(1) Aaniin niij-Anishinaabedog!

Hello my fellow Indians!

(2) (English name) indizhi-wiinigoo. (Indian Name) dash indizhinikaaz.

My given name is (name).  But my name is (Indian Name).  (This is a way to emphasize your Indian name.)

(3) Ajina-go niwii-tazhindaan i'iw gaa-izhiwebiziyaan aabiding.

Just for a little while, I want to talk about what happened to me one time.

 

aabiding = one time

bijiinaago = yesterday

iwedi gaa-pimiseg = last week

iwedi waa-pimiseg = next week (or ge-bimiseg)

o'ow bemiseg = this week

(Ajina-go niwii-tazhimaa nimaamaa.)

Just for a little while, I want to talk about my mom.

 

nibaabaa = my dad

indede = my dad

ninaabem = my husband

niwiiw = my wife

nibaadinem = my buddy

indikwezensim = my girlfriend

nigwiiwizensim = my boyfriend

(4) Iwedi gaa-pimiseg, nigii-ayaa imaa immersion program. Wicoie Nandagikendan Immersion Project izhinikaade.

Last week, I was at the immersion program. It's called the Wicoie Nandagikendan Immesion Project.

 

(5) Gii-pi-dagoshinaan imaa, ingoding-go nigii-pi-naazikaag bezhig ingiw indabinoojiiminaanig gaa-izhid, "Awanigaabaw, I'm hungry.".

When I got there, pretty soon one of our (pre-school) children came up to me and then told me, "Awanigaabaw, I'm hungry."

 

(6) Mii dash gaa-inag a'aw ikwezens, "Gego ikidoken I'm hungry. Nibakade ikidon."

And then I told that little girl, "Don't say I'm hungry, say nibakade."

(7) Mii dash gaabige gaa-izhid, "Nimakade".

And then immediately she told me, "I'm black."

 

(8) Gaa-izhi-ginigaapiyaan bangii, gii-inag, "Gaawiin gimakadewizisiin. Gibakade gosha!"

Then I chuckled a little bit and told her, "You're not black. You're hungry!"

(9) Mii sa go minik!

That's all!

Ahaw, mii iw!

Okay, that's it!

Miigwech bizindawiyeg.

Thank (all of) you for listening to me.

Mii imaa wenji-ikidoyaan, "Giishpin ojibwemotawaasiwangwaa gidabinoojiiminaanig, gaawiin da-ojibwemosiiwag."

That why I say, "If we don't speak Ojibwe to our kids, they won't speak Ojibwe.'

Simple Past Tense

Nigii-wiisin. Or Ingii-wiisin. 'I ate.'

Gii-wiisini. 'S/he ate.'

Nigii-mikwendaan. 'I remembered it.'

Ogii-mikwendaan. 'S/he remembered it.'

Nigii-waabamaa Jon. 'I saw Jon.'

Nigii-waabamig Jon. 'Jon saw me.'

Negative sentences

Gaawiin nigii-wiisinisiin. 'I didn't eat.'

Gaawiin gii-wiisinisiin. 'S/he didn't eat.'

Gaawiin nigii-mikwendanziin. 'I didn't remember it.'

Gaawiin ogii-mikwendanziin. 'S/he didn't remember it.'

Gaawiin nigii-waabamaasiin Jon. 'I didn't see Jon.'

Gaawiin nigii-waabamigosiin Jon. 'Jon didn't see me.'

And then…

Mii dash gaa-izhi-maajaad. 'And then he left.'

Mii dash gaa-izhi-maajaayaan. 'And then I left.'

Mii dash gaa-izhi-biindigeyaan, gii-maajii-anokiiyaan. 'And then I came in, and began working.'

When I verbed…

Gii-wiisiniyaan, 'When I ate, …'

Gii-pi-dagoshinaan, 'When I got arrive, …'

Gii-waabamag Jeff, 'When I saw Jeff, …'

Gii-ishkwaa-wiisiniyaan, nigii-maajaa. 'When I finished eating, I left.'

After I verbed…

Gaa-wiisiniyaan, 'After I ate, …'

Gaa-pi-dagoshinaan, 'After I got arrive/got there, …'

Gaa-waabamag Jeff, nigii-maajaa. 'After I saw Jeff, I left.'

That's when I verbed.

Mii iw wapii gaa-maajaayaan. 'That's when I left.'

Mii iw wapii gaa-kagwejimid…. 'That's when he asked me…'

Mii iw wapii gaa-maajii-nagamod. 'That's when he started singing.'

Or add dash to give it flow from sentence to sentence:

Mii dash iw wapii gaa-pi-giiweyaan. 'And that's when I got home.'

At the time

iw wapii = at that time

Gaawiin nigii-wiisinisiin iw wapii. 'I didn't eat at that time.'

Time after events happen

Yadda yadda. Ingoding dash, yadda. 'Yadda happened. Then pretty soon, yadda yada.'

Yadda yadda. Gomaapii dash, yadda. 'Yadda happened. Then after awhile, yadda yada.'

Introducing times of day

Azhigwa ani-dibikak, … 'As it was getting dark, …'

Azhigwa ani-aabitaa-dibikak, … 'As it was getting to be midnight, …' or 'just before midnight'

Azhigwa ani-gigizhebaawagak, … 'As it was getting to be morning (or early), …'

Azhigwa ani-ziigwang, … 'As it becomes Spring, …' or 'Along toward spring, …'

Notice initial change

Azhigwa wayaabang, ... 'The next day, …'

Azhigwa gegizhebaawagak, … 'In the morning, … (after morning started already)'

Azhigwa ayaabitaa-dibikak, … 'After midnight, …'

Azhigwa debikak, … 'When it got dark (completed)…' or 'After it got dark, …'

Hope this helps with your story.

Niin,

Awanigaabaw (Brendan Fairbanks)

-ang             'us-on-him/her action'

Is used only on TRANSITIVE VERBS (action from one person to the next).

-ang is just one of many TRANSITIVE endings that we have been working on. Here are some others that we've worked on that you may recognize:

-iyan             'you-on-me action' Ex. Giishpin ojiimIYAN... 'If you kiss me..'

-inaan           'I-on-you action' Ex. Giishpin ojiimINAAN... 'If I kiss you...'

Now, the new one:    -ang  (sounds like -ung as in "lung") :)

-ang               'us(and you too)-on-him/her' (inclusive)

Ex. Giishpin ojiimANG...                    'If we (including you) kiss him/her...'

Here is the carrier sentence we used to drill this suffix:

CARRIER SENTENCE:      If we verb-ang him/her, we'll be happy.

Now, in Ojibwe:

CARRIER SENTENCE: Giishpin verb-ang, giga-minwendaamin. (Insert transitive verb in the "verb" spot).

Note:  Because we used a carrier sentence, some (or most) of the examples sound sorta funny.  lol  So, feel free to use whatever sentence beside the "giga-minwendaamin" phrases.  The point here was to learn how to use the VTA subordinate ending -ang.

EXAMPLES (suffix -ang bolded for clarity) Remember that this is INCLUSIVE "we". This means that you are including the person(s) you're talking to.

(1) Giishpin ojiimANG, giga-minwendaamin.

'If we kiss him/her, we'll be happy/glad.

(2) Giisphin webinANG, giga-minwendaamin.

'If we throw him/her out, we'll be happy/glad.

(3) Giisphin miinANG, giga-minwendaamin.

'If we give it to him/her, we'll be happy/glad.'

(4) Giishpin noondenimANG, giga-minwendaamin.

'If we flirt with him/her, we'll be happy/glad.'

(5) Giishpin bizindawANG, giga-minwendaamin.

'If we listen to him/her, we'll be happy/glad.'

(6) Giishpin basindiyewANG, giga-minwendaamin.

'If we pat him/her on the butt, we'll be happy/glad.' (Not really though, you would be slapped!!!)

(7) Giishpin ashamANG, giga-minwendaamin.

'If we feed him/her, we'll be happy/glad.'

(8) Giishpin bakitewANG, giga-minwendaamin.

'If we hit him/her, we'll be happy/glad.'

(9) Giisphin basikawaanANG, giga-minwendaamin.

'If we kick him/her, we'll be happy/glad.'

(10) Giisphin waabamANG, giga-minwendaamin.

'If we see him/her, we'll be happy/glad.'

QUESTION: How do you know what kind of verb you can use?

(1) zaagi'                'be stingy with him/her/them!'

(2) waabaM            'see him/her/them!'

(3) bagidiN              'allow him/her/them!' or 'release him/her/them!'

(4) miiZH           'give it to him/her/them!'

(5) aSHI          'put him/her somewhere' or 'offer him/her/them!'

(6) bizindAW         'listen to him/her/them!'

(7) bagitew              'hit him/her/them'    (or /bakite'w/)

(8) zhaaboshkaas(w)       'sift him/her/them!'

(Note that in the command form, the -w is not pronounced, but when you conjugate, it will be. So, zhaabashkaaswaa 's/he is sifted'.)

Again, here are the endings to memorize and recognize in transitive verbs:

(1) glottal stop: '

(2) -m

(3) -n

(4) -zh (zh <> n)

(5) -shi (sh <> s)

(6) -aw

(7) -'w (w <> o)

(8) -s(w)

I haven't met a transitive verb yet that didn't have these endings, but there are a few irregular ones. Do a test….check through the dictionary and look up any transitive verb. They will have one of those 8 endings. These are the endings that you put the TRANSITIVE SUFFIXES like -ang on.

Mii iw!

Niin,

Awanigaabaw (Brendan Fairbanks)

DRILL: "We saw So-and-so and So-and-so verbing at the store."

Ingii-waabamaanaanig NAME1 miinawaa NAME2 verb-waad imaa adaawewigamigong.

Nigii-waabamaanaanig NAME1 miinawaa NAME2 verb-waad imaa adaawewigamigong.

THE PARTS

in-, ni-            I

-gii-                past tense

waabam        see him/her/them! (when said by itself, it's a command form)

-naan-           we (a plural marker)

-ig-                 them

miinawaa       and (note that you can say the short form "naa" also, but not "idash") 

Note on "idash": There are attempts to use "idash" to mean "and". For example, "Jon idash Mary" to mean "Jon and Mary". This is incorrect. You cannot use "idash" in this fashion.

-waad                       "they" added to dependent clauses (like in this sentence)

imaa                          there

adaawewigamig     store

-ng                             at, on  (locative)

Just add any two people in the two name slots. It's funner when the people you name are in the room. :)  The "verb" that you insert is a "s/he is verbing" verb, usually a verb which denotes an stative action, like eating, as opposed to a verb which denotes an action on someone or something, like "eating someone", or "eating something".

We had a list of verbs that we picked from. Here is the list (from what I can remember). Note that when said in isolation, they denote "s/he is verbing", but when inserted into the drill, the meaning changes slightly. In the Nichols and Nyholm dictionary, these works are usually labeled as VAI (verb animate intransitive).

wiisini                 s/he eats, s/he is eating

niimi                    s/he is dancing

zhishigagowe    s/he is vomiting

noojiikwewe       s/he is snagging

miigaazo              s/he is fighting

nagamo                s/he is singing

naaniibawi           s/he is standing around

adaawe                s/he is buying (s.t.)

anokii                   s/he is working

ojiindi-                  kissing each other

minikwe                s/he drinks, s/he is drinking

Ojibwemo              s/he is speaking Ojibwe

For the places, you can add any place you want really.  Mall of America, niimi'iding (a dance), Perkins, etc.  Usually, on places names such as Mall of America, speakers appear to vary on whether you add the "locative" suffix or not.  I believe it to be optional at this point if you want to say "imaa Mall of America" or "imaa Mall of Americaying".

EXAMPLES THAT CAME UP (I may not remember them exactly as they occurred though)

(1) Nigii-waabamaanaanig Tom miinawaa John wiisiniwaad imaa niimi'iding.

'We saw Tom and John eating at the pow-wow.'

 

(2) Nigii-waabamaanaanig Tony naa Awanigaabaw nagamowaad imaa niimi'iding.

'We saw Tony and Awanigaabaw singing at the dance/pow-wow.'

(3) Nigii-waabamaanaanig Hope naa Marcie miigaazowaad imaa adaawewigamigong.

'We saw Hope and Marcie fighting at the store.'

 

(4) Nigii-waabamaanaanig Crystal naa Hope naaniibawiwaad imaa Mall of Americaying.

'We saw Crystal and Hope standing around at the Mall of America.

 

(5) Nigii-waabamaanaanig Awanigaabaw miinawaa Tony zhishigagowewaad imaa adaawewigamigong.

'We saw Awanigaabaw and Tony throwing up at the store.'

(6) Ingii-waabamaanaanig Tony miinawaa Hope ojibwemowaad imaa adaawewigamigong.

'We saw Tony and Hope speaking Ojibwe at the store.'

All I can remember. :(

Naagaj,

Awanigaabaw (Brendan Fairbanks)

Drill:  Gaawiin awiiya ayaasiin ge-verb-agiban

When you want to talk about possibilities, use the combination ge-verb-ban.  This gives the verb the overall meaning of "could".  Sometimes the -ban is not necessary, and sometimes could be left off. 

THE PARTS

awiiya = someone

gaawiin awiiya = no one, there is no one

ayaa = s/he is, be

-siin = negative "not" (use this on the end of the verb ayaa 's/he is, exists')

ge-verb-ban = "could" construction

-ag = "I-on-him/her action"

For this drill, you have to use "action on someone" verbs, like ojiim 'kiss him/her/them!', not "s/he verbs" like wiisini 's/he eats'. The action on someone verbs are marked as VTAs in the Nichols & Nyholm dictionary.

EXAMPLES THAT CAME UP

(1) Gaawiin awiiya ayaasiin ge-wiidigemagiban. (verb: wiidigem = marry him/her/them!)

'There is no one I could marry.'

(2) Gaawiin awiiya ayaasiin ge-ashamagiban. (verb: asham = feed him/her/them!)

'There is no one I could feed.'

 

(3) Gaawiin awiiya ayaasiin ge-giizizamawagiban. (verb: giizizamaw = cook for him/her/them!)

'There is no one I could cook for.'

 

(4) Gaawiin awiiya ayaasiin ge-bookogwebinagiban. (verb: bookogwebizh = wring his/her/their neck!)

'There is no one whose neck I could wring.'

 

(5) Gaawiin awiiya ayaasiin ge-bizindawagiban. (verb: bizindaw = listen to him/her/them!)

'There is no one who I could listen to.'

Again, the verbs for this drill have to be "action-on-someone" verbs. This means that they will have the following endings:

-'        zaagi' love him/her/them

-'w     bakite'w               hit him/her/them (or bagitew)

-aw    wiidookaw           help him/her/them

-m      waabam                see him/her/them

-n        bagidin                allow him/her/them

-zh       miizh                    give it to him/her/them

-z(w)    mazinaakiz         take his/her/their picture (w) appears in conjugation

-s(w)    zhaaboshkaas    sift him/her/them (w) appears in conjugation

-shi      ashi                      put him/her/them there

-w         ayaaw                  have him/her/them

Being able to recognize this type of verb will allow you to use the right "form" of the verb and not confuse the four types of verbs. For example, mikwendam means 's/he remembers (comes to mind)', but you couldn't use this verb to "remember someone". You have to use mikwenim to say 'remember him/her/them!'. Mikwendam is the "s/he verb" and mikwenim is the "action-on-someone" verb, but they are based upon the same root mikw- 'find'.

Another example is with bakite'w above, which means "hit him/her/them!" (the command form). You couldn't use bakite'w to tell someone to "hit it!". You would use instead: bakite'an, which is "hit it!". The -an at the end is the part that refers to "it".  (Or, bagitew, bagite'an also).

Mii iw.

Niin,

Awanigaabaw

Drill:

Ingii-kagwejimig da-verb-(y)aan. (or nigii-kagwejimig..)

Ingii-kagwejimig ji-verb-(y)aan. (or nigii-kakgwejimig..)

"S/he asked me to verb."

Notes:

Da- or ji- can be used when you want to say "to verb, in order to verb, so that to verb". Don't to forget to inflect for person at the end though! da-wiisiniyaan 'to eat (me)', not da-wiisini. That means something else. In this drill, you must inflect. See the examples for illustration.

What's the difference between da- and ji-?  I don't know yet.  They appear to be quite interchangeable, even in the same dialect, and even in the same sentence!!! So, take your pick I guess! :)  That's what one elder told me.  Either is fine to use. I used both ji- and da- in the example below.

Ni-verb-ig pattern is "s/he verbs me" pattern.  Gii- is past tense.  So, ingii-kagwejimig or nigii-kagwejimig means "S/he asked me."  Remember that gagwejim will become kagwejim after wii- and gii-.  So, its ingii-kagwejimig, not ingii-gagwejimig.

We inflected all the verbs for "I,me":   -(y)aan.

The verb we used: gagwejim = ask him/her/them! (a command form by itself)

EXAMPLES THAT CAME UP (from what I can remember)

(1) Ingii-kagwejimig da-gaagiigidoyaan.

'S/he asked me to speak.'

 

(2) Bijiinaago a'aw bezhig ikwe ingii-kawgwejimig ji-namadabiyaan.

'Yesterday, this one lady asked me to sit.'

 

(3) Ingii-kagwejimig da-anokiiyaan.

'S/he asked me to work.'

 

(4) Ingii-kagwejimig ji-odaabii'iweyaan.

'He asked me to drive.'

 

(5) Nigii-kagwejimig da-odaabii'iwetamawag indaanis.

'My daughter asked me to drive her.'

 

(6) Nigii-kagwejimaa ingozis ji-bizaanabid.  (ni-verb-aa = I-verb-him/her)

'I asked my son to sit quietly.'

 

(7) Nigii-kagwejimigoog ingiw ikwewag da-ojiimagwaa.

(ni-verb-igoog = "They verb me" pattern)

'Those women asked me to kiss them.'

(8) Nigii-kagwejimigoo da-jiibaakweyaan.

'They asked me to cook.' or 'I was asked to cook.'

 

(Note: the ending here is ni-verb-igoo.  As opposed to the example in (7), this pattern is talking about an "indefinite actor" who does something to you. Sometimes, the ni-verb-igoo pattern gets translated as an English passive, but it is not a real English passive per se. Native speakers usually translate such phrases as "They verb me." The "they" remains unspecified or unnamed, but there is still the idea that "someone" or "some people" did something to/for me. So, the first translation in (8) is "They asked me to cook", but the "they" here is unspecified. Just someone, and its not important who. That's the kinda of feeling that comes from ni-verb-igoo. :)

(9) Nigii-kagwejimaag ingozisag da-bizindawaad iniw ikwewan.

'I asked my sons to listen to those women.'

 

(10) Ingii-kagwejimig imaa endazhi-iskigamizigeng ji-nagamoyaan.

'The asked me there at the Sugar Bush to sing.'

Ahaw, mii iw.

Niin,

Awanigaabaw

Drill:

Giwii-ayaawin da-verb-iyan.

Giwii-ayaawin ji-verb-iyan.

THE PARTS

gi- = you

-wii- = want

ayaaw = have him/her/them! (command form, vta)

-in = I-on-you action marker (2nd person object)

Note: GI-verb-IN is the pattern for "I verb you". So like, "I'll see you": GIga-waabamIN (ga- 'future' added).

-da = to, in order to

-ji = to, in order to

-iyan = You-on-me action marker

Note 1: The meaning of da- and ji- are actually broader than just "to, in order to". Da- and ji- really have "future" or "possibility" feelings to them.  Defining them here as "to, in order to" is just a convenient translation here, since this is the function that da- and ji- are having for these examples. We do other drills that show the broader usage of da- and ji-.

EXAMPLES THAT CAME UP

(1) Giwii-ayaawin da-gikinjigweniyan. (verb: gikinjigwen 'hug him/her/them!')

'I want you to hug me.'

 

(2) Giwii-ayaawin ji-dakwamiyan. (verb: dakwam 'bit him/her/them!')

'I want you to bite me.'

(3) Giwii-ayaawin da-ganoozhiyan. (verb: ganoozh 'call him/her/them!')

'I want you to call me.'

(4) Giwii-ayaawin da-noondawiyan. (verb: noondaw 'hear him/her/them!')

'I want you to hear me.'

 

(5) Giwii-ayaawin da-ojibwemotawiyan. (verb: ojibwemotaw 'speak ojibwe to him/her/them!')

'I want you to speak Ojibwe to me.'

(6) Giwii-ayaawin da-wiikomiyan. (verb: wiikom 'invite him/her/them to a feast')

'I want you to invite me to a feast.'

(7) Giwii-ayaawin da-wanishkwe'iyan. (verb: wanishkwe'    'distract him/her/them!')

'I want you to distract me.'

 

(8) Giwii-ayaawin da-baabii'iyan. (verb: baabii' 'wait around for him/her/them!')

'I want you to wait around for me.'

(9) Giwii-ayaawin da-boonimiyan. (verb: boonim 'stop talking to him/her/them!')

'I want you to stop talking to me.'

 

(10) Giwii-ayaawin da-apenimonodawiyan. (verb: apenimonodawiyan 'rely on him/her/them!')

'I want you to rely on me.'

(11) Giwii-ayaawin da-dakoniyan. (verb: dakon 'hold him/her/them!')

'I want you to hold me.'

(12) Giwii-ayaawin da-odaabiitamawiyan.   (verb: odaabii'iwetamaw 'drive him/her/them!')

'I want you to drive me.'

Mii iw!

Awanigaabaw (Brendan Fairbanks)

DRILL 1  

Ingii-waabamaa _______ oodi (name of pow-wow) niimi'iding.

Nigii-waabamaa _______ oodi (name of pow-wow) niimi'iding.

'I saw (so and so) over at the (name of pow-wow) pow-wow.

THE PARTS

in- or ni-          I, me

gii-                   past tense marker

waabam         "See him/her/them!" (a command when used by itself). 

oodi                a contraction of iwidi 'over there'. 

niimi'iding    "pow-wow" or "dance".

Note on form:  It is perfectly okay to say ingii- or nigii-.  I realize that if you learned ningii- that you will probably stick to your guns on this. :)   I recommend using them how the elders are using them around you.  My recommendation is, however, to use ingii- or nigii- because this is what I hear from speakers.

(1) Ingii-waabamaa Karen oodi Miigwech Manoomin Days niimi'iding.

'I saw Karen over at the Miigech Manoomin Days pow-wow.'

(2) Ingii-waabamaa Awanigaabaw oodi LCO niimi'iding.

'I saw Awanigaabaw over at the LCO pow-wow.'

(3) Ingii-waabamaa Mark oodi niimi'iding.

'I saw Mark over at the pow-wow.'

Now, if you want to say you saw someone doing something, here's the pattern:

DRILL 2

Ingii-waabamaa _______ verb-d oodi niimi'iding. (for "s/he is verbing" verbs)

'I saw _______ verbing at the pow-wow.

Ingii-waabamaa _______ verb-aad oodi niimi'iding. (For action-on-someone verbs)

"I saw _______ verbing him/her at the pow-wow.

-d  means "third person" or "s/he".

-aad  means "3-on-4 action"  (actions from a third person to a 4th person)

Use could use imaa instead of oodi too!  imaa means 'there' and oodi means 'over there'.

(4) Ingii-waabamaa Awanigaabaw wiisinid imaa niimi'iding.

'I saw Awanigaabaw eating there at the pow-wow.'

(5) Ingii-waabamaa Jason nagamod oodi niimi'iding.

'I saw Jason singing over at the pow-wow.'

(6) Ingii-waabamaa Miskwaanakwad niimid oodi niimi'iding.

'I saw Miskwaanakwad dancing over at the pow-wow.'

Now, for action-on-someone else, use -aad ending on the verb (a VTA verb).

(7) Ingii-waabamaa Napolean ojiimaad oodi niimi'iding.'

'I saw Napolean kiss her over at the pow-wow.'

(8) Ingii-waabamaa Tex bagitewaad imaa niimi'iding.

'I saw Tex hit him there at the pow-wow.'

Note on the word for 'hit someone'.  The appears to be some variation here.  The proper forms are:

bagitew        hit him/her  (with a /g/ (no /k/) in the middle and no glottal)

bapakitew    hit him/her over and over  (redupicated form, with /k/)

Now, there appears to be dialectal (among MN dialects) for this.  If you look in NN dictionary, you will find /bakite'w/, which is the command form meaning "hit him/her/them!".  Some dialects, the command form might be /bakite'wa/ or /bakite'/.  So, listen how the speakers around you use this word, and words like it (all the -'w VTA verbs, that is). 

(9) Ingii-waabamaa John miinaad i'iw mazina'igan imaa niimi'iding.

'I saw John give that book to him there at the pow-wow.'

On 4th persons and their names, you must add -an to their name (if their names ends in a consonant, e.g. Johnan, Jeffan, etc.).  If their name ends in a vowel, add -yan (or -ooyan instead if their names ends in -aw, e.g. Awanigaabooyan from Awanigaabaw)  It's tricky sometimes. 

(10) Ingii-waabamaan John ojiimaad Tarayan oodi niimi'iding.

'I saw John kiss Tara over at the pow-wow.'

Ahaw, mii iw.

Niin,

Awanigaabaw (Brendan Fairbanks)

DRILL: Inenindizo ji-verb-d, verb dash.

The parts:

inenindizo              s/he thinks him/herself in a certain way

ji-                         to be...  (or da-, if you are a da- user!.....lol....It's all good!)

-d                         third person or "s/he"

dash, idash           "but" (must ALWAYS occur second in a clause, never alone)

EXAMPLES THAT CAME UP

(1) Inenindizo ji-chi-gikendaasod, bagwanawizi dash.

'He thinks he is really smart, but he's stupid.'

(2) Inenindizo ji-minwaabaminaagozid, agwaagoshi dash.

'He thinks he's good looking, but he's crusty/rusty/dirty/ashy.'

 

(3) Inenindizo ji-minogaamod, gizhewaadizi dash.

'She thinks she's nicely plump, but/and she's nice.'

 

(4) Inenindizo ji-gizhewaadizid, zazaagizi dash.

'She thinks she's generous/nice, but she's stingy.'

 

(5) Inenindizo ji-chi-minwaabeked, wiinino dash.

'He thinks he has a really fine physique, but he's fat.'

(6) Inenindizo ji-nitaa-dadibaajimod, giiwanimo dash.

'He thinks he's good at telling stories, but he's lying.'

(7) Inenindizo ji-nitaa-nagamod, agwaagoshi dash.

'He thinks he knows how to sing, but he's ashy.'

Note that the verbs we are "inserting" are "s/he is verbing" verbs or labeled as VAI in the Nichols & Nyholm dictionary.  If you want to use a different type of verb, then a different ending besides -d is used.  Not any verb can be inserted in this drill.

Here are the verbs we used:

zeginaagozi s/he is scary looking

minwaabaminaagozi s/he is good looking

minogaamo s/he is nicely plump

gizhewaadizi s/he is kind

agwaagoshi s/he is crusty, ashy

minwaabeke s/he has a nice physique

bagwanawizi s/he is dumb, stupid

maanaadizi 's/he is ugly'

giiwanimo s/he is lying

nagamo s/he is singing, sings

Niin,

Awanigaabaw (Brendan Fairbanks)

The -ban ending has two functions:  1) a type of past tense (true then, but not now) and 2) unrealized potential. 

EXAMPLES

(1) Aaniin keyaa ge-ikidoyamban?

'How would you say it?'

 

(2) Aandi ji-o-niimiyangiban? (note: no initial change here!)

'Where could we go dance?'

 

(3) Aaniin keyaa ge-izhi-aanikanootamegiban yo'ow?

'How would you guys translate this?'

In conjunct verbs, -ban appears as -baan for 1st person.  I have no idea why, so don't ask!

(4) Gaawiin nigikendanziin waa-o-inaanagidoonaambaan. 

'I don't know what I am gonna go and talk about.'

(5) Mii gaye niin ge-izhichigeyaambaan.

'That's what I would do too.'

The -ban "potential" use is also really useful in saying stuff like: "had you done this".

(7) Gii-pizindamamban, gidaa-gikendaan.

'Had you listened, you would know.'

 

(8) Gii-pizindawiyamban....

'Had you listened to me...'

(9) Gaawiin azhigwa indaa-bakadesiin gii-wiisiniyaambaan.

'I wouldn't be hungry now had I eaten.'

 

Here is one that came up one time. Someone was lamenting over a kitty that was found on the side of the road but since lost.

(10) Gii-kanawenimadiban a'aw, gaawiin daagii-wanishinziin.

'Had you taken care of her, she wouldn't have gotten lst.'

 

So, very useful...

PRETERIT USAGE

When used as a preterite, the meaning of -ban is "true then, but not now". It shows that an event or action was ongoing in the past, but is now has since stopped or no longer true. Sometimes it could be translated as "used to..." (like you used to, but not now).

In independent forms, for 1st and 2nd person, use -naaban.

(11) Ingii-wiisininaaban.

'I used to eat (but not now).'

Note that this is a silly statement and makes people laugh cuz you can't stop eating. Lol

(12) Ingii-pakadenaaban.

'I was hungry (but not now).'

(Like you were waiting on your date and showed up late and now you're mad! lol)

(13) Ingii-niiminaaban.

'I used to dance (but not anymore).'

(13 Gii-nibaaban gii-pi-biindigenid iniw omaamaayan.

'He had been sleeping when his mom came in.'

Niin,

Awanigaabaw (Brendan Fairbanks)

Sometimes when telling a story, you want to be able to quote people.  To say, "S/he told me", ingii-ig is used:

Melvin Eagle (Oshkaabewis Native Journal, 1998, retranscribed/retranslated)

(1) "Ke, ke ingoding wa'aw gidani-ganawenimigoog chi-aya'aag gegoo-go      gigikinoo'amaagoog", ingii-ig.

'Hey, one day the elders will take care of you and teach you things", she told me.

Or, you can go the other, and say "I told him/her" by using indinaa (or ingii-inaa):

Maude Kegg (Portage Lake 1991:162)

(2) "Nimaamaanaan," indinaa, "mii-go naa gaa-izhi-odaapishkaad a'aw waawaashkeshiwayaan.

"Grandma," I said to her, "the deerhide shrank."

Note: Maude told stories as if they were happening in the present tense, a "historical present" narrative. So, she used indinaa, which is present tense) eventhough it is translated "past tense".

EXPLANATION

The verb being used here is the VTA (transitive animate verb): izhi 'tell him/her/them!' (this is the command form). This is how the command form of the verb would be used (note that word order is reversed):

(3) "Miigwech" izhi!

Tell him, "Thank you!"

(4) "Maajaan" izhi!

Tell him, "Get out of here!"

Okay, for statements, /izhi/ literally changes its form or drops out altogether!!! :) Sometimes /izhi/ will appear as /in/ or not appear at all!!! You'll see......

The FORMS

Indinaa             I tell him/her

Ingii-inaa          I told him/her

ind- = prefix meaning "I"

-gii- = past tense

-aa = action-going out to-him/her

Going the other way:

ind- = prefix meaning "I"

gii- = past tense marker

ig = action-coming in from-him/her

EXAMPLES (note: I like to put commas "outside" of the quotation marks)

(5) "Wewiib", indinaa.

I tell her, "Hurry up!"

(6) "Wewiib", ingii-inaa.

'I told her, "Hurry up!"

(7) "Maajaan", indig.

He tells me, "Get out of here!"

(8) "Miigwech", ingii-ig.

He told me, "Miigwech".

(9) "Aandi ezhaayan?", ingii-ig.

She told me, "Where are you going?"

Note: izhi doesn't only do "direct" quoting as I make it appear above. You could use it in "indirect" quoting as well.

(10) Ingii-inaa Awanigaabaw ji-maajaad.

'I told Awanigaabaw to leave.'

IN SEQUENCES and then I tell him/her…. Or and then she tells me...

In telling stories, in order to keep the flow of your story going, sometimes you want to be able to say: and then I told him/her... or and then s/he told me..., etc. Use the following constructions:

Mii dash gaa-inag… 'And then I told him/her…'

Mii dash gaa-izhid… 'And then s/he told me…'

THE PARTS:

Mii dash    and then

gaa-          past tense (change form of past tense marker gii-)

izhi           tell him/her!

in              the other form of izhi

-ag            I-on-him/her-action

-d             S/he-on-me-action

Examples

(11) Mii dash gaa-inag, "Gego ikidoken i'iw!"

And then I told her, "Don't say that!"

(12) Mii dash gaa-izhid, "Aaniin da naa ezhiwebiziyan?"

And then he told, "What the heck is wrong with you?"

Now, to put both construction to use:

(13) "Miigwech", ingii-inaa. Mii dash gaa-izhid, "Ahaw!"

I told her "Miigwech". And then she told me, "Ahaw!"

 

(14) "I'm hungry", ingii-ig bezhig a'aw ikwezens. Mii dash gaa-inag, "Nibakade ikidon!".

One little girl said to me, "I'm hungry." And then I told her, "Say nibakade!".

Mii iw!

Niin,

Awanigaabaw (Brendan Fairbanks)

Hay'! Nigii-wanendaan da-dagwagindamaan yo'ow:

Oh snap! I forgot to include this:

TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE VOCABULARY :)

(1) Maanoo ge-doodawind             'To hell with him/her!'

(2) Maanoo ge-doodawindwaa     'To hell with them!'

(3) Maanoo ge-doodaagooyan     'To hell with you!'

(4) Maanoo ge-doodamaan           'To hell with this!'

The "hell" part is only an equivalent translation. There is no word in the Ojibwe portion that means "hell". :) Also, You could leave out the "maanoo" too, and just say the rest. Use these expressions when someone/something makes you mad! :)

Okay, if you tell someone to not do something, and they do it anyways and hurt themselves somehow, you can say this about them:

(5) chi-gagaandenimag     'It's good enough for him/her' or 'That's what s/he gets!'

To say it their face:

(6) chi-gagaandeniminaan      'It's good enough for you!'  or  'That's what you get!'

The verb is the VTA verb: gagaandenim 'take joy in someone's misfortune' (or something like that)

You can also say:

(6) Poh!, Poowaj! 'That's what you get!'

Now, if someone really aggravates you, you can throw him/her the "Ojibwe "bird". :)

(7) (No word you say to them, just throw your open hand at the person and say "oy yooy!") lol

It's called /nimiskam/ (vta), which means 'throw him the Ojibwe hand/bird!' or something like that. It's an Ojibwe insult, but its about the lowest thing you can do to someone. Adults, apparently, used to do it a lot to naughty little kids. You should have seen us when we were working with the elders on this. We were all throwing each other the Ojibwe "bird"! :) Was funny!

Mii iw!

Niin,

Awanigaabaw (Brendan Fairbanks)