✨ Updated Dec 2025

22.1 Dialogue

A.	lhwet kw’u ni’ kwunut kwthunu kaa.	‘Who took my car?’
B.	nilh lhu Mary ni’ kwunut kwthun’ kaa.	‘It’s Mary that took my car.’
A.	nutsim’ ’a’lu?	‘Why?’
B.	ni’ nem’ tl’tawun, nem’ tl’shhwimelu	‘She went to town to the store.’
A.	stem ’a’lu ’iluqutus tse’?	‘What will she buy?’
B.	stl’i’s kws ’iluqut-s tu s’ulhtun tst tse’.	‘She wants to buy food for our dinner.’

22.2    Vocabulary.

’een’thu	‘It’s me’
nuwu	‘It’s you’
lhnimulh	‘It’s us’
lhwulup	‘It’s you (pl)’
nilh	‘It’s him/her/it’
ne’ullh	‘It’s them’
stem	‘what’
stem ’a’lu	‘whatever’
lhwet	‘who’
wet	‘who’ (Snuneymuhwqun)
lhwet ’a’lu	‘whoever’
wet ’a’lu	‘whoever’ (Snuneymuhwqun)

22.3    Grammar: Focus sentences.

ni’ t’ilum lhu slheni’.	‘The woman sang.’
nilh lhu slheni’ ni’ t’ilum.	‘It’s the woman who sang.’
ni’ qwal kwthu swuy’qe’.	‘The man spoke.’
nilh kwthu swuy’qe’ ni’ qwal.	‘It’s the man who spoke.’

22.4 Transformation.

Change the following sentences into focus sentences using nilh.

1.	ni’ ’umut lhu si’em’. nilh lhu si’em’ ni’ ’umut.	‘The honored woman sat down.’ ‘It was the honored woman that sat down.’
2.	ni’ huye’ kwthu swiw’lus.	‘The boy left.’
3.	ni’ xeem thu qeq.	‘The baby girl cried.’
4.	ni’ yaays kwthu John.	‘John worked.’
5.	ni’ t’ilum lhu Mary.	‘Mary sang.’

22.5    Focus and transitives.

ni’ lemutus tthu swuy’qe’ tthu swiw’lus.
‘The man looked at the young man.’

• nilh tthu swuy’qe’ ni’ lemut tthu swiw’lus.
  ‘It was the man that looked at the young man.’

• nilh tthu swiw’lus ni’ lemutus tthu swuy’qe’.
  ‘It was the young man that the man looked at.’

ni’ kwunutus lhu slheni’ tthunu lukli.
‘The woman took my key.’

• nilh lhu slheni’ ni’ kwunut tthunu lukli.
  ‘It was the woman that took my key.’

• nilh tthunu lukli ni’ kwunutus lhu slheni’.
  ‘It was my key that the woman took.’

22.6    Pattern practice.

John is the one that saw the boy.	nilh tthu John ni’ lemut tthu swiw’lus.
helped
called for
telephoned
thanked
took
laughed at

22.7    Grammar: Focus pronouns.

’een’thu ni’ t’ilum.	‘I was the one that sang.’
nuwu ni’ t’ilum.	‘You were the one that sang.’
lhnimulh ni’ t’ilum.	‘We were the ones that sang.’
lhwulup ni’ t’ilum.	‘You were the ones that sang.’

’een’thu ni’ kwunut kwthu lukli.	‘I was the one that took the key.’
nuwu ni’ kwunut kwthu lukli.	‘You were the one that took the key.’
lhnimulh ni’ kwunut kwthu lukli.	‘We’re the ones that took the key.’
lhwulup ni’ kwunut kwthu lukli.	‘You’re the ones that took the key.’

22.8 Transformation.

Change the sentence to emphasize the person doing the action.

1.	ni’ tsun qw’ulut tthu stseelhtun.	‘I cooked the fish.’
	’een’thu ni’ qw’ulut tthu stseelhtun.	‘I was the one that cooked the fish.’
2.	ni’ tst hwtqet tthu shelh.	‘We closed the door.’
		‘We were the ones that closed the door.’
3.	ni’ ’u ch q’put tthu pulipu?	‘Did you gather all the papers?’
4.	m’i ’u tseep ts’ewutham’sh?	‘Are you (plural) going to come help me?
5.	ni’ tseep kwunut kwthu snuhwulh?	‘Did you (plural) take the canoe?’
6.	ni’ ’u ch thuyt kwthu lelum’?	‘Did you repair the house?’
7.	ni’ tst ’aat tthu Bill.	‘We called for Bill.’

22.9 Translation.

1. nilh tthu q’e’mi’ ni’ qw’uyulush.
2. lhwulup ’u ni’ kwunut tthunu snuhwulh?
3. ’een’thu p’e’ ni’ ts’ewuthamu.
4. ne’ullh p’e’ ni’ nem’ yaays.
5. nilh thu Mary ni’ lumnuhw tthu spe’eth.
6. It’s my mother that left.
7. Are you the one that spoke to him?
8. I’m indeed the one that went up into the mountains.
9. We are the ones that fed you.
10. It’s John that saw me.

22.10   Focus sentences.

ni’ t’ilum lhu slheni’.	‘The woman sang.’
slheni’ lhu ni’ t’ilum.	‘A woman is the one who sang.’
ni’ qwal kwthu swuy’qe’.	‘The man spoke.’
swuy’qe’ kwthu ni’ qwal.	‘A man is the one who spoke.’

22.11  Substitution drill.

A man is the one who helped me.	swuy’qe’ kw’u ni’ ts’ewutham’sh.
a woman
a white man
a priest
a nurse
a First Nations woman
honored person

22.12  Grammar: Questions with lhwet/wet ‘who’ and stem ‘what’.

lhwet/wet kw’u ni’ ’imush?	‘Who walked?’
lhwet/wet ’a’lu kw’u ni’ qay?	‘Whoever died?’
lhwet/wet kw’u ni’ kwunut kwthunu snuhwulh?	‘Who took my canoe?’
lhwet/wet kw’u ni’ lumnuhwus tthu swuy’qe’?	‘Who did the man see?’
stem kw’u ni’ lukw?	‘What broke in two?’
stem ’a’lu kw’u ni’ kwunutus?	‘What did he take?’

22.13  Pattern practice.

Who worked?	lhwet/wet kw’u ni’ yaays?
stood up
took it
cooked this salmon
already left
fed the baby

22.14  Subordinate subjects.

=een’	‘I’
=uhw	‘you’
=ut	‘we’
=ulup	‘you (plural)’
=us	‘he, she, it, they’

nilh tthu John ni’ ts’ewuteen’.	‘It was John that I helped.’
stem kw’u ni’ kwunutuhw?	‘What did you take?’
nuwu ni’ lumnuhwut.	‘You are the one that we saw.’
lhwet/wet kw’u ni’ lumnuhwulup?	‘Who did you (plural) see?’
‘een’thu ni’ ts’ewutus kwthu John.	‘I’m the one who John helped.’

22.15  Pattern Practice

Whatever did the woman cook?	stem ’a’lu kw’u ni’ qw’ulutus thu slheni’?
the boy take
the girl see
your mother buy
your father make

22.16  Substitution drill.

What did you take?	stem kw’u ni’ kwunutuhw?
you (plural)
he
we
I
she

22.17  Substitution drill.

It was Mary that I helped.	nilh lhu Mary ni’ ts’ewuteen’.
she
you
you (plural)
we
he

22.18  Substitution drill.

It’s that coat that I took.	nilh tey’ kapou ni’ kwunuteen’.
you took
you (plural) took
we took
I bought
you bought
he bought
you (plural) bought

22.19  Substitution Drill.

Whoever did you see?	lhwet ‘a’u kw’u ni’ lumnuhwuhw?
you (plural) help
we call
I call
we take
you give it to
I talk to

22.20 Transformation.

1.	ni’ tsun ts’ewut lhu Mary.nilh lhu Mary ni’ ts’ewuteen’.	‘I helped Mary.’‘It was Mary that I helped.’
2.	ni’ ch lumnuhw tey’ swiw’lus.	‘You saw that boy.’
3.	ni’ tseep t’i’wi’ulht thu slheni’.	‘You (plural) prayed for the woman.’
4.	ni’ tst ts’iit tthu luplit.	‘We thanked the priest.’
5.	ni’ tsun kwunut kwthun’ snuhwulh.	‘I took your car.’

22.21 Translation.

1. stem ’a’lu ni’ ’iluqutuhw?
2. lhwet kw’u ni’ lumnuhween’?
3. nilh kwthunu kapou ni’ kwunutuhw.
4. nilh tthey’ swuy’qe’ ni’ t’i’wi’ulhtut.
5. nilh tthey’ swiw’lus ni’ lumnuhwulup.
6. Whatever did your father buy?
7. Who took my book?
8. It was your canoe that we took.
9. Whoever did you telephone?
10. It was John that you (pl) helped.

22.22  Reading lesson.

mukw’ tthu stl’ul’iqulh ni’ ts’ewuteen’. Mary lhu ni’ ’ulhtunust-hween’, John kwthu ni’ qa’qa’st-hween’, ’i’ Bob kwthu ni’ shakw’umst-hween’. qux tthu syaays lhunu ten. ’een’thu ni’ ’uw’ yath ’uw’ ts’ets’uw’ut lhunu ten.

All the children I helped. Mary I fed, John I gave him something to drink, and Bob I bathed. My mother has a lot of work. It’s me that always is helping my mother.