Introduction to Navajo Questions
Any competent speaker of any language will be able to form questions. This resource is a combined grammar and lexicon of Navajo questions. We provide a description of three kinds of questions along with glossed examples and audio recordings of them. We think this resource will be useful to students and teachers of this language, and to professional linguists within and outside Navajo communities.
We distinguish three distinct kinds of questions: Yes/no questions, Content Questions, and Alternative Questions. We treat Tag Questions as a subtype of Yes/no questions. For this project we draw on previous work by Fernald & Perkins (manuscript), Young & Morgan (1987), Young, Morgan & Midgette (1992), and others cited in References [link].
| Da’ | Na’nízhoozhígóó | díníyá? |
| Q | Gallup-to | 2-go.F |
| Are you going to Gallup? | ||
| Mary | ha’át’íí | nayiisnii’? |
| Mary | what | 3-3-buy.P |
| What did Mary buy? | ||
| ’Atsį́’ísh | ’éí | doodaii’ | łóó’ísh | nínízin? |
| meat-Q | TOP | or | fish-Q | 3-2-want.NI |
| Do you want meat or fish? | ||||
Example (1) is a yes/no question, which has ‛yes’ or ‛no’ as an answer. Questions like this are used to ask whether a particular statement is true or not. In this example, the statement being asked about is Na’nízhoozhígóó díníyá, which means ‛You are going to Gallup’.
Content questions, like example (2), do not have simply ‛yes’ or ‛no’ as an answer. Rather than supplying a statement and asking whether it is true or not, they have the effect of providing a statement with some missing information, and they ask what that information is. In (2), the idea is that Mary bought something, and the question asks what that something is.
Alternative questions present the addressee with a choice between two or more options. Note that the English gloss in example (3) can be understood as either a yes/no question (if the intonation is rising on fish) or an alternative question (if the intonation is falling on fish). In Navajo, the sentence is an alternative question for which the appropriate answer will indicate which one of the choices is desired.
Glossing conventions and a note on morphology are here [link].
An example search has returned 50 entries
’At’éédísh yiniłtsą́?
girl-Q 3-2-see.PBee nahaldzoohí yah ’adíítį́į́ł. Da’ yah ’ííńtą́?
broom in 3-2-bring.F.SSO Q in 3.2.bring.P.SSOBéésh náábał dóó haa nízahdi nighan?
windmill and how 3-long.N-at 2-homeBikáá’ dah ’asdáhí bikáa’gi doodaai’ ni’góó daats’í nishdaah?
chair 3-top-at or floor-on perhaps 1-sit.NIChidí daats’í bee hólǫ́ ’éí doodaii’ niísh chidí nee hólǫ́?
car maybe 3-with 4-exist.N TOP or 2-Q car 2-with 4-exist.NIChidíísh bee hólǫ́ doodaii’ ni daats’í chidí nee hólǫ́?
car-Q 3-with 4-exist.NI or 2 maybe car 2-with 4-exist.NIDa’ ’ałní’ní’ą́ąjį’ tł’óo’di nishínílnish?
Q noon-until outside-at 2-work.PDid you work outside up to noon?
bookmark- da’ particle for yes/no questions
- ’ałní’ní’ą́ąjį’ noon-untilfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -jį́’ up to, as far asfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- time
- -di atfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- naashnish workfind in Navajo Verb Modes
Da’ chidíísh bee hólǫ́ doodaii’ ni daats’í chidí nee hólǫ́?
Q car-Q 3-with 4-exist.NI or 2 maybe car 2-with 4-exist.NIDa’ dichin nínízin?
Q hungry 2-want.NIDa’ Ron saad neiskáá’?
Q Ron word 3-3-investigate.PDa’ Ron yiską́ągo saad neidoołkah?
Q Ron tomorrow word 3-3-investigate.FDoo bił bééhózin da ya’?
neg 3-with 3-know.CI neg QGohwééh t’áá bizhání ’éí doodaii’ ’abe’ biłgo daats’í nínízin?
coffee only TOP or milk 3-with-GO perhaps 3-2-want.NIHa’át’éego lá ’íiyisíí ’atiinjį’ ’ańdeeshdááł lá?
how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.F DISCHa’át’éegoshą’ t’áadoo ’azee’ál’į́į́góó nisíníyáa da?
why-Q NEG hospital-to 2-go.sg.P NEGHa’át’íí lá neidiyoołnih lá?
what DISC 3-3-buy.F DISCHa’át’íísh baa hane’?
What Q 3-for be.told.CIHa’át’íísh biniinaa naníchxǫ’?
what-Q 3-because 2-pout.CIHa’át’íísh Mary nayiisnii’?
What-Q Mary 3-to.buy.Ihaa níldííl
haa níłnééz
Haash nízah kodóó nighanjį’?
how-Q 3-long.N here-from 2-home-toHaaʼí lá áshį́į́h nííníʼą́?
where-Q salt 3-2-handle.SRO.PHá’át’íí lá hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ’áyiilaa?
what Q man and girl 3-3-make.PHáadi niyaa hazlį́į́’?
where-at 2-under area-grow.PHáadish nichidí nííníłbą́ą́z?
where-at-Q 2-car 3-2-.park.Pháagi
Hádą́ą́’ Jáan Tó Hónaanígóó naayá?
When past John ocean across-to 3-go.PHádą́ą́’sh Mary ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?
when-past-Q Mary school-from 3-return.PHái da shą’ tsinaa’eeł ’ájiilaa lá?
who DA Q boat 3-4-make.P DISCHáidíígíí lá neidiyoołnih?
which.one-ÍGÍÍ Q 3-3-buy.FHáísh ’ałhosh?
who-Q 3-sleep.IHáíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa?
who-Q boat 3-3-make.PHáidíígíísh łį́į́ʼ bił deeshdlóózh?
which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q horse 3-with 3-crawl.FJoołísh ’atiin tsé’naa ’ahííníłhan doodaii’ daats’í ’anít’i’ báhátis ’ahííníłhan?
ball-Q road across 3-2-throw.P or perhjaps fence 3-over 3-2-throw.PK’aa’ísh tsénaa ’aní’á biyaa doodago daats’í báhátis ’ayiist’oh?
arrow-Q bridge 3-under or perhaps 3-over 3-3-shot.PKin Łánídi daats’í ’éí doodago Bee’eldííldahsinildiísh naniná?
Flagstaff-at perhaps or Albuquerque-at-Q 2-go.around.CIKwe’éshą’ haa nízah nináhálzhishgo nináháltį́į́h?
here-Q how 3-long.N-up.to time.move.R-GO rain.RMary ha’át’íí nayiisnii’?
Mary what 3-3-buy.PNaadą́ą́’ lá haa néelą́ą́’ nida’ak’eh biyi’ góne’?
corn Q how 3.much.N 2-cornfield 3-in thereNichidísh háadi nííníłbą́ą́z?
2-car-Q where-at 3-2-park.PNidlóóhísh doodaii’ doo daats’í nidlóoh da?
2-cold.I-Q or neg perhaps 2-cold.I negNił bééhózinísh ’éí doodaii’ nicheii daats’í bił bééhózin?
2-with 3-know.CI-Q TOP or 2-grandfather perhaps 3-with 3-know.CIDo you know or does your grandfather know?
bookmark- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- accompaniment
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nisin think, wantfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questions
- doodaii’ particle or
- daats’í particle for perhaps
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nisin think, wantfind in Navajo Verb Modes
Ńléí ’asdzą́ą́ sáníshą’ háí ’át’į́?
there woman old-Q what 3-be.NYiską́ągo Na’nízhoozhígóó deet’áazhgo haa’í lá ’adiidį́į́ł?
tomorrow Gallup-to 1dpl-go.du.F-GO where Q 1pdl-eat.FWhen we go to Gallup tomorrow, where shall we eat?
bookmark- yiską́ągo tomorrowfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- déyá start to gofind in Navajo Verb Modes
- haa’í where
- lá particle for content questions
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yíshą́ eat itfind in Navajo Verb Modeslook up conjugationhide conjugation ▾




