Grammar
Grammatical Elements & Morphemes
Every documented prefix, suffix, and particle from the course materials, organized as a cheat sheet: the VII paradigm's A, B and C Forms first, then everything else.
These are grammatical pieces (tense markers, negation, plural suffixes, particles) documented in the course materials -- distinct from full vocabulary words. See each entry's source citation for exactly where it comes from. The same color-coding is used here as in interactive morpheme breakdowns throughout the site. “A / B / C Form” below always means the VII paradigm's forms as this course teaches them -- not a claim about other verb classes.
VII A Form
The A Form is the plain, independent statement shape of a VII verb — the thought stands on its own ("It is raining."). These are the pieces the course documents for building and negating A-Form statements: the plural endings and the Gaawiin … negative pattern.
-wan / -oon
VII plural suffix
Marks a VII verb as having a plural (inanimate) subject.
Conditions: -wan attaches after a vowel-final stem; -oon attaches after all other endings.
Minose + wan = Minosewan. — They are good luck.
Minopogwad + oon = Minopogwadoon. — They taste good.
Gii-onizhishinoon. — They were nice.
-in
Plural marker on a negated VII
Added after the singular negative form to pluralize a negative statement.
Conditions: Attached to the end of an already-negated VII (Gaawiin ... -sinoon/-zinoon + -in).
Gaawiin onizhishinzinoonin. — They are not nice.
Gaawiin gikendaagwasinoonin. — They are not known.
Gaawiin ... -sinoon / -zinoon
VII negation (A Form / independent)
Negates a VII statement: the particle Gaawiin plus a suffix on the verb.
Conditions: Verbs ending in a vowel: add -sinoon. Verbs ending in D: drop the D, add -sinoon. Verbs ending in N: add -zinoon.
Gaawiin atesinoon. — It is not put somewhere. (vowel-ending)
Gaawiin aabadasinoon. — It is not used. (D dropped)
Gaawiin onizhishinzinoon. — It is not nice. (N-ending)
VII B Form
The B Form is the dependent shape — the verb hangs off something else in the sentence (after an introducer, inside a larger thought). Distinct endings from the A Form; the course documents the plain and negative B-Form endings below.
-g / D→K
B Form (dependent form, "when / as / that")
Marks a VII in a dependent clause -- roughly "when it is X" / "that it is X."
Conditions: Verbs ending in D: the D changes to K. All other VIIs: add -g.
Gimiwang. — When it rains.
Biinak. — When it's clean. (D→K)
Giishpin niiskaadak, gichi-gimiwan. — If the weather is nasty, it rains hard.
-sinok / -zinok
Negative B Form (dependent, "when it is not X")
Negates a B-Form (dependent-clause) VII.
Conditions: Verbs ending in a vowel: add -sinok. Verbs ending in D: drop the D, add -sinok. Verbs ending in N: add -zinok.
Aabadasinok. — When it's not used.
Gimiwanzinok. — When it doesn't rain.
Apegish zanagasinok. — I hope that it's not difficult.
VII C Form
The C Form (changed conjunct) appears in the notes as a vowel-change chart applied to the B Form. The course teaches it for RECOGNITION only — the chart below is reference material. (Red is simply this group's color on this page, distinguishing it from A-Form green and B-Form blue — it does not mean these entries are wrong or under review.)
Scope: Recognition/reference only: the app never generates C Forms, and no activity asks you to produce one. The engine's C-Form capability status is NOT_IMPLEMENTED — reading the documented chart is the whole scope.
Initial vowel change (a→e, aa→ayaa, i→e, ii→aa, o→we, oo→waa, e→aye)
C Form (conjunct) marker for participles and content questions
A change to the first vowel of the B Form, used for participles ("the thing that is X") and content questions (who/what/when/where/why/how).
Bimise → Bemiseg — it flies → airplane (I→E)
bimisemagad → bemisemagak — it flies → airplane, “that which flies”
miikawaadad → maakawaadak — it is beautiful → “that which is beautiful”
Other elements
Documented pieces that are not rows of the VII paradigm: tense and mode prefixes, question and negation words, connectors, and other particles. Each stands on its own source citation.
Gii-
Past tense marker
Marks that the action/state happened in the past.
Conditions: Attaches directly before a verb stem.
Gii-onizhishin. — It was nice.
Gii-mino-giizhigad bijiinaago. — It was a good day yesterday.
Gii-awanibiisaa. — It was misty.
Wii-
Desiderative marker ("will, want to")
Marks intention or desire -- roughly "want/going to."
Wii-mino-giizhigad. — It will be a good day.
Da-
Future / definite marker ("shall, will")
Marks a definite future action/state.
Da-onizhishin. — It will be nice.
“Maagizhaa da-ayaamagad mashkiki awas oodenaang,” gii-ikido maamaanaan. — “Maybe there will be medicine at the next village,” said the grandma.
Daa-
Modal marker ("can, could, should")
Marks possibility, ability, or obligation.
Daa-gimiwan. — It could rain.
Gaa-
Conjunct ("C Form") vowel-changed form of Gii-
Used with content questions/participles instead of Gii-, together with the initial vowel-change pattern.
Conditions: Replaces Gii- specifically in C-Form (conjunct) constructions, e.g. after a question word.
Awegonen gaa-miikawaadak? — What was beautiful?
Awegonen gaa-minomaagwak? — What smelled good?
Waa-
Conjunct ("C Form") vowel-changed form of Wii-
Used with content questions/participles instead of Wii-, together with the initial vowel-change pattern.
Aaniindi waa-zoogipong? — Where will it snow?
Aaniin apii waa-dibikak? — When will it be night?
Onji-
"For a certain reason," "from a certain place"
Marks reason or origin.
Aaniin wenji-gisinaag? — Why is it cold?
Nishki-
Manner prefix, "in an angry way"
Adds an "angry" manner to the verb it attaches to.
Nishki-bakade — Hangry (angry from hunger)
Gaawiin
Negative particle, "no"
The free-standing particle that begins a negated VII statement in the A Form, paired with a -sinoon/-zinoon suffix on the verb. B Form negatives (-sinok/-zinok) do NOT take it.
Conditions: Documented as historically formed from gaa ("no") + wiin ("by contrast").
Gaawiin gegoo. — Nothing.
na / ina
Yes/no question particle
Marks a sentence as a yes/no question.
Conditions: Placed as the second word in the sentence. On choosing between the two forms: the class notes never say. The SPPS verification article (p.7) states the vowel/consonant distribution the course's own examples happen to follow -- and states that it is ONE of three legitimate practices, alongside using only one form or only the other. So the distribution is now sourced, but it is explicitly not the only correct practice.
Onizhishin ina? — Is it nice?
Minwaagamii na? — Does it taste good?
dash
"And / but"
Connects clauses or contrasts two things; combines with aaniin to form aaniish.
Aaniin + dash = Aaniish — (contraction)
Giin dash? — And you?
Giishpin
"If" -- conditional particle
Joins a main clause to a conditional clause.
Wii-wiisini giishpin minopogwak. — S/he will eat if it tastes good.
Gisinaa giishpin nooding. — It's cold if it's windy.
Apegish
"I hope that..."
Introduces a wish/hope, typically followed by a B-Form (dependent) verb.
Apegish zanagasinok. — I hope that it's not difficult.
Apegish wii-mino-giizhigak. — I hope that it will be a good day.
ashi
"Plus / and" -- number and time connector
Joins tens and ones in compound numbers, and adds minutes past the hour in time expressions.
Binaakwe-giizis midaasogonagizi ashi bezhig. — It's October 11.
Midaaso-diba'iganed ashi midaaswi diba'igaansan. — It's 10:10.
Needs review
These elements appear in the source material but couldn't be confidently pinned down -- shown here rather than silently guessed. They stay here until a speaker or instructor resolves them; nothing in the app scores you on them.
Ge-
Irregular Conjunct ("C Form") of Da-/Daa-
The class notes state the rule but give no example sentence using Ge-, so it hasn't been confirmed in context. C6.5 adds a second reason to hold it: the SPPS verification article (p.13) names a DIFFERENT exception for verbs beginning da/daa -- prefixing en- for verbs of location or number, with a worked example -- and neither source connects the two accounts. They must not be merged into one rule without verification.
+magad
Verb extension (function disputed between sources)
Two sources disagree about what this extension does. The class notes (2024-09-06) describe it as clarifying that the verb is inanimate. The SPPS article (p.3) says it attaches to vowel-final VIIs and does not change the word's meaning at all. Neither account is taught as settled and neither is scored.
de'
Possible shared root related to "heart" (uncertain)
The class notes bold this element across several related words but never state its meaning directly -- the 'heart' connection is a plausible inference from context, not a documented fact.