Arapaho - Verbs - Special Auxiliaries

 

            An “auxiliary” verb is a small but very common word (in English) which modifies some other main verb. Examples in English include: can, want to, like to, have to, etc:

 

            I’m eating                     I can eat

            I’m dancing                  I like to dance

            You’re studying            You want to study

            She’s cooking               She has to cook

 

            In Arapaho, you can say the same thing by adding a prefix to any verb you want. We’ll learn just a few of these:

 

            neeyéí3ei-noo                 I’m reading

            nííni’-íneyéí3ei-noo        I can study

            benii3íhi-noo                 I’m eating

            benéétoh-bii3íhi-noo       (or nii-beetoh-bii3ihi-noo)I want to eat

            beetéee-noo                 I’m dancing

            nóówoh-betéee-noo     I like to dance

 

            You can ask questions and make negations, and make things future or past, just like normal:

 

            koo-hei-béét-bii3íhi      Do you want to eat?

            hei-hoow-béét-bii3íhi   You don’t want to eat

            nih'ii-béét-bii3íhi-n          You wanted to eat

            héét-béétoh-bii3íhi-n        You will want to eat

 

            Notice that the auxiliary always goes right before the verb.

 

            Exercizes: List three things that you like to do, three things that you want to do, and three things that you can to.

 

            List three things that you don’t like to do, can’t do, and don’t want to do.