nah high ee dah

The Navajo word nááhaiídą́ą́’ is a combination of nááhai and the particle -dą́ą́’.

Nááhai expresses the concept of a year. It can be used in your Navajo Introduction to express age: “Naadiin ła’ éí shinááhai” (21 are my years).

The -dą́ą́’ particle always comes at the end of a word to reference the past. The Navajo word for “yesterday” is an example: adą́ą́dą́ą́’.

Combined, this word and particle mean “years ago”.

“Díkwíí nááhaiídą́ą́’ diné bizaad bóhooł’aah ńt’éé’*?”** (How many years ago did you learn Navajo?)

“Ła’ts’áadah nááhaiídą́ą́’ diné bizaad bóhoosh’aah ńt’éé’.” (11 years ago I learned Navajo.)

*the word ńt’éé’ is like saying “it was”

**example was adapted from the text Diné Bizaad: Speak, Read, Write Navajo for the purpose of differentiating between “years ago” vs. just “years”