Note on Orthography

This book uses both Cree Syllabics and Standard Roman Orthography (SRO).

Syllabics are presented first, followed by the Standard Roman Orthography (SRO) to help you get comfortable with the original writing system.

Plains Cree shows natural variation in pronunciation and spelling across regions and speakers.

To avoid confusion for beginners, this book follows one consistent standard.

Word Order and Sentence Building

Cree sentence structure is much more flexible than English.

In English, word order is strict (Subject-Verb-Object).

If you change the order, the meaning usually changes or becomes nonsense.

In Cree, the "Verb" is the heart of the sentence.

Because Cree verbs contain so much information (who did it, when, to whom), the order of words often depends on what you want to emphasize.

While you can often use Subject-Verb (like English), it is very common in Cree to place the Verb first.

Cultural Tip: In storytelling and formal speech, placing the Verb first is often preferred.

It focuses the listener's attention immediately on the action or state of being, rather than just "who" is doing it.

This reflects a worldview that sees the universe as constant motion and process.

Common Patterns:

1- Subject - Verb (Focus on who is doing it).

2- Verb - Subject (Focus on the action happening).

Examples:

• ᒪᐢᑿ ᓂᐹᐤ / maskwa nipâw (The bear is sleeping.)

• ᓂᐹᐤ ᒪᐢᑿ / nipâw maskwa (He is sleeping, the bear.)

• ᐃᐢᑵᐤ ᒦᒋᓱᐤ / iskwêw mîcisow (The woman is eating.)

• ᒦᒋᓱᐤ ᐃᐢᑵᐤ / mîcisow iskwêw (She is eating, the woman.)

• ᐅᑭᒫᐤ ᐱᒧᐦᑌᐤ / okimâw pimohtêw (The chief is walking.)

• ᐱᒧᐦᑌᐤ ᐅᑭᒫᐤ / pimohtêw okimâw (He is walking, the chief.)

Making Positive Statements

To form a simple positive statement in Plains Cree, a verb alone can form a complete sentence. A noun may be added for clarity or emphasis.

In this chapter, we will focus on Animate Intransitive Verbs (VAI).

These are verbs where a grammatically Animate subject performs an action without transferring that action to an object (e.g., "The dog sleeps").

In the third person singular form (he/she/it), many Animate Intransitive verbs appear with a final -w in common affirmative forms.

Example Sentences:

• ᐊᑎᒼ ᒦᒋᓱᐤ / atim mîcisow (The dog eats / is eating.)

• ᓈᐯᐤ ᓂᑲᒧᐤ / nâpêw nikamow (The man sings / is singing.)

• ᐊᐚᓯᐢ ᒣᑕᐍᐤ / awâsis mêtawêw (The child plays / is playing.)

• ᓅᐦᑯᒼ ᐊᐱᐤ / nôhkom apiw (My grandmother sits / is sitting.)

• ᓰᓰᑊ ᐱᒥᐢᑳᐤ / sîsîp pimiskâw (The duck swims / is swimming.)

• ᓂᒧᓲᒼ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐋᐤ / nimosôm ayamihâw (My grandfather prays / is praying.)

• ᐴᓰᐢ ᓂᐹᐤ / pôsîs nipâw (The cat sleeps / is sleeping.)

• ᒪᐢᑿ ᐘᓂᐢᑳᐤ / maskwa waniskâw (The bear wakes up / is waking up.)

Forming Negatives and Questions

Negation

To make a sentence negative (to say "not"), we use the word ᓇᒨᔭ / namôya (often shortened to môya in rapid speech).

This usually comes at the very beginning of the sentence.

Examples:

• ᓇᒨᔭ ᐊᑎᒼ ᓂᐹᐤ / namôya atim nipâw (The dog is not sleeping.)

• ᓇᒨᔭ ᐃᐢᑵᐤ ᒦᒋᓱᐤ / namôya iskwêw mîcisow (The woman is not eating.)

• ᓇᒨᔭ ᓈᐯᐤ ᓂᑲᒧᐤ / namôya nâpêw nikamow (The man is not singing.)

• ᓇᒨᔭ ᐊᐚᓯᐢ ᒣᑕᐍᐤ / namôya awâsis mêtawêw (The child is not playing.)

Questions (Yes/No)

To turn a statement into a Yes/No question, we use the question particle ᒌ / cî.

The particle cî never comes first. It usually comes second, after the first word of the sentence.

Examples:

• ᐊᑎᒼ ᒌ ᓂᐹᐤ? / atim cî nipâw? (Is the dog sleeping?)

• ᐃᐢᑵᐤ ᒌ ᒦᒋᓱᐤ? / iskwêw cî mîcisow? (Is the woman eating?)

• ᒪᐢᑿ ᒌ ᐘᓂᐢᑳᐤ? / maskwa cî waniskâw? (Is the bear waking up?)

• ᓇᒨᔭ ᒌ? / namôya cî? (Is it not? / Right?)

Nouns: Gender and Number

This is the most important concept in Cree grammar.

In English, gender is usually masculine (he) or feminine (she).

In Cree, nouns belong to grammatical classes called Animate and Inanimate; this distinction does not map exactly onto biological living and non-living categories.

1- Animate Nouns (NA)

This category includes people, animals, many trees and plants, spirits, and some objects that are culturally viewed as having spirit (like rocks, pipes, some clothing, and snowshoes).

2- Inanimate Nouns (NI)

This category includes most non-living objects, liquids, and abstract ideas.

Cultural Tip: Why is a rock (ᐊᓯᓂᕀ / asiniy) classified as grammatically Animate in Cree?

In the Cree worldview, rocks are often referred to as "Grandfathers."

They are considered ancient, spirit-bearing entities that hold memories of the earth.

Therefore, grammatically, we treat them the same way we treat people or animals.

Animacy isn't just about biology; it's about spirit and relationship.

Pluralization (Making it Plural)

The way you make a word plural depends entirely on whether it is Animate or Inanimate.

Animate Plural Ending: ᐠ / -ak

(Some nouns take ᐘᐠ / -wak even if they end in a consonant (e.g., atim —> atimwak). This is a common plural pattern found with some animate nouns).

Examples (Animate):

• ᐊᑎᒼ --> ᐊᑎᒼᐘᐠ / atim (dog) --> atimwak (dogs)

• ᓰᓰᑊ --> ᓰᓰᐸᐠ / sîsîp (duck) --> sîsîpak (ducks)

• ᒪᐢᑿ --> ᒪᐢᑿᐠ / maskwa (bear) --> maskwak (bears)

• ᐃᐢᑵᐤ --> ᐃᐢᑵᐘᐠ / iskwêw (woman) --> iskwêwak (women)

• ᓈᐯᐤ --> ᓈᐯᐘᐠ / nâpêw (man) --> nâpêwak (men)

• ᓯᐦᑯᐢ --> ᓯᐦᑯᓴᐠ / sihkos (weasel) --> sihkosak (weasels)

• ᒦᑐᐢ --> ᒦᑐᓴᐠ / mîtos (tree) --> mîtosak (trees)

• ᐊᓯᓂᕀ --> ᐊᓯᓂᔭᐠ / asiniy (rock) --> asiniyak (rocks)

Inanimate Plural Ending: -a

(Use ᐘ / -wa when the noun ends in k. When a noun ends in short i, drop the i and add -a.)

Examples (Inanimate):

• ᒪᐢᑭᓯᐣ --> ᒪᐢᑭᓯᓇ / maskisin (shoe) --> maskisina (shoes)

• ᑌᐦᑕᐱᐏᐣ --> ᑌᐦᑕᐱᐏᓇ / têhtapiwin (chair) --> têhtapiwina (chairs)

• ᒌᒫᐣ --> ᒌᒫᓇ / cîmân (canoe) --> cîmâna (canoes)

• ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᐣ --> ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓇ / masinahikan (book) --> masinahikana (books)

• ᓂᐱᕀ —> ᓂᐱᔭ / nipiy (water) —> nipiya (waters)

• ᐚᐏ —> ᐚᐘ / wâwi (egg) —> wâwa (eggs)

Articles and Determiners

Cree does not have a direct equivalent for the English articles "a," "an," or "the."

When you say atim, it can mean "dog," "a dog," or "the dog" depending on the context.

Examples:

• ᐊᑎᒼ ᓂᐹᐤ / atim nipâw (The dog is sleeping / A dog sleeps.)

• ᐚᐏ / wâwi (An egg / The egg.)

However, Cree uses demonstratives (like "this" or "that") very frequently to be specific.

We will learn these fully in the next chapter, but here is a preview:

• ᐊᐘ ᐊᑎᒼ / awa atim (This dog - Animate)

• ᐆᒪ ᒪᐢᑭᓯᐣ / ôma maskisin (This shoe - Inanimate)

Practice Section

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in each blank with the correct word, letter, or form based on what you learned.

1- To ask a Yes/No question, you insert the particle ________ usually as the second word in the sentence.

2- The plural ending for an Animate noun (like sîsîp) is ________.

3- The plural ending for an Inanimate noun (like masinahikan) is ________.

True/False

Read each statement carefully and decide if it is True or False.

1- Cree sentences must always follow the Subject-Verb-Object order, exactly like English.

2- All nouns in Cree are divided into two genders: Masculine and Feminine.

3- The word namôya is used to make a sentence negative.

4- Cree has specific words that translate exactly to "the" and "a".

Translation

Translate each English phrase or sentence into Cree (You may use Syllabics or SRO).

1- The bear is sleeping.

2- Is the child playing?

3- The man is not singing.