Parts of Speech: Postpositions
Postpositions are something like English prepositions and include words like "among," "for," "to," and "with."
Postpositions are used in two ways:
- Postpositions following a noun. Postpositions may be connected to the noun as a suffix or written as one word.
- Postpositions following a pronoun. Postpositions are connected to the pronoun and are said and written as one word.
Note: The postpositions below include only a partial list. For the complete list see "Dena'ina Topical Dictionary" by James Kari.
Postpositions following nouns:
| Dena'ina | Meaning | Example | Meaning |
| teh | among, between, during, in | dghili teh | among the mountains |
| heyteh (hey+teh) | during the winter | ||
| egh | by, to, at, about, in relation to | sukdu egh | about the stories |
| bejex egh | in relation to the caribou | ||
| u | for, on behalf of | ts'itsatna u | on behalf of the ancestors |
| shu (sh+u) | for me | ||
| q'ach' | from | Tseldatnu q'ach' | from Soldotna |
| yuq' q'ach' | from the sky | ||
| ch' | to, toward | bench' (ben+ch') | to the lake |
| dghilich' (dghili+ch') | to the mountains | ||
| q' | on, like, in the manner of | miłniq' (miłni+q') | on the water |
| łuq'aq' (łuq'a+q') | in the manner of the salmon | ||
| t'uh | under | ełnen t'uh | under the ground (cache) |
| esni t'uh | under the cottonwood | ||
| det | without, lacking | miłni det | without water |
| ush det | lacking snowshoes | ||
| eł | with | dezhuni eł | with kindness |
| k'enyi eł | with charm |
Postpositions following pronouns: the postpositions listed above can be used after the object pronouns below.
| Dena'ina | Meaning |
| sh- | me |
| n- | you (singular) |
| ve- or be- | him/her |
| ye- | it |
| dn- | us |
| (n)h- | you (plural) |
| qe- | them |
Example: shegh (sh+egh) meaning "by me."
neł (n+eł) meaning "with you (singular)."