-gi-: Have As, Regard As — Greenlandic Grammar

-gi- on a noun makes a verb with an object: "have him as …, have it as …". "friend" gives "have him as a friend", that is, "be his friend". It also goes on some verbs of feeling: "is excited" gives "I look forward to it".

Short Endings

With -gi-, the object endings are usually shortened: -gaara "I … it" instead of -givara, -gaakkit "I … you", -gaajuk? "do you … it?", -gaarput "we … it".

Uanga kammagaakkit.
I am your friend! (lit. I have you as a friend)
Innga angut inuusuttoq uigaajuk?
Is that young man over there your husband? (ui "husband": lit. do you have him as a husband?)
Ajunngitsumik angalanissat kissaatigaarput.
We hope that you have a nice flight. (kissaat "wish": lit. we have it as a wish)

After q

After a noun ending in q, the q drops and the g becomes r: "something made" gives "I made it", literally "I have it as something made".

Kaagimik peqqinniarit, nammineq sanaaraara.
Please, have some more cake. I made it myself.
Akunnerit marluk suli periarfissaraarput.
We have two hours left. (periarfissaq "chance": lit. we still have two hours as a chance)

With Not

With "not", the full -gi- comes back: -ginngilara "I don't … it".

Naamik kammaginngilara.
No, he's not my friend.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Greenlandic course

18 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 65. A few of them, with the words “-gi-: Have As, Regard As” is about in bold:

Eqqarsaatigeqqillugu isumassarsiaq pitsaanngilaq.
On second thought, that is a bad idea.
Lesson 338
Inima normorivaa fjorten.
My room number is fourteen.
Lesson 456
Nunaqarfimmi inuuvunga nersussuit arlallit ilagalugit.
I live in a village with many cows.
Lesson 487

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