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Confederated Tribes
of the
Umatilla Indian Reservation

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Verb Structure in Umatilla

Prefix

Verb

Suffix

 

 

 

i-         'he, she, it'

 

pa-      'they'

 

piná-   'reflexive/to oneself'            

 

pápa- 'reciprocal/to each  other'

 

 

 

wáaša ‘dance’

 

ñúp  ‘jump’

 

wáyûti ‘run’

 

 

Tense

2nd Pos.Pron.

 

 

-na/ya 'past'

 

-ša 'present progressive'

 

-ta    'future'

 

-ûa    'habitual'

 

-šana  'past progressive'

 

-šata  'future progressive'

 

-ûana   'habitual past'

 

-ûata  'habitual future'

 

 

 

=naš/aš/š 'I, me'

 

=nam 'you'

 

=pam 'y'all'

 

=na 'we (incl) '

 

=taš 'we (excl) '

 

 

Examples:     (Prefix)   +   Verb   +  Tense  +  2nd Position Pronominal

                                i            +  wáaša   +   ša   →    iwáašaša   'he, she, it is dancing'

                                pa         +  wáaša   +   ta    → pawáašata      'They will dance'

                                wáyûti   +  ša       +   na   +   nam  →  wáytišananam  'You were running'

Note:  Prefix is not used when you using the second position pronominal, in these instances.  When using the prefixes i- and pa- with the second positional pronominal you will infer something else, i.e. the object. 

 

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