Word Order and Sentence Building

In Lakota, the standard sentence structure is Subject-Object-Verb (SOV).

This is different from English, which uses Subject-Verb-Object.

For example, instead of saying "The boy sees the dog," a Lakota speaker says "The boy the dog sees" (Hokšíla kiŋ šúŋka kiŋ waŋyáŋke).

This structure is generally consistent, though Lakota allows some flexibility for emphasis.

Usually, the most important information comes first.

Understanding this layout is the first step toward thinking in Lakota rather than simply translating word-for-word from English.

Examples:

Wičháša kiŋ wówapi waŋ yawá. (The man a book is reading.)

Wíŋyaŋ kiŋ tȟaspáŋ waŋ yúte. (The woman an apple is eating.)

Hokšíla kiŋ mní yatké. (The boy water is drinking.)

Šúŋka kiŋ tȟaló waŋ yúte. (The dog a piece of meat is eating.)

Wičhíŋčala kiŋ wówapi waŋ k’ú. (The girl gives someone a book.)

Igmú kiŋ pispíza waŋ khuwá. (The cat is chasing a prairie dog.)

Wakȟáŋyeža kiŋ čhápa waŋ waŋyáŋke. (The child a beaver sees.)

Šúŋkawakȟáŋ kiŋ mní yatké. (The horse water drinks.)

Iná tȟaspáŋ waŋ opȟétȟuŋ. (Mother an apple bought.)

Até čháŋ waŋ kaksé. (Father a tree cut.)

Lé wówapi héčha. (This a book is.)

Hé šúŋka héčha. (That a dog is.)

Learner Tip

When you start building basic sentences, normally put the action (the verb) at the very end.

This is the most common mistake for English speakers.

Making Positive Statements

Affirmative sentences in Lakota often end with a gender-specific particle to indicate the speaker's gender.

In modern informal speech, these are sometimes omitted, but they remain an important part of the language's formal structure.

Men may end declarative sentences with yeló or ló, while women commonly use yé. Kštó is also attested in women’s speech for stronger assertion. In everyday speech, these particles are sometimes omitted.

These markers help show the speaker's gender and the force of a statement or question in traditional speech.

Examples:

Líla wašté ló. (It is very good (male speaker).)

Líla wašté yé. (It is very good (female speaker).)

Híŋhaŋni wašté. (It is a good morning.)

Mní tȟáŋke. (The water is big (referring to a large body of water).)

Lé mitȟáwa. (This is mine.)

Hé nitȟáwa. (That is yours.)

Blé kiŋ tȟáŋke. (The lake is big.)

Wičháša kiŋ waš’áke. (The man is strong.)

Forming Negatives and Questions

To make a sentence negative in Lakota, you add the word šni directly after the verb or the word you wish to negate.

For example, "I am sick" is Makhúže, but "I am not sick" is Makhúže šni.

It acts like the English word "not".

Yes/no questions are formed by placing the particle he at the end of the sentence.

If the word before he undergoes ablaut, it uses its basic a or aŋ form before the question particle.

In everyday informal speech, he is commonly used by both men and women. In more formal speech, women use he, while men traditionally use huŋwó, huwó, or hwo.

Examples (Negatives):

Wašté šni. (It is not good.)

Yúte šni. (He/She is not eating it.)

Yatké šni. (He/She is not drinking it.)

Mní šni. (It is not water.)

Wóyute šni. (It is not food.)

Lé mitȟáwa šni. (This is not mine.)

Examples (Questions):

Wašté he? (Is it good?)

Yúta he? (Is he/she eating it?)

Tȟáŋka he? (Is it big?)

Nitȟáwa he? (Is it yours?)

Wówapi kiŋ lé wašté he? (Is this book good?)

Mní yatkáŋ he? (Is he/she drinking water?)

Šúŋka waŋ waŋyáŋka he? (Did he/she see a dog?)

Iná kú he? (Is mother coming back home?)

Wičháša kiŋ hiyú he? (Is the man coming forth?)

Nouns and Number

Lakota nouns do not have grammatical masculine or feminine gender classes.

The noun itself normally does not change to show whether it is singular or plural.

Plural participants are commonly indicated on the verb or predicate with -pi, or through context, numbers, and plural demonstratives such as lená and hená.

Lakota normally does not change the noun itself to mark plural number. Plural participants are often indicated by -pi on the verb or predicate, or by context, numbers, and plural demonstratives.

If you are just naming objects, the plural might be indicated by a number or a demonstrative word like "these" or "those".

Examples:

Igmú kiŋ mní yatké. (The cat drinks water.)

Igmú kiŋ mní yatkáŋpi. (The cats drink water.)

Wičháša waŋ ú. (A man is coming.)

Wičháša úpi. (Men are coming.)

Čháŋ (Tree)

Mní (Water)

Mázaska (Money)

Wóyute (Food)

Íŋyaŋ (Stone / Rock)

Hokšíla (Boy)

Articles and Determiners

Lakota uses the word kiŋ for the definite article "the".

It always follows the noun it describes.

For the indefinite article "a" or "an", Lakota uses waŋ.

In hypothetical or future/irrealis contexts, Lakota can use waŋží for "a/an." In negative contexts where the thing does not exist or is not possessed, Lakota uses waŋžíni together with šni.

Like kiŋ, it always follows the noun.

When referring to something mentioned before, k’uŋ is used instead of kiŋ, acting as "the aforementioned".

Demonstratives like lé (this) and hé (that) are also placed after or near the noun to specify the object.

Examples:

Wówapi kiŋ (The book)

Wówapi waŋ (A book)

Wičháša waŋ (A man)

Wičháša kiŋ (The man)

Igmú waŋ (A cat)

Igmú kiŋ (The cat)

Wówapi lé (This book)

Wówapi hé (That book)

Wíŋyaŋ k’uŋ (The woman (previously mentioned))

Tȟaspáŋ waŋ (An apple)

Practice Section

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in each blank with the correct word, letter, or form based on what you learned.

1- To say "The dog," you write: Šúŋka ____.

2- To say "It is not good," you write: Wašté ____.

True/False

Read each statement carefully and decide if it is True or False.

1- The standard word order in Lakota is Verb-Subject-Object.

2- In Lakota, nouns usually remain unchanged for singular and plural.

Translation

Translate each English phrase or sentence into Lakota.

1- A book.

__________________________________________

2- Is it good?

__________________________________________

3- The man is eating food.

__________________________________________