VERBS. 47 



definite is rendered by the relative (see § 113. 3) ; as, wi6asta waq wa^te kii) he 

 kaga, {man a good the that made) he was a good man who made that. 



CHAPTER II. 



VEKBS. 

 Position of Verbs. 



§ 119. 1. Dakota verbs are usually placed after the nouns with which they are 

 used, whether subject or object ; as, hoksidai) kir) mani, (hoy the walks) the boy 

 walks ; wowapi war) duha, (book a thou-hast) thou hast a book. 



2. Verbs also are usually placed after the adjectives which qualify their subjects 

 or objects, and after the adverbs which qualify the verbs ; as, Waanatar) wi6asta 

 wayapike 6iq he taqyaq waqmdaka, (Waanatan man eloquent the that well I-saw) I 

 saw Waanatan the eloquent man very plainly. 



For the relative position of verbs and personal pronouns, see § 98. 



Number. 



Plural. 



§ 120. A verb, by its form, designates the number of its subject or object, 

 or both ; that is to say, the verb, being the last principal word in the sentence, 

 usually takes the plural ending ' pi ' when the subject or object is plural in signifi- 

 cation. 



1. a. When the subject represents animate objects, the verb takes the plural 

 termination ; as, manipi, they walk ; widasta kii) hipi, (man the came) the m,en came. 



h. But when the subject of a verb denotes inanimate objects, the verb does not 

 take a plural form for its nominative's sake ; as, 6aq topa i6aga, (tree four grows) 

 four trees grow. 



2. a. A verb also takes the plural termination when it has a plural object of the 

 first or second persons; as, Wakaqtaqka uqkagapi, (God us-made) God made us ; 

 Dakota niye Wakaqtaqka 6aqteni6iyapi, (Dakota you God you-loves) God loves you 

 Dakotas. 



b. When the plural object is of the third person, this plurality is pointed out by 

 wi6a, them, incorporated in the verb ; as, war)wi6ayaka, he saw them ; Hake 

 wahaqksida yanmi wi6akte, (Hake bear three them-killed) Hake killed three bears. 



§ 121. As there is but one termination to signify plurality both of the subject 

 and object, ambiguity is sometimes the result. 



a. When the subject is of the first, and the object is of the second person, the 

 plural termination may refer either to the subject or to the subject and object ; as, 

 wasteuqnidakapi, we love thee, or we love you. 



b. When the subject is of the third, and the object of the second person, the 

 plural termination may refer either to the subject or the object, or to both ; as, 

 wa^tenidakapi, they love thee, he loves you, or they love you. 



