-ę́ę

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ee"

Navajo

Etymology

A truncated form of yę́ę

Suffix

-ę́ę

1. at that time back then (forms ending in -ę́ę are often part of a narrative when telling a story)

   deeztʼiʼę́ę ― it had its beginning

   ńtʼę́ʼę́ę ― the one which was

Usage notes

-ę́ę may be attached as an enclitic to nouns, pronouns, or verbs. The vowels of this enclitic take the form of an /a/ or /e/ in the preceding syllable.

-ę́ę has several usages:

1. a relativizer similar to -ígíí in a past tense context.

   Ashkii atʼééd yiyiiłtsánę́ę deezgoʼ. ― The boy that saw the girl fell.

2. added to a relationship term, it implies that the person is deceased

   shizhéʼé yę́ę ― my late father

   shimáhą́ą ― my late mother

3. attached to a verb in the future tense, it expresses a hope, wish, or desire, and is the equivalent of an optative verb + laanaa:

   Daʼdooyį́łę́ę. ― I wish they would eat.

   Nahodoołtį́łę́ę. ― I wish it would rain.

Alternative forms

• -ą́ą
• -hą́ą
• -hę́ę
• yę́ę
• yéeniʼ
• héeniʼ
• yáaniʼ
• háaniʼ