dish nih

Here’s another useful action-word that means “it is being said” or “to say (it).” It’s a verb, so the rest of the word forms change depending on who you are talking about. It’s the Navajo word for quoting either yourself or other people.

The full verb paradigm is as follows:

• dishní (I say)
• diní (You say)
• ní (He/she/it says)
• dii’ní (We two say)
• dohní (You two say)
• ní (They two say)
• dadii’ní (We say – three or more)
• dadohní (You say – three or more)
• daaní (They say – three or more)

There are two ways you could use these words. The first is to say a regular sentence, like “Yá’át’ééh!” and then simply append the proper word after, like so: “Yá’át’ééh ní!” (It is good, they say!)

If you want to start a quote with telling someone that what follows is a quote, you simply add á- to the beginning of any of these words, say the quote, and then end with the word that you added the prefix to. For example: “Asdzą́ aní, Albuquerquegóó deekai, ní.” (That woman says, we are going to Albuquerque, she says.)