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Lesson 5: Possession Exercises

This lesson provides more examples of the possessive prefixes in action. If you like, you can open a second browser window with copies of the reference tables of prefixes and suffixes. Just click one of the "Fetch Tables" boxes. You can then switch to the second window if you need to look back over one of the tables.

Complete the following exercises:

Remember that, in these exercises, the Answer Ghost that removes incorrect answers from the box will assume that all objects that can be singular are. For example, no.ten can mean "my lip" or "my lips." Here it should be translated "my lip." Only if the item cannot be shared should it be translated as plural ("our lips"). The Answer Ghost will also insist that you use the first translation in the vocabulary list. (Thus ihtetl must be translated belly, not "stomach" or "gut," even though these are equally correct.)

   

Vocabulary
cötztli = leg, calf
cuäitl = head, top
Icxitl = foot
ihtetl = belly, stomach, gut
ïxtelötl, ïxtelolohtli = eye, eyeball
ixtli = face
mäItl = arm, hand (poss: -mä, -mah)
tentli = lip, edge
m.ix
to.ten
no.cuä.uh
ammah
nïxtelöuh
ïix
ïcötz
mihteuh
ïmah
ïcxiuh
nocxiuh
ïmihteuh

   

Vocabulary
ätl = water
chäntli = home
calli = house
metlatl = metate (poss: -metl)
tetl = stone
tlaölli = maize
tlahtolli = word, speech
xöchitl = flower
nochän
mäuh
tocal
toteuh
näuh
tochän
ïnchän
toteuh
ïxöchiuh
amotlaol
amäuh
ïmetl
tochän
mometl
mocal

   

Vocabulary
ächtli = older brother (of a woman)
cihuatl = woman, wife
ichpöchtli = daughter, maiden
machtli = nephew or niece (of an uncle)
namictli* = spouse
pilli = child, kid
pilli = nobleman
tahtli = father
tëxtli = wife's brother
tlahtli = uncle

*Plural: namic.huän.
Note that in this case the H is part of
the plural ending; it does join with the
previous C to make a CH sound.
ï.cihua.uh
no.tlah.huän
ïncihuahuän
no.cihua.huän
no.tah
tonamic.huän*
ïnnamichuän
nopilhuän
ni.mo.cihua.uh
ni.m.ichpöch
timichpochhuän
tinonamic
tinotëx

   

In the third person, since the verbal prefix is null, only context tells whether a sentence is noun is intended. Thus nonamic can mean either "she is my spouse" or "he is my spouse" or simply "my spouse."In these exercises, translate each third-person example as including the she or he.

Vocabulary
ächtli = older brother (of a woman)
cihuatl = woman, wife
ichpöchtli = daughter, maiden
machtli = nephew or niece (of an uncle)
namictli = spouse
nonamic
ï.ichpöch.huän
ï.äch
am.machhuän
am.ächhuän
ichpöchtin
ichpöchtli
ïchpöch

   

Vocabulary
tzin(tli) = honorific suffix
tahtli = father
calli = house
ihtetl = belly
calli
nocal
caltzintli
mocaltzin
tahtzintli
titahtzintli
tinotahtzin
tahtzintli
totahtzin
titotahtzin
ïhteuh
ïhtetzin

   

(Remember that -tzin.tli is both an honorific and a diminutive suffix. In Classical Nahuatl it seems more often to be honorific, in modern Nahuatl more often to be diminutive. Thus in the last item, the translation could equally logically be "his honorable belly" or "his little belly," and the choice would depend on context. Although the answer ghost demands "honorable," in fact "beloved" works better as a general translation formula.)

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Challenge A: How do you say:

Challenge B: How do you say:

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