These lessons come from:

"A Cree Phrase Book"

Department of Native Studies
Brandon University
Brandon Manitoba
http://nisto.com/cree/lesson/

How to use this book

[the following is from the introduction to "A Cree Phrase Book"]
This book is intended to help persons who do not speak the Cree language learn to speak some Cree. However,
used by itself, this book cannot teach very much. The student should get someone who is a native speaker of
Cree to be their teacher. The teacher and this book should form a teaching team.
The book performs the following services:

1. it organizes the material to be learned in order to make the learning as efficient and easy as possible,
and
2. it offers explanations of Cree grammar.

Neither of these services can be performed by a native speaker of this or any other language without special
study or research.
The teacher has the following three duties:

1. They should pronounce every word and phrase and sentence in a natural way and at a natural speed,
for the student to imitate. Students often ask a teacher to "say it slowly." It is all right to help a student
in this way as long as they are taught to say the word or phrase at normal speed as soon as they have
learned to say it at slow speed.
2. The teacher should correct the student's mistakes. The teacher should always base their corrections on
what seems to them to be natural and proper Cree, even when it seems logical to say something in a
different way, even when this book says it in a different way, and even if the teacher has previously
said it in a different way. It may sometimes seem illogical to say something the correct way, because
languages often require us to say things in illogical or complicated ways. The teacher may sometimes
disagree with this book because this book may contain mistakes, and because this book almost
certainly contains things that don't belong in the teacher's dialect. The teacher may change their mind
about what is the correct way to say something, because a language class is an unnatural way to use a
language, and even a native speaker of the language being taught can get confused in that situation.
3. As soon as the student knows even a little bit of Cree, the teacher should start to speak in Cree to them
as often as possible, using the words and phrases that they have studied. In the early stages, of course,
this may require the teacher and student to converse in Cree about a lot of uninteresting things, and to
say things in Cree that they would never waste time saying in English. It can be very frustrating to
adults to have to talk foolishness, but the aim of studying Cree is, of course, to learn Cree, not to make
intelligent conversation. Languages are designed to be learned by little children, who are not ready for
serious, intelligent speech. The student must learn Cree like a child before they can talk Cree like an
adult.
Obviously, the three duties of the teacher cannot be performed by the book, so the teacher is essential for the
successful use of the book.
The student's intention is, of course, to learn to speak some Cree. They should bear in mind some of the
things learning a language includes.
It is obvious to everyone that the words of different languages are different' therefore learning a language
requires learning these words. But many people do not realize that there is more to it than this, because
different languages also differ in several less obvious ways. For one thing, the ways in which words are
arranged to make sentences also differ in different languages. These new arrangements also have to be learned
in a new language. For another thing, many meanings are not represented by whole words at all, but only by
sounds or syllables attached to other words. Such sounds and syllables are called affixes. An example of an
affix is the s in English dogs, hats, rooms, and stones, which means "more than one" when attached to dog, hat,
room, stone, and many other words, but which is a meaningless hiss or buzz when spoken alone. Affixes, their
meanings, and their uses differ greatly from language to language, and must be learned anew in a new
language.
When an affix is attached to the end of a word it is called a suffix. The s in the examples above is a suffix.
Suffixes are written with a preceding hyphen in this book, thus -s 'more than one'. When an affix is attached at
the beginning of a word, it is called a prefix. The un in English unexplained, unseen, untidy is a prefix meaning
'not'. Prefixes are written with a following hyphen in this book, thus un- 'not'. Within a word, the hyphen is
generally dropped before a suffix, but retained after a prefix, in this book.
The student should memorize every word, phrase, and sentence in this book, for it is much easier to learn to
use the affixes and word arrangements of a new language when examples of them are memorized!
The student should note that it is not really possible to teach a language; it is only possible to learn a language.
In other words, the student must expend most of the effort; they must strive to remember the Cree words,
phrases, and sentences, and they must use them as correctly as they can as often as they can. There is no way
for anyone or any machine to put a language into their head without their working hard at it them self.
Fortunately, the task is not as formidable as it might be, for the human being is made for speaking, and their
brain is designed to learn languages.
Time spent with the teacher should be used to speak and hear Cree. All exercises should be done orally in the
teacher's presence so they can correct them immediately before errors are rehearsed an memorized. The student
should avoid as much as possible questions about grammar. They use up valuable time in talking about Cree
instead of talking Cree, and the teacher probably does not have the conscious knowledge to answer correctly.
Lesson 1: Greetings and Polite Formulas
ta'n(i)si
"Hello.", "Hi.", "How are you?", "How are things?"
Literally: "How?"
m'on~(a) na'ntaw.
"Hi.", "Fine." (in response to ta'n(i)si.)
ki'n~a ma'ka.
"And you?"

kinana'skomitin.
"Thank you." (said to one person.)
Literally: "I thank you."
kinana'skomitina'wa'w.
"Thank you." (said to more than one person.)
Literally: "I thank you people."

e'kosi.
"That's how!", "That's the way!", also very commonly used for "Thank you."

ki'htwa'm ka-wa'p(a)mit(i)n.
"I'll see you again." (said to one person.)
ki'htwa'm ka-wa'p(a)mit(i)na'wa'w.
"I'll see you people again."
ki'htwa'm ka-wa'p(a)mit(i)na'n.
"We'll see you again." (said to one or more persons.)
The last three sentences are probably the most commonly used equivalents of "Goodbye."

Notes
Greetings and polite formulas are among the first expressions most people seek translations for in another
language. But many of these expressions are peculiar to European culture and therefore have no close
equivalents in Native North American languages.
Lesson 2: Numbers One Through Ten (and zero)
mwac ke'kwa'n

0 - zero
Literally: not anything

pe'yak

1 - one

n'iso

2 - two

nisto

3 - three

n'ew, ne'wo, ne'yo

4 - four

niya'nan

5 - five

n(i)kotwa'sik or kotwa'sik

6 - six

te'pakohp

7 - seven

ayina'new (dialects: e'na'ne'w)

8 - eight

ke'ka'c mita'taht

9 - nine
Literally: almost ten

mita'taht (W. dialects: mita'yaht for mita'taht)

 10 - ten

Extra Numbers (not from the instruction book)

nistosap

13 - thirteen

nisotanaw

20 - twenty

Exercises
Count the following aloud in Cree:

1. The windows in the room.

2. The doors in the room.
3. The chairs in the room, or, if you are in a classroom, just count the students.
4. The rooms in your house.
5. The wires leading to the nearest hydro pole.
6. The buttons on your shirt or dress.
7. Anything else that seems to consist of ten or less. If you have to count beyond ten, get help from
your teacher.

Name the numbers in the following in Cree, and write them down in figures so your teacher can check you:

1. Your phone number.

2. Your license plate (if you have one).
3. Your house number, or room number, or post office box number.
4. Your social insurance number.
5. Anything else you can think of.
Lesson 3: Comments on the Weather
6. kimiwan
7. it is raining
8. mispon
9. it is snowing
10. min~o-kisika'w
11. it's nice weather
Literally: it's a good day
12. n~o'tin
13. it's windy
14. n~ikwaskwan
15. it's cloudy
16. wa'se'skwan
17. it's clear or sunny
18. kisite'w
19. it's hot (speaking of the weather or the temperature of the air)
20. tahka'ya'w
21. it's cold (speaking of the weather or the temperature of the air)
22. kisina'w
23. it's bitterly cold (speaking of the weather or the temperature of the air)
Notes
These weather words, in Cree, are indicative verbs. An indicative verb can be used to make a
statement, like the statements about the weather listed above. These verbs are also in the present
tense, that is, they indicate events or situations occuring at the time of speaking, "in the present."
Exercises
(pictures not yet shown.)
Describe the weather as shown in each of the pictures above.
Lesson 4: Further Comments on the Weather:
Past, Present and Future
ki'-kimiwan

it rained

ki'-mispon

it snowed

wi'-mispon

it's going to snow

wi'-kisite'w

it's going to be hot

wi'-tahka'ya'w

it's going to be cold

wi'-min~o-ki'sika'w

it's going to be nice weather

ta-mispon

it will snow

tahka'ya'w anohc

it's cold today

anohc tahka'ya'w

it's cold today

kimiwan anohc

it's raining today

ki'-kimiwan anohc

it rained today

anohc wi'-mispon

it's going to snow today

ki'-kimiwan ota'hkosi'hk

it rained yesterday

wi'-n~otin wa'pahke'

it's going to be windy tomorrow

ta-kimiwan wa'pahke'

it will rain tomorrow

me'kwa'c mispon

it's snowing right now

mispon me'kwa'c

it's snowing right now

ke'ya'pic mispon

it's still snowing

ki'htwa'm ki'-mispon

it snowed again

ki'-mispon ki'htwa'm

it snowed again

ma'sko'c ta-mispon

maybe it will snow

anohc kisina'w

it's bitterly cold today

ota'hkosi'hk mina ki-kisina'w

it was also bitterly cold yesterday

New Words
Adverbs
anohc

today

ke'ya'pic

still (referring to time)

ki'htwa'm

again

ma'sko'c

maybe, perhaps

me'kwa'c

right now, at present

mi'na

also

ota'hkosi'hk

yesterday

wa'pahke'

tomorrow

Notes
ki'- is placed before indicative verbs to make statements referring to past time, that is, statements that describe
situations or events that occurred before the time of speaking. We say ki'- forms the past tense of indicative
verbs.
wi'- (going to), and ta'- (will) are placed before indicative verbs to make statements referring to the future, that
is, statements that describe situations or events that are going to occur, or will occur, after the time of speaking.
We say wi'- and ta'- form future tenses of indicative verbs.

Some speakers feel that ta- is too definite to be applied to anything as unpredictable as the weather, as one
person said, "Only God could say ta-mispon."
Adverbs are used with verbs to provide certain additional information about a situation. Most Cree adverbs
usually precede the verb, but some of them can also follow it.

Exercises
 1. How was the weather yesterday? Answer in Cree.
2. Using the pictures in lesson three, answer the previous question as you would have if yesterday's
weather had been as shown in each picture (for example, you could say, "it rained yesterday," for
picture 5).
3. Again using the pictures in lesson three, predict tomorrow's weather as you would if you expected it
to be as shown in each picture (for example, you could say, "it's going to snow tomorrow," for
picture 6).

Lesson 5: Affirmative and Negative

kimiwan na

is it raining?

ke'ya'pic na kimiwan

is it still raining?

ki'-kimiwan na ota'hhkosi'hk

did it rain yesterday?

e'he'

yes

mo'n~a

no

mwac (dialects: (na)mwac and (na)mo'n~a for mwac and mo'n~a)

no

mwac n(i)kiske'n~(ih)te'n

i don't know, i don't know it

mo'n~a n(i)kiske'n~(ih)te'n

i don't know, i don't know it

mo'n~a kimiwan

it's not raining

mwac kimiwan

it's not raining

mwac ohci-kimiwan ota'hhkosi'hk

it didn't rain yesterday

mwac ce'skwa kimiwan

it's not raining yet

mo'n~a ce'skwa kimiwan

it's not raining yet

ta'n(i)si e'si-ki'sika'k

how is the weather?

Literally: how is the day?

ta'n(i)si ka'-isi-ki'sika'k

how was the weather?

Literally: how was the day?

ta'n(i)si ka'-isi-ki'sika'k ota'hhkosi'hk

how was the weather yesterday?

New Adverbs
na

indicator of a yes-or-no question

mo'n~a or mwac

not, no

ce'skwa

yet

Notes
Yes-or-no questions are questions to which the answer may be 'yes' or 'no.' In Cree, yes-or-no questions are
formed from statements by placing the word in question at the beginning of the sentence, and then putting na
after the word (sentences 1 to 3).
A situation is denied by using mwac or mo'n~a (not) with an indicative verb (sentences 1 to 3).
When mwac or mo'n~a is used with a verb in the past tense, the prefix ki'- is changed to ohci- (sentence 11).
Supplementary questions are questions formed with the words 'who?', 'what?', 'which?', 'when?', 'where?',
'why?' or 'how?' (sentences 14-16). How such questions are made up in Cree will be described later.
Note: when i is followed by e', only the e' is pronounced sometimes. Thus ta'n(i)si e'si-ki'sika'k may be
pronounced as ta'n(i)s e'si-ki'sika'k
Exercises
Using the pictures in lesson 3, the teacher should ask the student questions about the weather shown in the
various pictures. The teacher should vary the questions, using both "How is the weather?', and yes-or-no
questions like "Is it raining?", "Is it snowing?", etc.. The yes-or-no questions should be asked so that the
student must answer 'yes' to some and 'no' to others.
The student should answer as honestly as possible. If the answer to a question is 'no,' then the student should
tell what kind of weather the picture really shows.
Continue until the student shows by her answers that she understands all the questions.

Sample questions
Picture:

1. kimiwan na
2. ta'n(i)si e'si-ki'sika'k
3. mispon na
4. n~ikwaskwan na
5. kimiwan na
6. mispon na
7. ta'n(i)si e'si-ki'sika'k

Lesson 6: Some useful commands

pi'htikwe'
'Enter!', 'Go inside!' (said to one person)
(Dialects: pi'htoke' or pi'htike' for pi'htikwe')
pi'tikwe'k
'Enter, you people!'
(Dialects: pi'htoke'k or pi'htike'k for pi'htikwe'k)
These words are used where English uses 'Come in!' to invite someone at the door into a building
room. Otherwise, a more exact translation of 'Come in!' is pe'-pi'htikwe'.
api
'sit (down)!' (said to one person)
apik
'Sit (down), you people!'
wan'awi'
'Go out!', 'Go outside!' (said to one person)
wan'awik
'Go out(side), you people!'
ki'we'
'Go home!' (said to one person)
ki'we'k
'Go home, you people!'
itwe'
'Say it!' (said to one person)
ki'htwa'm itwe'
Say it again!' (said to one person)
ki'htwa'm itwe'k
'Say it again, you people!'
pe'hka'c itwe'
'Say it slowly!', 'Say it carefully!' (said to one)
n(i)sihka'c itwe'
' Say it slowly!'
akihta'so
'Count!' (to one)
akihta'sok
'Count, you people!'
kawin'a api
'Don't sit (down)!' (to one)
kawin'a apik
'Don't sit (down), you people!'
kawin'a ki'we'
'Don't go home.' (to one)
kawin'a ce'skwa pe'-pi'htikwe'
'Con't come in yet!' (to one)
kawin'a pe'-pihtikwe' ce'skwa
'Don't come in yet!'
(E. dial. ka'n'a for kawin'a)
awas
'Go away!', 'Get away!'
a'stam
'Come here!'

New Adverbs
kawin'a
'don't'
n(i)sihka'c
'carefully, slowly'
pe'hka'c
'carefully, slowly'
Notes
Words like 'go', 'go in', 'go out', 'sit', 'count' are verbs.
In Cree, as in English, most verbs, when spoken alone, express commands. In Cree, however, these
command-forms are singular, that is, they are only used in speaking to one person.
In giving a command to more than one person, the plural command-form of a verb must be used. This
is formed for many verbs, including those above, by adding -k.
ka'win'a 'don't' is used in place of mo'n'a or mwac with command - forms.
Note: when a or a' is followed by a or a', the two vowels are sometimes pronounced like on a'. Thus
kawin'a api is sometimes pronounced as kawin'a'pi.
awas and a'stam are not verbs in Cree, though they can be translated into English by commands
containing verbs.

Exercises
The best way to practice these commands is to have your teacher say some of them to you for you to
obey. To avoid the expense of time and energy involved in going out and coming in, sitting down and
getting up, put a couple of coins or something on the table to indicate a door and let your fingers do
the walking.
Always use 'say it again'l in Cree when you want your teacher to repeat something
Lesson 7: Let's
pi'htikwe'ta'n
'Let's go in(side)', 'Let's enter!'
(Dialects: pi'htoke'ta'n or pi'htike'ta'n for pi'htikwe'ta'n.)
apita'n
'Let's sit (down)!'
akihta'sota'n
'Let's count!'
wan'awi'ta'n
'Let's go out(side)!'
ki'we'ta'n
'Let's go home!'
ki'htwa'm itwe'ta'n
'Let's say it again!'
kawin'a ki'we'ta'n
'Let's not go home!'

Notes
'Let's' is expressed with many verbs, including all those given in section 7, by the suffix -ta'n.
Lesson 8: What is this or that?, Who is this or
that?
ke'kwa'n o'ma

'What is this?'

ke'kwa'n anima

'What is that?'

ke'kwa'n ne'ma

'What is that in the distance?'

awe'na awa

'Who is this?'

awe'na ana

'Who is that?'

awe'na na'ha

'Who is that in the distance?'

wa'skahikan anima

'That is a house.'

wa'skahikan o'ma

'this is a house.'

iskwa'hte'm anima
 'That is a door.'

masinahikan o'ma

'This is a book.'

na'pe'w ana

'That is a man.'

na'pe'w awa

'This is a man.'

iskwe'w ana

'That is a woman.'

atim na'ha

'That is a dog in the distance.'

pi'sim ana

'That is the sun or the moon.'

The Cree language acknowledges the similarity between the sun and the moon, namely, that they are the only
heavenly bodies that appear to the unaided eye as discs rather than as pinpoints of light, by givinlg them one
name. The distinction can be expressed if desired by using ki'sika'wi-pi'sim 'the sun', literally 'the daytime-
pi'sim' and tipiska'wi-pi'sim 'the moon', literally 'the nighttime-pi'sim'.
wacahkos ana

'That is a star.'
(Dialects: acahkos or aca'hk for wacahkos.)

n(i)pa'pa' awa

'This is my father.'

nima'ma' ana

'That is my mother.'
Instead of n(i)pa'pa, some people use no'hta'wiy, and instead of nima'ma', some people use
n(i)ka'wiy. Those who use them often consider no'hta'wiy and n(i)ka'wiy to be more correct, and
consider n(i)pa'pa' and nima'ma' to be slang, but other speakers use only the latter two words.

n(i)kosis awa

'This is my son.'

n(i)ta'nis na'ha
 'That's my daughter in the distance.'

Mary ana

'That's Mary.'

ci'ma'n na o'ma

'Is this a boat?'

o'ma na ci'ma'n

'Is this a boat?'

New Words
Nouns:
aca'hk

'a star' (in some dialects)

acahkos

'a star' (in some dialects)

atim

'a dog'

ci'ma'n

'a boat'

iskwa'hte'm

'a door'

iskwe'w

'a woman'

ki'sika'wi - pi'sim

the sun

masinahikan

'a book'

na'pe'w
 'a man'

n(i)ka'wiy

'my mother'

n(i)kosis

'my son'

nima'ma'

'my mother'

n(i)pa'pa'

'my father'

n(i)ta'nis

'my daughter'

no'hta'wiy

'my father'

pi'sim

'the sun or moon'

tipiska'wi - pi'sim

'the moon'

wacahkos

'a star' (in some dialects)

wa'skahikan

'a house'

Demonstrative pronouns:
awa, o'ma

'this'

ana, anima

'that'

na'ha, ne'ma
 'that in the distance'

Interrogative pronouns:
awe'na

'who?'

ke'kwa'n

'what?'

Notes
Nouns are words like 'a star', 'a dog', 'a boat', 'a door', 'Mary', etc. Demonstrative pronouns are the words 'this'
and 'that', and interrogative pronouns are 'who?' and 'what?'
A Cree demonstrative pronoun can be placed after a noun to form a statement meaning 'This is...', 'That is...'
(sentences 7-21)
A Cree demonstrative pronoun can be placed after or before a noun, with na between the two, to make a yes-
or-no question meaning 'Is this...?', 'Is that...?' (sentences 22,23)
A Cree demonstrative pronoun can be placed after an interrogative pronoun to make a supplementary question,
'What is this?', etc. (sentences 1-6).
Note that Cree has two words each for 'this', 'that', and 'that in the distance'. They are used as follows:

1. awa, ana, and na'ha are used with all nouns that denote living things (sentences 11-14, 17-21)
2. o'ma, anima, and ne'ma are used with most, but not quite all,nouns that denote non-living things
(sentences 7-10, 22, 23)
3. awa, ana, and na'ha are used with the remaining nouns even though those nouns name non-living
things. Such nouns include waca'hkos and pi'sim in this wection (sentences 15-16)

Nouns that are used with awa, ana, and na'ha, whether they refer to living or non-living things, are called
animate nouns. Nouns that are used with o'ma, anima, and ne'ma are called inanimate nouns.
(Few students at this point can resist the temptation to speculate that the Cree people use pi'sim and waca'hkos
and the names of a few other non-living things with awa, ana, and na'ha, because, in fact, the Crees believe
these items are in some sense alive. And many a Cree speaker will collaborate to some extent in this
speculation. So it should be pointed out here that the origin of this use of awa, ana, and na'ha lies in the remote
and hidden past; to modern Cree people it is merely a habit of speech, and they know perfectly well what is
alive and what i'nt. Similarly, in French, la maison 'the house' is called Feminine because it takes la like lafille
'the girl', and lemagasin 'the store' is called masculine because it takes le like le garcon 'the boy, but the French
don't think houses are girls and stores are boys.)
The student can use the questions in sentences 1-6 to get the name of anything he can point at, and thereby
increase his vocabylary of nouns, but he should be warned of on variation in usage. Many people use awe'na
for persons and ke'kwa'n for everthing else, just as 'sho?' and 'what?' are used in English. Other people feel that
awe'na should be used to ask about anything that is named with an animate noun, whether it is living or not. Of
course, if the student doew not yet know the mane of a non-living thing, he cannot know if it is designated by
an animate noun, so he must use ke'kwa'n. He may then have hsi question corrected before he gets his answer,
if he happens to seek an animate noun from one of the latter group of speakers.
Lesson 9: What are these or those? Who are
these or those people?
ke'kwa'na o'ho

'What are these?'

ke'kwa'na ne'hi

'What are those in the distance?'

awe'nikik o'kok

'Who are these people?' (Dialects: awe'niki for awe'nikik and o'ko for o'kok.)

masinahikana anihi

'Those are books.'

iskwe'wak anikik

'Those are women.' (Dialects: aniki for anikik.)

na'pe'wak o'kok

'These are men.'

atimwak anikik

'Those are dogs.'

wacahkosak anikik

'Those are stars.'

wa'skahikana
 'Houses.'

iskwa'hte'ma

'Doors.'

ci'ma'na

'Boats.'

pi'simwak

'The sun and moon.'

n(i)kos(i)sak

'My sons.'

n(i)ta'n(i)sak

'My daughters.'

A few additional useful nouns

na'pe'sis

'a boy'

na'pe's(i)sak

'boys'

iskwe'sis

'a girl'

iskwe's(i)sak

'girls'

'acimosis

'a puppy, a little dog'

acimos(i)sak

'puppies, little dogs'

ata'wikamik

'a store'

ata'wikamikwa
 'stores'

ota'pa'na'sk

'a sled, a car'

ota'pa'na'skwak

'sleds, cars'

wasko

'cloud' (Dialects: waskoy for wasko.)

waskoya

'clouds'

nipiy

'water'

iskote'w

'fire'

asiniy

'a stone'

asiniyak

'stones'

mistik

'a tree, a stick'

mistikwak

'trees'

mistikwa

'sticks'

Notes
The nouns in section 9 were all singular nouns, that is, they refer to a single item or mass. To refer to more
than one item, a suffix is added to a noun in both English and Cree. Such a suffix is called a plural suffix, and
a noun with a plural suffix is called a plural noun.
In English, the plural suffix is usually -s or -es (pronounced -s, -z or -iz).
In Cree, the plural suffix is usually -ak or -a, use as follows:
-ak is used with animate nouns (sentances 5-8, 12-14).
-a is used with inanimate nouns (sentances 4, 9-11).
Some nouns insert w before the plural suffixes, namely, atim, pi'sim, ata'wikamik, ota'pa'na'sk, and mistik
among those given up to now.
wasko adds y before -a.
The plural demonstrative pronouns are:
animate inanimate

o'kok o'ho 'these'

anikik anihi 'those'

ne'kik ne'hi 'those in the distance'

(Dialects: o'ko, aniki, ne'ki for o'kok, anikik, ne'kik.)

The interrogative pronouns also have plurals, unlike English:
awe'niki(k)

'who? (referring to more than one)', 'what people?'

ke'kwa'na

'what? (referring to more than one)', 'what things?'

Remember, animate and inanimate are only grammatical terms indicating which demonstrative pronouns and
plural suffixes a noun occurs with. Animate nouns include the names of some non-living things.
Lesson 10: A few ailments and discomforts
n(i)kawacin
'I'm cold.'
kikawacin na
'Are you cold?'
ke'ya'pic na kikawacin
'Are you still cold?'
kawaciw
'He is cold', 'She is cold'
kawaciw na
'Is he cold?', 'Is she cold?'
n(i)kisison
'I'm hot.'
kikisison na
'Are you hot?'
kisisow
'He or she is hot.'
kisisow na
'Is he or she hot?'
n(i)ta'hkosin
'I'm sick.'
kita'hkosin na
'Are you sick?'
a'hkosiw
'He or she is sick.'
a'hkosiwak
'They are sick.'
n(i)to'takikomin
'I have a cold.' (W. dialects: no'takikomin for n(i)to'takikomin.)
kito'takikomin na
 'Do you have a cold?' (W. dialects: ko'takikomin for kito'takikomin.)
otakikomiw
'He or she has a cold.'
nimin~o-aya'n
'I am well (after an illness).', 'I have recovered.'
kimin~o-aya'n na
'Have you recovered?'
min~o-aya'w
'He or she has recovered.'
min~o-aya'wak
'They have recovered.'
kiki'skwe'pa'n
'You're drunk.'
ki'skwe'pe'w
'He or she is drunk.'
ki'skwe'pe'wak
'They are drunk.'

New Verbs
kawaci
'be cold'
kisiso
'be hot'
a'hkosi
'be sick'
otakikomi
'have a cold'
min~o-aya'
'be well (after and illness)', 'be recovered'
ki'skwe'pe'
'be drunk'

Notes
In Cree, as in English, when a verb is used in some way other than to make a command, various additional
words and affixes have to occur with it, and sometimes even the verb itself is changed. For example, in
English, 'Go home!' is a command. Among the additions which are used with theis verb to make statements are
the following:
"I am ...-ing" in "I am going home."
"He is ...-ing" in "He is going home."
"I will ..." in "I will go home."
"He will ..." in "He will go home."
And with 'go' changed to 'went':
"I ..." in "I went home."
"He ..." in "He went home."
Other additions make questions:
"Is he ...-ing" in "Is he going home?"
"Will he ..." in "Will he go home?"
"Did he ..." in "Did he go home?"
Similarly, in Cree, when a verb is used to make a statement or to ask a question, it must take certain additions
and changes.
 Note in the English examples just above that the words and affixes added to the verb, and the change in the
verb, give three kinds of information:

1. The words 'I' and 'he' tell who is doing the going. These words are called personal pronouns. (The rest
of the English personal pronouns are 'we', 'she', 'it', 'they' and 'you'.) All the other added words, the
affixes, the change from 'go' to 'went', and even the very order of the words in some cases, either--
2. tell the time at which the going takes place, namely, in the past, present or future, or--
3. distinguish the statements from the questions.

How some of this information is expressed in Cree has already been described, namely:

 Indicative verbs are used to make statements and yes-or-no questions.

 Yes-or-no questions are distinguished from statements by the addition of the word na.
 ki'- (and ohci- after mwac or mo'n~a) indicates past time, and wi'- and ta- indicate future time. The absence of
these tense prefixes indicates present time.

(The student should review sections 3 through 6 if any of these statements are unclear.)
The Cree personal prounouns still have to be presented. When used with a verb to express the one who does
something or is something, the Cree personal pronouns are all affixes. The affixes that are used with a verb to
make a statement or ask a yes-or-no question are called indicative personal affixes, because a verb wwith an
indicative personal affix is an indicative verb.
The following indicative personal affixes are illustrated in the sentences:
ni- ... - n "I"
ki- ... -n "you(singular)", that is "you" in speaking to only one person
-w "he" or "she"
-wak "they (animate)"
Before a vowel, t is inserted after ni- and ki- (sentences 10, 11), and o is replaced by o' after this t (sentences
14, 15). (In the western dialects o is replaced by o' and nit- and kit- are then replaced by n- and k- (sentences
14, 15).)
Verbs ending in e' change the e' to a' before -n (sentence 21).

Exercises
Say the six new verbs of this lesson with each of the four indicative personal affixes.
In Cree, as in any language, ki- ... -n "you" occurs more frequently in yes-or-no questions than in statements,
and ni- ... -n "I" occurs more frequently in statements than in yes-or-no questions. Thus, we are more likely to
say "I'm cold." and "Are you cold?" than "Am I cold?" and "You are cold." Therefore, it is a good idea in
doing exercises like this one to use ki- ... -n with na, and to avoid na with ni- ... -n, but -w "he, she", and -wak
"they" should be practiced in both statements and yes-or-no questions.
Lesson 11: At home and away
n(i)ki'wa'n

'I am going home.', 'I am on the way home.'

kiki'wa'n na

'Are you going home?', 'Are you on the way home?'

ki'we'w

'He or she is going home.', 'He or she is on the way home.'

ki'we'w na

'Is he or she going home?', 'Is he or she on the way home?'

ki'we'wak

'They are going home.', 'They are on the way home.'

n(i)ki'-ki'wa'n

'I went home.'

ki'ki'we'w
 'He or she went home.'

ki'htwa'm ki'-ki'we'w

'He or she went home again.'

mwac ohci-ki'we'w

'He or she didn't go home.'

niwi'-ki'wa'n

'I'm going to go home.', 'I want to go home.'

se'ma'k na kiwi'-ki'wa'n

'Are you going to go home right now?', 'Do you want to go home immediately?'

wi'-ki'we'w

'He or she is going to go home.', 'He or she wants to go home.'

mwac we'ki'we'w

'He or she doesn't want to go home'

kiki'-apin na ota'hkosi'hk

'Were you in yesterday?', 'Were you at home yesterday?'

ki'-apiw ota'hkosi'hk

'He or she was in yesterday.'

ota'hkosi'hk ki'-apiw

'He or she was in yesterday.'

ka-apin na anohc

'Will you be in today?'

n(i)ka-apin

'I'll be in.'

kitatoska'n na

'Are you working?'

n(i)tatoska'n
 'I'm working.'

ke'ya'pic atoske'w

'He or she is still working.'

mwac n(i)to'hci-atoska'n ota'hkosi'hk

'I didn't work yesterday.'

(W. dialects: no'hci- for n(i)to'hci-.)

mwac n(i)ka-atoska'n wa'pahke'

'I won't work tomorrow.'

nino'hte'-atoska'n

'I want to work.'

no'hte'-atoske'w

'He or she want's to work.'

ta-atoske'w

'He or she will work.'

niwi'-ma'ci'n

'I'm going to go hunting.', 'I want to go hunting.'

kiwi'ma'ci'n na

'Are you going to go hunting.', 'Do you want to go hunting?'

wa'pahke' na ta-ma'ci'wak

'Will they go hunting tomorrow?'

n(i)kosis ki'ki'we'w

'My son went home.'

ki'ki'we'w n(i)ta'nis

'My daughter went home.'

n(i)pa'pa' ki'-apiw ota'hkosi'hk

'My father was in yesterday.'

ota'hkosi'hk n(i)pa'pa' ki'-apiw

 'My father was in yesterday.'

wa'pahke' na anikik na'pe'wak ta-ma'ci'wak

'Will those men hunt tomorrow?', 'Is it tomorrow that those men will hunt?'

anikik na na'pe'wak ta-ma'ci'wak wa'pahke'

'Will those men hunt tomorrow?', 'Is it tomorrow that those men will hunt?'

otakikomiwak na o'kok iskwe's(i)sak

'Do these girls have colds?'

o'kok iskwe's(i)sak otakikomiwak

'These girls have colds.'

New Words
Verbs:
api

'sit; be in, be at home'

atoske'

'work'

ma'ci'

'hunt, go hunting'

Adverbs:
se'ma'k

'right now, immediately'

Notes
ni- and ki- in the indicative personal affixes go before the tense prefixes ki'-, ohci-, and wi'- (sentences 6, 10,
11, 14, 22, 27, 28). ni- and ki- plus ohci- yield n(i)to'chi- and kito'chi- (W. dialects no'hci- and ko'hci-.)
(sentence 23).
ni- plus ta- results in n(i)ka- (sentences 18, 24).
ki- plus ta- results in ka- (sentence 17).

Note that api has two meanings, 'sit' (section 6) and 'be at home, be in.'
Note that wi'- has two meanings, 'going to' and 'want to'. To avoid ambiguity the prefix no'hte'- can be used in
place of wi'- in the meaning 'want to' (sentences 24, 25).
 In Cree, as in English, a noun can be used with a verb in a sentence where the noun tells the one who does
something or is something, and the verb tells what the noun does or is (sentences 30-37). A noun used in this
way is called the subject of the verb. Thus, in sentences 30-37, 'my son', 'my daughter', 'my father', 'those men'
and 'these girls' are subjects of 'went home', 'was in', 'will hunt' and 'have colds'.
In Cree, such sentences are different from their English translations in the following two ways:

1. In English, the subject noun generally comes before the verb. In Cree you say first whichever you
think of first, or whichever you feel contains the most important or novel information.
2. In Cree, the verb must have a personal pronoun affix: 'he or she' when the subject is animate
singular, 'it' when the subject is inanimate singular, 'they (animate)' when the subject is animate
plural, and 'they (inanimate)' when the subject is inainmate plural. hen the subject is inainmate
plural.

Accordingly, literal translations of sentences 30-37 are:

 'My son, he went home.'

 'My daughter, she went home.'
 'My father, he was in yesterday.'
 'Those men, will they hunt tomorrow?'
 'These girls, do they have colds?'
 'These girls, they have colds.'

A Cree demonstrative pronoun can be placed before a noun; the meaning is the same as wehn an English
demonstrative pronoun precedes a noun, for example:
awa na'pe'w

'this man'

ana na'pe'w

'that man'

o'kok iskwe's(i)sak

'these girls' (sentences 36, 37)

anikik na'pe'wak

'those men' (sentences 34, 35)

Exercises

1. Say all the verbs in this lesson with each of the four indicative personal affixes. Include ki'we' in
addition to the three new verbs. Say them in all four tenses.
2. Take sentences 8, 9, 13-17, 21-24, and 30-37, and replace the verb in each by various other verbs
from this and previous sections, for example, sentence 33, 'My father was in yesterday' can be
changed to 'My father worked yesterday', 'My father hunted ysterday', etc.
Warning: ki'a'hkosi- 'was or were sick' is often used for 'had a baby, gave birth.'

Lesson 12: Departure and arrival

ta-sipwe'hte'w

'He will leave.'

wa'pahke' wi'-sipwe'hte'w

'He is going to leave tomorrow.', 'He wants to leave tomorrow.'

sipwe'hte'w

'He (just now) left.'

ki'sipwe'hte'w

'He left (some time ago).'

sipwe'hte'ta'n

'Let's leave'

takosin

'He (just now) arrived.'

ki'-takosin na
 'Did he arrive (some time ago)?'

kiki'-takosinin na

'Did you arrive (some time ago)?'

mwe'hci n(i)takosinin

'I just now arrived.'

wa'pahke' ta-takosinwak

'They will arrive tomorrow.'

pi'htikwe'w

'He went in (just now).'

ki'-pi'htikwe'w

'He went in (some time ago).'

pe'-pi'htikwe'w

'He (just now) came in.'

ki'-pe'pi'htikwe'w

'He came in (some time ago).'

wan~awi'w

'He went out (just now).'

a'say ki'-sipwe'hte'w n(i)pa'pa'

'My father has already left.'

sipwe'hte'w kipa'pa'

'Your father left (just now).'

mwe'hci takosin kima'ma'

'Your mother just now arrived.'

kima'ma' mwe'hci pe'-takosin

'Your mother just now arrived (here).'

ta-takosinwak awa's(i)sak wa'pahke'

 'The children will arrive tomorrow.'

wa'pahke' ta-takosinwak awa's(i)sak

'The children will arrive tomorrow.'

mwac ta-pe'-ki'we'w n(i)pa'pa' wa'pahke'

'My father won't come home tomorrow.'

New Words
Nouns:
awa'sis

'child'

awa's(i)sak

'children'

kima'ma'

'your mother'

kipa'pa'

'your father'

Verbs:
sipwe'hte'

'leave'

takosini

'arrive'

Adverbs:
a'say

'now, already'

mwe'hci

'just now'

Notes
There are two important differences in the way Cree and English present tenses are used.
 1. In English, the present tense is often used for future time, especially when other words make the
time clear. For example, to express the meaning of sentences 2 and 20-22, the English-speaking
person can just as well say 'He is leaving tomorrow.', 'The children are arriving tomorrow.', and 'My
father isn't coming home tomorrow.'

In Cree, the present tense can never refer to future time! wi'- or ta- must always be used with a verb
referring to future time!
2. On the other hand, Cree uses the present tense not only for something that is happening right now,
but also for something that has just now happened (sentences 3, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17-19). The past
tense in Cree is used only for something that happened longer ago than just now (sentences 4, 7, 8,
12, 14, 16).

(No attempt is made in the remainder of this work to specify both of the possible meanings of each
verb in the present tense, nor to remind the student with each past tense that it refers to events
happening longer ago than just now.)

The verbs that end in sini, like takosin 'arrive', are slightly irregular. Instead of taking the suffix -w 'he, she',
they drop the final i (sentence 6), and they also drop the i before -wak 'they' (sentence 10).

A verb of going is changed to a verb of coming by adding the prefix pe-, thus pi'htikwe' 'go in', pe'-pi'htikwe'
'come in', ki'we' 'go home', pe'-ki'we' 'come home', takosin 'arrive (there)', pe'takosin 'arrive (here)'. Note that
pe'- follows the other prefixes.

Beginning with this section, usually only 'he' is written in translations, but it should be understood that 'she' is
equally possible.

Exercises

1. Say all the verbs in this lesson with each of the four indicative pronoun affixes. Say them all in the
present; then say one each in the past and future.
2. Take sentences 16-22 and replace the subject noun in each by the Cree for each of the following:
o 'my sons'
o 'this child'
o 'that man'
o 'those dogs'
3. Do the same with sentences 30-37 in section 11.
Lesson 13: What's your name?
ta'n(i)si e's(i)n~ihka'soyan

'What's your name?', literally 'How are you named?'

William n(i)tis(i)n~ihka'son

'My name is William.', literally 'I am named William.'

mo'n~a James n(i)tis(i)n~ihka'son

'My name is not James.'

mo'n~a e'kosi n(i)tis(i)n~ihka'son

'That's not my name.', literally 'I am not named that way.'

Mary na kitis(i)n~ihka'son

'Is your name Mary?'

ta'n(i)si e's(i)n~ihka'soya'n
 'What's my name?'

James kitis(i)n~ihka'son

'Your name is James.'

ta'n(i)si e's(i)n~ihka'sot

'What's his name?', 'What's her name?'

Thomas is(i)n~ihka'sow

'His name is Thomas.'

Alice na is(i)n~ihka'sow

'Is her name Alice?'

ta'n(i)si e's(i)n~ihka'sot kika'wiy

'What is your mother's name?'

ta'n(i)si e's(i)n~ihka'sot ko'hta'wiy

'What is your father's name?'

ta'n(i)si e's(i)n~ihka'sot awa

'What is this one's name?'

Mary is(i)n~ihka'sow nima'ma'

'My mother's name is Mary.'

McKay is(i)n~ihka'sowak o'kok

'These ones are named McKay.'

New Words
Nouns:
kika'wiy

'your mother'

ko'hta'wiy

'your father'

Again, some speakers consider these more correct than kima'ma' and kipa'pa', but other speakers rarely or
never use them.
Verbs:
...is(i)n~ihka'so

'be named...'

Notes
A verb in a supplementary question in Cree requires personal affixes that are very different from the indicative
personal affixes. They are called the subjunctive personal affixes, and a verb with a subjunctive personal
affix is called a subjunctive verb.
The subjunctive personal affixes are all suffixes. The following are illustrated in the sentences:
-ya'n

'I' (sentence 6)

-yan

'you (singular)' (sentence 1) (Northern dialects -yin for -yan)

-t

'he, she' (sentences 8, 11-13)

In supplementary questions, verbs that begin with is or it change the i to e' in the present tense.

Note that the demonstrative pronouns can be used without a noun; then they are often to be translated by 'this
one', 'that one', etc. in English.

'What is my name?' (sentence 6) is, of course, not a very useful question in most situations, but it may be
handy for language-class practice.

Exercises
This lesson offers a good opportunity for classmates to get acquainted.

1. Someone should ask the person next to him 'What's your name?', and get an answer. Then the
person who was asked should ask the next person, and so on until everyone has both asked and
answered.

2. Now, beginning again, the first speaker should ask the second speaker for some third classmate's
name, saying 'What's that man's name?' or 'What's that woman's name?', and get the answer 'His or
her name is...', and so on around the room until everyone has both asked and answered.

Note that in Cree, as in every other language, there is a tendency to answer supplementary
questions with just a word or two: 'What's your name? Bill.' This is the most natural conversational
style, but it provides poor language practice, so supplementary questions in language class should be
answered with "full sentences": 'What's your name? My name is Bill.'
 In a class of only one student, student and teacher can ask each other their names, and then ask the
name of someone in a picture.

3. In classes large or small, students and teacher can ask for the names of one another's mother and
father.

Lesson 14: What did you say?

ta'n(i)si e'twe'yan
'What did you (just now) say?', 'What are you saying?'
mispon, n(i)titwa'n
'I (just now) said, "it's snowing."'
ta'n(i)si e'twe't
'What did he (just now) say?'
mispon, itwe'w
'He (just now) said, "it's snowing."', 'He says, "it's snowing."'
wi'-mispon, itwe'w
'He says or (just now) said, "it's going to snow."'
ta'n(i)si e'twe'cik
'What did they (just now) say.', 'What are they saying?'
ta'n(i)si ka'-(ki'-)itwe'yan
'What did you say (some time ago)?'
ta'n(i)si ka'-(ki')itwe't
'What did he say (some time ago)?'
mispon, ki'itwe'w
'He said, "it's snowing."'
ta'n(i)si (ka'-)wi'-itwe'yan
'What are you going to say?'
ta'n(i)si (ka'-)wi'-itwe't
'What is he going to say?'

Notes
Another subjunctive personal affix:
-cik 'they (animate)' (sentence 6).

In supplementary questions, many speakers use a prefix ka'- before the past tense prefix ki'-, and before the
future prefix wi'-.
Other speakers replace ki'- with ka'-, and omit ka'- before wi'-.
There is a third possibility: some speakers replace ki'- with ka'-, and change wi'- to wa'-.
This results in the following three patterns of tense prefixes for subjunctive verbs:
pattern 1 pattern 2 pattern 3 written here
past ka'-ki'- ka'- ka'- ka'-(ki'-)
'going to' ka'-wi'- wi'- wa'- (ka'-)wi'-
The student should use the pattern used by his teachers and by the Cree speakers in his community, but he will
have to determine their usage by observation, of course, because it is very unlikely that they will find anyone
with the conscious knowledge to describe the use of these prefixes, or to answer questions about it. Moreover,
many well-travelled speakers seem to be able to use both patterns, and to adjust their own speach to what they
hear.

Note: when i or i' is followed by i or i', the two vowels are sometimes pronounced like one i'. Thus ki'itwe'w is
sometimes pronounced as ki'twe'w.

Exercises
Below is an outline for a conversation between two people identified as A and B. Let one student speak for A,
and another speak for B, and make a conversation in Cree in accordance with the outline. (If there is only one
student, the teacher can speak for the other person in the conversation.) Note that some of the statements in the
outline will allow more than one correct Cree sentence:
The Setting:
B appears at the door of A's house
The conversation:
A greets B.
B responds to the greeting.
A invites B to come in and sit down.
B comments on the weather.
A comments on yesterday's weather.
B asks A whether he worked yesterday.
A doesn't hear; he asks B what he said, or requests him to repeat.
B repeats his question.
A says that he didn't work. He says that he had a cold.
B says he is going to leave or go home already.
A says goodbye to him.
Lesson 15: What are you doing?
ke'kwa'n to'taman
'What are you doing?'
ke'kwa'n~iw to'tahk
'What is he doing?'
ke'kwa'n~iw to'tahkik
'What are they doing?'*
ke'kwa'n to'tama'n
'What am I doing?'
ke'kwa'n no'cihta'yan
'What are you working on?'
ke'kwa'n~iw no'cihta't
'What is he working on?'
ke'kwa'n~iw no'cihta'cik
'What are they working on?'
ke'kwa'n no'cihta'ya'n
'What am I working on?'
ke'kwa'n (ka'-)wi'-to'taman wa'pahke'
 'What are you going to do tomorrow?'
ke'kwa'n ke'-to'taman wa'pahke'
'What will you do tomorrow?'
ke'kwa'n ka'-(ki'-)to'taman ota'hkosi'hk
'What did you do yesterday?'
ke'kwa'n ka'-(ki'-)no'cihta'yan ota'hkosi'hk
'What did you do yesterday?'
ke'kwa'n~iw mwe'hci to'tahk Alice
'What is Alice doing just now?'
ke'kwa'n~iw ana to'tahk
'What is that one doing?'
ke'kwa'n~iw no'cihta't ana iskwe'w
'What is that woman working on?'
ke'kwa'n~iw to'tahkik anikik awa's(i)sak
'What are those children doing?'*
(Western dialects: ke'kwa'n for ke'kwa'n~iw)
*(Norther dialects: to'tahkwa' for to'tahkik.)

New Verbs
no'cihta'
'work on it'
to'ta
'do it'

Notes
The verbs that end in a (but not a'), like to'ta, take the following subjunctive personal affixes:

 ma'n 'I' (sentence 4) instead of -ya'n

 man 'you' (singular) (sentences 1, 9-11) instead of -yan
 hk 'he, she' (sentences 2, 13, 14) instead of -t
 hkik 'they' (animate) (Northern dialects: -hkwa') (sentences 3, 16) instead of -cik.

Some of the other affixes which occur with these verbs are also a little different from those which occur with
other verbs, as will be seen in later sections.

In supplementary questions, ta- 'will' is replaced by ke'- (sentence 10)

Note that in many Manitboa dialects ke'kwa'n~iw is used instaed of ke'kwa'n in any sentence containing 'he',
'she', or 'they'.

The student can use the questions in sentences 1-8 to increase their vocabulary of verbs, indeed, 'What am I
doing?' and 'What am I working on?' could hardly be used for any other purpose, except perhaps also in
classroom drill.

Sentences 1-8 do not include all the possible ways to say 'What are you doing?' in Cree. The following are
used in some areas:
ta'n(i)si e'to'taman
'What are you doing?'
ta'n(i)si e'to'tahk
'What is he doing?'
ta'n(i)si e'to'tahkik
 'What are they doing?'
ta'n(i)si e'to'tama'n
'What am I doing?'
But in an appropriate context these sentences mean 'How did you do it?' or 'What did you do to it?', etc., and
will be so understood in some regions.
In eastern Manitoba, the above expressions may be used with ta'ni in place of ta'n(i)si.
The student must be alert to the usage of his teachers or his community and imitate them.

Lesson 18: Where?, here, and there

This page entered by: Kevin Russell (Linguistics, University of Manitoba)
tán(i)té éyáyan

'Where are you?', 'Where are you living?'

tán(i)té éyát

'Where is he?', 'Where is he living?'

tán(i)té wíkiyan

'Where is your home?'

tán(i)té wíkit

'Where is his home?'

tán(i)té ká-(kí-)ayáyan

'Where were you?'

tán(i)té (ká-)atoskéyan

'Where are you working?'

tán(i)té ká-(kí-)nipáyan

'Where did you sleep?'

tán(i)té ká-(kí-)nipát

'Where did he sleep?'

tán(i)té ká-(kí-)nipácik

'Where did they sleep?'

tán(i)té kipápá

'Where is your father?'

tán(i)té émihkwának

'Where are the spoons?'

tániwa

'Where is he?'

tániwékák

'Where are they (animate)?'

tániwé

'Where is it?'

tániwéhá

'Where are they (inanimate)?'

tániwa kimámá

'Where is your mother?'

tániwa kipápá

'Where is your father?'

tániwa otápánásk

'Where is the sled or car?'

tániwékák otápánáskwak

'Where are the sleds or cars?'

tániwé wiyás

'Where is the meat?'

tániwéhá mas(i)nahikana

'Where are the books?'

óta n(i)tayán

'I'm right here.'

an(i)té wíkiw

'His home is over there.'

nété ayáw

'He's over there in the distance.'

nété astéwa

'They (inanimate) are over there in the distance.'

New words
Nouns:
émihkwán

'spoon'

émihkwának

'spoons'

wiyás

'meat'
Verbs:
ayá

'be (at a place); live (at a place)'

wíki

'live (at a place)', ... wíkiw 'his home is...'

astéw

'it is (at a place)'

Adverbs of place:
óté

'over here'

óta

'right here'

an(i)té

'over there'

an(i)ta

'right there'

nété

'over there in the distance'

néta

'right there in the distance'

tán(i)té

'where?'

Notes
Note that tán(i)té can be used without any verb; it then means 'where is?', 'where are?' (sentences 10, 11)

More indicative personal affixes:

-w

'it'
-wa

'they (inanimate)'

Note that these suffixes are not used with ayá 'be (at a place)', but with another verb, asté, which has the same
meaning as ayá. This is a typical Cree pattern: there are two verbs for many meanings. One is used with the
animate suffixes 'he, she', 'they (animate)' and with 'I'and 'you'. The other is used with the inanimate affixes 'it'
and 'they (inanimate)'.
A verb used with 'he' is called an animate verb, and one used with 'it' is called an inanimate verb.
Inanimate verbs have no command forms (to make a command, use the animate verb of the same meaning), so
they will be cited in the present indicative form with 'it'.

ayá changes to éyá in the present tense in supplementary questions, just like the verbs beginning is is or it.

isi-ayá and isi-wíki are sometimes used instead of plain ayá and wíki, for example:
tán(i)si ési-ayáyan.

'Where are you?', 'Where are you living?'

tán(i)si ési-wíkit.

'Where is his home?'

Note: when é is followed by é, the two vowels are sometimes pronounced like one é. Thus, tán(i)té éyáyan is
sometimes pronounced tán(i)téyáyan.

Exercises
Provide an answer to each of the questions in sentences 1-19, saying that the person(s) or thing(s) in question
are here or there. Include the verb in you answer, saying for example 'It is here', not just 'Here'.

Lesson 19: At, in, and on

This page entered by: Kevin Russell (Linguistics, University of Manitoba)
n(i)kí-kapásimon sákahikanihk

'I swam in the lake.'

kapásimo sákahikahik

'Swim in the lake!'

ásokanihk n(i)ka-n(a)t(a)wé-apin

'I'll go sit on the dock.'

atáwikamikohk n(i)pápá ayáw

'My father is at or in the store.'

atáwikamikohk ayáw n(i)pápá

'My father is at or in the store.'

sípíhk kapásimow

'He is swimming in the river.'

n(a)t(a)wé-kapásimotán sípíhk

'Let's go swimming in the river.'

kinoséwi-sípíhk ayáw

'He is at Norway House.', 'He is living at Norway House.'

kinosæwi-sípíhk wíkiw

'His home is at Norway House.'

kinoséwi-sípíhk niwíkin

'My home is at Norway House.'

míc(i)sowináhtikohk astéw wiyás

'The meat is on the table.'

míc(i)sowináhtikohk astéw móhkomán

'The knife is on the table.'

míc(i)sowináhtikohk astéwa móhkomána

'The knives are on the table.'

akocikanihk astéwa oñákana

'The dishes are on the shelf.

n(a)t(a)wé-api píhtikwamihk

'Go sit in the house!'

píhtotak n(i)tapin

'I'm sitting in the boat.'

api óta téhtapiwinihk

'Sit on this chair!', literally 'Sight right here on the chair!'

píhci mistikowahtihk astéw

'It's inside the box.'

tákoc mistikowhtihk astéw

'It's on top of the box.

ásay ayáwak awás(i)sak otápánáskohk

'The children are already in the car.'

ásay ayáwak píhci otápánáskohk awás(i)sak

'The children are already inside the car.'

wakic otápánáskohk astéwa masinahikana

'The books are on top of the car.'

New words
Nouns:
akocikan

'shelf'

akocikana

'shelves'

ásokan

'dock'

ásokanak

'docks'

kinoséw

'fish'

kinoséwak

'fishes'
kinoséwi-sípiy

'Norway House, Man.', literally 'Fish River'

míc(i)sowináhtik

'table'

míc(i)sowináhtikwa

'tables'

mistikowaht

'box'

mistikowahta

'boxes'

móhkomán

'knife'

móhkomána

'knives'

onákan

'dish'

onákana

'dishes'

sákahikan

'lake'

sákahikana

'lakes'

sípiy

'river'

sípiya

'rivers'
téhtapiwin

'chair'

téhtapiwina

'chairs'

Verbs:
kapásimo

'swim' (N. dialects: pakásimo)

Adverbs:
píhci

'inside'

píhtikwamihk

'indoors, in the house'

píhtotak

'on board, in the boat'

tákoc, wakic

'on top'

Some other names of Cree communities in Manitoba

misi-páwastik

'Grand Rapids'

móso-sákahikan

'Moose Lake'

nisicowásíhk

'at Nelson House'

opáskiyáw

'The Pas', locative: opáskiyáhk

panipáwi-nipiy

'Oxford House', locative: panipáwi-nipíhk

 p(i)micikamáw

'Cross Lake', locative: p(i)micikamáhk

tátáskwiyáw

'Split Lake', locative: tátáskiyáhk

Notes
'At', 'in', or 'on' placed before a noun in English is expressed by a suffix added to a noun in Cree. This suffix is
called the locative suffix, and a noun with the locative suffix is called a locative noun. Such a noun is an
adverb of place.
The locative suffix is -ihk (sentences 1-3, 14, 17-19), with the following exceptions:

 For nouns that add w before -ak and/or -a, the locative suffix is -ohk (sentences 4, 5, 11-13, 20-22).
 When a noun ends in w or y, -hk replaces the w or y, and if the preceding vowel is short, it becomes long
(sentences 6-10).

As a rule, the locative suffix means 'in' when it is suffixed to a noun denoting a natural container, such as a
house, automobile, pail, pot, box, bag. (sentences 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 20), and it means 'on'when it occurs with the
name of a natural supporting surface, such as a table or chair (sentences 3, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17).
If one wants to be more specific, píhci and táhkoc or wakic can be used, indeed, táhkoc or wakic must be used
if something is on top of a natural container (sentences 18, 19, 21, 22).
píhtikwamihk and píhtotak are common replacements for wáskahikanihk and címánihk (sentences 15, 16).
Note that adverbs of place may either precede or follow verbs, though they seem to precede somewhat more
frequently.

Inanimate nouns occur as the subjects of inanimate verbs. As usual, the noun can precede or follow the verb,
and the verb retains the personal affix, 'it' when the subject is singular, 'they' when it is plural. Accordingly,
literal translations of sentences 11-14 are:

 'The meat, it is on the table.'

 'The knife, it is on the table.'
 'The knives, they are on the table.'
 'The dishes, they are on the shelf.'

n(a)t(a)wé- 'go and...', like pé- is a prefix to verbs, and follows any tense prefixes, ni-, or ki- (sentences 3, 7,
15). There are a number of such prefixes. They are called preverbs.
In rapid speech nté- may occur instead of ntwé-.
(Dialects: nta- for nté-.)

Exercises
(1) Here is another outline of a conversation between A and B. It should be handled like the previous one:
The setting:

A and B meet on the road.

The conversation:

A greets B.
B responds to the greeting.
They exchange comments on the weather.
A asks B where he is living.
B points out his house, saying that he lives there.
A mentions a name, asking B whether that is his father's name.
B says it is.
A asks whether B's father is at home.
B says he's sitting on the dock.
A asks what he's doing.
B says he's fishing.

(2) Make a number of different Cree sentences by taking sentence 11 'The meat is on the table' and making the
following substitutions:
In place of 'the meat' say: In place of 'on the table' say:

'the knife' 'on the shelf'

'the knives' 'on the chair'

'the spoon' 'on the dock'

'the spoons' 'in the box'

'the dish' 'in the house'

'the dishes' 'in the store'

'the box' 'in the car'

'the boxes' 'in the boat'

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).

Lesson 25: What do you see? What does he

see?
ke'kwa'n (ka'-)wa'pahtaman

'What do you see?', 'What did you (just now) see?'

ke'kwa'n ka'-(ki'-)wa'pahtaman ota'hkosi'hk

'What did you see yesterday?'

ke'kwa'n~iw (ka'-)wa'pahtahk

'What does he see?'

ke'kwa'na (ka'-)wa'pahtahk

'What (plural) does he see?', 'What all does he see?'

ke'kwa'n~iw (ka'-)wa'pahtahkik anikik atimwak

'What do those doges see?'

ke'kwa'n ke'-wa'pahtama'n

'What will I see?'

ke'kwa'n (ka'-)pe'htaman
'What do you hear?'

ke'kwa'n~iw (ka'-)pe'htahk ana atim

'What does that dog hear?'

ke'kwa'n~iw (ka'-)pe'htahkik anikik atimwak

'What do those dogs hear?'

kiske'n~(ih)ta - know It
n(i)kiske'n~(ih)te'n

'I know.', 'I know it.'

kikiske'n~ihte'n na

'Do you know (it)?'

kiske'n~(ih)tam

'He knows (it).'

kiske'n~(ih)tamwak na

'Do they know (it)?'

wapahta - See It
niwa'pahte'n wa'skahikan

'I see a house.'

wa'skahikan niwa'pahte'n
 'I see a house.'

niwa'pahte'n wa'skahikana

'I see (some) houses.'

mihce't wa'skahikana niwa'pahte'n

'I see a lot of houses.'

a'tiht piko niwa'pahte'n wa'skahikana

'I see just a few houses.' (many people say poko rather than piko.)

niwa'pahte'n

'I see it or them (inanimate).'

ci'ma'n niwa'pahte'n

'I see a boat.'

nisto ci'mana niwa'pahte'n

'I see three boats.'

ci'ma'n(i)n~iw wa'pahtam
'He sees a boat.'

wa'pahtam ci'ma'n(i)n~iw

'He sees a boat.'

pe'yak ci'ma'n(i)n~iw wa'pahtam

'He sees one boat.'

nisto ci'ma'na wa'pahtam

'He sees three boats.'

wa'pahtam

'He sees it or them (inanimate).'

pehta - Hear It
ke'kwa'n n(i)pe'hte'n

'I hear something.'

kipe'hte'n na
 'Do you hear it or them (inanimate)?'

ke'ya'pic na kipe'hte'n

'Do you still hear it or them (inanimate)?'

pe'htam ke'kwa'n~iw

'He hears something.'

ke'kwa'n~iw pe'htam

'He hears something.'

pe'htam

'He hears it.'

ke'kwa'n~iw pe'htamwak

'They hear something.'

pe'htamwak.

'They hear it.'

miska - Find It
awa na'pe'w ota'n(i)sa ki'-miskamin~iwa ke'kwa'n

'This man's daughter found something.'

awa na'pe'w ke'kwa'n ki'-miskamin~iwa ota'n(i)sa

'This man's daughter found something.'

mwac ke'kwa'n~iw ohci-miskam

'He didn't find anything.', 'He found nothing.'

m(i)ki'-miske'n

'I found it.'

New Words
Nouns:
ke'kwa'n

'something, a thing'
ke'kwa'na

'things'

Verbs:
miska

'find it'

pe'hta

'hear it'

wa'pahta

'see it'

Adverbs:
piko

'just, merely' (often pronounced poko)

Old Words
kiske'n~(ih)ta

'know (it)'

mihce't

'many, a lot of (a number)'

a'tiht

'a few'

Lesson 26: See, hear him-her

wapam - See him/her
awena wapamat?
Who(m) do you see?

niwapamaw sisip.
I see a duck.

niwapamawak sisipak.
I see (some) ducks.

pehtaw - Hear him/her

awena (ka-)pehtawat??
Who(m) do you hear?

Lesson 27: He/She sees, hears, him/her

wapamew - he/she sees him/her

aweniwa (ka-)wapamat ana atim?

Who(m) does that dog see?

pehtawew - he/she hears him/her

pehtawew atiht sisipa.

He/she hears a few ducks.
Lesson 29: Look at, listen to
Listen to Him/Her

natohtawik anikik pinesisak.

Listen to those birds.
.
Cree Lesson 33: Animals

kinosew.
Fish.

kinosewak.
Fish (plural).

man(i)cos.
Bug.

man(i)cosak.
Bugs.

pinesis.
Bird.
pinesisak.
Birds.

sisip.
Duck.

sisipak.
Ducks.

atim.
Dog.

atimwak.
Dogs.