Inuit Grammar - Conditional & Subjunctive

Conditional & Subjunctive

This structure has a meaning closer to an "if... then..."' sentence in English than the kind of structure usually referred to as "conditional". It generally involves using an additional marker of the future tense or the conditional mood in the main clause:

Qaiguvit niriniaqpit?

qai-	+	-guvit		niri-	+	-niaq-	+	-pit
to come	+	2nd pers. sg. non-specific conditional		to eat	+	future tense	+	2nd pers. sg. non-specific interrogative

If you come, will you eat?

Qanniqpat aninajanngittunga

qanniq-	+	-pat		ani-	+	-najaq-	+	-nngit-	+	-tunga
to snow	+	4th pers. sg. non-specific conditional		to go out	+	conditional mood	+	not	+	1st pers. sg. non-specific

If it were snowing, I wouldn't go out.