Nahuatl - Grammar

Grammar

See also: Classical Nahuatl grammar

The Nahuatl languages are agglutinative, polysynthetic languages that make extensive use of compounding, incorporation and derivation. That is, they can add many different prefixes and suffixes to a root until very long words are formed – and a single word can constitute an entire sentence.

The following verb shows how the verb is marked for subject, patient, object, and indirect object:

/ni-mits-teː-tla-makiː-ltiː-s/
I-you-someone-something-give-
"I shall make somebody give something to you" (Classical Nahuatl)

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