2.15: Grammar - "He, She, It, They"

Third Person Subjects in Hul'q'umi'num'

No special marking is needed to express third person subjects ("he", "she", "it", and "they") in Hul'q'umi'num'. Just use the plain verb. Unlike English, Hul'q'umi'num' makes no distinction in gender when it comes to person marking. So the sentences below have subjects that can be translated as "he", "she", "it", or "they", depending on the context.


Ni' hwts'e'nutsum. "He / she / it sat down."
Ni' nem' yaays. "He / she went to work."
Ni' 'u hwulmuhwqun? "Does he / she speak a First Nations language?"