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)