VAI (Verb Animate Intransitive)

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

Ending	Example
e	ᓂᒣᑕᐧᐁᓐ		nimetawe-n	I am playing
aa	ᓂᓂᐹᓐ		ninipaa-n	I am sleeping
ii	ᓅᐦᒌᓐ		nuuhchii-n	I come from…
uu	ᓂᓃᐴᓐ		niniipuu-n	I am standing
i	ᓂᑕᐱᓐ		nitapi-n	I am sitting
u	ᓂᓂᑲᒧᓐ		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		niipuu	s/he is standing	(one u disappears)
ᐊᐱ-ᐅ	api-u	→	ᐊᐴ		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).

ᐱᒥᔑᓐ		pimishin (#10)	→	ᐁ ᐱᒥᔑᐦᒃ		e pimishih-k (#11)	whenever s/he is lying down
			→	ᐱᒥᔑᐦᑫ		pimishih-ke (#12a)	when s/he is going to lie down
			→	ᐯᒥᔑᐦᒃᐦ		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.