ᐊᐢᑕᒻ
astam
The English verb "come" is translated into Cree as ᐊᐢᑕᒻ (astam).
This verb is used to express the action of arriving or appearing.
Meaning: to arrive, to appear (verb)
How do you pronounce it?
astam
Did you know?
- Cree is a polysynthetic language, meaning a single word like ᐊᐢᑕᒻ can be expanded with suffixes to express 'come here for a little while' or 'come back again' without adding separate words.
- While English uses 'come' for people or objects, Cree verbs often change their structure depending on whether the subject is animate or inanimate.
- The spelling ᐊᐢᑕᒻ relies on a syllabics system where a single character represents a consonant and a vowel together, unlike the English alphabet.
Example conversation
Two friends are meeting up outside.
- Aᐊᐢᑕᒻ ᐄᐤ!astam ee!Come here!
- Bᑳᐣ ᓂᐦᐄᐣ ᓂᐤᐣᐣᑕᐣᐤᐣ.kan nihin ninuntanunan.I am almost there.
- Aᐊᐢᑕᒻ ᒫᑲ ᐘᐯᐤ.astam maka weu.Come here quickly.
- Bᑳᐣ ᓂᐴᐣᐣ.kan ninun.I am here.
