Stepping through a course - Lesson 26

In this lesson we talk about feeling cold, and I also add a couple examples of cold weather at the end, using a new clause-builder, or connector - "because" or "that's why". We also learn how to ask what's happening and how to answer.

Dialog -
M: Aaniish apii wii-piindigewaad?
F: Gigiikaji na?
M: Enh, ingiikaj.
F: Gaawiin, ingiikajisii.
F: Aaniish ezhiwebak?
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's a line-by-line breakdown:

M: Aaniish apii wii-piindigewaad?

• Because "wii-" is affixed to "bindige", the "b" changes to a "p". He says "When are they coming?"

F: Gigiikaji na?

• Here's a new verb, "giikaji" be or feel cold.  She's asking "Are you cold?"

M: Henh, ingiikaj.

• Yes, I'm cold. (Notice the way the verb is conjugated.)

F: Gaawiin, ingiikajisii.

• And the negative response "No, I'm not cold." (Notice that an "i" is inserted before the negative suffix "sii".)

F: Aaniish ezhiwebak?

• Here's another new verb - izhiwebad, meaning "happens". She's asking "What's happening?/What's new?" (Again, notice that because we're using a question word, we need to conjugate the verb in the conjunct form.)

New words this lesson:

• gimiwan - be raining
• giikaji - feel cold, be feeling cold
• izhiwebad - happen so, be an event

Other vocabulary:

• gaawiin gegoo - nothing
• ganage - in the least, at all
• Aaniish ezhiwebak? Gaawiin ganage gegoo. - What's happening? Nothing at all.

• wenji- that's why/because **
• Gisinaa agwajiing wenji-zoogipon. - It's cold out, that's why it's snowing.

• ondin - wind comes from [A CERTAIN DIRECTION]
• giwedin - north
• Giiwedinong ondaanimad wenji-gisinaag. - The wind is from the north, that's why it's cold.

** A note on wenji- :

As far as I can tell, there is no straightforward way to say "because" in Ojibwe. It's translated more as "that's why", so usually we see the clauses reversed from what they would be in English.

So "Gisinaa agwajiing wenji-zoogipon." can mean either "It's cold out, that's why it's snowing." or "It's snowing because it's cold out." and "Giiwedinong ondaanimad wenji-gisinaag." can mean either "The wind is from the north, that's why it's cold." or "It's cold because the wind is from the north."