Learn Oneida

Module 6

NOTE: This page is still under construction!

Introduction

Module 5 covered stative verbs which describe the state or condition of someone or something. They have 5 possible tenses:
EnglishTranslationEnglish
Present
wakatlaʔswiyó
I am lucky
Past
wakatlaʔswiyo·hné·
I was lucky
Future
ʌwakatlaʔswiyóhakeʔ
I will be lucky
Conditional (Indefinite Future)
a·ukwatlaʔswiyóhakeʔ
I might be lucky
Command
satlaʔswiyóhak
Be lucky!
The verbs in module 6 are active verbs which decribe actions, events, or activities. They have as many as 14 possible forms. The 11 that will be covered by this curriculum are the following:
EnglishTranslationEnglish
Habitual
kekhu·níhe̲ʔ
I cook
Habitual Past
kekhu·níhahkweʔ
I used to cook
Habitual Future
ʌkekhu·níhekeʔ
I will keep on cooking
Definite Past
waʔkekhu·ni̲·
I cooked
Indefinite Future
akekhu·ni̲·
I might cook
Definite Future
ʌkekhu·ni̲·
I will cook
Perfective
wakekhuní
I have cooked
Progressive
wakekhuniháti
I am going along cooking
Perfective Past
wakekhuni·hné·
I had cooked
Perfective Indefinite
a·ukkhuni·keʔ
I should have cooked
Command
sekhú·ni̲ʔ
Cook!
This module will cover these 6:
If you are confused by the differences between these tenses, that is okay! While some of the tenses may look redundant, they are used in different contexts. This will be demonstrated later.

Oneida Terms for Tenses

At this point in the program‘s lectures, more Oneida should be incorporated to create a more immersive classroom. Below shows the Oneida terms to describe the different tenses.

It is happening

EnglishTranslationEnglish
Habitual
thó niya·wʌ́·seʔ
That is what happens
It's the way it happens
Definite
thó na·wʌ́neʔ
That happened
Indefinite
thó naya·wʌ́neʔ
That would happen
Future
thó nʌya·wʌ́neʔ
That will happen
Perfective
thó niyawʌ́·u
That has happened
Progressive
Stative
thó niyawʌʔuháti
That is happening now
Command
thó niʔya·wʌ́n
Let it happen

That is what I am doing

EnglishTranslationEnglish
Habitual
Stative
thó nikatyélhaʔ
That is what I do
That is what I am doing now
Definite Past
thó nkátyeleʔ
That is what I did
Indefinite Future
thó nakátyeleʔ
That is what I would do
Definite Future
thó nʌkátyeleʔ
That is what I will do
Perfective
thó niwakatyelʌ́
That is what I have done
That is what I'm doing right now
Progressive
Stative
thó niwakatyelʌhátiʔ
That is what I am going along doing right now
Command
thó nahsátyel
Do that!

How Active Verbs Are Constructed

TensePrepronominalColoursEnding
Command
tsiʔ nahsátyel
red
blue
purple
root
Habitual
tsiʔ nikatyélhaʔ
red
blue
purple
roothabitual ending
Definite
nkátyele̲ʔ
waʔ
wa
we
red
blue
purple
rootpunctual ending
Indefinite
nakátyele̲ʔ
a
ae
red
blue
purple
rootpunctual ending
Future
nʌkátyele̲ʔ
ʌ
red
blue
purple
rootpunctual ending
Perfective
niwakátyele̲ʔ
blue
purple
rootperfective ending
Examples of habitual, punctual, and perfective endings can be found on page 20 of the Oneida-English dictionary.

Active Verb Examples

Below is a table with each of the six tenses we‘re looking at, their negations, and descriptions as to how they‘re used.
TenseDescriptionNegation
Command
tsiʔ nahsátyel
Cook!
Used to tell someone to do something right now.
Tákʌʔ ʌsekhuni
Don't cook!
Habitual
tsiʔ nikatyélhaʔ
I cook
Describes events that happen regularly, whether once an hour or once a year.There is an expectation that the event will occur again.
Describes "what people do" or "what they are."
Sometimes describes actions that are happening right now.
Yáh teʔkekhu·níheʔ
I do not cook
Definite
nkátyele̲ʔ
I cooked
Describes a completed event (verbs that end in -ed in English)
Describes an event in which someone is en route or going to do something
Yáh teʔwakekhu·ní·
I did not cook
Indefinite
nakátyele̲ʔ
I might cook
Describes an event that might or could happen in the future
Describes an event that might or could have happened in the past
Yáh thakekhu·ní·
I will not cook
Future
nʌkátyele̲ʔ
I will cook
Describes an event that likely will occur in the future
Yáh thakekhu·ní·
I might not cook
Perfective
niwakátyele̲ʔ
I have cooked
Describes one (or many) events that have been completed, either recently or long ago
Describes a change that has occurred
Describes an event that is happening right now
Yáh teʔwakekhu·ní·
I have not cooked
There are two things to note here:
  1. The "Indefinite Future" and "Future" negations are the same, just like in previous modules
  2. The "Perfective" and "Definite" negations are the same, and use blue pronominals (the Perfective form)

Daily Activities

Paradigms for Select Active Verbs

This section covers paradigms for a select number of verbs from the previous section.

-lihwaʔslakwanswer, reply

This word has a C stem with a t/te prefix.

t-...-atahsawhbegin (to do something)

This word has an A stem with a t prefix.

-khunicook

This word has a CC stem.

ni-...-atyeldo (something)

This word has an A stem with a ni prefix.

-atkekskwget (raise) self up

This word has an A stem.

atusay (something)

This word is irregular, and its conjugations depend on context.

itasleep, go to

This word has an I stem.

te-...-hwishʌheyutired, get

This word has a C stem with a te prefix.

-yoʔtʌ-work

This word has a C stem.

Translation Exercises

1Yáh teʔwakekhuní nuʔú·waʔ, yáh náhteʔ teʔkatyélhaʔ 
2Tá·t akenho·tú·, ʌhsatatewyʌnʌ·táneʔ kʌ́ 
3Yáh thayuníʔtayʌʔ tá·t ʌhatló·lokeʔ 
4Waʔtkatohtálhoʔ né· tshahutyaʔtóhaleʔ 
5Wahʌ́·luʔ kʌ́ tʌhya·túteʔ 
6Waʔakyatslu·ní· né· ayukniyóʔtʌʔ átsteʔ 
7Yáh tehakhlolí kanke tshihoyo·té̲· 
8Wahshakotiyaʔtakénhaʔ akutinhotu·kó 
9Waʔakwatkáhthoʔ né· shakoyoʔokúha tsiʔ nahútyele 
10Yáh tehuwayaʔtakénhʌ latatlihunyʌ·níheʔ 
11Thó naʔa·wʌ́neʔ tshiyokʌno·lʌ́ 
12Yáh tehonatahséhtu tshahʌníhstyá·keʔ 
13Ahotinóhaleʔ kaló· tsiʔ niyo·lé nʌ· tshaʔokʌ·nóleʔ 
14Satahúhsatat tsiʔ náhteʔ yu·tú· 
15Knú·wehseʔ kʌs katló·loks tsiʔ wataʔklókwas 
1We (you and I) should wake up and get ready before noon. 
2Do you ever get tired of taking a bath? 
3He says that she didn’t begin it. 
4They (females) won’t say when they studied. 
5It has snowed every day but it won’t happen tomorrow. 
6We (they & I) got tired but we didn’t sleep. 
7They can’t help you now, they’re taking a break. 
8She can’t cook now because she’s not up. 
9Why didn’t you open the door? Weren’t you dressed? 
10They didn’t do anything when they (Ms) woke up. 
11You didn’t ask me, you just told me. 
12The dog won’t eat when it rains. 
13Listen you two, I want you to get up right now. 
14We (all of you and I) should take a break when we get tired. 
15I would have tidied up, but I was too tired.