nah shah

The Navajo word naashá is a 1st Person Singular verb that means “to walk around”. You’ll remember it from the “Introducing Yourself in Navajo” post.

Most Navajo action words have 9 different forms (12, if you count the ‘second’ third person form) that reflect the point of view and the quantity of those engaged in the action. Additionally, there are different conjugated forms of the same action depending on “tense”, or more specifically the state of an act - not started, started and ongoing, started and completed, repeating, and so forth.

Here is the conjugated verb “to walk around” - which is an ongoing act (like English “present tense”):

• naashá - I walk around
• neiitʼaash - You walk around
• neiikai - He/she/it walks around
• naniná - We two walk around
• naahʼaash - You two walk around
• naahkai - Those two walk around
• naaghá - We three (or more) walk around
• naaʼaash - You three (or more) walk around
• naakai - They three (or more) walk around

The earlier post is an example of one of it’s uses. With “[place]-di dę́ę́’ naashá” you can express where you are from. You’d literally be saying “From [place] I walk around”.

“Phoenixdi dę́ę́’ neiikai.” (From Phoenix she walks around; She is from Phoenix.)