✨ Updated Dec 2025

21.1 Dialogue.

A.	skw’ey kw’unus ’itut.	‘I can’t sleep.’
B.	nutsim’ ’a’lu?	‘How come?’
A.	’uwu kw’s ts’ehwuls kwthu sqwumey’.	‘The dog won’t keep quiet.’
B.	nilh ’a’lu t-hwet sqwumey’?	‘Whose dog is it?’
A.	nilh wa’lu swe’s kwthunu shhwum’nikw.	‘It’s maybe my uncle’s.’
B.	temut ch p’e’ yuthust.	‘Give him a call and tell him.’

21.2 Vocabulary.

skw’ey	’impossible, unable, would not, could not’
’uwu	‘no, not’
’uwu te’	‘none’
’uwustuhw	‘refuse him/her’
’uwu te’ stem	‘nothing’
hwuwe’	‘not yet’

21.3 skw’ey – ‘impossible’.

skw’ey, like stl’i, is followed by a clause introduced by the indefinite article kw’ plus a possessive form plus the nominalizer s.

skw’ey kw’unus nem’.	‘I can’t go.’
skw’ey kw’un’s nem’.	‘You can’t go.’
skw’ey kw’s nem’s tu John.	‘John can’t go.’
skw’ey kw’s nem’ tst.	‘We can’t go.’
skw’ey kw’un’s nem’ulup.	‘You (pl) can’t go.’
skw’ey kw’s nem’s ‘eelhtun.	‘They can’t go.’

21.4 Pattern practice.

John can’t sleep.	skw’ey kw’s ’itut-s tthu John.
walk
sit down
stand
run
talk
go
play

21.5 Pattern practice.

I can’t take it.	skw’ey kw’unus kwunut.
wait for him
call her
stop him (forbid)
cook it
close it
work
see him

21.6 Substitution drill.

I can’t leave it.	skw’ey kw’unus huye’.
you
John
we
you (pl)
the woman
Mary and I

21.7 Translation.

1. skw’ey kw’unus lumnalu.
2. skw’ey kw’s hays xeem tthu qeq.
3. skw’ey kw’un’s mulyitululup.
4. skw’ey kw’s ts’ewutheelt ’utl’ John.
5. skw’ey kw’s temuthamut ’utl’ John.
6. I can’t give it to you.
7. You can’t go hunting.
8. John can’t stop.
9. I can’t sing.
10. We can’t come today.

21.8 ’uwu ‘not’, ‘never’.

Use ’uwu plus a clause introduced by kw’ to express the notion of ‘don’t’ or ‘doesn’t’ or ‘never’.

’uwu kw’unus hwunitum’qun.	‘I don’t speak English.’
’uwu kw’s yaays tst.	‘We are never working.’
’uwu kw’un’s ’ayumulup.	‘You (pl) are never late.’

21.9 Substitution drill.

John is never late.	’uwu kw’s ’ayums tu John.
you
they
we
you (pl)
I
Mary

21.10 Negative clauses.

You can use ’uwu to negate a clause in the past, present, or future tense.

’uwu tsun ni’un’ t’ilum	‘I didn’t sing.’
’uwu tsun ’i’un’ ’uy’.	‘I am not well.’
’uwu tsun ts’e’ t’ilumeen’.	‘I’m not going to sing.’

In this kind of sentence, the subject pronoun appears immediately after ’uwu. Also, a subordinate pronoun appears after the auxiliary or the verb of the negated clause. The subordinate pronouns are:

=een’ or =un’	‘I’
=uhw	‘you’
=ut	‘we’
=ulup (or =uhw in neg.  )	‘you (pl)’
=us	‘he, ‘she’, ’it’, ‘they’

Here are examples with an auxiliary.

’uwu tsun ’i’un’ ’uy’.	‘I am not well.’
’uwu ch ’i’uhw ’uy’.	‘You are not well.’
’uwu tst ’i’ut ’uy’.	‘We are not well.’
’uwu tseep ’i’uhw ’uy’.	‘You (pl) are not well.’
’uwu ’i’us ‘uy’.	‘He is not well.’

In natural speech, the auxiliary and the subordinate person markers contract together to form a single word:

’i  + =uhw   >   ’iihw	ni’  + =uhw   >  niihw	‘you’
’i  + =ut       >  ’iit	ni’  + =ut       >  niit	‘we’
’i  + =ulup   >  ’ilup	ni’ + =ulup   >  nilup	‘you (pl)’
’i  +  =us      >   ’iis	ni’ +  =us      >  niis	‘he, ‘she’, ’it’, ‘they’

Here are some examples: 

’uwu tsun niin’ lumnuhw	‘I didn’t see it.’
’uwu ch niihw lumnuhw.	‘You didn’t see it.’
’uwu tst niit lumnuhw.	‘We didn’t see it.’
’uwu tseep nihw lumnuhw.	‘You (pl) didn’t see it.’
’uwu niis lumnuhwus lhunu stiwun.	‘My niece didn’t see ut.’

Here are examples where the subordinate pronouns appear on the verb.

’uwu tsun tse’ t’ilumeen’.	‘I am not going to sing.’
’uwu ch tse’ t’ilumuhw.	‘You are not going to sing.’
’uwu tst tse’ t’ilumut.	‘We are not going to sing.’
’uwu tseep tse’ t’ilumuhw.	‘You (pl) are not going to sing.’
’uwu tse’ t’ilumus lhu slheni’.	‘The woman is not going to sing.’

If you make a negative question, place the ’u question particle first,  before the person marking. Negative ’uwu changes to ’uwe for the question particle:

’uwe ’u ch tse’ t’ilumuhw?	‘Aren’t you going to sing?’

Note: you can contract this to ’uwee ch tse’ t’ilumuhw? 

21.11 Pattern practice.

I’m not afraid.	’uwu tsun ’iin’ sii’si’.
sad
tired
mad
sick
happy

21.12 Pattern practice.

Won’t you take tea?	’uwe ’u ch lhti’uhw?
coffee
cake
corn
peas
carrot
potatoes

21.13 Pattern practice.

I am not going to wait for you.	’uwu tsun tse’ ’ulmutsthameen’.
for you all
for the woman
for John and you
for the children

21.14 Substitution drill.

He didn’t give it to him.	’uwu ni’us ’amustus.
he – me
I – him
I – you
he – you (hint: use passive)
you – him
you (pl) – us

21.15 Translation

1. ’uwu tsun tse’ t’ilumeen’.
2. ’uwu tseep lhuxulushulup!
3. ’uwu tst tse’ ’ulmutstaleet.
4. ’uwu tse’ ts’ewutal’hwus.
5. ’uwu ni’us ts’ewuthelum.
6. I didn’t give it to him.
7. Don’t walk!
8. John is never late.
9. You (pl) are not all right.
10. John won’t wait for you.

21.16 Questions and answers.

1.	ni’ ’u ch ’imush? ’uwu tsun niin’ ’imush.	‘Did you walk?’ ‘I didn’t walk.’
2.	’i ’u ’uw’ tuw thuthi’ ’a’l lhun’ si’lu?	‘Is your grandmother all right?’
3.	ni’ ’u ts’ewuthaam ’utl’ Mary?	‘Did Mary help you?’
4.	ni’ ’u temutham’shus lhunu ten?	‘Did my mother call me?’
5.	t’ilum ’u ch tse’?	‘Will you sing?’
6.	ni’ ’u wulh nem’ lhu Mary?	‘Did Mary go?’
7.	’i’ ’u ch wulh slhtsiws?	‘Are you tired?’
8.	’ulmutstham’sh ’u ch tse’?	‘Will you wait for me?’
9.	ni’ ’u ch statul’stuhw they’ slheni’?	‘Do you know that woman?’
10	ni’ ’u qwulstaam ’u tu swuy’qe’?	‘Did the man talk to you?’

21.17 Answering machine messages.

’uwu tsun ’iin’ ’a’mut. qwal ch ’uw’ ni’us wulh tintun.

‘I’m not at home. Speak after the bell.’

naaw. ‘een’thu John. skw’ey kw’unus m’i ’ewu tun’a ’uw’ wulh nilh ’ul’. 
nem’ tsun tse’ ’uw’ temuthamu ’uw’ m’i’een hun’umut.

‘Hello. This is John. It’s impossible for me to come right now. 
I will call you when I get home.’