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
’Ajóółháásh laanaa.
4-sleep.O wish’Aná’ázt’i’ ńtłóo’go biniinaa béégashii t’óó yigháńdaakah.
fence 3-loose.P-GO 3-because.of cow just 3-through-pl-3-go.pl.P’Ashkii nishłínę́ędą́ą́’ łah yoostsah bik’íníyá.
boy 1-be.NI-past once ring 3-1-find.P’Ashkii yázhí ’ayóo hwe’ádílááh.
boy little very 3-mischief’ayóigo
’Ayóo łį́į́’ shił naalgeed diní, ’ííshją́ą́shį́į́ díí łį́į́chogii bikáá’ dah ńdaah!
very horse 1-with 3-buck.CI 3-2-say.NI lets.see this stallion 3-on up 2-sit.I’Ałk’idą́ą́’ ’ayóo nahałtin ńt’éé’.
long.ago very areal-rain.I past’Ałk’idą́ą́’ tł’oh naadą́ą́’ dant’į́įhgo łį́į́’ doodaii’ béégashii da há hadahwiił’éés ńt’éé’.
long.ago grass corn 3-ripen.I-GO horse or cow etc. 4-for 3-stomp.I past’Ííshją́ą́ shį́į́ díí ’atoo’ béésh bii’ kǫ’í bikáá’ dah séką́.
certainly perhaps this stew stove 3-on up 3-1-put.OC.PBéésh bii’ kǫ’í bizooł dego deez’á.
stove 3-pipe up 3-extend.SPNCh’íníyáá nít’ę́ę́’ t’áá hooshch’į’ łééchąą’í shich’į’ ch’élwod.
out-1-go.P past suddenly 1-to dog out-3-come.PCh’į́į́góó ch’ééh tádííyá.
fail in.vain 1-go.PChidí sits’ą́ą́’ hashtł’ish yiih yilwodgo t’áá ch’į́į́góó ch’ééh ’ííł’įįd.
car 1-from mud 3-into 3-go.P-GO failure in.vain 1-act.PChidí bitooʼ ʼásdįįdgo doo diitsʼį́į da dooleeł.
truck 3-gas 3-exhaust.NP-GO NEG 3-start.I NEG 3-become.FDibé yázhi bimá doo boosáni da, biʼnootsaał.
sheep little 3-mother NEG 3-love.I NEG 3-starve.ODichin bik’ee doo bííchįįd da.
hunger 3-account neg 3-become.hopeless.P negDíí tł’éé’ t’áá ká dóola dá’ák’eólyeed lágo, dádiʼnítįįh.
this night NEG bull into.field-3-run.O hope.not 3-2-close.gate.IDon’t let the bull get into the field tonight, so close the gate.
bookmark- Command, negativefind in Navajo Imperatives
- Optative with t’áá ká and lágofind in Navajo Imperatives
- t’áá ká don’t
- lágo negative particle used with the optative mode
- Optative (O)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- Command, affirmativefind in Navajo Imperatives
- Imperfectivefind in Navajo Imperatives
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
Dlǫ́ǫ́’ ba’áán góne’ yah ’adeeshnii’go dlǫ́’áyázhí shishhash.
prairie.dog 3-hole into down1-3.to.reach.out.hand prairie.dog-little 1-bite.Pdoo ’ashohodéébéézhgóó
Doo ’áłah diidleeł da.
NEG together pl-1dpl-meet.pl.F NEGDoo nił bééhózín da lá jiní. T’áá káhí la’ bił hóolne’!
NEG 2-with 3-knowledge.CI NEG disc 4-say.P just never some 3-with 2-tell.FYou don’t know about this. Just don’t say anything!!
bookmark- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrases
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- bééhózin there is knowledgefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- lá jiní let’s play like, let’s pretend thatfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
- la’ puzzlementfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
Doo t’áá k’ad ’ííłta’ da.
NEG just now 1-go.school.P NEGDoo t’áá k’ad bá’ólta’í sélį́į’ da.
NEG just now teacher 1-be.SPN NEGDoochǫǫł á’téego!
repulsive 3-be.NI-GODooládó’ shį́į́ ’adą́ą́dą́ą́’ shich’ohoos’ni’ da kintah góyaa yishááł ńt’éé’ béeso naadiinígíí ńdiiłtsooz.
wow probably yesterday 1-lucky.P town areal down 1-go.I Past money twenty-NOM 3-sit.FFO.PDziłghą́’ą́ bizaad diists’a’ laanaa.
White.Mountain.Apache 3-language 1-understand.NI wishHa’át’íí shį́į́ biniinaa łééch’ąą’í nidahał’in.
what perhaps 3-because dog pl-3-bark.IHastiin t’áá ká baa wóólyeed lágo.
man see.to.it to.him 2-run.to.O NEG-wishHágoónee’, t’áá ’ákódí shahane’.
well that’s.all 1-storyK’ad cháshk’eh góyaa tó de ’anool’ąął.
now wash down water up 3-rise.ProgNitsilí ’abínígo tóógóó łį́į́łchíí’ bił ’ałnánáldlosh łeh.
2-brother morning-GO water-to horse-red 3-with 3-go.R usuallyNíwe, tʼáádoo ʼabeʼ tʼóó bee naninéʼhí. Hazhóʼó nidlą́.
stop NEG milk just 3-with 2-play.R-NEG properly 3-2-drink.IShá bíighah na’ashkǫ́ǫ́’.
sun proportionate 1-swim.CIShichidí t’ahdii yá’át’ééh, ’át’ah ’índa ła’ ninááhideeshnih.
1-car still 3-good.NI later one again-3-1-buy.FShimá sání dah díníilghaazh ’ayiila’ii’, nihí yaa néíni’ką́.
1-grandmother frybread 3-3-make.P-and 1.dpl under 3-3-place.PMy grandmother made frybread, and placed it in front of us.
bookmark- -ii’ and, and thereuponfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- yaa down, downward
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ashłééh makefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- baa’nishkah place it, put itfind in Navajo Verb Modes
Shínaaí shíká ’adoolwoł nisin ńt’éé’ ’áłt’ąą t’áadoo níyáa da.
1-older.brother 1-for 3-run.F 1-want.NI but after.all NEG 3-come.sg.P NEGI wanted my older brother to help me but unfortunately he didn’t come.
bookmark- -ká after, forfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- benefactive
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yishwoł run alongfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Neuter Imperfective (NI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nisin think, wantfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- ńt’éé’ relates to past time
- ’áłt’ąą after all
- t’áadoo not
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrases
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nishááh come, arrivefind in Navajo Verb Modes
Sohodizingo t’áá ká nídoó’nééh.
prayer-GO neg 2-get.up.OT’áá ’ałkéé’ ’azee’ííł’íní bił yah ’adahaadzá.
just one-behind-another doctor 3-with 3-in 1Dist-4-go.IT’áá ká ’adinoólgháásh lágo.
neg 2-oversleep.O LÁGOTooh ńlínígíí ha’naa shił ’adeezbą́ą́z ńt’éé’ tsinaabąąs nihits’ą́ą́’ k’é’éłtǫ’.
water river areal-across 1-with 3-drive.P past wagon 2dpl-away 3-break.PTó lą’ígo nidlą́ ’áko bee nitah yá’áhoot’ééh dooleeł.
water many 3-2-drink.DI so 3-with 2-among pl-3-good.NI futureDrink lots of water so that you can be healthy.
bookmark- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’áko so, so that, so thenfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- -ee by means offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -tah, -taa-, -ta- among, mixingfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Neuter Imperfective (NI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- dooleeł future
- dooleeł future
Yiską́ągo Na’nízhoozhídi, háádish ’adeeshį́į́ł ninízin?
tomorrow Gallup-at where-Q 2-eat.F 2-want.CIĄąh háá’á wolyéii k’ad doo ’asht’é’égóó bik’ee ntsinisdzá.
debt 3-extend.NP 3-be.called.NI now extremely 3-on.account.of 1-???? YÁŁa’ damóo yę́ędą́ą́’ dah ’iyétł’ónée, k’ad ’ałníí’góó ’eeshtł’óół.
one Sunday past up 3-1-set.P-past now middle-toward 1-weave.ProgLast week I set up a loom, and now I am halfway finished with weaving (a rug).
bookmark- -dą́ą́’ past timefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- yę́ędą́ą́’ pastfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’iishtł’ǫ́ set up a loomfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- k’ad now
- Progressive (Prog)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ashtł’ó weavefind in Navajo Verb Modes




