Lesson 9 of 18 · Unit 4: Asking where, asking when
The B Form
The chart's second half: a form that leans on the rest of its sentence — when it rains, if it snows, I hope it's ripe.
By the end of this lesson you'll be introduced to
- The other half of the chart: a form that leans on the rest of its sentence
- What the course says it means — “when, as, that …”
- The rule: one letter, two moves — and D does something new
- Two little words that open hopes and ifs
This is the most-practised form in the whole course — it turns up on nineteen class days. Today is the day it starts.
A statement and a fragment
One letter apart
A statement and a fragment
NewTwo documented strings, built on the same verb. One is a whole thought. The other — the course glosses it with a “when” — is a piece that needs the rest of a sentence.
Stands alone
Biinad
be clean
Leans on the sentence
biinak
when it's clean
The notes say it plainly: the B Form (Dependent Form) expresses “when, as, that …” and is a sentence fragment by itself — it depends on something else in the sentence to make sense.
Try it
On its own, what is “biinak”?
The rule
D does something new
The rule
NewThe notes give the rule in two lines: a verb ending in D changes that D to K; every other verb adds G. The chart writes the same thing as three lines — your three familiar groups — and they agree exactly.
Notice what's new: in the negative, the D dropped before an ending. Here the D itself becomes another letter. Same group, different move.
Ends in a vowel
VII + g
Chart's example
ate → ateg
Ends in D
VII - d + k
Chart's example
aabadad → aabadak
Ends in N
VII + g
Chart's example
onizhishin → onizhishing
Piece added-g / D→KSuffix
Applies to: VII verbs, B FormOne chart row covers both singular and plural here. The B Form's NEGATIVE is different again — it has its own endings and does not use the separate negative word. That comes in a later lesson.
Try it
A verb ends in D. What does the B Form do to it?
Two words that open the door
Hopes and ifs
Two words that open the door
NewA fragment needs something to lean on. The notes name two little words that commonly stand with a B Form:
Apegish
I hope, hopefully
Apegish aditeg.
I hope it's ripe.
Giishpin
if
Giishpin mino-giizhigak onizhishin.
If it's a good day, it's nice.
One spelling note from these class days: the hope-word also appears written Ambegish — the notes give both spellings side by side in “Ambegish/Apegish wii-maajiitaag/wii-maajiitaamagak.” (I hope that it will start.). Same word, two documented spellings.
The notes say these words commonly introduce a B Form — they open the door for the fragment to lean on. You'll also meet B Forms leaning on whole statements, as in the documented examples below.
Your turn — no wrong answer
Apegish
I hope, hopefully
Make a hope — pick the documented one you'd actually wish for today.
Try it
You want to say “if”. Which documented word opens that thought?
The rule, on real verbs
See it working
The rule, on real verbs
NewOne from each group — verbs you know, wearing their documented B Forms. The course attests 31 of these pairs in all; here is one per branch, taken apart.
The second half begins
The A Form grid you completed is the chart's top half. This row opens the bottom half — and notice it covers singular and plural at once: B Form Singular & Plural.
Tap a cell in the highlighted row to see the chart's own wording and example.
- A Form PluralAlready covered
- A Form Negative SingularAlready covered
- A Form Negative PluralAlready covered
B Form Singular & Plural
This lesson
Also on the chart — later in the course
- B Form Negative Singular & Plural
Same three groups, different endings. Those rows come in later lessons.
Chart: Anton Treuer, Oshkaabewis Native Journal, Vol. 4 / No. 1, Spring 1997. Explanation of the form labels: Anton Treuer, SPPS Ojibwe Curriculum, Spring 2009.
Words from these class days
New- View entry →ApegishGrammar Word
I hope, hopefully
- View entry →GiishpinGrammar Word
if
- View entry →Oshkibagi-ziibiingNoun
St. Paul (New Leaf River)
Forms you'll see — not new words, verbs you know in their B Form
- View entry →biinakVerb
when it's clean
- View entry →gimiwangVerb
when it rains
Seen before
Review- Aandi
- Aaniindi
- Aaniindi dash
- Aaniindiish
- Anishinaabe-inini
- Anishinaabe-inini na a'aw
- Gaa
- gaawiin aabadasinoon
- gaawiin agoodesinoon
- gaawiin onizhishinzinoon
- Giga-waabamin baanimaa
- Giga-waabamin miinawaa
- Giin
- Indoonjibaa (indoonjii)
- Iwidi
- Mii omaa
- minopogwadoon
- minosewan
- Niin
- Wiin
- Zhaaganaashi aawi
- Zhaaganaashi-inini aawi
Check your understanding
You don't need a perfect score — finishing is what completes the lesson.
Preparing your questions…
Finish this lesson
Work through the lesson's activities, then mark it complete. Your quiz score doesn't have to be perfect.
- Tell a fragment from a statement — not yet done
- Apply the D→K move — not yet done
- Make a documented hope — not yet done
- Pick the right introducer — not yet done
- Finish Check your understanding — not yet done
Source
This lesson draws on three class days that state one rule. The rule is confirmed in 5 places across three independent documents — the published chart (Anton Treuer, Oshkaabewis Native Journal, Vol. 4 / No. 1, Spring 1997), this course's class notes, and Anton Treuer, SPPS Ojibwe Curriculum, Spring 2009. Every Ojibwe word, form and sentence on this page comes from the material cited above; the English explanations were written for this app.
More from this stretch
This lesson covers several class days from the original course. The extra vocabulary and documented examples those days brought are here — try each example before its English shows.
Class day: October 8
New vocabulary this day (1)
Examples from this day
Aaniin ekidong ojibwemong?
What does it say?
Aaniindi wenjibaayan?
What does it say?
Aaniindi zaaga'igan?
What does it say?
Ambegish/Apegish wii-maajiitaag/wii-maajiitaamagak.
What does it say?
Anishinaabe indaaw.
What does it say?
Apegish da-gisinaag.
What does it say?
Apegish miikawaadak.
What does it say?
Apegish mino-giizhigak.
What does it say?
Class day: October 10
Review dayExamples from this day
Aaniindi wenjibaayan?
What does it say?
Aaniindi zaaga'igan?
What does it say?
Anishinaabe indaaw.
What does it say?
Apegish gisinaag.
What does it say?
Apegish wii-awibaag.
What does it say?
Apegish wii-minopogwak.
What does it say?
Apegish zanagak.
What does it say?
Binaakwe-giizis midaasogonagizi.
What does it say?
From memory
You've met all of these. Place each one from memory before peeking.
Aandi
What does it say?
Aaniindi dash
What does it say?
Anishinaabe-inini
What does it say?
Anishinaabe-inini na a'aw
What does it say?