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Bkaan Nikeying Ezhi-shkwebiigaadegan, A Different Way For Endings (Second Endings)


  1. Nsostamokiiwans, To Understand Little Things, (Explanation)
 Nsostamokiiwans, To Understand Little Things, (Explanation)

You have already learned how to make simple statements about who is doing something.

This is called using an in-transitive verb because the action stops without any or with only one pronoun. For example:

    debwemigad it is true intransitive and no pronoun
    n'debwe I am true / correct intransitive with a pronoun

It is important to note that we are not talking about transitive verbs that have "direct objects" yet. If the action involves more than one person or thing, it is a different kind of verb. We'll get to that later.

Sometimes when you are speaking Second Endings are used.

There are two reasons we use these endings:

1) When a question is asked using one of the following words:

  • Wenesh - Who
  • Wenesh - What
  • Aapiish - Where
  • Weneshpii - When
  • Aaniidash - Why
Wenesh ezhi-bimaadziyin?
How are you living?
Wenesh ezhinikaazyin?
What are you called?

2) The Second Endings are also used when a second (or third, or fourth, etc . . .) verb is used in one sentence.
This happens because these ideas are connected. Usually the "connecting word" is miinwaa /and, giishpin/if, or miidash/then.

You'll notice the first set of prefixes & suffixes is used for the first verb.

Sometimes in long stories this second ending will be used as long as the thought is continued, even from one speaker to another.

Nda'gichinendam miinwaa baakadeyaanh, miinwaa giizhitayaanh
I am happy and I am hungry and I am finished.

Learn the Second Endings so that you can recognize who is being talked about.

Pronoun
(Not added to word)
Prefix -
(No Prefix for the second endings!)
Verb Suffix
niin - I verb yaanh
giin - you verb yin
wiin - he / she verb d
niinwi - just us verb yaang
giinwi - all of us verb ying
giinwa - you all verb yeg
wiinwa - them verb waad

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Giishpin gwa pane anishinaabemoying...Ingoding gwa giishigag kina kaa Anishinaabemowin. If we all speak Anishinaabemowin...one day everyone will speak Anishinaabemowin
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