First lesson: In the forest

Ságastallan

Ánne: Gos don leat$^{1}$?

Iŋgá: Dás mun lean.

Ánne: Muhto gos moai letne$^{2}$?

Iŋgá: Letne meahcis$^{3}$.

Ánne: Mii diet$^{4}$ lea?

Iŋgá: Diet lea muorra.

Ánne: Ah, ja mii duot$^{5}$ lea?

Iŋgá: Duot lea dušše boazu.

Čilgehusat / Explanations

Dialogue

Ánne: Where are you?

Iŋgá: Here I am.

Ánne: But where are we (us two). [where we are]

Iŋgá: We are in the forest.

Ánne: What is that (right there).

Iŋgá: That (right there) is a tree.

Ánne: Ah, and what is that (over there).

Iŋgá: That (over there) is just a reindeer.

1 - (don) leat is the 2nd person (you form) singular of the verb leat, meaning to be. The forms for the other singular persons are as follows; (mun) lean, (son/dat) lea.

2 - (moai) letne is the 1st person dual of leat. In Northern Sámi, alongside the singular and plural conjugations of verbs, there are also the dual conjugations, which as their name suggests, are used when referring to two people or objects.

3 - meahcis, is our first look at grammatical cases. Assuming you know what a grammatical case is, this particular case known as lokatiiva or the locative in English is used to convey the meaning of being in or at something.

4 - diet is an adverb with a meaning comparable to that of there in English. It however is only used to refer to things in the immediate vicinity of the speaker and as seen in the translation can be thought of as meaning “right there”.

5 - duot like diet is an adverb which can be simply translated as there. However, unlike diet it refers to things or places which are not in the immediate surroundings of the speaker and thus can be thought of as meaning “over there”

Jorgal / Translate

Leat boazu.
Lean meahcis.
Mii lea muorra?
Letne dás.

1 - The tree is in the forest

2 - I am Márjá

3 - We (two) are here

4 - There is a reindeer (right) there

5 - But where is the tree?

Vástádusat / Answers

• Deaddilat vai oainnát vástádusaid / Click to see the answers

  I am a reindeer.
  I am in the forest.
  What is a tree?
  We (two) are here.
  

• Deaddilat vai oainnát vástádusaid / Click to see the answers

  1 - Muorra lea meahcis
  2 - Lean Márjá
  3 - Dás moai letne
  4 - Diet lea boazu
  5 - Muhto gos lea muorra?