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Introduction to Nahuatl:
Lesson 2

By motanz

The prefix system for I, you, you all, we and no prefix system for they, he, she and it works for verbs the same way it does for nouns.

The verb to sleep is cochi.

Now, using the prefix system…

I sleep

Answer: Nicochi
Not correct. Please try again.

You sleep

Answer: Ticochi
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He sleeps

Answer: Cochi
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The woman sleeps

Answer: Cochi in cihuātl
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To make verbs plural, you just add an h at the end.

The verb to sleep in plural is cochih.

We sleep

Answer: Ticochih
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You sleep

Answer: Ancochih
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They sleep

Answer: Cochih
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The men sleep

Answer: Cochih in tlācah
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Now that we know how verbs work, we can tell people where we live.

The verb chanti has 2 different meanings, to live in (as inhabit, dwell) and to be from (as I’m from…). It depends on context for you to know what is the specific case in a conversation.
Mexico in Nahuatl is Mēxihco.

When talking about places, you have to specify if it’s here or there, which are nicān and ōmpa respectively.

I live (here in) Mexico

Answer: Nichanti nicān Mēxihco
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We are from (there) Mexico

Answer: Tichantih ōmpa Mēxihco
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In Nahuatl, many country names come directly from Spanish:

China = China; France = Francia; Israel = Israel; Russia = Rusia

You all live (there in) China

Answer: Anchantih ōmpa China
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Some country names with j and soft g in it change to x in Nahuatl:

Egypt = Exipto; Japan = Xapon

You live (here in) Japan

Answer: Tichanti nicān Xapon
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Country names with the word land, which is tlālpan in Nahuatl:

England = Inglatlālpan; Germany (Deutschland) = Teutontlālpan; Iceland = Iztlālpan; Netherlands = Tlanitlālpan; New Zealand = Yāncuic Zetlālpan; Thailand = Taitlālpan

I’m from (there) Germany

Answer: Nichanti ōmpa Teutontlālpan
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Country names ending in tlān or lān, which means in the place of:

Argentina = Arxentitlān; Australia = Australlān; Brazil = Brazillān; Canada = Canauhtlān; Italy = Itallān; Portugal = Portōcallān; Spain (Castile) = Caxtillān

She is from (here) Spain

Answer: Chanti nicān Caxtillān
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The man lives (there in) Brazil

Answer: Chanti in tlācatl ōmpa Brazillān
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Now that you can tell where you live, or where you are from, you can also tell what languages you speak.

The verb to speak is tlahtoa.
The word for language is tlahtōlli.
The word for Nahuatl language is Nāhuatlahtōlli.

I speak Nahuatl

Answer: Nitlahtoa Nāhuatlahtōlli
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To ask people what language they speak, you just add a question mark in writing and raise your voice when speaking.

The word for German language is Teutontlahtōlli.

Do you speak German?

Answer: Titlahtoa Teutontlahtōlli?
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The word for English language is Inglatlahtōlli.

Does the woman speak English?

Answer: Tlahtoa in cihuātl Inglatlahtōlli?
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Can you guess the word for Chinese language?

Chinese language

Answer: Chinatlahtōlli
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Do you all speak Chinese?

Answer: Antlahtoah Chinatlahtōlli?
Not correct. Please try again.