Introduction to Navajo Postpositions
This is a lexicon of Navajo postpositions and postpositional enclitics.
Postpositions are pretty much the same as prepositions in English but a postposition appears after its noun phrase object rather than before it. Postpositions tend to be short words with meanings that indicate information about location, direction, or timing of an event described by the verb in the sentence, or about the kind of role played by the noun phrase in the event.
There is a relatively small number of postpositions, so by memorizing them, language learners can quickly improve their comprehension of Navajo.
This lexicon includes 14 postpositional enclitics and 75 postpositions based on Young & Morgan (1987:25-26).
In example (1), sha’áłchíní bá is a postpositional phrase, meaning ‘for my children’.
| Sha’áłchíní | bá | ch’iyáán | ’íishłaa. |
| 1-children | 3-for | food | 3-1-cook.P |
| I cooked for my children. | |||
The postposition is -á, and the pronoun prefix is b-. This is a third person prefix, which is why the gloss underneath bá has a 3 in it. The meaning of -á is ‘for’, and this is also indicated in the gloss. Also, the sh in the word sha’áłchíní, ‘my children’, is a first person pronoun prefix. This pronoun prefix also appears inside the verb ’íishłaa. Note that the gloss is 3-1-cook.P; this indicates that the word means ‘I cooked it’: 3-1 in the gloss indicates that the subject of the verb is first person (‘I’), and the object is third person (‘it’). For a guide to glossing, click here.
The first person prefix appears again on the postposition -ił (‘with’), in the example below:
| Chidí | k’asdą́ą́’ | shił | ’adah | ch’éélwod. |
| car | almost | 1-with | down | off-3-go.P |
| The car almost ran off (the road) with me. | ||||
Postpositional Enclitics do not have pronoun prefixes, and instead attach directly onto another phrase. In the example below, the enclitic is -di (‘at’). It is attached directly to Na’nízhoozhí (‘Gallup, New Mexico’). There is no pronoun prefix:
| Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ | Na’nízhoozhídi | kééhasht’į́ ńt’éé’. |
| formerly | Gallup-at | 1-live.I past |
| I used to live in Gallup. | ||
In the example below, the enclitic -gi is attached to the postpositional phrase tsé biká (‘on the rock’). The pronoun prefix bi- is attached to the postposition -káá (‘on’), not to the enclitic:
| Tsé | bikáa’gi | béésh | dah | si’ą́. |
| rock | 3-on-at | knife | up | 3-sit.SNP |
| The knife is on the rock. | ||||
Note that both -di and -gi are glossed as ‘at’. The enclitic -di is used for more general locations, and -gi is used for more specific ones.
The postpositional enclitics in this lexicon are, from the list in YMM (1992:938-09):
- -dą́ą́’
- past time
- -dę́ę́’
- from a general location or point in space or time, also out of, off of
- -di
- at a general location
- -dóó
- from a specific location or point in space or time
- -ę́ę-dą́ą́’ =yę́ędą́ą́’
- back when
- -gi
- at a specific location
- -góó
- to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a date
- -í-jígo
- over in the direction of the place where
- -jigo
- toward, northward
- -jí
- designates ceremonies, religious and political institutions and lifeways
- -jí
- on the side of, in the direction of, in the manner of
- -jí-k’ehgo
- in the manner of
- -jį́’
- up to, as far as
- -k’eh -jí
- in the way(s) of
The pronoun prefixes, which can appear on postpositions, are shown below:
| singular | dual-plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | shi- | nihi- |
| 2nd person | ni- | nihi- |
| 3rd person | yi-/bi- | |
| 4th person | ho- | |
| unspecified | ’a | |
| reciprocal | ’ahi- | |
| reflexive | ’ádi- | |
| area | ha-; ho-; go- | |
In using these prefixes, the final vowel sometimes changes due to the sound that comes next (e.g. shi-ałchiní → sha’áłchíní; ni- ’asdzą́ą́ → ne’asdzą́ą́; bi- ’awéé’ → be’ewéé’ / be’awéé’).
An example search has returned 50 entries
’Asdzą́ą́ t’ah doo naalyéhé bá hooghangóó digháah da.
woman still NEG trading.post-to 3-walk.I NEGThe woman has not gone to the store yet.
bookmark’Awéé’ bimá bit’ah sitį́.
baby 3-mother 3-undercover 3-lying.SPN’Ayóo deesk’aazgo beeldléí ditánígíí biih násh’nah.
very cold-GO blanket 3-thick.NI-ÍGÍÍ 3-into 1-crawl.R’Ałchíní ’ólta’di t’áá ’áhą́dígo ’ahąąh naazį́.
boy school-at just together-GO abreast pl-3-stand.SPN’Ałk’idą́ą́’ Diné bikéyah bikáa’gi łį́į́’ bichąą bíighahgo tł’oh deíl’áá ńt’éé’ jiní.
long.ago Navajo.land 3-upon-at horse 3-belly sufficient-GO Pl-3-extend.out.of.sight.SNP hearsay’Ałní’ní’ą́ągo tó háálínídi ’ahéédidiit’ash.
noon-GO spring-at refl-1du-meet.F’Ałts’ísígo nihich’į́’ hadeesdzih.
3-small.NI-GO 2du-to 1-speak.F"Binák’eegóó baa da’ashch’osh lá," didíínííł.
3-eye-between-around 3-to pl-3-infest.P DISC 3-2-tell.F-káá’
-nah
Bíni’dii si’ą́ t’áádoo baa nánít’íní.
3-let-stay 3-sit.SRO.SPN just.NEG 3-about 2-bother.NIBįįh bił da’doołdǫǫh.
deer 3-with pl-2dpl-shoot.ICh’ééh jiyáán hooghangóó dah dii’ą́ągo shee nikihoníłtą́.
watermelon home-toward up 3-1-move.SRO.P 1-with area-start-rain.PChidí 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.NIChidí sits’ą́ą́’ hashtł’ish yiih yilwodgo t’áá ch’į́į́góó ch’ééh ’ííł’įįd.
car 1-away mud 3-into 3-go.P-GO just fail in.vain 3-1-act.PI did everything possible to get my car out of the mud.
bookmark- -ts’ą́ą́’ away from, separating from, derived from
- location
- -iih into
- location
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- ch’į́į́góó, ch’ínígóó everything possible without resultfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- ch’ééh in vain, futilely, tryfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
Da’ ’ałní’ní’ą́ąjį’ tł’óo’di nishínílnish?
Q noon-until outside-at 2-work.PDamóogo ’áłah ’aleeh ’áko ’áadi nihaadíínááł.
Sunday 3-gather 3-be so there-at 1-Pl-to-2-arrive.FDibé bighan báátis dah yiishte’.
Sheep corral 3-over up 1-climb.PDoo chosh shijooł’į́į́’ léi’gi’ ’át’éégóó shił hóyéé’.
NEG 3-1-make.use.O proof.against-NEG 1-with lazy.NIDoo choshijooł’į́į́’ le’ ’át’éégóó shił hóyéé’.
NEG 3-1-make.use.O proof.against-NEG 1-with lazy.NIDoozhǫǫgo da’ííłta’ígíí t’éiyá yá’át’éehgo naanish bá dahólǫ́.
satisfactory pl-3-study.P-NOM only 3-good.N-GO work 3-for pl-3-exist.NIDíí séí dóó tsé yázhí ’ałtahígíí łeezh bikáa’gi naasaas ’áko shį́į́ doo hashtł’ish da doołeeł.
this sand and stone little mixed.together-NOM dirt 3-on-at 3-1-sprinkle.Prog then maybe NEG mud NEG futureGah bik’ee’ taah yí’áhígóó ’eesbąs.
rabbit foot water 3-into1-drive.ProgGah bikéé’ yishwoł.
rabbit 3-following 1-run.ProgHaidą́ą́’ ’a’áán góne’ naashnish ńt’éé’ --- doo shił yá’áhoot’éeh da.
winter-past mine.shaft 1-work.I past NEG 1-with 3-good.N NEGHáágóó díníyá?
where-to 2-go.FHádą́ą́’sh Mary ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?
when-past-Q Mary school-from 3-return.PHodíina’go bááh dootł’izhí deeshį́į́ł dóó ’ahwéé bił ła’ deeshdlį́į́ł.
after.a.while-GO bread blue 3-1-eat.F and coffee 3-with some 3-1-drink.FHooghan bikáá’ dah si’ánígíí bíyah da’nii’áago ’ádíílį́į́ł ’áko hooghan doo ’ałhiih nídoołdas da.
hogan 3-on up 3-sit.SPN-ÍGÍÍ 3-under pl-3-extend.NP-GO 3-2-make.F so hogan NEG RECIP-3-collapse.F NEGUse strong pillars to build the hogan so that the roof will not cave in.
bookmark- -káá’ on, on top of
- dah up at an elevation, off, static, holdingfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Si-Perfective Neuter (SPN)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- -yah under, beneath
- Neuter Perfective (NP)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’áko so, so that, so thenfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
Jó nił bééhozin shibéeso ’adingo
because 2-with 3-knowledge.CI 1-money 3-dwindle.CI-GOKintahgóó diit’ash.
town-to 1dpl-go.du.ProgLet’s go to town!
bookmark- Proposal, affirmativefind in Navajo Imperatives
- 1st person inclusive, Let’s!find in Navajo Imperatives
- Progressivefind in Navajo Imperatives
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a date
- Progressive (Prog)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yish’aash go as a pair (with)find in Navajo Verb Modes




