Lesson Four - Part One
Changing Tenses
All of the expressions in the previous section were in the present tense - they are going on as the speaker is talking. In addition to this tense, Arapaho has tense for the past and future. These tenses are indicated by adding a prefix to the beginning of the verb.
The past tense is indicated by the prefix nih-.
The future tense is indicated by the prefix héét-.
| hiiwóónhehe', nííhonéíhinoo | Today, I am yellow |
| tih'íísiini', nihníhoonéíhinoo | Yesterday, I was yellow |
| nooke'éhk, héétníhoonéíhinoo | Tomorrow, I will be yellow |
| hiiwóónhehe', tenéi'éíhin | Today, you are strong |
| tih'íísiini', nihtéi'éíhin | Yesterday, you were strong |
| nooke'éhk, heetéi'éíhin | Tomorrow, you will be strong |
| hiiwóónhehe', henííyoo3óu'u | Today, those things are clean |
| tih'íísiini', nih'ííyoo3óu'u | Yesterday, those things were clean |
| nooke'éhk, héétnííyoo3óu'u | Tomorrow, those things will be clean |
Change in the Verb: First Consonants
When nih- is used, verbs beginning with h- change this sound to '- (glottal stop).
When heet- is used, verbs beginning with h- will lose this sound.