How to ask a question

[spilleddi]

Interrogative mode

This is used to ask a question. The suffix –o is placed at the end of a phrase. It usually changes the last vowel in the phrase to an o.

You killed him. -- yagidéewa or yagdéewa /ya-gidée-wa/
Did you kill him? -- yagidéewo or yagdéewo /ya-gidée-wa-o/

You are killing him. -- yagideoñwa or yagdeoñwa /ya-gidée-óoñ-wa/
Are you killing him? -- yagideoñwo or yagdeoñwo /ya-gidée-óoñ-wa-o/

You will kill him. -- yagidéeda or yagdéeda /ya-gidée-dE/
Will you kill him? -- yagidéedo or yagdéedo /ya-gidée-dE-o/

You speak. -- oyagilaaga or oyaglaaga /o-ya-giláagE/
Do you speak? -- oyagilaago or oyaglaago /o-ya-giláagE-o/

[spilleddi]

Question words

Who, what, where, how, etc are called interrogative pronouns. They are placed at the beginning of a phrase. The interrogative mode –o is usually placed at the end of the phrase to indicate a question is being asked. Remember that the suffix –wa (real aspect) refers to an activity that is real to the speaker, something that has or is happening.

How many -- dokéenañ
How many? -- dokéenañwo /dokéenañ-wa-o/
How many houses? -- dokéenañ atíiwo / dokéenañ atíi wa-o/

How much -- doke nañdakikawa
How much? -- doke nañdakikawo /doke nañdakikawa-o/

How, which -- dokée
How tall? -- doké nañnañhewo /doké nañnañhe-wa-o/

What -- aakañ, kakañ
What is it? -- kakañwa /kakañ-wa/ or kakañwo /kakañ-wa-o/
This is the only example of an interrogative pronoun being used a verb in Oliverio, but the others can probably be used as verbs too.

When -- dokéenaax
When is he going? -- dokéenaax aléewo /dokéenaax aléE-wa-o/

Where -- dóokaa
Where is the house? -- dóokaa atíiwo /dóokaa atíi-wa-o/
Where is the axe? -- dóokaa hiséepi
Where is he going? -- dóokaa aléewo /dóokaa aléE-wa-o/
Where do you live? -- dóokaa yatíiwo /dóokaa ya-tíi-wa-o/

Which -- eetuk, dókaxéto
Which is it? -- dókaxétowo /dókaxéto-wa-o/
Which house? -- dókaxéto atíiwo /dókaxéto-atíi-wa-o/
Eetuk could mean ‘which way’.

Who -- heedoowaa, kedoowa
Who is going? -- heedoowaa aléewo or kedoowa aléewo /kedoowa aléE-wa-o/

Whose -- tewa
Whose is it? -- tewa gíidoñwa or tewa gíidoñwo /tewa gíidoñ-wa-o/
Whose house is it? -- tewa atíi giidoñwo /tewa atíi giidoñ-wa-o/
Tewa is always used with the verb gíidoñ, ‘to belong, be one’s own’.