The English word "to" in front of a verb ("I want to eat", "I went to see it", "She came in order to sing") is the infinitive marker. Classical Nahuatl has no such thing. It has no infinitive at all. Every Nahuatl verb is a finite verb: it carries its own subject prefix (ni-, ti-, or none for "he/she/it"), its tense, and, if it is transitive, an object prefix. A bare "to eat" does not exist as a form that can stand in a sentence. When a dictionary says "cuā: to eat", the "to" is the lexicographer's convention. Frances Karttunen's dictionary cites each verb by its bare stem (CUĀ, ITTA, CHŌCA) and translates it with an English "to".
So a learner must ask a different question: not "which word is 'to'?" but "which construction does the work of 'to' here?" Nahuatl offers four, and this lesson teaches all four.
The first is the future in -z. The future tense does a great deal of what English does with the infinitive: tiyāz is "you will go" and, in the right setting, "you are to go". The Online Nahuatl Dictionary records mochihuaz "it is to be done".
The second is future + nequi: the verb nequi "to want" is added to the end of the future of another verb, and the two together form one word. Niquittaznequi is ni-qui-ttaz-nequi, "I-it-see-will-want", that is, "I want to see it". Karttunen's dictionary says it in one line: "in construction with a verb in the future tense form, NEQUI means 'to want to…'". With a subject that cannot want, such as the year, the same pattern means "to be about to": ye tlamiznequi in xihuitl "the year is about to end".
The third is a pair of motion suffixes: -tīuh "going off to do" and -quīuh "coming to do", added to the verb stem. Nitlacuātīuh is "I am going off to eat".
The fourth is the particle inīc, the headword of this lesson. It introduces a whole new clause, with its own verb and its own subject, and means "in order to", "so that". It is the nearest thing Nahuatl has to a free-standing "to" before a verb, and that is why it is the headword. It has other uses too, among them making ordinal numbers: inīc yei "third". A learner meets it at once in every text.
Orthography: this course uses the traditional spelling with macrons for long vowels (ā ē ī ō) and h for the glottal stop (saltillo). The particle is written inīc here, with the long vowel marked. Colonial scribes write inic or ynic.
Q: How do you say "to" before a verb in Nahuatl? A: Nahuatl has no infinitive, so there is no single word for it. The usual tools are the future in -z (tiyāz "you are to go"), future + nequi (niyāznequi "I want to go"), the suffixes -tīuh and -quīuh (nitlacuātīuh "I go off to eat"), and the particle inīc "in order to" before a full clause (niyāz inīc niquittaz "I will go in order to see it").
Q: What does "inīc" mean in Nahuatl? A: Inīc is a particle meaning "with which, in order to, so that, thus, how". Before a number it makes an ordinal: inīc yei "third", inīc nahui "fourth".
Q: How do you say "I want to eat" in Nahuatl? A: Nitlacuāznequi, "I-eat-will-want": the future of tlacuā "to eat" with nequi "to want" attached. If you name the thing eaten, use the object prefix: niccuāznequi in tlaxcalli "I want to eat the tortilla".
- Classical Nahuatl has no infinitive. Every verb is finite and carries a subject prefix, so "to eat" in a dictionary is only a convention. - The future in -z often corresponds to English "to": tiyāz "you are to go". - Future + nequi means "want to" (or "be about to" when the subject is not a person): niquittaznequi "I want to see it". - -tīuh / -quīuh mean "go off to / come to" do something, and inīc means "in order to, so that" before a whole clause.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
- inīc /ˈiniːk/: two syllables, stress on the first. The final c is /k/, and the long ī is held. - nequi /ˈneki/: qu before i or e is /k/, never /kw/. niquittaznequi /nikitːasˈneki/ is one word with one stress, on ne, the second-to-last syllable. - c before e or i is /s/, as in cē /seː/ "one"; elsewhere c is /k/. - z /s/: the future ending, as in tiyāz /ˈtijaːs/. It is never the English z. - tl /tɬ/: one sound, as in tlacuā /tɬaˈkwaː/ and titlacuātīhuih /titɬakwaːˈtiːwiʔ/. - cu before a vowel is /kw/: cuix /kwiʃ/, cuīca /ˈkwiːka/. - x /ʃ/ and ch /tʃ/: cuix /kwiʃ/, chōca /ˈtʃoːka/. - h at the end of a word is a glottal stop /ʔ/: ahmo /ˈaʔmo/, quicuāzqueh /kiˈkwaːskeʔ/. Final uh is a breathy /ʍ/: nitlacuātīuh /nitɬaˈkwaːtiːʍ/, auh /aʍ/. - Doubled letters are long: quittaz /kitːas/. - Long vowels (ā ē ī ō) are held longer and are marked in IPA with ː. Vowel length changes meaning, so keep every macron: yāz "he/she will go", and -tīuh with a long ī.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
12.1a Niyāznequi I-go-will-want
12.1b Niyāznequi /nijaːsˈneki/ 1SG.SUBJ-go-FUT-want.PRES
12.2a Cuix (question) ticochiznequi you-sleep-will-want
12.2b Cuix /kwiʃ/ Q.PARTICLE ticochiznequi /tikotʃisˈneki/ 2SG.SUBJ-sleep-FUT-want.PRES
12.3a Ahmo not niyāznequi I-go-will-want
12.3b Ahmo /ˈaʔmo/ NEG niyāznequi /nijaːsˈneki/ 1SG.SUBJ-go-FUT-want.PRES
12.4a Āxcān now tiyāz you-will-go
12.4b Āxcān /ˈaːʃkaːn/ now tiyāz /ˈtijaːs/ 2SG.SUBJ-go-FUT
12.5a Ye already titlacuātīhuih we-eat-go-off
12.5b Ye /je/ already titlacuātīhuih /titɬakwaːˈtiːwiʔ/ 1PL.SUBJ-NSP.OBJ-eat-go.PURP.PL
12.6a Nonān my-mother quicuāznequi she-it-eat-will-want in the tomātl tomato
12.6b Nonān /ˈnonaːn/ 1SG.POSS-mother-POSSD.SG(Ø) quicuāznequi /kikwaːsˈneki/ 3SG.SUBJ(Ø)-3SG.OBJ-eat-FUT-want.PRES in /in/ DET tomātl /ˈtomaːtɬ/ tomato.ABS
12.7a Niyāz I-will-go inīc in-order-to niquittaz I-it-will-see in the tepētl mountain
12.7b Niyāz /ˈnijaːs/ 1SG.SUBJ-go-FUT inīc /ˈiniːk/ PURP niquittaz /niˈkitːas/ 1SG.SUBJ-3SG.OBJ-see-FUT in /in/ DET tepētl /ˈtepeːtɬ/ mountain.ABS
12.8a Nonān my-mother quichīhuaz she-it-will-make in the tlaxcalli tortilla inīc so-that quicuāzqueh they-it-will-eat in the nopilhuān my-children
12.8b Nonān /ˈnonaːn/ 1SG.POSS-mother-POSSD.SG(Ø) quichīhuaz /kitʃiːˈwas/ 3SG.SUBJ(Ø)-3SG.OBJ-make-FUT in /in/ DET tlaxcalli /tɬaʃˈkalːi/ tortilla.ABS inīc /ˈiniːk/ PURP quicuāzqueh /kiˈkwaːskeʔ/ 3PL.SUBJ(Ø)-3SG.OBJ-eat-FUT.PL in /in/ DET nopilhuān /noˈpilwaːn/ 1SG.POSS-child-POSSD.PL
12.9a Nitlacuāquīuh I-eat-come nicān here
12.9b Nitlacuāquīuh /nitɬaˈkwaːkiːʍ/ 1SG.SUBJ-NSP.OBJ-eat-come.PURP nicān /ˈnikaːn/ here
12.10a Quichīhuaznequi he-it-make-will-want cē one calli house auh and ahmo not quipiya he-it-has tomin money
12.10b Quichīhuaznequi /kitʃiːwasˈneki/ 3SG.SUBJ(Ø)-3SG.OBJ-make-FUT-want.PRES cē /seː/ one calli /ˈkalːi/ house.ABS auh /aʍ/ CONJ ahmo /ˈaʔmo/ NEG quipiya /kiˈpija/ 3SG.SUBJ(Ø)-3SG.OBJ-have.PRES tomin /ˈtomin/ money
12.11a Niquittaznequi I-it-see-will-want
12.11b Niquittaznequi /nikitːasˈneki/ 1SG.SUBJ-3SG.OBJ-see-FUT-want.PRES
12.12a Ye already tlamiznequi it-end-will-want in the xihuitl year
12.12b Ye /je/ already tlamiznequi /tɬamisˈneki/ 3SG.SUBJ(Ø)-end-FUT-want.PRES in /in/ DET xihuitl /ˈʃiwitɬ/ year.ABS
12.13a Mochīhuaz it-will-be-made
12.13b Mochīhuaz /moˈtʃiːwas/ 3SG.SUBJ(Ø)-REFL-make-FUT
12.14a Quimotlaltiznequiz he-himself-land-provide-will-want-will
12.14b Quimotlaltiznequiz /kimotɬaltisˈnekis/ 3SG.SUBJ(Ø)-3SG.OBJ-REFL-land-VBZ-FUT-want-FUT
12.15a Cuix (question) tiyāznequi you-go-will-want inīc in-order-to tiquittaz you-it-will-see in the tōnatiuh sun
12.15b Cuix /kwiʃ/ Q.PARTICLE tiyāznequi /tijaːsˈneki/ 2SG.SUBJ-go-FUT-want.PRES inīc /ˈiniːk/ PURP tiquittaz /tiˈkitːas/ 2SG.SUBJ-3SG.OBJ-see-FUT in /in/ DET tōnatiuh /toːˈnatiʍ/ sun.ABS
Provenance: 12.11 and 12.12 are examples from Launey's grammar as quoted in the English Wikipedia article "Classical Nahuatl grammar", which draws on Michel Launey, An Introduction to Classical Nahuatl, trans. Christopher MacKay (Cambridge University Press, 2011); I could not open Launey itself. 12.13 is the attestation "mochihuaz = it is to be done" in the Online Nahuatl Dictionary (Wired Humanities Projects, University of Oregon), s.v. chīhua, here respelled with the macron. 12.14 is the example given by James Lockhart in the same dictionary, s.v. nequi: "quimotlaltiznequiz = he will want to provide himself with land". All other examples are constructed for teaching from verified vocabulary and patterns, and are not quotations.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
12.1 Niyāznequi. → "I want to go."
12.2 Cuix ticochiznequi? → "Do you want to sleep?"
12.3 Ahmo niyāznequi. → "I do not want to go."
12.4 Āxcān tiyāz. → "You are to go now."
12.5 Ye titlacuātīhuih. → "We are already going off to eat."
12.6 Nonān quicuāznequi in tomātl. → "My mother wants to eat the tomato."
12.7 Niyāz inīc niquittaz in tepētl. → "I shall go in order to see the mountain."
12.8 Nonān quichīhuaz in tlaxcalli inīc quicuāzqueh in nopilhuān. → "My mother will make the tortillas so that my children may eat them."
12.9 Nitlacuāquīuh nicān. → "I am coming here to eat."
12.10 Quichīhuaznequi cē calli, auh ahmo quipiya tomin. → "He wants to build a house, and he has no money."
12.11 Niquittaznequi. → "I wish to see it."
12.12 Ye tlamiznequi in xihuitl. → "The year is about to end."
12.13 Mochīhuaz. → "It is to be done."
12.14 Quimotlaltiznequiz. → "He will want to provide himself with land."
12.15 Cuix tiyāznequi inīc tiquittaz in tōnatiuh? → "Do you want to go to see the sun?"
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
12.1 Niyāznequi.
12.2 Cuix ticochiznequi?
12.3 Ahmo niyāznequi.
12.4 Āxcān tiyāz.
12.5 Ye titlacuātīhuih.
12.6 Nonān quicuāznequi in tomātl.
12.7 Niyāz inīc niquittaz in tepētl.
12.8 Nonān quichīhuaz in tlaxcalli inīc quicuāzqueh in nopilhuān.
12.9 Nitlacuāquīuh nicān.
12.10 Quichīhuaznequi cē calli, auh ahmo quipiya tomin.
12.11 Niquittaznequi.
12.12 Ye tlamiznequi in xihuitl.
12.13 Mochīhuaz.
12.14 Quimotlaltiznequiz.
12.15 Cuix tiyāznequi inīc tiquittaz in tōnatiuh?
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
These are the grammar rules for "to" before a verb, and for inīc, in Nahuatl:
1. There is no infinitive. Every verb in a sentence is finite. It always has its subject prefix: ni- "I", ti- "you" (or "we"), nothing for "he/she/it". Do not look for a bare verb to put after "want" or "go". Dictionaries print a stem (CUĀ, ITTA, CHŌCA) and gloss it "to eat, to see, to weep"; that "to" is not part of Nahuatl.
2. The future in -z does the work of "to". The future is built on the verb stem with -z in the singular and -zqueh in the plural. Where English uses an infinitive, Nahuatl often uses the future: tiyāz "you are to go", mochīhuaz "it is to be done".
Future of cochi "to sleep" (formed by the rule): nicochiz "I will sleep" · ticochiz "you will sleep" · cochiz "he/she will sleep" · ticochizqueh "we will sleep" · ancochizqueh "you (pl.) will sleep" · cochizqueh "they will sleep"
Future of yauh "to go": niyāz · tiyāz · yāz · tiyāzqueh · anyāzqueh · yāzqueh
3. Future + nequi: "want to", "be about to". Add nequi "to want" to the future of a second verb, and the two make one word. Karttunen: "in construction with a verb in the future tense form, NEQUI means 'to want to…'." - The person prefixes stand once, at the front, and belong to the whole word. The object prefix belongs to the first verb: ni-qui-ttaz-nequi "I want to see it" has one qui-. - Present: niyāznequi "I want to go" · tiyāznequi "you want to go" · yāznequi "he/she wants to go" · tiyāznequih "we want to go" · anyāznequih "you (pl.) want to go" · yāznequih "they want to go". The plural -h goes on the very end of the word. - A person wants; a thing is "about to": ye tlamiznequi in xihuitl "the year is about to end". - The compound can itself go into the future: quimotlaltiznequiz "he will want to provide himself with land" (Lockhart). - Ahmo goes in front of the whole word: ahmo niyāznequi "I do not want to go". - Object prefix: c before a consonant-initial stem, qui before a vowel-initial stem and at the start of a word. So nic-chīhua-z-nequi "I want to make it" but ni-qui-ttaz-nequi "I want to see it".
4. The motion suffixes -tīuh and -quīuh: "go off to", "come to". They are added to the verb stem. The singular and plural are: - Going off: -tīuh (singular), -tīhuih (plural). The suffix is the present of the "purposive motion" form, going away from the speaker; it is related to the verb yauh "to go". - Coming: -quīuh (singular), -quīhuih (plural), non-past. - Examples: nitlacuātīuh "I go off to eat" · titlacuātīhuih "we go off to eat" · nitlacuāquīuh "I come to eat" · nicuīcatīuh "I go off singing". - The grammars also give past-tense counterparts of both suffixes. This lesson drills only the present; take the past forms from a grammar before you use them.
5. The particle inīc: "in order to, so that". Inīc introduces a whole clause. Both clauses carry their own subject prefix, and the subject may be the same (niyāz inīc niquittaz "I will go in order to see it", 12.7) or different (nonān quichīhuaz in tlaxcalli inīc quicuāzqueh in nopilhuān, "my mother will make the tortillas so that my children may eat them", 12.8). Negation stands before the second verb: inīc ahmo nichōcaz "so that I will not cry" (genre text, 12.29). In every example in this lesson the verb after inīc is in the future, the tense that does the work of "to"; a learner should copy that pattern first. Do not confuse inīc with ic "with, by means of, so". Inīc gives the purpose that is still to come, which is why its clause is in the future; ic states a result that has already happened.
6. A reckoner for English "to". - "to" = "is to": the bare future (tiyāz). - "want to": future + nequi (niyāznequi). - "about to": future + nequi with a thing as subject (tlamiznequi). - "go off to / come to": -tīuh, -quīuh. - "in order to, so that": inīc + a clause. - "to" as a preposition, direction towards a place or a person: not this lesson. Nahuatl does that work with relational nouns and with the directional prefixes, not with a verb marker.
- Looking for an infinitive. \Nicnequi cuā* is not Nahuatl. Learn the one-word pattern first: niccuāznequi. - Leaving out the -z. \Niyanequi* has lost the future. Nequi attaches to the future, not to the bare stem. - Putting the object prefix on nequi. The prefix belongs to the first verb: niquittaznequi, not \niquinequi-ttaz*. - Giving inīc a verb with no subject. Each clause needs its own prefix: niyāz inīc niquittaz, not \niyāz inīc quittaz* ("I will go so that he will see"). - Forgetting the plural -h. tiyāznequi "you want to go" and tiyāznequih "we want to go" differ only by the final glottal stop. - Losing vowel length. yāz "he/she will go" needs its macron, and so do -tīuh and -quīuh. - Reading inīc as always "in order to". Before a number it makes an ordinal: inīc yei "third".
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
The lack of an infinitive explains something about how Nahuatl is taught and translated. A dictionary written for speakers of English or Spanish has to give each verb some citation form, and it borrows the infinitive of the language it translates into. Karttunen's dictionary lists the bare stem and translates it with "to". The "to" is the translator's, not the Nahuatl speaker's.
The authors of colonial Nahuatl documents, who wrote in Nahuatl for Nahuas, never needed it. A letter says what the writer wants with a verb of wanting. The Online Nahuatl Dictionary quotes a letter of 1611 from Jalostitlan: niconanaznequi moamauh "I want to take your letter" (Section F). The word that does the work of "to" is the -z-nequi at the end of a single verb.
Inīc is a very common word in colonial Nahuatl writing, and its sense depends on the clause it opens: "in order to, so that" before a future verb, as in this lesson, but also "how" or "the way that", and, before a number, the ordinal marker (inīc yei "third"). A reader must look at the whole clause to decide which sense is meant, and scribes often write it ynic or inic with no mark of length.
Modern Nahuatl varieties are spoken today by well over a million people, and they differ from Classical Nahuatl in many ways, including borrowing from Spanish. A learner who goes on to a modern variety will find different ways of expressing purpose and should treat the patterns of this lesson as Classical ones. The modern reformed orthographies commonly write k for c and qu and w for hu, so that nequi appears as neki; saltillo and vowel length are often left unmarked.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Two sentences from sixteenth- to seventeenth-century Nahuatl documents, quoted as given in the Online Nahuatl Dictionary (Wired Humanities Projects, University of Oregon), in the original spelling of the scribes. I have not seen the manuscripts, only the dictionary's quotations:
(i) çã mochipa nitelpochtli niezneq. A late seventeenth-century text from Central Mexico, quoted s.v. itta. The dictionary gives the whole sentence, "in aca niquittaz in cihuatl çã mochipa nitelpochtli niezneq", and translates the last words "I want always to be a youth". Only the last four words are used here.
(ii) niconanaznequi moamauh. From Jalostitlan, 1611, published in Beyond the Codices: The Nahua View of Colonial Mexico, ed. Arthur J. O. Anderson, Frances Berdan and James Lockhart (UCLA Latin American Center, 1976); quoted s.v. nequi.
F.1a çã only mochipa always nitelpochtli I-youth niezneq I-will-be-want
F.1b çã /san/ only mochipa /moˈtʃipa/ always nitelpochtli /nitelˈpotʃtɬi/ 1SG.SUBJ-youth.ABS niezneq /niesˈnek/ 1SG.SUBJ-be-FUT-want (abbreviated)
F.2a niconanaznequi I-it-thither-take-will-want moamauh your-letter
F.2b niconanaznequi /nikonanasˈneki/ 1SG.SUBJ-3SG.OBJ-thither-take-FUT-want.PRES moamauh /moˈamaʍ/ 2SG.POSS-paper/letter-POSSD.SG
(i) çã mochipa nitelpochtli niezneq → "I want always to be a youth." (translation as given in the dictionary)
(ii) niconanaznequi moamauh → "I want to take your letter." (translation as given in the dictionary)
(i) çã mochipa nitelpochtli niezneq
(ii) niconanaznequi moamauh
- The spelling is the scribe's, not the course's. çã is çan (the tilde stands for the final n), pronounced /san/ and spelled zan in this course; ç is /s/. No macrons or saltillo are written. - niezneq is, I read, a scribal abbreviation of nieznequi: ni-ez-nequi, "I-be-will-want" (the future of yez "to be" followed by nequi). The dictionary's translation, "I want always to be a youth", confirms the reading. It is exactly the pattern of 12.1 to 12.3: future of one verb + nequi. - nitelpochtli "I am a youth" is a noun with a subject prefix, which makes it a complete predicate. Nahuatl has no verb "to be" in such a sentence, and it also has no "to" in front of niez. - niconanaznequi is a single word of six parts: ni- "I", -c- "it", -on- "thither, away", ana "take", -z future, nequi "want". I read -on- as the directional prefix, so that the verb is "go and take"; the dictionary's translation is simply "to take". The -c- is the third-person object, here placed before a prefix that begins with a vowel. - moamauh "your letter" is a possessed noun (mo- "your", the stem of āmatl "paper"), the ordinary colonial word for a letter. - In both phrases the English translator had to supply "to": "I want to be", "I want to take". Nahuatl does not have it. It has a future and a verb of wanting.
These two sentences give a clear picture of the whole system: no infinitive, a future with an auxiliary, one word.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
12.16a Cuāuhtli Cuauhtli ōmpa there tiyāz you-will-go inīc in-order-to tiquittaz you-it-will-see in the tomīl our-field
12.16b Cuāuhtli /ˈkwaːʍtɬi/ Cuauhtli (name: "Eagle") ōmpa /ˈoːmpa/ there tiyāz /ˈtijaːs/ 2SG.SUBJ-go-FUT inīc /ˈiniːk/ PURP tiquittaz /tiˈkitːas/ 2SG.SUBJ-3SG.OBJ-see-FUT in /in/ DET tomīl /ˈtomiːl/ 1PL.POSS-field-POSSD.SG(Ø)
12.17a Cuix (question) āxcān now niyāz I-will-go
12.17b Cuix /kwiʃ/ Q.PARTICLE āxcān /ˈaːʃkaːn/ now niyāz /ˈnijaːs/ 1SG.SUBJ-go-FUT
12.18a Ye already tiyāz you-will-go motah your-father cochiznequi he-sleep-will-want auh and nehhuātl I nicchīhuaznequi I-it-make-will-want in the tlaxcalli tortilla
12.18b Ye /je/ already tiyāz /ˈtijaːs/ 2SG.SUBJ-go-FUT motah /ˈmotaʔ/ 2SG.POSS-father-POSSD.SG(Ø) cochiznequi /kotʃisˈneki/ 3SG.SUBJ(Ø)-sleep-FUT-want.PRES auh /aʍ/ CONJ nehhuātl /ˈneʔwaːtɬ/ 1SG.INDEP.PRON nicchīhuaznequi /niktʃiːwasˈneki/ 1SG.SUBJ-3SG.OBJ-make-FUT-want.PRES in /in/ DET tlaxcalli /tɬaʃˈkalːi/ tortilla.ABS
12.19a Ahmo not nicochiznequi I-sleep-will-want nitlacuāznequi I-eat-will-want
12.19b Ahmo /ˈaʔmo/ NEG nicochiznequi /nikotʃisˈneki/ 1SG.SUBJ-sleep-FUT-want.PRES nitlacuāznequi /nitɬakwaːsˈneki/ 1SG.SUBJ-NSP.OBJ-eat-FUT-want.PRES
12.20a Nicchīhuaz I-it-will-make in the tlaxcalli tortilla inīc so-that titlacuāz you-eat-will auh and niman then tiyāz you-will-go
12.20b Nicchīhuaz /nikˈtʃiːwas/ 1SG.SUBJ-3SG.OBJ-make-FUT in /in/ DET tlaxcalli /tɬaʃˈkalːi/ tortilla.ABS inīc /ˈiniːk/ PURP titlacuāz /titɬaˈkwaːs/ 2SG.SUBJ-NSP.OBJ-eat-FUT auh /aʍ/ CONJ niman /ˈniman/ then tiyāz /ˈtijaːs/ 2SG.SUBJ-go-FUT
12.21a Nicuīcatīuh I-sing-go-off ca for ahmo not nichōcaznequi I-cry-will-want
12.21b Nicuīcatīuh /nikwiːˈkatiːʍ/ 1SG.SUBJ-sing-go.PURP ca /ka/ ASSERT.PARTICLE ahmo /ˈaʔmo/ NEG nichōcaznequi /nitʃoːkasˈneki/ 1SG.SUBJ-cry-FUT-want.PRES
12.22a Cualli good tlein what tiquittaznequi you-it-see-will-want ōmpa there
12.22b Cualli /ˈkwalːi/ good tlein /ˈtɬein/ what.INTERR tiquittaznequi /tikitːasˈneki/ 2SG.SUBJ-3SG.OBJ-see-FUT-want.PRES ōmpa /ˈoːmpa/ there
12.23a Niquittaznequi I-it-see-will-want in the tepētl mountain
12.23b Niquittaznequi /nikitːasˈneki/ 1SG.SUBJ-3SG.OBJ-see-FUT-want.PRES in /in/ DET tepētl /ˈtepeːtɬ/ mountain.ABS
12.24a Tiquittaz you-it-will-see auh and in the tōnatiuh sun nō also tiquittaz you-it-will-see
12.24b Tiquittaz /tiˈkitːas/ 2SG.SUBJ-3SG.OBJ-see-FUT auh /aʍ/ CONJ in /in/ DET tōnatiuh /toːˈnatiʍ/ sun.ABS nō /noː/ also tiquittaz /tiˈkitːas/ 2SG.SUBJ-3SG.OBJ-see-FUT
12.25a Cuix (question) nō also ticuīcaznequi you-sing-will-want
12.25b Cuix /kwiʃ/ Q.PARTICLE nō /noː/ also ticuīcaznequi /tikwiːkasˈneki/ 2SG.SUBJ-sing-FUT-want.PRES
12.26a Ahmo not nicuīcaznequi I-sing-will-want nicchīhuaznequi I-it-make-will-want in the tlaxcalli tortilla
12.26b Ahmo /ˈaʔmo/ NEG nicuīcaznequi /nikwiːkasˈneki/ 1SG.SUBJ-sing-FUT-want.PRES nicchīhuaznequi /niktʃiːwasˈneki/ 1SG.SUBJ-3SG.OBJ-make-FUT-want.PRES in /in/ DET tlaxcalli /tɬaʃˈkalːi/ tortilla.ABS
12.27a Ye already niyāz I-will-go
12.27b Ye /je/ already niyāz /ˈnijaːs/ 1SG.SUBJ-go-FUT
12.28a Tiyāz you-will-go auh and nicān here nicchīhuaz I-it-will-make
12.28b Tiyāz /ˈtijaːs/ 2SG.SUBJ-go-FUT auh /aʍ/ CONJ nicān /ˈnikaːn/ here nicchīhuaz /nikˈtʃiːwas/ 1SG.SUBJ-3SG.OBJ-make-FUT
12.29a Nicuīcatīuh I-sing-go-off inīc so-that ahmo not nichōcaz I-cry-will
12.29b Nicuīcatīuh /nikwiːˈkatiːʍ/ 1SG.SUBJ-sing-go.PURP inīc /ˈiniːk/ PURP ahmo /ˈaʔmo/ NEG nichōcaz /niˈtʃoːkas/ 1SG.SUBJ-cry-FUT
12.30a Mā (let) xicuīca you-sing Cuāuhtli Cuauhtli
12.30b Mā /maː/ OPT.PARTICLE xicuīca /ʃiˈkwiːka/ 2SG.SUBJ.IMP-sing Cuāuhtli /ˈkwaːʍtɬi/ Cuauhtli
Provenance: a dialogue constructed for teaching from verified vocabulary and patterns; it is not a quotation. The speakers are a mother and her son Cuāuhtli, in alternate lines, the mother speaking first (12.16, 12.18 and every second line to 12.30).
12.16 Cuāuhtli, ōmpa tiyāz inīc tiquittaz in tomīl. → "Cuāuhtli, you are to go there to see our field."
12.17 Cuix āxcān niyāz? → "Am I to go now?"
12.18 Ye tiyāz. Motah cochiznequi, auh nehhuātl nicchīhuaznequi in tlaxcalli. → "Go now. Your father wants to sleep, and I want to make the tortillas."
12.19 Ahmo nicochiznequi; nitlacuāznequi. → "I do not want to sleep; I want to eat."
12.20 Nicchīhuaz in tlaxcalli inīc titlacuāz, auh niman tiyāz. → "I shall make the tortillas so that you may eat, and then you are to go."
12.21 Nicuīcatīuh, ca ahmo nichōcaznequi. → "I am going off singing, for I do not want to cry."
12.22 Cualli. Tlein tiquittaznequi ōmpa? → "Good. What do you want to see there?"
12.23 Niquittaznequi in tepētl. → "I want to see the mountain."
12.24 Tiquittaz, auh in tōnatiuh nō tiquittaz. → "You will see it, and you will see the sun too."
12.25 Cuix nō ticuīcaznequi? → "Do you want to sing as well?"
12.26 Ahmo nicuīcaznequi; nicchīhuaznequi in tlaxcalli. → "I do not want to sing; I want to make the tortillas."
12.27 Ye niyāz. → "I am off now."
12.28 Tiyāz, auh nicān nicchīhuaz. → "Go, and I shall make them here."
12.29 Nicuīcatīuh inīc ahmo nichōcaz. → "I am going off singing so that I will not cry."
12.30 Mā xicuīca, Cuāuhtli! → "Sing, Cuāuhtli!"
12.16 Cuāuhtli, ōmpa tiyāz inīc tiquittaz in tomīl.
12.17 Cuix āxcān niyāz?
12.18 Ye tiyāz. Motah cochiznequi, auh nehhuātl nicchīhuaznequi in tlaxcalli.
12.19 Ahmo nicochiznequi; nitlacuāznequi.
12.20 Nicchīhuaz in tlaxcalli inīc titlacuāz, auh niman tiyāz.
12.21 Nicuīcatīuh, ca ahmo nichōcaznequi.
12.22 Cualli. Tlein tiquittaznequi ōmpa?
12.23 Niquittaznequi in tepētl.
12.24 Tiquittaz, auh in tōnatiuh nō tiquittaz.
12.25 Cuix nō ticuīcaznequi?
12.26 Ahmo nicuīcaznequi; nicchīhuaznequi in tlaxcalli.
12.27 Ye niyāz.
12.28 Tiyāz, auh nicān nicchīhuaz.
12.29 Nicuīcatīuh inīc ahmo nichōcaz.
12.30 Mā xicuīca, Cuāuhtli!
The dialogue between mother and son uses every way of saying "to" that the lesson teaches, and the speakers never once use an infinitive:
- The bare future as a gentle order. tiyāz (12.16, 12.18, 12.20, 12.28) is the mother's way of saying "go". The future, said to the person addressed, is what a Nahuatl speaker says where English says "you are to…". The son's question Cuix āxcān niyāz? (12.17) turns it into "am I to go?". - Future + nequi for wants. cochiznequi "he wants to sleep" (12.18), nitlacuāznequi "I want to eat" (12.19), tiquittaznequi "you want to see" (12.22), ticuīcaznequi "you want to sing" (12.25). Each is one word. 12.18 gives the pattern with two subjects side by side: a third person (motah cochiznequi) and a first person (nehhuātl nicchīhuaznequi, where the independent pronoun stresses the speaker). - Inīc with same and different subjects. 12.16 has one subject (tiyāz inīc tiquittaz, both "you"). In 12.20 the subjects change (nicchīhuaz … inīc titlacuāz, "I make … so that you eat"), and each verb has its own prefix. 12.29 puts a negative in the purpose clause: inīc ahmo nichōcaz. - -tīuh. Nicuīcatīuh (12.21, 12.29) is ni-cuīca-tīuh, "I go along singing". The verb cuīca "to sing" is class 1, preterite ōnicuīcac. - The object prefix. tiquittaz, niquittaznequi (qui- before the vowel of itta) against nicchīhuaz, nicchīhuaznequi (c- before the consonant of chīhua). Titlacuāz has no object prefix at all, because tlacuā carries the non-specific object tla-: "you eat (something)". - Dialogue particles. cuix marks the yes/no questions (12.17, 12.25), tlein "what" the content question (12.22); mā + xi- gives the imperative of 12.30. Ca (12.21) is "for, indeed".
- Stress falls on the second-to-last syllable: ni-yāz-NE-qui, ni-tla-CUĀ-tīuh, ti-tla-cuā-TĪ-huih. A final h does not count as a syllable, and in -tīuh the uh is a single breathy sound, not a syllable. - One word, one stress. The compound niquittaznequi is pronounced as a single word, with a single stress on ne, not as two verbs: /nikitːasˈneki/. - Saltillo (h). It carries grammar: tiyāznequi (you) against tiyāznequih (we); quicuāz (he) against quicuāzqueh (they), where the plural is -zqueh. - c / qu / z. c before a, o and consonants and qu before e, i are /k/; z is /s/, always: tiyāz, mochīhuaz. - Doubled consonants are long: quittaz /kitːas/, calli, tlaxcalli. - Spelling variants you will meet: the colonial scribes wrote ynic or inic for inīc, ç for /s/ (çan), and almost never marked length or saltillo. The reformed modern orthographies write k and w: neki, kuika. - Abbreviation. Scribes abbreviated a final -ui or -n with a tilde or by cutting the word off, as in çã and niezneq in Section F. - NSP.OBJ in the glosses means the non-specific object prefix tla- ("something"), which is why titlacuāz "you eat" takes no c or qui.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
---
Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)