Word Order and Sentence Building

Dakota sentence structure is different from English. While English uses a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order (e.g., "The boy eats the apple"), Dakota typically uses a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. This means the verb usually comes at the very end of the sentence.

However, Dakota is flexible. Because the context is often clear from the verb endings, the subject can sometimes be omitted if it is already known (e.g., "I am eating" is just one word in Dakota).

Emphasis is placed on the verb. The action is the most important part of the thought. Mastering this rhythm (ending with the action) is crucial for sounding natural.

Examples of Sentence Structure

Here are 12 examples showing the Subject-Object-Verb order:

Wičhášta kiŋ mní yatkáŋ.

(The man water drinks. -> The man is drinking water.)

Hokšída kiŋ wówapi yawá.

(The boy book reads. -> The boy reads a book.)

Wíŋyaŋ waŋ tȟípi káǧa.

(A woman house makes. -> A woman is building a house.)

Šúŋka kiŋ igmú waŋ waŋyáke.

(The dog cat a sees. -> The dog sees a cat.)

Aŋpétu kiŋ wašté.

(The day is good.)

Mní wačíŋ.

(Water I-want. -> I want water. Subject "I" is inside the verb)

Wówapi kiŋ yuhá.

(Book the he-has. -> He has the book.)

Wičhíŋčana kiŋ wóta.

(The girl is eating.)

Tȟuŋkáŋ kiŋ wóyake.

(The grandfather tells a story.)

Iná wóhaŋ.

(Mother is cooking.)

Até mní aȟí.

(Father water brought.)

Maǧážu kiŋ waštéwadake.

(Rain the I-like. -> I like the rain.)

Learner Tip:

When translating in your head, try to identify the verb first and place it at the end. Think: "I - water - want" instead of "I want water."

Making Positive Statements

Forming positive statements in Dakota is often simpler than in English because you do not always need a separate word for "is" or "are." State verbs (verbs describing a condition, like "good" or "red") include the "to be" meaning within them.

To make a declarative statement sound finished and assertive, male speakers traditionally add the particle do at the end. Female speakers may use a pitch change or sometimes ye, but often end with the verb in general speech. We will mark male-specific endings with (M).

Examples of Positive Statements

Here are 8 examples:

Hé šúŋka.

(That is a dog.)

Mní kiŋ sni.

(The water is cold.)

Hokšída kiŋ háŋska.

(The boy is tall.)

Wičhášta kiŋ ksápa.

(The man is wise.)

Wówapi kiŋ de wašté do.

(This book is good. M)

Tiyópa kiŋ haŋ.

(The door is standing/open.)

Igmú kiŋ sápa.

(The cat is black.)

Wana wí hiyáye.

(Now the sun is setting/going down.)

Forming Negatives and Questions

Negation

To make a sentence negative in Dakota, you simply add the word šni immediately after the verb or adjective. It corresponds to "not."

Questions

To turn a statement into a Yes/No question, you place the particle he at the very end of the sentence.

Examples of Negatives and Questions

Here are 15 examples (7 Negatives, 8 Questions):

Wašté šni.

(It is not good.)

Mní wačíŋ šni.

(I do not want water.)

Hé šúŋka šni.

(That is not a dog.)

Sápa šni.

(It is not black.)

Wičhášta kiŋ hi šni.

(The man did not arrive.)

Wówapi yawá šni.

(He/She is not reading a book.)

Dakhóta ia šni.

(He/She does not speak Dakota.)

Wašté he?

(Is it good?)

Mní yačíŋ he?

(Do you want water?)

Nitúwe he?

(Who are you?)

Hé šúŋka he?

(Is that a dog?)

Dakhóta ia he?

(Do you speak Dakota?)

Hokšída kiŋ háŋska he?

(Is the boy tall?)

Wówapi kiŋ hé yuhá he?

(Does he have that book?)

Tókhiya da he?

(Where are you going?)

Nouns: Gender and Number

Dakota nouns do not have grammatical gender (masculine/feminine) in the way European languages do. You do not need to worry about changing articles based on gender.

Pluralization

This is a major difference from English. In Dakota, you generally do not add an "s" to the noun to make it plural. The noun stays the same.

Instead, the verb changes to show plurality by adding -pi at the end (for animate subjects). Or, you use words like óta (many) to indicate number.

Examples of Nouns and Plurals

Here are 10 examples showing how the noun stays the same while the context changes:

Šúŋka

(Dog or Dogs)

Šúŋka waŋ wáŋmdake.

(I saw a dog.)

Šúŋka óta wičháwáŋmdake.

(I saw many dogs.)

Wičhášta kiŋ hí.

(The man arrived.)

Wičhášta kiŋ hípi.

(The men arrived. Verb adds -pi)

Wíŋyaŋ

(Woman or Women)

Wíŋyaŋ kiŋ wóhaŋ.

(The woman is cooking.)

Wíŋyaŋ kiŋ wóhaŋpi.

(The women are cooking. Verb adds -pi)

Čháŋ

(Tree or Trees / Wood)

Čháŋ óta.

(Many trees.)

Cultural Tip:

In Dakota, the distinction between "animate" (living/spirit-having) and "inanimate" (non-living) is important for some advanced grammar. However, beginners should focus on the fact that you rarely pluralize the noun itself.

Articles and Determiners

Articles help define nouns. Dakota uses kiŋ (the) and waŋ (a/an). Unlike English, the article comes after the noun.

Definite Article: kiŋ

Used for specific items ("The").

Indefinite Article: waŋ

Used for any non-specific items, whether living or not ("A/An").

Examples of Articles

Here are 10 examples:

Wičhášta kiŋ

(The man)

Hokšída kiŋ

(The boy)

Šúŋka waŋ

(A dog)

Igmú waŋ

(A cat)

Tȟípi kiŋ

(The house)

Čháŋ kiŋ

(The tree)

Mní kiŋ

(The water)

Wówapi waŋ

(A book)

Aŋpétu kiŋ

(The day)

Wašíču waŋ

(A non-native person)

Practice Section

Fill in the Blanks

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

1- Šúŋka ________ wašté. (The dog is good.)

2- To say "It is not good," you say: Wašté ________.

3- The word for "many" is ________.

4- In Dakota sentence structure, the verb usually goes at the ________.

5- To turn "The man is tall" into "The men are tall," you add ________ to the end of the verb.

True/False

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

1- Dakota typically uses a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order like English.

2- To make a sentence negative, you put šni before the verb.

3- The article kiŋ means "the" and comes after the noun.

4- Nouns usually change their form (add 's') to become plural in Dakota.

5- The particle do is traditionally used by male speakers to end a sentence.

Translation

Translate each English phrase or sentence into Dakota.

1- I want water.

2- The dog is not black.

3- Is it good?