Personal pronouns are words that are used to identify people in a sentence who are involved in particular actions. In Inuktut, personal pronouns are used only occasionally for emphasis or to be clear about whom one is speaking.
Inuktut personal pronouns are either in first person (I, we) or second person (you). They have singular, dual and plural forms:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| first person | uvanga I |
uvaguk we (2) |
uvagut we(3+) |
| second person | ivvit you (1) |
ilissik you (2) |
ilissi you (3) |
Uses of Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns in their most basic form, can be used to answer
questions that start with kina? or kiap?
Kiap akiliqpauk?
Who paid for it?
Uvanga.
Me (I did).
Kina aqunniaqpa?
Who is going to drive?
Ivvit.
You (are).
Personal pronouns are also used to be clear about whom one is speaking:
Uvannit tigujanga.
It was me she took it from.
Ilissi piliqsiuk!
You guys take it!
Ilingnik nagligusuktuq.
It is you he loves; he loves you.
Ilissik qaigissik.
Come here, you two!
Uvaguk?
Us two?
When noun endings are added to personal pronouns, it changes the personal pronoun.
For example when -mit is added to uvanga, the word that results is: uvannit.
| Uvattinnik ikajuqtuq He is helping us. |
uvagut + nik = uvattinnik |
| Iliktut uqallattiasuuq She speaks well like you. |
ivvit + tut = iliktut |
| Uvannut qailauqtanga He/she gave it to me. |
uvanga + mut = uvannut |
Personal pronouns are also used to express the idea of a place that one calls home. The same form is used for the singular, dual and plural.
uvattinni
at my place / at our place
ilissinni
at your place
uvattinnut
to my place / to our place
ilissinnit
from your place
Tables: Personal Pronouns
| First Person | Singular (I, me) |
Dual (the two of us) |
Plural (we) 3+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| basic form | uvanga | uvaguk | uvagut |
| as object | uvannik | uvattingnik | uvattinnik |
| from | uvannit | uvattingnit | uvattinnit |
| in | uvanni | uvattingni | uvattinni |
| to | uvannut | uvattingnut | uvattinnut |
| through | uvakkut | uvattigut | uvattigut |
| like | uvattut | uvaktitut | uvattitut |
| First Person | Singular (you) |
Dual you both |
Plural (you 3+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| basic form | igvit | ilissik | ilissi |
| as object | ilingnik | ilissingnik | ilissinnik |
| from | ilingnit | ilissingnit | ilissinnit |
| in | ilingni | ilissingni | ilissinni |
| to | ilingnut | ilissingnut | ilissinnut |
| through | ilikkut | ilissigut | ilissigut |
| like | iliktut | ilissiktut | ilissitut |