In this lesson you will learn how to introduce yourself, identify your hometown and place of residence as well as your current occupation. You will learn how to use personal pronouns and build short phrases.
Nahuatl is an agglutinative language. This means that nouns and verbs are made up of multiple components: prefixes, words and suffixes.
Comiendo Tacos en Chicøntepēc CC BY Martin the Hunter
A: Piyalli, ¿quēniuhqui motōcah?
Hello, what is your name?
B: Piyalli, na notōcah Paty. ¿Huan ta?
Hello, my name is Paty. And yours?
A: Na notōcah Juana. ¿Cānin tiēhua?
My name is Juana. Where are you from?
B: Na niēhua Tecomate, Chicōntepēc.
I am from Tecomate, Chicontepec.
A: Ah cualtitoc, na nicān Mexco niēhua. Huan ta ¿tlen ticchīhua niāan Mexco?
Ah, excellent, I am from here in Mexico. And you, what do you do here in Mexico?
B: Na nimomachtia huan nitlamachtia pan caltlamachticān tlen UNAM.
I am a student and I teach at the school of the UNAM.
A: ¿Tlen titlamachtia?
What do teach?
B: Na nitlamachtia Nahuatl.
I teach Nahuatl.
A: Ohh, cualtitoc, teipan timoittazceh.
Ohh, excellent, see you later.
B: Quena, teipanoc.
Yes, later.
Singular and Plural Pronouns
cetzin (singular)
miaqueh (plural)
Tlatocaxtiliztli tlen axquipiya itecoh (Absolute Nouns)
ni – (noun base) – tl /tli /li /n /ø
ti – (noun base) – tl /tli /li /n /ø
ø – (noun base) – tl /tli /li /n /ø
ti – (noun base) – meh
in – (noun base) – meh
ø – (noun base) – meh
Tlamānēxtilli tlatōcaxtiliztli tlen ax quipiya ītecoh (Examples of absolute nouns)
All absolute, non-possessed, nouns are marked by their respective suffixes (tl, tli, li, n, or ø).
(ø)cahuayoh(ø) “horse”
For plural nouns, the singular suffixes (tl, tli, li, n, y ø) are substituted by the plural suffix -meh. There are cases where inanimate nouns are not pluralized, although these need to be taken on a case by case. For example:
(ø)cihuāmeh “women”
(ø)mācēhualmeh “indigenous person”
(ø)cōmalli / comalmeh “pans”
(ø)michimeh “fish”
(ø)cahuayohmeh “horses”
(ø)chocolatl(ø) “chocolates”
(ø)miztomeh “cats”
(ø)tepōztli / tepōzmeh “machines, metals”
(ø)vazoh(ø) “glasses”
(ø)tlācameh “men”
(ø)chichimeh “dogs”
(ø)tlicolli(ø) “pens”
Tlamānēxtilli tlatōcaxtiliztli tlen ax quipiya ītecoh tlen tlatzinpeuhquetl (Examples of nouns with subject markers)
/cihuātl/
Nicihuātl “I am a woman”
Ticihuātl “You are a woman”
(ø)Cihuātl “He/she is a woman”
Ticihuāmeh “We are women”
Incihuāmeh “You all are women”
(ø)Cihuāmeh “They are women”
/mācēhualli/
Nimācēhualli “I am indigenous”
Timācēhualli “You are indigenous”
(ø)Mācēhualli “He/she is indigenous”
Timācēhualmeh “We are indigenous”
Inmācēhualmeh “You all are indigenous”
(ø)Mācēhualmeh “They are indigenous”
As an exercise, inflect the following absolute nouns with their respective prefixes and suffixes (both singular and plural). Remember that not all absolute nouns inflect with a subject prefix or a plural suffix.
Tlācatl
Cahuayoh
Mizton
Tecomahtli
Tlicolli
Vazoh
Chichi
Tepōztli