Stay home: Learn Cree 29. Simon Bird – Thinking of You

While we’re all in isolation, we’re going to try to post one video a day from Sol’s existing teaching library, and the teaching libraries of some of his friends. Like Sasquatch himself, Solomon Ratt has experience with self isolation. Who better to help out with online Cree lessons for remote learning?  

A video lesson today from Simon Bird #CreeSimonSays, that gives us words to reach out and offer solace to one person or to several with grace. Thanks, Simon: kimâmitonêyimitinân kîsta. 

Thinking of you:

y-dialect 

  • I am thinking of you (one): kimâmitonêyimitin
  • I am thinking of  you (all): kimâmitonêyimitinâwâw
  • We are thinking of you (one): kimâmitonêyimitinân
  • We are thinking of you (all) : kimâmitonêyimitinân

th-dialect 

  • I am thinking of you (one): kimâmitonîthimitin
  • I am thinking of  you (all): kimâmitonîthimitinâwâw
  • We are thinking of you (one): kimâmitonîthimitinân
  • We are thinking of you (all) : kimâmitonîthimitinân

n-dialect 

  • I am thinking of you (one): kimâmitonênimitin
  • I am thinking of  you (all): kimâmitonênimitinâwâw
  • We are thinking of you (one): kimâmitonênimitinân
  • We are thinking of you (all) : kimâmitonênimitinân

Words to use in response (y, th- and n-dialects) 

To respond that you are thinking of them in return, you can add one of these pronouns onto the verb forms given above, or just use the pronoun on its own. Remember that Cree has different forms of you for singular and plural (one person or many). 

  • you, too; you as well: kîsta 
  • we, too; we-and-you, too; all of us as well: kîstanaw
  • you (all), too; you (all) as well: kîstawâw 

(About Sol’s shirt: https://creeliteracy.org/2020/03/17/awas-go-away-most-dialects/)

One Response

  1. Hi Simon,
    I just arrived in Churchill to cook here and want to learn Cree.
    I appreciate this site and the lessons.
    Very best,
    Toby Tylor

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