Introduction to Navajo Adverbs
This lexicon is built on a list from Young & Morgan (1987:12-17). This list is a heterogeneous collection of expressions that certainly belong to more than one syntactic category. For instance, it includes time expressions like ’adą́ą́dą́ą́’ (‘yesterday’) and ’ałní’ní’ą́ (‘at noon’), but it also includes the negative frame doo…da and several expressions that are constructed with it, and it includes various particles that tend to appear before the verb (e.g., hah ’quickly’; dah ‘up’). These appear in various places within a clause. Oddly, ńt’éé (a particle denoting past time which is placed after the verb) is in the list, but dooleeł (a particle denoting future time which appears in the same position) is not in the list.
We constructed this tool using Young & Morgan’s list without making adjustments to it. There may be a future version that includes different selections.
An example search has returned 50 entries
’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ shá bíighah ’atah ’adishdiłgo ’i’íí’ą́.
yesterday 1-for 3-passing down 1-play.stick.dice.RI evening’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ shá bíighah kintahdi tádísháahgo shee ’i’íí’ą́.
yesterday sun proportionate town-at 1-go.about.Prog-GO 1-on 3-sun.went.down.P’Ahbínídą́ą́’ hashbį’go baa nídiisdzá ’ákondi t’áadoo ’áłtso da.
morning-past 1-clear.I-GO 3-for 1-start.P however NEG complete NEGEven though I started clearing the land this morning I didn’t finish.
bookmark- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- hashbį’ clear the landfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ńdiishdááh startfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ahbínídą́ą́’ this morning
- -dą́ą́’ past timefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- time
- -aa tofind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- goal
’Asdzą́ą́ Báhóózhóní yinishyée dooleeł.
woman happy 1-called.NI FUT’Ashkii bi’éé’ hazhó’ó ’ayíyiishchid dóó ’ólta’ góne’ yah ’ííyá.
boy 3-shirt nicely 3-3-tuck.in.P and school into into 3-go.P’Ashkii yázhí ’ayóo hwe’ádílááh.
boy little very 3-mischief’Ałk’idą́ą́’ dahane’ yę́ę bíneeshdlį́įgo yíłta’.
long.ago pl-story past 3-1-admire.I-GO 3-1-read.P’Ałní’ní’ą́ągo tó háálínídi ’ahéédidiit’ash.
noon-GO spring-at refl-1du-meet.F’Ádą́ą́dą́ą́’ásh nishínílnish?
yesterday-Q 2-work.PBéégashii báháchxį’go bik’ee neeshchééł.
cattle 3-become.angry.I-GO 3-on.account.of 1-flee.ProgBéésh bii’ kǫ’í bizooł dego deez’á.
stove 3-pipe up 3-extend.SPNBritain bikéyahą́ą t’áá ’ałtso ’ahíi’nilgo kéyah United States wolyéhígíí bilááh ’áníłtsxo ńt’éé’.
Britain 3-land just all 3-combine.P-GO land United States 3-call.NI-COMP 3-beyond 3-size.NI pastCh’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ shichidí naaki. K’ad ’éí t’ááłá’i.́
formerly 1-car two now it oneChidí léi’ la’ ch’ééh dah diilyeed.
car because surprise in.vain up 3-go.IChidí bitooʼ ʼásdįįdgo doo diitsʼį́į da dooleeł.
truck 3-gas 3-exhaust.NP-GO NEG 3-start.I NEG 3-become.FIf the truck runs out of gas, it will not start.
bookmarkdego
Dibé bits’į́’ daodą́ą́’ lágo.
sheep 3-meat pl-3-1dpl-eat.O LÁGODichin bik’ee doo bííchįįd da.
hunger 3-account neg 3-become.hopeless.P negDiné nihaikaíígíí nihizaad nideilkaahgo ayóó bił danilį́ ’áko ndi doo ’akót’ée da.
people 1dpl-3-come.pl.P-COMP 1dpl-language pl-3-1-investigate.I-GO very 3-with pl-3-be.NI even so NEG thus-3-be.NI NEGDiné ła’ nizhónígo kéédahojit’į́ danihó’ní, ’áko ndi doo ’ákót’ée da.
people some 3-nice.NI-GO pl-4-3-reside.NI 3-Pl. so but NEG 4-think.CI NEGDíigi ’át’éego yigááł.
this-similar.to 3-walk.ProgDíí tł’éé’ t’áá ká dóola dá’ák’eólyeed lágo.
this night NEG bull into.field-3-run.O hope.not LÁGOdoo ’ashohodoobéézhgóó
doo ’asht’é’égóó
Doo łá’í ndi naash’áa da.
NEG one but 3-1-hold.SRO.CI NEGHa’a’aahgo doo jiztįį da, johonaa’ai hwił ołtáh jíní.
sunrise-GO NEG 4-lay.O NEG, sun 4-with count 4-say.Ihágoónee’
K’ad hooghangóó nááshdááł dooleeł.
now hogan-toward 1-go.Prog FUTLąʼí nahółtą́ągo t’éiyá hodookʼááłígíí yaa hódoonííł.
much 3-rain.O-GO only areal-fire.I-IGII down HO-happen.FNa’nízhoozhídi yíníyáago t’áá ká ła’ bił ’ahóókááh lágo.
Gallup-at 2-go.P-GO see.to.it some 3-with 3pl-meet.O NEGNaʼazhǫǫshgóó dooʼáazhgo nihikééʼ ʼiih deeshwoł.
casino-to 2du-go.F-GO 2pl-follow 3-into 1-run.Fnáás
Náhookǫsdę́ę’go níłch’igo ’ayóo deesk’aaz.
north.from-GO breeze-GO very cold.SPNNáńsdzáago t’áá ’íídą́ą́’ ’ííníyą́ą’ dooleeł.
back-1-go.sg.P-GO just already INDEF-2-eat.P FUTNidlóóhísh doodaii’ dooísh nidlóoh da?
2-cold.I-Q or NEG-Q 2-cold.I-Q NEGShá bíighah tsiyaa sédáago, shinááł nida’jiłkǫ́ǫ́’.
sun proportionate tree-under 1-sit.SPN-GO 1-watch.CI pl-4-swim.PShicheii haastihgo łáháda ninálnish.
1-grandfather 3-become.old.P-GO seldom 3-work.RShichidí t’ahdii yá’át’ééh, ’át’ah ’índa ła’ ninááhideeshnih.
1-car still 3-good.NI later one again-3-1-buy.FShimósí yázhí tsin yąąh dah sidáago hádésh’na’ ńt’éé’ ’áłt’ąą hadanáálwod.
1-cat little tree 3-on up 3-sit.SPN-GO 1-climb.P but after.all 3-run.down.PShimá bighangóó shíni’ ńt’éé’ ch’ééh déyáago shił náhoogéé’.
1-mother 3-home-to 1-desire.to.go past in.vain 1-go.P-GO 1-with ho-become.lazy.XI wanted to go to my mother’s house however I was tired and became lazy.
bookmark- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ńt’éé’ pastfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- ch’ééh in vain, futilely, try
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- déyá gofind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes




