Question Words

1. Mii?

   What?

   Usage

   Use it while pointing at something you do not know

   Grammar Note

   mii means both "what" and "we (three or more)". Question words stand at the start of the sentence

2. Gos?

   Where?

   Usage

   Asks about a place. It can stand alone or open a sentence

   Grammar Note

   gos means "where (at)". For "where to" a different form, gosa, is used

3. Goas?

   When?

   Usage

   Asks about a time or a date

   Grammar Note

   goas is the question word "when" and stands at the start of a sentence. Stress is on the first syllable

4. Gii?

   Who?

   Usage

   Asks about a person

   Grammar Note

   gii is the question word for people and does not mark gender. "Who are you?" is Gii don leat?

5. Manne?

   Why?

   Usage

   Asks for a reason

   Grammar Note

   Manne is the adverb "why". It comes first in the sentence and the word order does not change

6. Mo?

   How?

   Usage

   Asks about a way or a state. "How is it going?" is Mo manná?

   Grammar Note

   Besides mo the spellings movt and mot also occur. The dictionary headword form is used here

7. Man galle?

   How many?

   Usage

   Asks for a number of countable things

   Grammar Note

   Composed sentence from known words and a known pattern. Built from man and galle; a noun can follow galle. For quantities that are not counted use Man ollu

8. Man ollu dat máksá?

   How much is it?

   Usage

   The basic price question. Use it while pointing at the item

   Grammar Note

   Literally "how much does it cost". máksit means both "to pay" and "to cost". For several items the subject is plural and the verb changes

9. Guhte?

   Which one?

   Usage

   Used to ask someone to pick from several things

   Grammar Note

   guhte means "which of several". A noun can follow, as in Guhte seahkka? "which bag?"

10. Mii dát lea?

    What is this?

    Usage

    Asks the name of something in front of you; use it with pointing

    Grammar Note

    Composed sentence from known words and a known pattern. The question word mii is followed by the demonstrative dát "this" and lea. The question word comes first; there are no articles

11. Gos lea hivsset?

    Where is the toilet?

    Usage

    Asks for the toilet in an airport, station or shop

    Grammar Note

    Composed sentence from known words and a known pattern. The question word gos comes first, followed by lea and the noun. No article; for several places lea becomes leat

12. Lea go dat nuvttá?

    Is it free?

    Usage

    Asks whether a service or entrance is free of charge

    Grammar Note

    Composed sentence from known words and a known pattern. A yes/no question puts the particle go right after the verb. Nuvttá is an adverb and does not change

13. Duođas?

    Really?

    Usage

    A short reaction when you are surprised by what you heard

    Grammar Note

    duođas is an adverb; said with a rising tone it means "really?". The đ sounds like the th in English "this"

14. Leat go don sihkkar?

    Are you sure?

    Usage

    Used to double-check what someone said; the form does not mark gender

    Grammar Note

    Composed sentence from known words and a known pattern. "Are you …?" is Leat go don …?. Adjectives do not mark gender. For two addressees the dual leahppi is used

15. Gos don leat eret?

    Where are you from?

    Usage

    Asks where someone comes from. The answer is Mun lean … eret

    Grammar Note

    For two addressees the dual doai replaces don and the verb becomes leahppi. eret is the adverb "from, away"

16. Mii du namma lea?

    What is your name?

    Usage

    Asks someone's name; it works with anyone, with no polite variant

    Grammar Note

    Possession is shown by the genitive du "your"; the answer is Mu namma lea …. For several people the genitive of dii is used

17. Man boaris don leat?

    How old are you?

    Usage

    Asks someone's age. Literally "how old are you"

    Grammar Note

    Uses the adjective boaris "old" with don in the middle. For two people it is Man boaris leahppi doai?

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