nidaah

Navajo

Etymology

ni- (terminative) + ∅- (3rd person subject prefix) + -∅- (classifier) + -daah (imperfective stem of root -DÁ, “to sit — 1 actor”)

ni- (terminative) + ∅- (3rd person subject prefix) + -∅- (classifier) + -keeh (imperfective stem of root -KÉ, “to sit — 2 actors”)

di- (thematic) + -ni- (terminative) + ∅- (3rd person subject prefix) + -∅- (classifier) + -bįįh (imperfective stem of root -BIN, “to sit — 3 actors”)

Note: The 3+ actors stem takes an additional di-thematic prefix.

Verb

nidaah

1. he/she is sitting down, he/she is moving to a sitting position

Usage notes

This verb uses three different verb bases for 1 subject sitting alone, 2 subjects sitting in a pair, and 3+ subjects sitting in a group. All three bases can be conjugated in all 3 numbers (singular, duoplural, distributive plural), with practical different meanings. See sidá, siké, naháaztą́ for further details on a similar situation.

Conjugation

Paradigm: Momentaneous (∅/si).

IMPERFECTIVE	singular	duoplural	plural
1st person	nishdaah	niikeeh	diniibįįh
2nd person	nídaah	nohkeeh	dinohbįįh
3rd person	nidaah	nikeeh	dinibįįh
4th person	jinidaah	jinikeeh	dizhnibįįh

PERFECTIVE	singular	duoplural	plural
1st person	nédá	neeké	dineebin
2nd person	nínídá	sinooké	disinoobin
3rd person	neezdá	neezké	dineezbin
4th person	jineezdá	jineezké	dizhneezbin

FUTURE	singular	duoplural	plural
1st person	dínéeshdaał	díníikeeł	díníibįįł
2nd person	díníídaał	dínóohkeeł	dínóóhbįįł
3rd person	dínóodaał	dínóokeeł	dínóobįįł
4th person	dízhnóodaał	dízhnóokeeł	dízhnóobįįł

ITERATIVE	singular	duoplural	plural
1st person	náníshdaah	nániikeeh	ńdiniibįįh
2nd person	nánídaah	nánóhkeeh	ńdinohbįįh
3rd person	nánídaah	náníkeeh	ńdinibįįh
4th person	nánízhdaah	názhníkeeh	ńdizhnibįįh

OPTATIVE	singular	duoplural	plural
1st person	nóshdaah	nookeeh	dinoobįįh
2nd person	nóódaah	noohkeeh	dinoohbįįh
3rd person	nódaah	nókeeh	dinóbįįh
4th person	jinódaah	jinókeeh	dizhnóbįįh

Related terms

• sidá (1), siké (2), naháaztą́ (3+)