Interrogative Pronouns

Use an Interrogative pronoun to ask a question about:

• People or things
• Places
• Selections

Interrogative Pronouns for Places

Observation

ᑖᓐ ᒋᒪᔅᒋᓯᓐ᙮

taan chimaschisin.

Where is your shoe?

The interrogative pronoun ᑖᓐ taan is used for asking where something or someone is. It is used with a noun, or alone, and means ‘where?’.

ᑖᓐ ᒋᒪᔅᒋᓯᓐ᙮		taan chimaschisin.	Where is your shoe?
ᑖᓐ		taan.	Where?

Like other pronouns, ᑖᓐ taan takes inflection:

	Proximate				Obviative
	singular		plural		singular		plural
Animate		ᑖᓐ		ᑖᓂᒌ		ᑖᓂᔫᐦ		ᑖᓂᔫᐦ
		taan		taanichii		taaniyuuh		taaniyuuh
Inanimate		ᑖᓐ		ᑖᓂᔫᐦ		ᑖᓂᔫ		ᑖᓂᔫᐦ
		taan		taaniyuuh		taaniyuu		taaniyuuh
				ᑖᓂᐦᐄᐦ
				taanihiih

Examples:

ᑖᓐ ᑰᑖᐹᓈᔅᒄ᙮		taan kuutaapaanaaskw.	Where is your toboggan?
ᑖᓂᒌ ᑰᑖᐹᓈᔅᑯᒡ᙮		taanichii kuutaapaanaaskuch.	Where are your toboggans?
ᑖᓂᔫᐦ ᐅᑖᐹᓇᔅᑯᐦ᙮		taaniyuuh utaapaanaskuh.	Where is/are her toboggan/s?
ᑖᓂᔫᐦ / ᑖᓂᐦᐄᐦ ᒋᒪᔅᒋᓯᓐᐦ᙮		taaniyuuh chimaschisinh.	Where are your shoes?
ᑖᓂᔫᐦ / ᑖᓂᐦᐄᐦ ᒋᒪᔅᒋᓯᓐᐦ᙮		taanihiih chimaschisinh.	Where are your shoes?
ᑖᓂᔫ ᐅᒪᔅᒋᓯᓐ᙮		taaniyuu umaschisin.	Where is his shoe?
ᑖᓂᔫᐦ ᐅᒪᔅᒋᓯᓐᐦ᙮		taaniyuuh umaschisinh.	Where are his shoes?

For emphasis, the adverbial form ᑖᓂᑌᐦ taaniteh is used. It does not take inflection and is always used with a verb. [See demonstrative adverbials]:

ᑖᓂᑌᐦ ᐁ ᐃᐦᑕᑯᐦᐧᑳᐤᐦ ᒋᒪᔅᒋᓯᓐᐦ᙮

taaniteh e ihtakuhkwaauh chimaschisinh.

Where are they, your shoes?

[See also the interrogative particle taan and the quantifier taan tahtw]