Lesson 1: Greetings and Polite Formulas
ta''n(i)si
"Hello.", "Hi.", "How are you?", "How are things?"
Literally: "How?"
m''on~(a) na''ntaw.
"Hi.", "Fine." (in response to ta''n(i)si.)
ki''n~a ma''ka.
"And you?"
kinana''skomitin.
"Thank you." (said to one person.)
Literally: "I thank you."
kinana''skomitina''wa''w.
"Thank you." (said to more than one person.)
Literally: "I thank you people."
e''kosi.
"That''s how!", "That''s the way!", also very commonly used for "Thank you."
ki''htwa''m ka-wa''p(a)mit(i)n.
"I''ll see you again." (said to one person.)
ki''htwa''m ka-wa''p(a)mit(i)na''wa''w.
"I''ll see you people again."
ki''htwa''m ka-wa''p(a)mit(i)na''n.
"We''ll see you again." (said to one or more persons.)
The last three sentences are probably the most commonly used equivalents of "Goodbye."
Notes
Greetings and polite formulas are among the first expressions most people seek translations for in another language. But many of these expressions are peculiar to European culture and therefore have no close equivalents in Native North American languages.
Lesson 2: Numbers One Through Ten (and zero)
mwac ke''kwa''n
0 - zero
Literally: not anything
pe''yak
1 - one
n''iso
2 - two
nisto
3 - three
n''ew, ne''wo, ne''yo
4 - four
niya''nan
5 - five
n(i)kotwa''sik or kotwa''sik
6 - six
te''pakohp
7 - seven
ayina''new (dialects: e''na''ne''w)
8 - eight
ke''ka''c mita''taht
9 - nine
Literally: almost ten
mita''taht (W. dialects: mita''yaht for mita''taht)
10 - ten
Extra Numbers (not from the instruction book)
nistosap
13 - thirteen
nisotanaw
20 - twenty
Lesson 3: Comments on the Weather
kimiwan
it is raining
mispon
it is snowing
min~o-kisika''w
it''s nice weather
Literally: it''s a good day
n~o''tin
it''s windy
n~ikwaskwan
it''s cloudy
wa''se''skwan
it''s clear or sunny
kisite''w
it''s hot (speaking of the weather or the temperature of the air)
tahka''ya''w
it''s cold (speaking of the weather or the temperature of the air)
kisina''w
it''s bitterly cold (speaking of the weather or the temperature of the air)
Notes
These weather words, in Cree, are indicative verbs. An indicative verb can be used to make a statement, like the statements about the weather listed above. These verbs are also in the present tense, that is, they indicate events or situations occuring at the time of speaking, "in the present."
Lesson 4: Further Comments on the Weather: Past, Present and Future
Note
Some of the phrases are available as QuickTime sound files. You will need the quicktime plug-in for your web-browser to listen to them on the page. You can also download the quicktime files by clicking on the "QT" when it appears next to a phrase.
ki''-kimiwan
it rained
ki''-mispon
it snowed
wi''-mispon
it''s going to snow
wi''-kisite''w
it''s going to be hot
wi''-tahka''ya''w
it''s going to be cold
wi''-min~o-ki''sika''w
it''s going to be nice weather
ta-mispon QT
it will snow
tahka''ya''w anohc QT
it''s cold today
anohc tahka''ya''w
it''s cold today
kimiwan anohc
it''s raining today
ki''-kimiwan anohc
it rained today
anohc wi''-mispon
it''s going to snow today
ki''-kimiwan ota''hkosi''hk
it rained yesterday
wi''-n~otin wa''pahke''
it''s going to be windy tomorrow
ta-kimiwan wa''pahke''
it will rain tomorrow
me''kwa''c mispon
it''s snowing right now
mispon me''kwa''c
it''s snowing right now
ke''ya''pic mispon
it''s still snowing
ki''htwa''m ki''-mispon
it snowed again
ki''-mispon ki''htwa''m
it snowed again
ma''sko''c ta-mispon
maybe it will snow
anohc kisina''w
it''s bitterly cold today
ota''hkosi''hk mina ki-kisina''w
it was also bitterly cold yesterday
New Words
Adverbs
anohc
today
ke''ya''pic
still (referring to time)
ki''htwa''m
again
ma''sko''c
maybe, perhaps
me''kwa''c
right now, at present
mi''na
also
ota''hkosi''hk
yesterday
wa''pahke''
tomorrow
Notes
ki''- is placed before indicative verbs to make statements referring to past time, that is, statements that describe situations or events that occurred before the time of speaking. We say ki''- forms the past tense of indicative verbs.
wi''- (going to), and ta''- (will) are placed before indicative verbs to make statements referring to the future, that is, statements that describe situations or events that are going to occur, or will occur, after the time of speaking. We say wi''- and ta''- form future tenses of indicative verbs.
Some speakers feel that ta- is too definite to be applied to anything as unpredictable as the weather, as one person said, "Only God could say ta-mispon."
Adverbs are used with verbs to provide certain additional information about a situation. Most Cree adverbs usually precede the verb, but some of them can also follow it.
Lesson 5: Affirmative and Negative
kimiwan na
is it raining?
ke''ya''pic na kimiwan
is it still raining?
ki''-kimiwan na ota''hhkosi''hk
did it rain yesterday?
e''he''
yes
mo''n~a
no
mwac (dialects: (na)mwac and (na)mo''n~a for mwac and mo''n~a)
no
mwac n(i)kiske''n~(ih)te''n
i don''t know, i don''t know it
mo''n~a n(i)kiske''n~(ih)te''n
i don''t know, i don''t know it
mo''n~a kimiwan
it''s not raining
mwac kimiwan
it''s not raining
mwac ohci-kimiwan ota''hhkosi''hk
it didn''t rain yesterday
mwac ce''skwa kimiwan
it''s not raining yet
mo''n~a ce''skwa kimiwan
it''s not raining yet
ta''n(i)si e''si-ki''sika''k
how is the weather?
Literally: how is the day?
ta''n(i)si ka''-isi-ki''sika''k
how was the weather?
Literally: how was the day?
ta''n(i)si ka''-isi-ki''sika''k ota''hhkosi''hk
how was the weather yesterday?
New Adverbs
na
indicator of a yes-or-no question
mo''n~a or mwac
not, no
ce''skwa
yet
Notes
Yes-or-no questions are questions to which the answer may be ''yes'' or ''no.'' In Cree, yes-or-no questions are formed from statements by placing the word in question at the beginning of the sentence, and then putting na after the word (sentences 1 to 3).
A situation is denied by using mwac or mo''n~a (not) with an indicative verb (sentences 1 to 3).
When mwac or mo''n~a is used with a verb in the past tense, the prefix ki''- is changed to ohci- (sentence 11).
Supplementary questions are questions formed with the words ''who?'', ''what?'', ''which?'', ''when?'', ''where?'', ''why?'' or ''how?'' (sentences 14-16). How such questions are made up in Cree will be described later.
Note: when i is followed by e'', only the e'' is pronounced sometimes. Thus ta''n(i)si e''si-ki''sika''k may be pronounced as ta''n(i)s e''si-ki''sika''k
Lesson 6: Some useful commands
pi''htikwe''
''Enter!'', ''Go inside!'' (said to one person)
(Dialects: pi''htoke'' or pi''htike'' for pi''htikwe'')
pi''tikwe''k
''Enter, you people!''
(Dialects: pi''htoke''k or pi''htike''k for pi''htikwe''k)
These words are used where English uses ''Come in!'' to invite someone at the door into a building room. Otherwise, a more exact translation of ''Come in!'' is pe''-pi''htikwe''.
api
''sit (down)!'' (said to one person)
apik
''Sit (down), you people!''
wan''awi''
''Go out!'', ''Go outside!'' (said to one person)
wan''awik
''Go out(side), you people!''
ki''we''
''Go home!'' (said to one person)
ki''we''k
''Go home, you people!''
itwe''
''Say it!'' (said to one person)
ki''htwa''m itwe''
''Say it again!'' (said to one person)
ki''htwa''m itwe''k
''Say it again, you people!''
pe''hka''c itwe''
''Say it slowly!'', ''Say it carefully!'' (said to one)
n(i)sihka''c itwe''
'' Say it slowly!''
akihta''so
''Count!'' (to one)
akihta''sok
''Count, you people!''
kawin''a api
''Don''t sit (down)!'' (to one)
kawin''a apik
''Don''t sit (down), you people!''
kawin''a ki''we''
''Don''t go home.'' (to one)
kawin''a ce''skwa pe''-pi''htikwe''
''Con''t come in yet!'' (to one)
kawin''a pe''-pihtikwe'' ce''skwa
''Don''t come in yet!''
(E. dial. ka''n''a for kawin''a)
awas
''Go away!'', ''Get away!''
a''stam
''Come here!''
New Adverbs
kawin''a
''don''t''
n(i)sihka''c
''carefully, slowly''
pe''hka''c
''carefully, slowly''
Notes
Words like ''go'', ''go in'', ''go out'', ''sit'', ''count'' are verbs.
In Cree, as in English, most verbs, when spoken alone, express commands. In Cree, however, these command-forms are singular, that is, they are only used in speaking to one person.
In giving a command to more than one person, the plural command-form of a verb must be used. This is formed for many verbs, including those above, by adding -k.
ka''win''a ''don''t'' is used in place of mo''n''a or mwac with command - forms.
Note: when a or a'' is followed by a or a'', the two vowels are sometimes pronounced like on a''. Thus kawin''a api is sometimes pronounced as kawin''a''pi.
awas and a''stam are not verbs in Cree, though they can be translated into English by commands containing verbs.
Lesson 7: Let''s
pi''htikwe''ta''n
''Let''s go in(side)'', ''Let''s enter!''
(Dialects: pi''htoke''ta''n or pi''htike''ta''n for pi''htikwe''ta''n.)
apita''n
''Let''s sit (down)!''
akihta''sota''n
''Let''s count!''
wan''awi''ta''n
''Let''s go out(side)!''
ki''we''ta''n
''Let''s go home!''
ki''htwa''m itwe''ta''n
''Let''s say it again!''
kawin''a ki''we''ta''n
''Let''s not go home!''
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