18.2. Answers to ‘Whose?’ questions
Models
| 1) | Q: TW̱SÁN OĆE? | ‘Whose is it?’ |
| A1: NIȽ NE SȻÁ¸. | ‘It is mine.’ | |
| A2: NIȽ SȻÁ¸S TŦE NE TÁN. | ‘It is my mother’s.’ | |
| 2) | Q: TW̱SÁN OĆE TŦE SḴÁXE¸? | ‘Whose dog is it?’ |
| A1: NIȽ EN¸ SȻÁ¸ EN¸ SḴÁXE¸. | ‘It is your dog.’ | |
| A2: NIȽ SȻÁ¸S TŦE NE TÁN SḴÁXE¸S. | ‘It is my mother’s dog.’ | |
| 3) | Q: TW̱SÁN OĆE ȻSE SḴÁXE¸ YÁ¸? | ‘Whose dog is the one that left?’ |
| A1: SȻÁ¸ ȽTE SḴÁXE¸ ȽTE. | ‘Our dog (did).’ | |
| A2: SȻÁ¸S NE TÁN SḴÁXE¸S. | ‘My mother’s dog (did).’ | |
| 4) | Q: TW̱SÁN OĆE TŦE SḴÁXE¸ ȻENET? | ‘Whose dog took it?’ |
| A1: SȻÁ¸S SḴÁXE¸S. | ‘Their dog (did).’ | |
| A2: SȻÁ¸S NE TÁN SḴÁXE¸S. | ‘My mother’s dog (did).’ | |
| 5) | Q: TW̱SÁN OĆE TŦE SḴÁXE¸ ȻENETES? | ‘Whose dog did they take?’ |
| A1: NIȽ SȻÁ¸S SḴÁXE¸S. | ‘It was their own dog.’ | |
| A2: NIȽ SȻÁ¸S NE TÁN SḴÁXE¸S. | ‘It was my mother’s dog.’ |
‣ 2 In order to talk about somebody’s possession, like ‘my mother’s dog’ or ‘Mary’s dog,’ you put the possessor in front of the thing possessed and put the ‘his/her/its/their’ ‑S ending on the thing possessed. Study these examples:
NE TÁN TÁLES. ‘It’s my mother’s money.’
MÁLI TÁLES. ‘It’s Mary’s money.’
ȽÁU¸ LE¸ ȻSE NE TÁN SḴAXE¸S. ‘My mother’s dog ran away.’
ȽÁU¸ LE¸ ȻSE MÁLI SḴAXE¸S. ‘Mary’s dog ran away.’
‣ 3 The questions in models 3, 4, and 5 each has a verb that is being asked about—leaving in model 3 and taking in models 4 and 5. Look at those three questions and what the subject is of each of those verbs.
‣ 4 In models 3 and 4, it is the dog that is the subject of the verb—the dog left in 3 and the dog took it in 4. But in model 5, the dog is the direct object of take—it is the dog that was taken. The only difference between models 4 and 5 is that in model 5, the subject of the verb is marked with the -ES ‘he/she/it/they’ subordinate subject suffix. In models 3, 4, and 5 the verb modifies the preceding noun. This construction is called a relative clause. Relative clauses are covered in detail in §47.
 | TW̱SÁN OĆE PUS? | ‘Whose cat is it?’ |
 | EWE S NE SȻÁ¸. | ‘It’s not mine. |
| TW̱MÁLI PUS. | The cat belongs to Mary.’ |
| TW̱SÁN OĆE SḴÁXE¸? | ‘Whose dog is it?’ |
| NE SȻÁ¸ NE SḴÁXE¸. | ‘It’s my dog.’ |
| 18.2A. Answer each of these questions (from 11.1A) in SENĆOŦEN. 1. TW̱SÁN OĆE SNÁ? 2. TW̱SÁN TI¸Á ṈENE¸? 3. TW̱SÁN SE¸ ȽÁU¸? 4. TW̱SÁN OĆE TŦE SḴAXE¸ EN¸Á? 5. TW̱SÁN LE¸ OĆE ȻSE QENET? | 18.2B. Answer each of these questions (from 17.1B) in SENĆOŦEN. 1. Whose ran? 2. Whose child is she? 3. Whose mother will go? 4. Whose friend saw it? 5. Whose father laughed? |
| 18.2C. Answer in SENĆOŦEN the four sentences made in 18.1. | |