- Yewál sqwá:l
- Kwéleches
- Kwéleches 2
- Ta' sqwálewel
- Xwe'it te swayel
- Seswáyel
- Tel sewólwem lálem
- Ye th'ó:kws se'wíwes
- Kw'ókw'exwels Tewátes
- ewó:lom léts'e
- S'íwes 1: Kwéleches
- S'íwes 2: Skw'elxám
- S'íwes 3: Álthel 1
- ste'ómex
- S'íwes 4: Ste'ómex 1
- S'íwes 5: Schákwel 1
- S'íwes 6: Ts'elhxwélmexw 1
- S'íwes 7: Ts'elhxélmexw 2
- S'íwes 8: Schákwel
- S'íwes 9: Shxwlí 1
- S'íwes 10: Ómex
- S'iwes 11: S'álhtel 2
- S'iwes 12: Kwix̲mel 1
- S'íwes 13: Shxwlí
- S'íwes 14: Skwúláwt/ Syó:ysáwtxw
- S'íwes 15: Sqoqó
- S'íwes 16: Selxwíws
- S'íwes 17: Shxwéyelh qas te sq'óleq'ey
- S'íwes 18: Shxweláli líte séti
- S'íwes 19: Smestiyexw Stetómex 2
- S'íwes 20: Seswayel
- S'íwes 21: Á'lhtel (líte letám)
- S'íwes 22: Sméyeth 1
- S'íwes 23: Sméyeth 2
- S'íwes 24: Swáyel
- S'íwes 25
- S'íwes 26: Alétse?
- S'íwes 27: X̲ta 3
- S'íwes 28: Ts'elhxwélmexw 3
- S'íwes 29: Á:wkw' 1
- S'íwes 30: Á:wkw' 2
- S'íwes 31: Selchí:m 2?
- S'íwes 32: Lí te Shxwimá:le
- S'íwes 33: Á:lhtel 3
- S'íwes 34: X̲tá 4
- S'íwes 35: Selchí:m? 3
- S'íwes 36: Sméyeth 3
- S'íwes 37: Mestíyexw
- S'íwes 38: Sts'ísem
- S'íwes 39: Selchí:m?
- S'íwes 40: Syóys
- S'íwes 41: Shxwli 3
- S'íwes 42: X̲tá 5
- S'íwes 43: Lá:lem 1
- S'íwes 44: Lá:lem 2
- S'íwes 45: Syóys lite lálem
Qwú:lqwelqweltel 4A
Qwú:lqwelqweltel 4B
| Audio | Halq'eméylem | English |
|---|---|---|
| iyólem | okay, alright | |
| kwú:t | taking (it) | |
| slíw | in [used for inside box, object, etc.], inside (a hollow object) | |
| swí:qe | man, male (creature or plant) | |
| sí:wí:qe | men, male (creatures or plants) | |
| shxwe'álexáwt | bedroom | |
| shxwep'életstel | toilet paper | |
| shxwe'áx̲etháwtxw | bedroom | |
| ólu | too much, overly, too | |
| slhá:lí | woman | |
| shxwe'álex̲eth | bed | |
| slhellhá:lí | women (several) | |
| hálem | be going, be on one's way | |
| shxwe'áx̲eth | bed | |
| léx̲wtel | blanket | |
| híkw | big | |
| lam | to go | |
| lá | to go | |
| kwelát | get, have, hold | |
| axwí:l | small, little, a little bit | |
| kw'óxwe | box, chest | |
| kw'ólexwe | box, chest |
| Audio | Halq'eméylem | English |
|---|---|---|
| Síq lí te shxwe'áxeths te kopús tl' Chól. | John's coat is under his bed. | |
| Stl'epólwelh lí te léxwtels te híkw kopús tl' Máli. | Mary's big coat is under the blanket. | |
| Síq li te shxwe'áxeth te kopús. | His/her coat is under the bed. | |
| Li te shxwe'áxetháwt te kopús tl' Máli. | Mary's coat is in the bedroom. | |
| Li te shxwe'áxetháwt te kopús. | His/her coat is in the bedroom. | |
| Li te shxwe'áxetháwt tel kopú. | My coat is in the bedroom. | |
| We is iyólem… | could, would it be okay if… | |
| Achxwu ma kwú:t... | could you get... |
Proper Names as Possessors
When the possessor is a proper name like John or Mary, you use a special word tl' before the name.
Examples:
te lá:lém - the house
te lá:léms tl' Chól - John's house
te lá:léms tl' Máli - Mary's house
The word tl' is used only before proper names, and only in certain constructions, including this possessive construction. Note that in many other simple sentences in Halq'eméylem, instead of tl' you will see te and the before proper names
Examples:
Ímex te Chól. - John walks.
Ímex the Máli. - Mary walks.
Regular (Common) Nouns as Possessors
To talk about the man's N (where N stands for any noun) in Halq'eméylem, you add the usual -s ending onto the noun, and the possessor follows.
For example (swíyeqe meaning man and slhá:lí meaning woman):
te lá:lém - the house
te lá:léms te swíyeqe - the man's house
te lá:léms the slhá:lí - the woman's house
The Halq'eméylem language, including all of its varieties or (what is the same thing) dialects, is part of a much larger set of historically related languages. This historically related group is called the Salish 'family' of languages.
There are a total of twenty-three languages in the Salish family, spoken in Southern B.C. and extending south into Washington state and Montana. Each language in the family is distinct in the sense that it cannot be understood by speakers of the other languages; however, the languages also share a number of similar features: many vocabulary items in the languages in the family are recognizably related, the sound systems are very similar, and the grammars of the languages, though different, also share many similarities. Linguists who study historical patterns in language generally agree that all of the modern Salish languages are probably descended from an ancient common Salish language, spoken in the area many thousands of years ago.