, we need to use the animate version of "that" - "a'aw". He says "That walleye smells good."  

New words this lesson:
  • waawaashkeshiiwi-wiyaas - venison, deer-meat
  • ogaa - walleye, walleyed-pike
  • minomaaso - SOMETHING (animate) smells good

Note:

Often, when we want to talk about specific meats, we use the animal name and turn it into a verb, for example: waawaashkeshiiwi-wiyaas is deer+the verb wi (be [SOMETHING])-wiiyaas. So waawaashkeshiiwi then becomes a sort of preverb adjective for wiiyaas. In effect, what we're saying is "the deering meat" and not "deer-meat".

Other vocabulary:
  • bizhiki - cow
  • makwa - bear
  • baaka'aakwenh - chicken
  • gookooshi - pork
  • bizhikiwi-wiiyaas - beef
  • mako-wiiyaas - bear meat
  • baaka'aakwenh-wiiyaas - chicken meat
  • gookooshi-wiiyaas - pork
  • ode'imin - strawberry
Here is another take on "smell":
  • minomaam - enjoy the smell of SOMETHING
    • Niminomaamaa ode'iminan. - I like the smell of strawberries.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Stepping through a course - Lesson 24

In this lesson, we do a little bit more practice with the imperative, and we also get some exposure to a VII verb and how it interacts with an inanimate object. I've included the relevant animate examples also in the vocabulary section, but there will be examples of their use in Lesson 25.

Dialog -

M: Biindigen!
F: Namadabin!
F: Wegonen menomaateg?
M: Minomaate i'iw wiiyaas.
M: Maamaanaan nitaa-jiibaakwe
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Here'a breakdown, line by line:


M: Biindigen!
  • This was introduced in Lesson 19: "Enter/Come in!"
F: Namadabin!
  • This was originally introduced in Summary, Lessons 1-10, but came up again in Lesson 19: "Sit!"
F: Wegonen minomaateg?
  • minomaateg is actually a combination of the preverb "mino" and the verb "maate", meaning "smells good". I should note that "maate" one of a group a verbs that cannot be used on its own - it must be used with a preverb. She is asking "What smells so good?" Also notice that since we're using a question word, the verb must be in the conjunct (B-form) conjugation.
M: Minomaate i'iw wiiyaas.
  • The word "i'iw" means "that", when referring to inanimate objects. "wiiyaas" means "meat (that is being cooked". So he's saying "That meat smells good."
M: Maamaanaan nitaa-jiibaakwe.
  • "nitaa-" is a great preverb to know. it means to be good/an expert at [SOMETHING]. He's saying "Grandma is a great cook." Since nitaa- is attached to a verb, we could also think of it as "Grandma is great at cooking."

New words this lesson:
  • nitaa- - skilled-, good at ...
  • i'iw - that (inanimate)
  • a'aw - that (animate)
  • wiiyaas(an) - meat (inanimate)
  • wiiyaas(ag) - flesh (animate)
  • namadabi - sit (introduced in Summary, Lessons 1-10
  • minomaate - SOMETHING smells good
  • jiibaakwe - cook, prepare food (introduced in Summary, Lessons 1-10

Other vocabulary:
  • gagwejichige - practice, try
    • Giishpin gigagwejichige, giwii-nitaa-ojibwem. - If you practice, you'll speak Ojibwe well.

Note on intensifiers:

  • Gichi-minomaate! - It smells really good! (gichi- can be added to VII type verbs as an intensifier.)
otherwise use niibowa following a VAI verb:
  • Imbakade niibowa. - I'm really hungry.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

VTA verbs

It occurred to me after writing yesterday's post that I should probably start to document how verb forms other than VAI are handled and conjugated. We've already seen several VTA verbs in previous lessons. These are verbs that were introduced in Lesson 23:
  • nooji' - seek, hunt, go after
  • nandawaabam - look for, search for, track
  • maakinaw - (shoot and) wound
  • waabam - see
Where VAI verbs generally have no object in a clause, VTA verbs do, specifically animate objects.

Conjugation of VTA verbs is regular, but handled differently. In VTA verbs, the main thing to remember is that the conjugation matches the object as well as the subject.

The list of conjugations I'm including is not complete. It only includes the nouns we've already covered - 1st, 2nd and 3rd person singular for the subject and 2nd and 3rd person plural. I am, however, including a new construct - the reflexive pronoun for myself and yourself (-idiz(o)).

I will most likely use the information in this post to create a static page as I've done for VAI verbs.

Let's take the verb see someone - waabaam:

Independent order:

Positive:
  • i see myself - niwaabamidiz 
  • i see you (singl.) - giwaabamin
  • i see him - niwaabamaa
  • i see you (pl.) - giwaabamininim
  • i see them - niwaabamaag
  • you (singl.) see me - giwaabam 
  • you (singl.) see yourself - giwaabamidiz
  • you (singl.) see him - giwaabamaa
  • you (singl.) see them - giwaabamaag
  • he sees me - niwaabamig
  • he sees you (singl.) - giwaabamig
  • he sees himself - waabamidizo
  • he sees you (pl.) - giwaabamigoowaa 

Negative:
  • i don't see myself - niwaabamidizosii
  • i don't see you (singl.) - giwaabamisiinon
  • i don't see him - niwaabamaasii
  • i don't see you (pl.) - giwaabamisinoonim 
  • i don't see them - niwaabamaasiig
  • you (singl.) don't see me - giwaabamisii
  • you (singl.) don't see yourself - giwaabamidizosii
  • you (singl.) don't see him - giwaabamaasii
  • you (singl.) don't see them - giwaabamaasiig
  • he doesn't see me - niwaabamigosii
  • he doesn't see you (singl.) - giwaabamigosii
  • he doesn't see himself - waabamidizosii
  • he doesn't see you (pl.) - giwaabamigoosiiwaa

Conjunct order:

Positive:
  • i see myself - waabamidizoyaan
  • i see you (singl.) - waabaminan
  • i see him - waabamag
  • i see you (pl.) - waabamininagog
  • i see them - waabamagwaa
  • you (singl.) see me - waabamiyan
  • you (singl.) see yourself - waabamidizoyan
  • you (singl.) see him - waabamad
  • you (singl.) see them - waabamadwaa
  • he sees me - waabamid
  • he sees you (singl.) - waabamik
  • he sees himself - waabamidizod
  • he sees you (pl.) - waabamineg
  • he sees them - waabamaad

Negative:
  • i don't see myself - waabamidizosiwaan
  • i don't see you (singl.) - waabamisinowaan
  • i don't see him - waabamaasiwag 
  • i don't see you (pl.) - waabamisinoonagog
  • i don't see them - waabamaasiwagwaa
  • you (singl.) don't see me - waabamisiwan
  • you (singl.) don't see yourself - waabamidizosiwan
  • you (singl.) don't see him - waabamaasiwad
  • you (singl.) don't see them - waabamaasiwadwaa
  • he doesn't see me - waabamisig
  • he doesn't see you (singl.) - waabamisinog
  • he doesn't see himself - waabamidizosig
  • he doesn't see you (pl.) - waabamisinoweg 
  • he doesn't see them - waabamaasig

And here are some example sentences to put these conjugations to work:
  • Ningikenimaa - I know him/her
  • Gigikenimaa - You know him/her
  • Ogikenimaan - S/he knows him/her
  • Ningikenimaag - I know them
  • Gigikenimaag - You know them
  • Ogikenimaan - S/he knows him/her/them

Tense prefixes are constructed just as they would be in the present tense, that is: personal prefix+tense prefix+verb stem.
  • Gigii-gikenimaag ina? - Did you know them?
  • Henh, nigii-gikenimaag. - Yes, I knew them.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Stepping through a course - Lesson 23

This lesson is all about hunting and fishing. In addition to the regular verb "giwose" (hunt), I've included more specific verbs and examples at the end of the lesson.

Dialog -

F: Ningii-waabamaa waawaashkeshi.
M: Ningii-waabamaag niswi waawaashkeshiwag.
M: Giwii-kiiwose na?
F: Gaawiin, niwii-kiiwosesii.
F: Henyaanh, niwii-kiiwose.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

And here's the line-by-line breakdown:


F: Ningii-waabamaa waawaashkeshi.
  • Two new words, "waabam" (see somebody/something animate) and "waawaashkeshi" (deer). She says "I was a deer."
M: Ningii-waabamaag niswi waawaashkeshiwag.
  • Here's a plural example: "I saw three deer." Notice that the verb "waabam" and  "waawaashkeshi" match in plural.
M: Giwii-kiiwose na?
  • Here, "giiwose" changes to "kiiwose" when the prefix "giwii-" is added to ease pronunciation. He says "Are you going to hunt?"  
F: Gaawiin, niwii-kiiwosesii.
  • "No, I am not going to hunt."
F: Henyaanh, niwii-kiiwose.
  • "Yes, I'm going to hunt."

New words this lesson:
  • waawaashkeshi - deer
  • waabam - see [SOMEBODY/SOMETHING ANIMATE]

Other vocabulary:
  • esiban - raccoon
  • waagosh - fox
    • Giwii-waabamaa esiban maagizhaa waagosh. - You'll see a raccoon or maybe a fox. (see the Animals page for other examples:)

In addition to the generic "giwose" (hunt) verb, there are more specific ways to say you're hunting for something. Here are some examples:

  • nandawaabam - look for, search for, track
  • maakinaw - wound
    • Onandawaabamaan iniw gaa-maakinawaad waawaashkeshiwan. - He's looking for the deer he wounded.

The following incorporate both verb and object into a single word (however, notice the use of "nand" and "nood"):

  • nandawenjige - hunt for fish for food
  • nandawishibe - hunt ducks
  • nandawaaboozwe - hunt rabbits
  • noodamikwe - hunt beaver
  • giniizhe - northern pike
  • agwadaashi - sunfish
  • nooji' - hunt for, go after (this verb is conjugated differently than others we've seen so far. See The Ojibwe People's Dictionary for conjugations.)
    • Mekiskanikewaad onooji'aawaan ginoozhen. - Anglers fish for northern pikes.** Notice that the verb and object (ginoozhe) match as plural.
    • Bijiinaago ingii-nooji'aag agwadaashiwag. - Yesterday I fished for sunfish (plural). ** Notice that the verb and object (agwadaashi) match as plural.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Stepping through a course - Lesson 22

This lesson is very short, concentrating on the "Let's" form of the imperative, and also introduces an important preverb meaning "go and...", as well as another verb.

I'm not adding any extra material to this lesson, because tomorrow's lessons will have plenty to work with.

Dialog -

M: Ambe! Awi-giiwosedaa.
F: Giwii-wewebanaabi na?
M: Ambe! Awi-wewebanaabiidaa!
* * * * * * * * * * * *

And here's the line-by-line breakdown:


M: Ambe! Awi-giiwosedaa.

  • Here we'rre introduced to the preverb "awi-", meaning "go and...". He is saying "Come on, let's go and hunt."
F: Giwii-wewebanaabi na?
  • Another new verb meaning to fish is introduced here. She's asking "Are you going fishing?"
M: Ambe! Awi-wewebanaabiidaa!
  • Here we'll take advantage of both the new preverb and verb in the example. He's saying "Com on! Let's go and fish!"

New words this lesson:
  • awi- - go and ... [DO SOMETHING]
  • wewebanaabii - fish [by hook and line]

Monday, February 11, 2013

Stepping through a course - Lesson 21

Another very short dialog example in this lesson. The Pimsleur opening dialog is actually quite long, but everything in the dialog has been covered in previous lessons. The example that follows are for the most part new words and concepts. At the end of the lesson I also introduce three different ways to ask "Why?" and give examples.

Dialog - 
M: Nishwaaswaabik na gidayaawaa?
* * * * * * * * * * * *
F: Aaniish apii wii-kiiwoseyan?
M: Ishkwaa wiisiniyaan.
F: Aaniindi wii-kiiwoseyan?
M: Iwidi.
* * * * * * * * * * * *


Here's a line-by-line breakdown:

M: Nishwaaswaabik na gidayaawaa?
  • A new word, nishwaaswi, combined with waabik to create "eight dollars". He's asking "Do yo have eight dollars?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
F: Aaniish apii wii-kiiwoseyan?

  • Another new word - a verb, giiwose, meaning hunt. She asks "When are you going hunting?"
M: Ishkwaa wiisiniyaan.
  • Afer I eat.
F: Aaniindi wii-kiiwoseyan?
  • As in the previous example, since it's a question word, we need to use the conjunct form of verb conjugation. She asks "Where will you hunt?/Where are you going to hunt?"
M: Iwidi.
  • Over there.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
New words this lesson:
  • nishwaaswi - eight
  • zhaangaswi-  nine (nine dollars is formed the same as eight dollars: zhaangaswaabik)
  • giiwose - hunt

Other vocabulary:
  • mawi - cry
  • ikido - say
  • wegonen pro+onji-(wenji) - why
    • Wegonen wenji-ikidoyan iw? - Why do you say that?
  • aaniin-wenji - why
    • Aaniin wenji-maajaayan? - Why are you leaving?
  • aaniin dash wenji - why
    • Aaniin dash wenji-mino-ayaasiwan? - Why are you not feeling well?
    • Aaniin dash wenji-mawiyan? - Why are you crying?

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Pimsleur Ojibwe Summary, Lessons 11-20

Just as I've done for Lessons 1-10, I've compiled a short list of all grammatical parts we've learned so far in Lessons 11-20. Again, the brown text is what we've actually learned through the Pimsleur course, noted with the lesson number, and the text in green is new vocabulary and example sentences I've added. Hopefully I'm able to show how easily a Pimelsur course can be augmented, without all that much extra work. Each lesson's supplementary material needed maybe a half hour more of time each day to compile and practice.

Here's what we learned in lessons 11 through 20:

preverbs
gichi- - great, very, big, a lot, Talk about the weather
oshki- - new, Lesson 15, Supplement
daa- - should; might; would, Lesson 16
gaa- -will; shall; should, Lesson 16

ando- - go and do [something], Lesson 19, Supplement
booni- - stop [doing something], Lesson 19, Supplement

adverbs
maagizhaa - maybe, perhaps, Lesson 11
zhebaa - this [past] morning, Lesson 13
waabang - tomorrow; dawn; morning, Lesson 13
waabang gigizheb - tomorrow morning, Lesson 13
gigizheb - morning; early morning, Lesson 13
ishkwaa- - after; completed; end of..., Lesson 13
jibwaa- - before, Lesson 13, Supplement
dibikak - dark; tonight, Lesson 14
ishkwaa-dibikak - after dark, Lesson 14, Supplement
jibwaa-dibikak - before dark, Lesson 14, Supplement

giishpin - if, Lesson 14, Supplement
aazha - already, Talk about the weather
megwaa - right now, Talk about the weather

minik - amount, Lesson 16
bijiinango - yeaterday, Basic past tense (VAI)
dibikong - last night, Basic past tense (VAI)

akawe - first; first of all, Lesson 19

interrogatives
gego - don't, Lesson 19, Supplement
ambe - come, come on, Lesson 20

nouns
asemaa - tobacco, Lesson 12
maamaanaan - grandmother, Lesson 12

bakwezhigan - bread, Lesson 12, Supplement
doodooshaaboo-bimide - butter, Lesson 12, Supplement
waawan/waawanoon - egg/eggs, Lesson 12, Supplement
gitigaanens/gitigaanensan - vegetable/vegetables, Lesson 12, Supplement

baabaanaan - grandfather (also means father), Lesson 13
niizh - two, Lesson 14
makizin/makizinan - shoe; moccasin, Lesson 15

mazina'igan/mazina'iganan - book, Lesson 15, Supplement
mazinaatesijigan/mazinaatesijiganan - television set, Lesson 15, Supplement
animosh/animoshag - dog, Lesson 15, Supplement
gaazhagens/gaazhagensag - cat, Lesson 15, Supplement
bineshiinh/bineshiinyag - bird, Lesson 15, Supplement

bezhig - one, Lesson 16
nimisenh - my older sister, Lesson 16
waabik - dollar, Lesson 16

gigozis - your son, Lesson 16, Supplement
nindaais - my daughter, Lesson 16, Supplement
obaabaayan - his father, Lesson 16, Supplement

midaaswi - ten, Lesson 17
zhooniyaa - silver; money, Lesson 17
opin/opiniig - potato; tuber, Lesson 18
maamaa - Lesson 18
niswi - three, Lesson 19
niiwin - four, Lesson 19
naanan - five, Lesson 19
ingodwaaswi - six, Lesson 20
niizhwaaswi - seven, Lesson 20


pronouns and demonstratives
wa'aw[e] - this, Lesson 16, Supplement
i'iw[e] - that, Lesson 16, Supplement
ni- - my, Lesson 16, Supplement
gi- - your, Lesson 16, Supplement
o--an - his/hers, Lesson 16, Supplement


verbs
naawakwe-wiisini - eat lunch, eat at midday, eat at noon, Lesson 11
naawakwe - be noon, be midday, Lesson 11izhichige - do [SOMETHING], Lesson 12
adaawe - buy, sell, traffic, trade, Lesson 12
niimi'idim - be a pow-wow, Lesson 14
biindige - enter; go in, Lesson 14
miigiwe - present; give, gift, contribute, Lesson 14

maajaa - leave, depart, Lesson 14, Supplement
anwaataa - finish, Lesson 14, Supplement

mino-giizhigad - a good/nice day, Talk about the weather
biiwan - blizzard, Talk about the weather
mizhakwad - clear, Talk about the weather
gisinaa - cold, Talk about the weather
gizhide - hot, Talk about the weather
gimiwan - raining, Talk about the weather
zoogipon - snowing, Talk about the weather
noodin - windy, Talk about the weather
nagamo - sing, Lesson 15, Supplement

biidoon - bring [SOMETHING], Lesson 16
biinaa - bring [SOMEBODY], Lesson 16
biigoshkaa - be broke, Lesson 17
ayaaw - have SOMETHING, Lesson 17
wiijiiw - go with [SOMEBODY], Lesson 19

abi - sit, Lesson 19, Supplement
zaagaam - go outside, Lesson 19, Supplement
giiwe - go home, Lesson 19, Supplement
goshgozi - wake up, Lesson 20, Supplement
gawishimo - lie down, go to bed, Lesson 20, Supplement
zhaaganaashiimo - speak English, Lesson 20, Supplement



Phrases learned in Lessons 11 through 20:


Lesson 11
Giwii-naawakwe-wiisin na?/Niwii-naawakwe-wiisin.
Wegonen waa-minikweyan aniibiishaaboo maagizhaa nibi?

Maagizhaa niwii-babaamose.
Wegonen waa-minikweyan, makade-mashkikiwaaboo maagizhaa doodooshaaboo?


Lesson 12
Niwii-izhichige gegoo.
Aniish waa-izhichigeyan?
Niwii-adaawen gegoo.
Wegonen waa-adaaweyan?
Asemaa niwii-adaawen.

Bakwezhigan niwii-adaawen.
Aaniin ezhichigeyan?


Lesson 13
Ishkwaa-wiisiniyaan.
Ishkwaa-wiisiniyaang.
Aaniish apii wii-niimi'idiwaad?
Ishkwaa-naawakweg.

Oodenaang jibwaa-izhaayaan, niwii-jiibaakwe.
Jibwaa-wiisiniyan, giwii-minikwen gegoo?
Ishkwaa-wiisiniyaan, niwii-nibaa.


Lesson 14
Aaniinidi niimi'iding?
Aaniish apii wii-biindigewaad?
Wii-miigiwewag na?/Wii-miigiwewag.

Ishkwaa-dibikak, aaniish niimi'idiwaad?
Niwii-maajaa jibaa-dibikak.
Jibwaa-waabang, giwii-anwaataa na?
Giishpin giwii-anwataa noongom, aaniish waa-izhichigeyan waabang?


Talk about the weather
Mino-giizhigad.
Gichi-gisinaa noongom.
Wii-mino-gizhide.
Wii-gimiwan dibikak.
Wii-zoogipon waabang.
Gimiwan minawaa.
Geyaabi gimiwan.
Megwaa gimiwan.
Megwaa gichi-zoogipon.
Maagizhaa wii-gizhide waabang.
Aazha zoogipon.
Wii-zoogipon dibikak.


Lesson 15
Niwii-adaawenan makizinan.
Niwii-adaawenan niizh oshkimazinaatesijiganan.
Animoshag nibaawag.
Gaazhagensag bakaded.
Bineshiinyag nagamod.


Lesson 16
Gidaa-biidoonan makizinan.
Gidaa-biinaa gimisenh.
Ingaa-biinaa na nimisenh?
Aaniish minik?
Bezhigwaabik.

Awenen wa'aw?
Wegonen i'iw?


Lesson 17
Gidayaawaa na zhooniyaa?/Gaawiin. Imbiigoshkaa.
Indayaawaa zhooniyaa.
Midaaswaabik na gidayaawaa?
Midaaswaabik indaaawaa.

Biigoshkaa? Henh. Gaawiin, odayaanziin zhooniyaa.
Gibaabaa na a'aw? Gaawiin, Nibaabaas aawisii.
Bakwezhigan giwii-adaawen na? Gaawiin, niwii-adaawesii.
Giwii-izhaa na iwidi adaawewigamigong? Gaawiin, Adaawewigamigong ni-wii-izhaasii.


Basic past tense
Gii-gisinaa agwajiing?
Awenen gii-minikweyan makade-mashkikiwaaboo?
Gigii-minikwe zhingobaaboo na?
Gigii-izhaa na iwidi niimi'iding bijiinaago?
Oodenaang nigii-izhaa dibikong.
Gaawiin ningii-izhaasii adaawewigamigong.


Lesson 18
Daga, adaawen opiniig.
Gibakade na?/Henyanh. Imbakade.

Gigiipwiisin na dibikong?/Gaawiin, Nigii-wiisin dinikong.
Giwii-adaawen mazina'igan?/Gaawiin. Azhaa ingii-adaawen mazin'igan.


Lesson 19
Akawe, daga, izhaan adaawewigamig.
Giwii-wiijiiw na?
Akawe, daga, wiisinidaa.

Ando-abin./Ando-abig.
Booni-wiisinin./Booni-wiisinig.
Bi-giiwen./Bi-giiweg.


Lesson 20
Ojibwemon!
Gidaa-ojibwem gaye giin.
Ambe, ojibwemodaa.

Gego maajaaken noongom!
Ambe goshkozig!
Gawishimon!
Ambe, maajaadaa!
Gego zhaaganaashiimoken!


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Stepping through a course - Lesson 20

Another very short dialog example, continuing on with the imperative and a couple new numbers. I've also included a couple new words and some more imperative practice at the end of the lesson.

Dialog - 
F: Ojibwemon!
M: Gidaa-ojibwem gaye giin.
F: Ambe, ojibwemodaa.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

A line-by-line breakdown:


F: Ojibwemon!
  • Speak Ojibwe!
M: Gidaa-ojibwem gaye giin.
  • Remember that the daa- preverb also means should. He's replying "You should speak Ojibwe too/"
F: Ambe, ojibwemodaa.
  • "Ambe" means "come on", So she says "Come on, let's speak Ojibwe."
* * * * * * * * * * * *


New words this lesson:
  • daa- - should, ought, would (introduced in Lesson 16)
  • ambe - come, come on
  • gaye - also, too (introduced in Lesson 7)
  • ingodwaaswi - six
  • niizhwaaswi - seven

Other new vocabulary:
  • goshgozi - wake up
  • gawishimo - lie down, go to bed
  • zhaaganaashiimo - speak English

More imperative practice:

  • Gego maajaaken noongom! - Don't leave now!
  • Ambe goshkozig! Come on everybody, wake up!
  • Gawishimon! - Go to bed!
  • Ambe, maajaadaa! - Come on, let's leave!
  • Gego zhaaganaashiimoken! - Don't speak English!

We've now completed 2/3 of the course. The next post will be a summary and review of lessons 11-20.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Stepping through a course - Lesson 19

This lesson's dialog examples are really short, but I wanted to concentrate on the imperative, or giving commands, since we've already seen the "Let's" form and in this lesson we're introduced to the imperative for singular you. I've included a section at the end of the lesson with some new vocabulary that will help with imperatives.

Dialog - 
M: Akawe, daga, izhaan adaawewigamig.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
F: Giwii-wiijiiw na?
* * * * * * * * * * * *
F: Akawe, daga, wiisinidaa.
* * * * * * * * * * * *


Here's a line-by-line breakdown:

M: Akawe, daga, izhaan adaawewigamig.
  • "Akawe" is a new word, meaning "first". He's sayng "First, please go to the store."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
F: Giwii-wiijiiw na?
  • Here's a new verb, "wiijiiw", meaning "go with [someone]". So she's asking "Do you want to go with (me)?
* * * * * * * * * * * *

F: Akawe, daga, wiisinidaa.
  • "First, let's eat."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

New words this lesson:
  • akawe - first; first of all
  • niswi - three
  • niiwin - four
  • naanan - five
  • wiijiiw - go with SOMEBODY

Other new vocabulary:
  • biindige - enter, go inside
  • abi - sit
  • zaagaam - go outside
  • maajaa - leave
  • giiwe - go home
  • gego - don't
  • ando- - go and do [something]
  • booni- - stop [doing something]
  • bi- - here, towards the speaker

The imperative is formed as follows:

For you singular, simply add an "n" to the verb stem. Example: Daga, wiisinin. (Please eat.)
For you plural, add a "g" to the verb stem. Example: Daga, wiisinig. (Everybody (all you people) eat.)
To say "Let's [do something]", we simply add "daa" to the verb stem. Example: Wiisinidaa. *Let's eat."

** Note that for verb stems ending in "m", the "m" is replaced with an "n" for you singular and plural before adding these suffixes. Example: Zaagaan, zaagaamog, zaagaandaa. (Go outside (sing), go outside (pl), let's go outside.)

To form the negative imperative, add "gego" (don't) before the verb and:

  • add "ken" to the end of the verb stem for singular you - Gego wiisiniken. (Don't eat.)
  • add "keg" to the end of the verb stem for plural you - Gego wiisinikeg. (Don't all of you eat.)
  • add "sidaa" to the end of the verb stem for we - Gego wiisinisidaa. (Let's not eat.)

There are some preverbs we can also use, such as "go and [do something]", "stop [doing something]" and "come [do something]", too.
Here are some examples of the imperative using these preverbs "ando-", "booni-", and "bi-" (originally introduced in Summary, Lessons 1-10):

  • Ando-abin. (Go sit.) - You singular
  • Ando-abig. (Everybody (all of you) sit) - You plural
  • Booni-wiisinin. (Stop eating.) - You singular
  • Booni-wiisinig. (Everybody (all of you) stop eating.) - You plural
  • Bi-giiwen. (Come home.) - You singular
  • Bi-giiweg. (Everybody (all of you) come home.) - You plural

That's really all there is to the imperative. It'll be covered further in lesson 24, but I wanted to get started with its use earlier.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Stepping through a course - Lesson 18

A very short lesson, today. Just a couple new words, and a review of "are you going to/will you?" and "can I?", and then a supplemental review of the past tense again.

Dialog - 

M: giwii-izhaa na adaawewigamig?
F: niwii-izhaa adaawewigamig.
* * * * * * * * * * *
F: inga-biidoon na gegoo?
M: Daga, adaawen opiniig.
* * * * * * * * * * *
F: Gibakade na?
F: Henyanh. Imbakade.
* * * * * * * * * * *


Here's a breakdown, line by line:

M: giwii-izhaa na adaawewigamig?
  • Are you going to go to the store?
F: niwii-izhaa adaawewigamig.
  • I'm going to go to the store.
* * * * * * * * * * *

F: inga-biidoon na gegoo?
  • Can I bring/get something?
M: Daga, adaawen opiniig.
  • Two new words - daga, meaning "please" and opin, opiniig (pl), meaning "potato". He replies "Please, buy some potatoes."
* * * * * * * * * * *

F: Gibakade na?
  • Are you hungry?
F: Henyanh. Imbakade.
  • Yes, I'm hungry.
* * * * * * * * * * *

New words this lesson:
  • daga - please; OK; well; come on
  • adaawewigamig - store; trading-house (originally in Summary, Lessons 1-10)
  • opin (opiniig, plural) - potato; tuber
  • maamaa - mother (see Family Members reference page for more)
  • adaawe - buy; sell; trade. (originally in Lesson 12)
  • biidoon - fetch SOMETHING; bring SOMETHING. (originally in Lesson 16)
  • bakade - be hungry (in Summary Lessons 1-10)

Other new words:

And some continued practice with the past tense:

  • Gigiipwiisin na dibikong? (Did you eat last night?)
  • Gaawiin, Nigii-wiisin dinikong. (No, I didn't eat last night/)
  • Giwii-adaawen mazina'igan? (Are you going to buy a book?)
  • Gaawiin. Azhaa ingii-adaawen mazin'igan. (No, I already bought a book.)
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