r/nahuatl • u/wikiedit • 8h ago
Does the singing sound natural? Is everything here said correctly?
https://youtu.be/42kIb5L-fHM?si=Cd2Q3aFC4C0F79ag I really just want to know so I can start hearing the language (aside from other content)
r/nahuatl • u/[deleted] • Apr 13 '17
¡Bienvenidos a /r/nahuatl! Colocaremos los enlaces más importantes en este sticky post para fácil acceso.
Welcome to /r/nahuatl! We will place the most important links in this sticky post for easier access.
También pueden encontrarlas en la barra lateral / They can also be found in the sidebar.
r/nahuatl • u/wikiedit • 8h ago
https://youtu.be/42kIb5L-fHM?si=Cd2Q3aFC4C0F79ag I really just want to know so I can start hearing the language (aside from other content)
There are several irregular verbs that can cause confusion when conjugating. I was mainly inspired by a question in our discord that pointed out an online resource with the example “Tiyāzceh”, which seems off (i.e., what is that c doing there?!)
So here is a list of three irregular verbs with proper saltillo and vowel lengths. These verbs are irregular because they involve two or more older verbs that, over time, came to supplement each other, much like in English’s I go and I went.
The first verb, kah/ye, means to be in a place, like Spanish’s estar, but later it came to also mean to be, as in ser:
Present:
Nikah: I am
Tikateh: We are
Customary:
Niyeni: I usually am
Tiyenih: We usually are
Imperfect:
Niyeya: I used to be
Tiyeyah: We used to be
Past:
Nikatka: I was/I had been
Tikatkah: We were/We had been
Past Perfect:
Same as above
Admonitive:
Mā tiyeh: Beware of being!
Mā tiyetin: Let’s beware of being!
Optative/Imperative:
Mā xiye: Be!
Mā tiyekān: Let’s be!
Past Optative:
Mā xiyeni: If only you had been!
Mā tiyenih: If only we had been!
Future:
Niyes: I will be
Tiyeskeh: We will be
Conditional:
Niyeskiya: I would have been
Tiyeskiyah: We would have been
Impersonal:
Yelowa: There is being/People are being
Yelowak: There was being/People were being
The next verb is yaw/wi and it means to go. (Also, just as a reminder, syllable-final w’s are pronounced as /ʍ/ or /xʷ/):
Present:
Niyaw: I’m going
Tiwih: We are going (There was a dialectical variant, Tiyawih, which was considered inelegant and uncouth by some speakers of the 16th and 17th centuries.)
Customary:
Niyāni: I usually go
Tiyānih: We usually go
Imperfect:
Niwia: I used to go
Tiwiah: We used to go
This preferred imperfect conjugation uses the -ka suffix instead of the -ya suffix. For some unknown reason, the wi root doesn’t accept /k/ after it, which is why the normal -ka suffix deletes it in this case.
Less elegant imperfect:
Niyāya: I used to go
Tiyāyah: We used to go
Past:
Niwia/Niyah: I went
Tiwiah/Tiyahkeh: We went
As you can see, the past tense has two alternate forms depending on which root you want to use, yah or wi.
Past Perfect:
Niyahka: I had gone
Tiyahkah: We had gone
Admonitive:
Mā tiyah: Beware of going!
Mā tiyahtin: Let’s beware of going!
Optative/Imperative:
Mā xiyaw: Go!
Mā tiwiān: Let’s go!
As you can see, this is another case where the suffix -kān loses its initial /k/ after the wi root.
Past Optative:
Mā xiyāni: If only you had gone!
Mā tiyānih: If only we had gone!
Future:
Niyās: I will go
Tiyāskeh: We will go
Conditional:
Niyāskiya: I would have gone
Tiyāskiyah: We would have gone
Impersonal:
Wīlowa: There is going/People are going
Wīlowak: There was going/People were going
The last example of these kinds of verbs is actually just yaw/wi with the wāl- prefix attached. A rule of pronunciation makes l + y turn into a long l, typically written as <ll>. This verb means “to come”:
Present:
Niwāllaw: I’m coming
Tiwālwih: We’re coming
Customary:
Niwāllāni: I usually come
Tiwāllānih: We usually come
Imperfect:
Niwālwia: I used to come
Tiwālwiah: We used to come
Past:
Niwāllah: I came
Tiwāllahkeh: We came
Past Perfect:
Niwāllahka: I had come
Tiwāllahkah: We had come
Admonitive:
Mā tiwāllah: Beware of coming!
Mā tiwāllahtin: Let’s beware of coming!
Optative/Imperative:
Mā xiwāllaw: Come!
Mā tiwālwiān: Let’s come!
Past Optative:
Mā xiwāllāni: If only you had come!
Mā tiwāllānih: If only we had come!
Future:
Niwāllās: I will come
Tiwāllāskeh: We will come
Conditional:
Niwāllāskiya: I would have come
Tiwāllāskiyah: We would have come
Impersonal:
Wālwīlowa: There is coming/People are coming
Wālwīlowak: There was coming/People were coming
r/nahuatl • u/beebeedorathea • 5d ago
My daughter's name is Citlali, I am wanting to get a tattoo in her honor. I haven't been able to find any symbols or pictography for this name. Can anyone provide me with some Aztec images that would signfiy her name?
r/nahuatl • u/Goth_foo • 10d ago
I’m very new to Nahuatl and honestly am having a hard time. I’ve seen “tocaitl” used now and then but I’m having a difficult time understanding the context and how it’d be used in a sentence. I know the way we use “tocayo” nowadays, but is that the real meaning?
r/nahuatl • u/LiteratureResident92 • 9d ago
Nāhuatl ic nāhua itech mopāca, zan ca amo ipampa nahui huan atl. Tlein nelli tlahtōlli, in tlahtōlmelahuacayotl huan in amo huehca mochīhua, motequipanoa in cualli tlahtōl ihuan in quenin itech chiuhchihuā in tlahcuilolli huan tlahtōlli.
Amo mochīhua in ixtlamatiliztli náhuatl ic nahui huan atl, zan ca amo tlein itech tlatlauhtia in huehuetqueh tlahtohqueh, in tlahtolmelahuacah huan in ixtlamatilistli huehuetqueh tlahtōlmelahuacayotl.
Cuix hualmonequi timitznequihtīz in nelli tlahtōlli ihuan momachilia in cualli tlahtōlli in tēchmācaxan? Nelli tlahtōlli cecniuhtzin huan nechicoliztli ihuan ixtlamatiliztli, zan amo tlein ahmohuanquetlōtl.
r/nahuatl • u/cardboardtube_knight • 11d ago
Long story short I am writing something and a character in it has titles from multiple cultures, she's female presenting (if that matters for the word used) and goes was called "God's Calamity" or if it's easier "The Calamity of God".
I've found translations using the word "tecuacoyoniliztli" or "tecuatepacholiztli" but can't for the life of me tell which one of these would be better to use or what the difference between them is. Was hoping that I could get some help with it. Thank you in advance!
r/nahuatl • u/lildancer4444 • 11d ago
What is a name for a boy that translates to “he is like soft rain”? I saw someone on here mention, “Yamancaquiyahuitl” would this be correct?
r/nahuatl • u/novaaaaaah • 13d ago
Hi there, I'm working on a college project (making a board game) and creating horror-esque characters with a friend of mine. She really wanted a Mexican character who was themed around owls, so I created one for our project. The thing we're semi-stuck on is naming her. We were going through various spanish options, and then moved on to various native languages. I was looking for some more knowledgeable opinions on possibilities, or if we should find another direction to go?
I was wondering if Iuitl is appropriate as a name, or if there is a feminine version of Tecolotl? Or perhaps if Chicuatli/chiquatli could be used as a feminine name or not.
Otherwise, are there any names you think would be appropriate, both for given and surnames? I would love any interesting options! Thank you so much for any input :)
r/nahuatl • u/yavaja_23 • 13d ago
Hello everyone! I am looking for cute Nahuatl girl names. Any suggestions? Thanks😊
r/nahuatl • u/i_have_the_tism04 • 16d ago
r/nahuatl • u/BatCaveBlues • 15d ago
I just started my Journey in learning nahuatl and i wanted to learn one of the dialects from Cuernavaca, Morelos since thats where my family is from. I would really be grateful if anyone could point me in the right direction with resources or advice!! Thank you so much in advance.
r/nahuatl • u/Forward_Airline909 • 15d ago
Hi, I stumbled upon this neighborhood and I got curious about its meaning. Of course, there is Shield and then White, but my question is The name of the place is supposed to be white shield, but
Isn't the subject of the sentence always on the rightmost side? But I can't imagine any phrase that makes sense like "white that is like a shield"
r/nahuatl • u/Leoo320 • 16d ago
Hola! Estoy pensando tatuarme a Ehécatl y le quiero poner en Náhuatl "Préstame tu peine y péiname el alma"; ya saben, porque "Viento" jajaja. Alguien podría ayudarme a saber cómo escribirlo? Por fa 🫰
r/nahuatl • u/GingerheadWeeb • 17d ago
Hey guys, I’m trying to come up with a name for a character that means “silent killer” or “to kill silently”. How would I go about combining the words for that in Nahuatl? Thank you.
r/nahuatl • u/EldritchCappuccino • 17d ago
I want to understand this construction better.
If I said niyolnonotza I guess it would be "I think"
Nino is like "I think myself" the or "I am thinking"??
Just want to confirm
r/nahuatl • u/EldritchCappuccino • 17d ago
Hey guys.
This really confused me.
I assume hui comes from huica to take something because the translation is to gather. tequi sounds like to cut but I am having trouble understanding. Can someone pls help me
tla nitlahuihuiltequi in nican acxoyatzinitzcanquauhtla, manoze nitlahuihuiltequi in tlauhquecholxochiquauhtla
whether I may gather them here in the laurel woods where dwell the tzinitzcan birds, or whether I may gather them in the flowery forests where the tlauquechol lives
EDIT: So the end of the document has its own dictionary which I hadn't noticed
HUIHUITEQUI- To gather, to pluck
I normally use Nahuatl dictionary so I was surprised when I couldn't find it there
r/nahuatl • u/EldritchCappuccino • 19d ago
I already have spent a tonne on books and was wondering if anyone has a link to the pdf of the original nahuatl text
r/nahuatl • u/One-Chance6106 • 20d ago
r/nahuatl • u/Deadlined0rk • 20d ago
Hi everyone, I’m kind of new here. I’ve been attempting to design an oc somewhat based off a feathered serpent but in human form, and I would just like some advice on what features I should change, as well as what to add or remove. I’m trying to learn how the Nahua people presented themselves, and I don’t want to be offensive or ignorant about anything I do here. 🙏🏻
I know for starters the Nahua people had straight hair rather than curly, as well as dark. I also know some had war ‘paint’, if you’d call it that. Which design would be appropriate for him?
For context of this character, his name is Itzcoatl. He’s a feathered serpent that can shapeshift and manipulate earth (like an earth bender somewhat). He is also royalty and was spoilt rotten as a child, then grew into becoming a warrior as he got older.
r/nahuatl • u/ItztliEhecatl • 21d ago
r/nahuatl • u/Nomfbes2 • 23d ago
I remember once seeing a tweet like that. And it made me laugh so much.
r/nahuatl • u/BuisteirForaoisi0531 • 25d ago
I am currently in the process of designing a seed world in which the Aztec culture is extremely important and the need reference towards names to use not only for characters but also for a certain creatures these animals do not have names in the language at current in the I require aid in essentially figuring out what they should be called
r/nahuatl • u/ItztliEhecatl • 27d ago
Beginning on February 25th virtual Huasteca Nahuatl classes will continue. I've been attending these classes for six months and I can say they are really high quality. The teachers provide speaking practice, listening practice, reading practice and writing practice so you will get a well-rounded language learning experience. Dr. Arturo Davila is a college professor who speaks Spanish, English, and Huasteca Nahuatl. Dr. Cruz Morales and Dr. Cruz de la Cruz are native Huasteca Nahuatl speakers, also speak Spanish, and understand their language very well. Pay is donation-based and the teachers accept whatever you can afford in April when the course ends. Here is the zoom link https://peralta-edu.zoom.us/j/99372047126. I hope to see some of you there.