The "Set A" Verb 'know it/how'.
Root verb -gata-
Note: Linguistically, this is a Defective Verb,
meaning that it does not have all five of the usual stem forms. It
only has Present Tense and Habitual/Imperfect forms -- no Remote
Past or Infinitive, or Imperative. Probably the logic for this is
that one doesn't just know something at a single point in but rather
knowledge is continuous or spread over a span of time.
This verb appears many times in the Cherokee New Testament and
continues to be used today in the Qualla dialect of North Carolina.
The Cherokee language spoken today in Oklahoma has largely shifted
to using ᎤᏅᏔ / ᎠᏆᏅᏔ uhnta / agwanta to mean "to know something" but
still uses ᎠᎦᏔᎭ with a more specialized meaning of "to know how". Click
here for the page for ᎤᏅᏔ.
Note that the Future Habitual construction
can also be used for commands in Cherokeee. Example:
ᎯᎠᏃ ᎾᏍᏉ ᎯᎦᏔᎮᏍᏗ,... "But know this..." (CNT 2 Timothy, 3:1, RKJV
English)
Present Tense
ᏥᎦᏔᎭ - tsi-gata-ha - I know it.
ᎯᎦᏔᎭ - hi-gata-ha - you know it.
ᎠᎦᏔᎭ - a-kta-ha - he/she/it knows it.
ᎢᎾᎢᏔᎭ - ini-kta-ha - the two of us (including you) know it.
ᏍᏗᎦᏔᎭ - sdi-kta-ha - you two know it.
ᎣᏍᏗᏔᎭ - osdi-kta-ha - the two of us (not including you ) know it.
ᎢᏗᎦᏔᎭ - idi-kta-ha - we all (including you) know it.
ᎣᏥᎦᏔᎭ - otsi-kta-ha - we all (not including you) know it.
ᎢᏥᎦᏔᎭ - itsi-kta-ha - you all know it.
ᎠᏂᎦᏔᎭ - ani-kta-ha - they know it.
1. ᎯᎦᏔᎭᏍᎪ ᎯᎠ ᏔᎵ ᏗᎪᏪᎵ? Higatahasgo hia tali digoweli.
Do you know these two letters?
2. ᎯᎠᏍ ᏗᏎᏍᏗ ᏍᏗᎦᏔᎭ? Hias disesdi sdiktaha?
Do you two know these numbers?
3. Ꮎ ᎦᏙ ᎤᏍᏗ ᎨᏍᏗ ᏱᏥᎦᏔᎭ. na gado usdi gesdi yitsigataha.
I don't know what that is.
4. ᎯᎠᏍ ᏓᏆᎴᎷ Ꮩ ᎤᏍᏗ ᎤᎵᏑᏫᏓ ᎠᏂᎦᏔᎭ? hias dagwalelu do usdi
ulisuwida aniktaha?
Do they know what color this car is?
5. ᎯᎦᏔᎯᎠᏍᎪ ᏎᎷ ᎦᏚ ᎤᏩᏘᏗ? higatahasgo selu gadu uwatidi?
Do you know how to bake cornbread?
ᏗᎪᏪᎵ - digoweli - letters
ᏗᏎᏍᏗ - disesdi - numbers
ᏓᏆᎴᎷ - dagwalelu - a car
ᎤᏩᏘᏗ - uwatdi - for her to bake
Habitual Present
ᏥᎦᏔᎰᎢ - tsi-gata-hoɂi - I know it (continuously, usually), know how to.
ᎯᎦᏔᎰᎢ - hi-gata-hoɂi - you know it.
ᎠᎦᏔᎰᎢ - a-kta-hoɂi - he/she/it knows it.
ᎢᎾᎢᏔᎰᎢ - ini-kta-hoɂi - the two of us (including you) know it.
ᏍᏗᎦᏔᎰᎢ - sdi-kta-hoɂi - you two know it.
ᎣᏍᏗᏔᎰᎢ - osdi-kta-hoɂi - the two of us (not including you ) know it.
ᎢᏗᎦᏔᎰᎢ - idi-kta-hoɂi - we all (including you) know it.
ᎣᏥᎦᏔᎰᎢ - otsi-kta-hoɂi - we all (not including you) know it.
ᎢᏥᎦᏔᎰᎢ - itsi-kta-hoɂi - you all know it.
ᎠᏂᎦᏔᎰᎢ - ani-kta-hoɂi - they know it.
Habitual Past
ᏥᎦᏔᎲᎢ - tsi-gata-hvɂi - I used to know it (continuously, usually).
ᎯᎦᏔᎲᎢ - hi-gata-hvɂi - you used to know it.
ᎠᎦᏔᎲᎢ - a-kta-hvɂi - he/she/it used to knows it.
ᎢᎾᎢᏔᎲᎢ - ini-kta-hvɂi - the two of us (including you) used to know it.
ᏍᏗᎦᏔᎲᎢ - sdi-kta-hvɂi - you two used to know it.
ᎣᏍᏗᏔᎲᎢ - osdi-kta-hvɂi - the two of us (not including you ) used to know it.
ᎢᏗᎦᏔᎲᎢ - idi-kta-hvɂi - we all (including you) used to know it.
ᎣᏥᎦᏔᎲᎢ - otsi-kta-hvɂi - we all (not including you) used to know it.
ᎢᏥᎦᏔᎲᎢ - itsi-kta-hvɂi - you all used to know it.
ᎠᏂᎦᏔᎲᎢ - ani-kta-hvɂi - they used to know it.
Habitual Future/Command
(Imperative)
ᏥᎦᏔᎮᏍᏗ - tsi-gata-hesdi - I will know it.
ᎯᎦᏔᎮᏍᏗ - hi-gata-hesdi - you will know it.
ᎠᎦᏔᎮᏍᏗ - a-kta-hesdi - he/she/it will know it.
ᎢᎾᎢᏔᎮᏍᏗ - ini-kta-hesdi - the two of us (including you) will know it.
ᏍᏗᎦᏔᎮᏍᏗ - sdi-kta-hesdi - you two will know it.
ᎣᏍᏗᏔᎮᏍᏗ - osdi-kta-hesdi - the two of us (not including you) will know it.
ᎢᏗᎦᏔᎮᏍᏗ - idi-kta-hesdi - we all (including you) will know it.
ᎣᏥᎦᏔᎮᏍᏗ - otsi-kta-hesdi - we all (not including you) will know it.
ᎢᏥᎦᏔᎮᏍᏗ - itsi-kta-hesdi - you all will know it.
ᎠᏂᎦᏔᎮᏍᏗ - ani-kta-hesdi - they will know it.