Spáth qes te Slílk'yap
View Story →
Háwe
Receiving a xwélmexw name
View Story →
Skw'ékw'qáq
How the Robin got his red breast
View Story →
Tháyem te Léx̲wtel
View Story →
X̲ex̲pítsel
How the chipmunk got its stripes
View Story →
X̲pá:yelhp
View Story →
Lets'lóts'tel
View Story →
Yeláwel éy
View Story →
Hálx̲eywa
View Story →
Xwe'ít te swáyel Létse
View Story →
Xwe'ít te swáyel Isá:le
View Story →
Xwe'ít te swáyel Lhí:xw
View Story →
Xwe'ít te swáyel X̲eó'thel
View Story →
Xwe'it te swayel Lhq'á:tses
View Story →
Ye Spipáth
View Story →
Sásq'ets
View Story →
S'ólh Halq'eméylem S'í:wes' 38: Stám kw'e Chxélches tl' Chól?

Qwú:lqwelqweltel 38A

A
Tsel ts'lhá:met kw'ses le ólex̲em te sth'óqwi te Chól. Stám kw'es chxélches tlowáyél?
I heard that John went and got some fish. What did he catch today?
B
Ilh ew lámó qw'oqw'emó:thel. We léts'eó tl'élx̲xel chxélches.
He just went rod-fishing. He caught just one spring salmon.
A
Éwe is éy. Stám má:le kw'e hókwexes?
That's no good. What bait did he use?
B
Qéléx̲ kw'e le hókwexes.
It was fish eggs that he used.

Qwú:lqwelqweltel 38B

A
Tsel ts'lhá:met kw'ses le ólex̲em te sth'óqwi te Chól. Stám kw'es chxélches tlowáyél?
I heard that John went and got some fish. What did he catch today?
B
Ilh la lhós. Siláw láts'ewets sthéqí chxélches.
He was drift-netting. He caught more than one hundred sockeye.
A
Ts'áts'el ew éy. Qe tsel ts'lhá:met kw'es éwe is yóyes te pú:ts.
That's very good. But I heard his boat wasn't working.
Tewát kw'e chewa pú:t kw'e hókwexes?
Whose boat did he use?
B
Swás tl' Máli pú:t le hókwexes.
He used Mary's boat.

Audio Halq'eméylem English
Stám kw'e hókwexes tl' Máli tlowáyél? What did Mary use today?
Stámcha kw'e hókwexes tl' Máli tlowáyél? What will Mary use today?
Stám kw'e íxw hókwex tlowáyél? What did you use today?
Stám kw'e íl hókwex tlowáyél? What did I use today?
Kw'í:l sth'óqwi kw'e chxélches tl' Máli? How many fish did Mary catch?
Tl'o kw'e elétsa pú:t la hókwexes tl' Máli? Which boat did Mary use?
Tewát pú:t kw'e hókwexes tl' Máli? Whose boat did Mary use?
Tl'o kw'e elétsa pú:t íxw hókwex? Which boat did you use?

Asking What 'He/She/It' did To Something

To ask a question about what he, she, or it did to something, you use the pattern shown in (1). Some examples are shown in (2).


(1) Pattern for Asking what He/She/It did to Something

Stám kw'e VERB-es tútl'ó?

What the VERB-es he = What did he VERB?


(2) Examples of Sentences Built using the Pattern in (1)

(a) Stám kw'e hókwexes tútl'ó?

What did he use?

(b) Stám kw'e chxélches tútl'ó?

What did he catch?

(c) Stám kw'e lép'exes tútl'ó?

What did he eat?


The -es ending is probably just the same -es ending which is added whenever he/she/it is the doer acting on a receiver. (Sometimes, if it is easier to pronounce, this -es ending will just come out as an -s, too.)


Instead of tútl'ó, you can subsitute thútl'ó, or any other noun as the doer, as in the examples in (3). 


(3) Same Pattern as in (1), but Using Different Nouns as Doers

(a) Stám kw'e hókwexes thútl'ó?

What did she use?

(b) Stám kw'e hókwexes te swíyeqe?

What did the man use?

(c) Stám kw'e hókwexes the slhá:lí?

What did the woman use?


In context, you can also simply drop the tútl'ó, and it will be understood from context that he, she, or it (referring to some person or thing in the context) is the doer, as in (4).


(4) Same Pattern as in (1), But Dropping the tútl'ó Altogether

Stám kw'e hókwexes?

What did he/she/it use? [which one is understood from context] 


Unlike with questions about what I or you did, using the future form when asking what he/she/it did is not complicated: you simply add -cha onto stám, as in the example in (5).


(5) Same Pattern as in (1), But in the Future

Stámcha kw'e hókwexes tútl'ó?

What will he use?


And finally, you can use tewát instead of stám in all such sentences. Examples of questions with tewát are given in the exercises that follow. 

Name Description File
Printable Phrases Flash Cards Printable flash cards for the phrases in this unit Preview Download