There are three ways to make a basic command:
- You can use a verb with the right intonation to express a command to one or more people, just as in English.
| Hwts'e'nutsum. |
"Sit down." |
| Lhxilush. |
"Stand up." |
| 'Imush. |
"Walk." |
| Lhuqw'tssum. |
"Clap your hands." |
(Pronounced Lhuqw'tsum.) |
- The second person singular pronoun ch "you" can be used after the verb when expressing a command to one person (even though we normally do not say "you" in this context in English).
| Hwts'e'nutsum ch. |
"You sit down." |
| Lhxilush ch. |
"You stand up." |
| 'Imush ch. | "You walk." |
| Lhuqw'tssum ch. | "You clap your hands." |
- The second person plural pronoun tseep "you (pl.)" can be used after the verb when expressing a command to more than one person.
| Hwts'e'nutsum tseep. | "You (pl.) sit down." |
| Lhxilush tseep. | "You (pl.) stand up." |
| 'Imush tseep. | "You (pl.) walk." |
| Lhuqw'tssum tseep. | "You (pl.) clap your hands." |
Note that the phrase m'i 'ewu* "come here" is split up when it is combined with a pronoun.
| M'i ch 'ewu. |
"You come here." |
| M'i tseep 'ewu. |
"You (pl.) come here." |
*Note: The Cowichan Tribes spell this phrase mi 'ew-wu. However, we will spell it m'i 'ewu throughout these lessons.