Cherokee Pronoun Study

Subject/Object Pronouns

In Cherokee, pronouns actors (or agents) and the receiver of actions are not separate as in English but are combined into a single pronoun prefix. The standard Cherokee verb tables assume a 3rd person recipient, i.e., her, him, or it. This page shows examples of the 1st person I (singular) acting on the 2nd person recipients you (singular), the two of you, and all of you.

Note!! With the dual and plural forms, either the subject, the object or both can be dual or plural. There are no separate forms for I -> you two, he/she and I -> you, you 2; I -> y'all, All of us -> you (singular), y'all. Context should make it clear. Brad Montgomery-Anderson discusses these pronouns in his Cherokee Reference Grammar (2015), pages 252 - 254 and has a chart for them on p 253.

For some examples of 2nd person agents with 1st person recipients,click here

---

Root verb -woni-

---

ᎬᏬᏂᎭ - gv:-woni-ha - I am speaking it to you.

ᎬᏬᏂᎰᎢ - gv:-woni-hoɂi - I speak it to you.

ᏍᏛᏬᏂᎭ - sdv:-woni-ha - I am speaking it to you two.

ᏍᏛᏬᏂᎭ - sdv:-woni-ha - She and I are speaking it to you.

ᏍᏛᏬᏂᏒᎢ - sdv:-woni-svɂi - I spoke it to you two.

ᎢᏨᏬᏂᎭ - i:tsv:-woni-ha - I am speaking it to all of you.

ᎢᏨᏬᏂᎭ - i:tsv:-woni-ha - We are speaking it to you.

ᎢᏨᏬᏂᎰᎢ - i:tsv:-woni-hoɂi - I speak it to all of you.

ᎦᏥᏬᏂᎭ - gatsi:-woni-ha - I am speaking it to all of them (animate).

ᎦᏥᏬᏂᏒᎢ - gatsi:-woni-svɂi - I spoke it to all of them (animate).

---

Root verb -gohw(a)ti-

---

ᎬᎪᏩᏘᎭ - gv:-goɂw(a)ti-ha - I am seeing you.

ᎬᎪᎲᎢ - gv:-go-hvɂi - I saw you.

ᏍᏛᎪᏩᏘᎭ - sdv:-goɂw(a)ti-ha - I am seeing you two.

ᏍᏛᎪᏩᏘᏍᎪᎢ - sdv:-goɂw(a)tisg-oɂi - I see you two.

ᎢᏨᎪᏩᏘᎭ - i:tsv:-goɂw(a)ti-ha - I am seeing all of you.

ᎢᏨᎪᎲᎢ - i:tsv:-go-hvɂi - I saw all of you.

ᎦᏥᎪᏩᏘᎭ - gatsi:-goɂw(a)ti-ha - I am seeing them (animate).

ᎦᏥᎪᎲᎢ - gatsi:-go-hvɂi - I saw them (animate).

---

Root verb -oli-

---

ᎬᏲᎵᎦ - gvy-oli:-ga - I understand you.

ᎬᏲᎵᏨᎢ - gvy-ol'-tsvɂi - I understood you.

ᏍᏛᏲᎵᎦ - sdv:y-oli:-ga - I understand you two.

ᏍᏛᏲᎵᏨᎢ - sdv:y-ol'-tsvɂi - I understood you two.

ᎢᏨᏲᎵᎦ - i:tsv:y-oli:-ga - I understand you all.

ᎢᏨᏲᎵᏨᎢ - i:tsv:y-ol'-tsvɂi - I understood you all.

ᎦᏥᏲᎵᎦ - gatsiy-oli:-ga - I understand them (animate).

ᎦᏥᏲᎵᏨᎢ - gatsiy-ol'-tsvɂi - I understood them (animate).

---

Root verb -hnohe-

---

ᎬᏃᎮᎭ - gv:-ɂnohe-ha - I am telling you.

ᎬᏃᎮᎰᎢ - gv:-ɂnohe-hoɂi - I tell you.

ᏍᏛᏃᎮᎭ - sdv:-ɂnohe-ha - I am telling you two.

ᏍᏛᏃᎮᎸᎢ - sdv:-ɂnohe-lvɂi - I told you two.

ᎢᏨᏃᎮᎭ - i:tsv:-ɂnohe-ha - I am telling you all.

ᎢᏨᏃᎮᎰᎢ - i:tsv:-ɂnohe-hoɂi - I tell you all.

ᎦᏥᏃᎮᎭ - gatsi:-ɂnohe-ha - I am telling them (animate).

ᎦᏥᏃᎮᎸᎢ - gatsi:-ɂnohe-lvɂi - I told them (animate).