nanta
The word for "what" in Choctaw is nanta.
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
Did you know?
- Choctaw is a polysynthetic language, meaning a single word can sometimes function as an entire sentence that would require nanta and several other words in English.
- Choctaw uses different words for 'what' depending on whether the object is known or unknown to the speaker, a distinction English does not make.
- Many Choctaw words including nanta are part of a language family that includes the Chickasaw language, making them closely related and sometimes mutually intelligible.
Examples in context
- Nanta ish ʋpa tuk?What did you eat?Tatoeba #4572115 by Choctaw_Irish, translation #1830499 by CK
- Nanta ish ʋpa chi?What will you eat?Tatoeba #4572118 by Choctaw_Irish, translation #2591596 by tanay
- Himak nittak ʋt nanta?What day is it?Tatoeba #4652202 by bsc2015, translation #2797570 by CK
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
William and Ashley are talking about a mysterious package.
- WilliamNanta ish itik?What is it?
- AshleyI ish nanta kash lila.I don't know what it is.
- WilliamNanta ish hikkila?What does it say?
- AshleyHikkila a-biila.It says nothing.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
