Appendix:Mapudungun affixes

An affix is w:morpheme that is attached to a w:word stem to form a new word.

Mapudungun has affixes that are suffix and infix. Mapudungun also has independent particles which will be described in a separate appendix.

Suffixes

-we

1. Turns a verb into a noun, which indicates the place where the actions of the verb takes place. Used to affect a verb.

-lu

1. Adds the conjunction when before the verb. Used to affect a verb.
2. Adds he/she who before the verb. Used to affect a verb.

-am

1. ?

-wen

1. ?

-fe

1. Turns a verb into a noun. The noun indicates a person that does the action of the verb.

-ci

1. Turns a word into a noun. The noun translates to: he/she/it who has a characteristic of the first word.

-ntu

1. Changes an aspect of a noun. Indicates a group of things.

   Eg: aliwen = tree, aliwentu = grove

-el

1. Turns a verb into a noun. The noun indicates that which is done by the verb.

-ke

1. Is added to an adjective to indicate that the noun following the adjective is plural.

-no

1. Is added to a noun to indicate that the noun is not what it would be without the suffix.

Direction indicators

These suffixes for verbs indicates that an action is made by someone to someone else.

-eyu

1. From me to you.

-en

1. From you to me.

-enew

1. From him to me.

-eymew or -eymu

1. From him to you.

-eyew

1. From him to someone else.

-etew

1. Turns a verb into a noun. The noun translates to that which he/she did(verb)

Infixes

Infixes in verbs are put after the word stem and before the verb conjugation ending.

-fi-

1. Refers to the object of the action of the verb. Used to affect a verb.

-ge-

1. Indicates that the person indicated by the word ending is the object of the action. Used to affect a verb.

-ka-

1. Turns a verb into a noun that indicates the different actions indicated by the verb. Used to affect a verb.

-ke-

1. Indicates how the action indicated by the verb is a habit, something usual. Used to affect a verb.

-rke-

1. Indicates surprise over something. Used to affect a verb.

-rume-

1. Indicates something sudden. Used to affect a verb.

-tu-

1. Turns a noun into a verb. Used to affect a noun.

-w-

1. Indicates a reflexive verb. Used to affect a verb.

Gerund

-le-

1. Indicates that the verb is showing an continues action instead of an completed. Used to affect a verb.

Grammatical polarity

In english the particle not is used to show that an action is negative (ex: I did not shoot that man). In Mapudungun there is a particle for each mood to make an action negative. The particle is put between the word root and the verb conjugation ending.

• -la- for realis mood.
• -no- for conditional mood.
• -kel- for volitive mood.

Location

-me-

1. Indicates that the action is taking place in another place or that one will go somewhere to another place to do the action. Used to affect a verb.

-pa-

1. Indicates that the action is taking place here or that one will come here to do the action. Used to affect a verb.

-pu-

1. Indicates that the action of the verb will take place when arriving to another place. Used to affect a verb.

Tense

-a-/-ya-

1. Indicates the future tense. Used to affect a verb.

-pe-

1. Indicates the recent past tense. Used to affect a verb.

-fu-

1. Indicates a more distant past tense. Used to affect a verb.

See also

• (Spanish) Descripción de la lengua Mapuche - Por el Profesor Tulio Cañumil (permanent dead link)