VAI (Verb Animate Intransitive)

VAI stems can end in one of six different vowels : -e, -aa, -ii, -uu, -i, -u.

Ending Example
e ᓂᒣᑕᐧᐁᓐ Click here to hear this word nimetawe-n I am playing
aa ᓂᓂᐹᓐ Click here to hear this word ninipaa-n I am sleeping
ii ᓅᐦᒌᓐ Click here to hear this word nuuhchii-n I come from…
uu ᓂᓃᐴᓐ Click here to hear this word niniipuu-n I am standing
i ᓂᑕᐱᓐ Click here to hear this word nitapi-n I am sitting
u ᓂᓂᑲᒧᓐ Click here to hear this word ninikamu-n I am singing

Link to the Conjugation Table.

For stems ending in -uu, and -i, a stem vowel can dissapear in the third person proximate independent indicative. (This is called “vowel coalescence” for what happens to -uu, and “vowel harmony” for what happens to -i):

ᓃᐴ-ᐅ niipuu-u ᓃᐴ Click here to hear this word niipuu s/he is standing (one u disappears)
ᐊᐱ-ᐅ api-u ᐊᐴ Click here to hear this word apuu s/he is sitting (the i becomes u)

VAI verbs with stems ending in -n, have a special behaviour. The nasal vowel n becomes h in the 3rd person proximate inflection in the conjunct indicative paradigms (#11 and #12).

ᐱᒥᔑ Click here to hear this word pimishin (#10) ᐁ ᐱᒥᔑ Click here to hear this word e pimishih-k (#11) whenever s/he is lying down
ᐱᒥᔑ Click here to hear this word pimishih-ke (#12a) when s/he is going to lie down
ᐯᒥᔑᒃᐦ Click here to hear this word pemishih-kh (#12b) every time s/he lies down

Note that the third person proximate conjunct suffix for vai n-stem verbs is -k rather than the -t used with vowel stems.

See the Conjugation Table for n-stems.

VAI aa, e, and n stems use a shorter passive suffix (unspecified actor form): they shorten the -naanuu suffix or merge it with the stem. Compare:

Stem Person
aa X ᓂᐹᓅ nipaa+naanuu=nipaanuu people sleep, there is a sleepover (short suffix: -nuu)
e X ᒣᑕᐧᐋᓅ metuwe+naanuu=metawaanuu people play, there is playing (short suffix: -aanuu)
n X ᑕᑯᔑᓈᓅ takushin+naanuu=takushinaanuu people arrive, there an arrival (short suffix: -aanuu)
Other stems
u X ᓂᑲᒧᓈᓅ nikamu+naanuu=nikamunaanuu people sing, there is a singing event (regular suffix: -naanuu)

The same happens for the X’ forms (unspecified actor Obviative): the long suffix -naanuuyuu becomes -nuuyuu after an aa stem, or -aanuuyuu with an e or n stem.