Weather

When you speak Anishinaabemowin always look, listen and describe what is happening.
Apii Anishinaabemoyan apane igo ganawaabin, bizindaagen miinawaa dibaadodan izhiwebag.

Talking about the weather involves Type 1 (Intransitive Inanimate) verbs.

Two phrases are used to ask about the weather.

weather-1

wenesh ezhiwebag? what’s happening?
aaniin/aaniish ezhiwebag agawajiing? what’s the weather like outside?

 

weather-2

gizhinaamde it’s hot, muggy outside
gaboode it’s stuffy
minodakate it’s nicely cool; comfortably cool
minogizhide it’s nicely warm; comfortably warm
aapjigo dake’ayaamigad it’s very cold and windy
dakaasin it’s cool/cold/windy weather
dake’aa/gisinaa it’s cool/cold weather; the weather feels cool

 

weather-3

gizhinaamde it’s warm and windy; it’s a warm wind
aapjigo gizhaate it’s very hot and sunny
aapjigo gizhinaamad it’s very hot and windy
aabawaate it’s mild and sunny weather
aabawaa it’s warm/mild weather
awan it’s foggy
awanibiisaan misty rain
maajibiisaan starts to rain
ishkwaabiisaan done raining

 

weather-4

gimiwan raining
pongibiisaan raining a little
bimbiisaan rainstorm passes by
animibiisaan rain moves away
dakibiisaan cold rain
obiijibiisaan rain comes from there

 

weather-5

noodin a strong wind
aanimad it’s windy
ishkwaa’aanimad wind dies down
maadaanimad wind picks up
zoogipo snowing
bagamad a storm is arriving
nichiiwad bad storm
animikiikaa thunderstorm
waasese it’s lightning

 

Note 1:
In the eastern dialect the morpheme (little meaning part) “dak” is often spelled and pronounced “tak”. In both cases it indicates “cold.”

Note 2:
Be careful not to use Anishinaabemowin verbs in all the same ways as their English versions. For instance, “zoogipo” is only for what you see happening outside. Once it falls to the ground it becomes a maaba noun, “goon.” And if it is piled high in a snowbank, it is another maaba noun, “ishpaagoonagaa.” When someone continuously walks on the snow, it is a Type 2, transitive animate verb, “bimaagoonagii.”

A row of flowers in the Woodland art style by Neebin Southall

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