Mode
The mode of a Navajo verb conveys information about the timing of an action or condition. There are seven modes: Imperfective, Perfective, Future, Iterative, Usitative, Optative, and Progressive. This website provides descriptions of each mode and provides example sentences that illustrate the modes. Certain adverbial expressions are compatible with only some of the modes. Examples of these are included also.
Here is one example with a verb in the optative mode:
Each sentence is displayed with the Navajo text on the first line, an English translation on the third, and a gloss of words and word parts on the second. The verb stem is in italics and indicates the mode. There is also a red button which, when clicked, will allow you to hear a recording of a speaker saying the sentence. For more information on the gloss of words and word parts visit this link. 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].
In the box below you can search for sentences by verb, mode, or adverb.
An example search has returned 50 entries
’Ajótł’óół laanaa nissin ndi ’aghaa’ shee ’ádin.
4-weave.O hope 3-1-want.CI but wool 3-1-with.me 3-none.NI’Ak’ah kǫ’ dishtłi’go sédá.
candle 3-1-cause.burn.NI-GO 1-sit.SPN’Ałk’ésdisí naháłnii’go sitsilí dóó shideezhí ’aheełt’éego bá ’ahá níjaa’.
candy 3-1-buy.CI-GO 1-little.brother and 1-little.sister 3-1 split-GO.I 3-for 3-1 gave.I-dą́ą́’
past time, also used in conditionals, marking the antecedent
bookmark-ii’
CONJ-ts’ą́ą́’, -ts’á
away from, separating from, derived from
bookmarkAsdzą́ą́ yázhí bichidí doondó’ ndi naalnish da.
woman little 3-car not.even but 3-work.P NEGBichidí yichǫ’ yę́ędą́ą́’ ’ashkii t’áani’ nálwod.
3-vehicle 3-P-ruin past boy on.foot 3-P-returnCh’į́į́góó ch’ééh tádííyá.
fail in.vain 1-go.PChidí binaashnish yę́ę ’áádóó t’óó ni’ kwíishłaa.
vehicle 3-1-work.CI past and.then just stop 1-stop.Pdazhdooyį́į́ł
pl-3DO-4dpl-eat.it.FDibé hólǫ́ǫgo ła’ níjół’ah laanaa.
sheep exist-GO some 4-butcher.O hopeDíí kwe’é biká’ígíí ’índa bik’i’diitą́.
this here 3-on.NOM until.then 3-1.understand.PDoo hanii kintahgóó díníyáa da nisin.
NEG contrary town-toward 2-start.go.P NEG 1-think.CIHa’a’aahjíísh ’éí doodago ’e’e’aahjíísh nighan?
east-from-Q 2-home TOP or west-from-Q 2-homeha’át’éegi
where (at what particular location)
bookmarkHaahláyéé ch’íjíghááh.
don’t.dare out-4-come.Ihadadoołtééł
pl-3DO-2dpl-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.Fcarry him/her up out of something, 2nd person plural
bookmarkHodíina’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.FHoozdohgóó daats’í deeshááł ’éí doodaii’ Be’eldííldahsínilgóó deeshááł.
Phoenix-toward maybe 1-walk.F or Albuquerque-toward 1-walk.FK’aa’ísh ’aní’á biyaa doodago daats’í báhátis ’ayiist’oh?
arrow-Q bridge 3-under or perhaps 3-over 3-3-shot.PDid s/he perhaps shoot arrows under or over the bridge?
bookmark- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questionsfind in Navajo Questions Lexicon
- doodago particle orfind in Navajo Questions Lexicon
- daats’í particle for perhapsfind in Navajo Questions Lexicon
- -yaa under, beneath, downfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- -tis overfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
Naat’áanii bich’į’ yáshti’.
leader 3-toward 1-talk.INahółtą́ą́’ laanaa t’óó daniidzin.
rain hope just pl-3pl-want.ONidlóóhísh doodaii’ doo daats’í nidlóoh da?
2-cold.I-Q or neg perhaps 2-cold.I negShileechąą’í halǫ́ǫ́ ńt’éé’ są biisxé.
1-dog have past old.age 3-die.of.PShiye’ bicheii yi’ká ’análwo’dooleeł biniiyé ba’niłtį́į́́ nt’éé’ sits’ą́ą́’ yił nikidíńiit’ą́ą́zh. (YM 1987:632)
1-son 3-grand.father for 3-1-help.F for 3-loan for 1-away with 2-dpl.walk.PShíká ’anánílwo’ doodaii’ t’áadoo shaa nánít’íní.
1-for 3-run.R or just-neg 1-to 2-1-bother.IT’áá ’ashání ’ashą́ą ndi sitsį’ yę́ę ’áádįįł.
just 1-eat.I-í 1-eat.I but 1-flesh past 3-dwindle.ProgTsékooh góyaa tł’óół bee ’adanásh’nah.
canyon areal-down 3-with 1-climb.down.RTsiiyi’di náá’dzítseeł yiits’a’.
forest.up.to 4-again.chop in.sound.RTł’óo’di kǫ’ diltłi’ bikáa’gi chéch’il ła’ dináádísh’nííł.
outside-at fire 3-burn.NI 3-on-at oak some fire-again-3-1-move.PlO.ITł’óodiísh t’ah ’áłchíní nidaané?
outside-Q still children pl-3-play.IAre the children still playing outside?
bookmark