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Lesson 10: Interrogatives in Dusun (Asking Questions)

In Dusun, asking questions is straightforward and flexible. There are several common interrogative words (like what, where, who, why) — and they often appear at the beginning of the sentence, followed by a verb and the subject pronoun.

WH Interrogative Words

English	Dusun	Example (Dusun)	Meaning
What	Nunu	Nunu akanon nu?	What are you eating?
Who	Isai	Isai ilo?	Who is that?
Where	Nombo / Hombo/ Honggo Hinombo / Hinonggo (past tense?)	Nombo ngoyon nu? Hinombo nongoi nu kosodop?	Where are you going? Where did you go last night?
When	Songira / Soira	Songira yau mamanau?	When is he leaving?
Why	Nokuro	Nokuro amu ko nokorikot?	Why didn’t you come?
How	Ingkuro / poingkuro	Ingkuro tokou momonsoi ti?	How do we do this?
Which	Nombo tiso	Nombo tiso no tingu?	Which one is yours?
For what	Pongkuro	Pongkuro ko momosik do tuh?	What are you doing that for?
Whose	Disai / Isai sanganu	Disai ti kurita topurak? Isai sanganu ti kurita topurak?	Whose white car is this?

Modal Interrogatives

In Dusun, questions using modal verbs like can, will, may, must, shall/should are formed using specific prefixes or standalone modal words. These help express possibility, permission, obligation, or intent when asking questions.

The Dusun equivalents either use prefixes like ka-, ko-, or dedicated modal verbs like oporulu (should) or obuli (may). Below is a table comparing the English modal with its corresponding Dusun form and usage in real questions.

English Modal	Dusun	Example (Dusun)	Meaning
Can	Prefix ka-/ko-	Kagampot ko? Amu ko kokito?	Can you reach? Can't you see?
Will	Prefix ka-/ko-	Kapanau ko hiti?	Will you go there?
Shall / Should	Oporulu	Oporulu oku mongoi? Oporulu oku monimbar?	Shall I go? Should I answer?
May	Obuli	Obuli oku moningud diya? Obuli ko minum ti waig osogit?	May I kiss you? May you drink this cold water?
Must	Mositi	Mositi ko'd mamakai ino rasuk? Mositi mongoi yau?	Must you wear that shirt? Must she go?

Once you're familiar with these question words, you’ll find it easy to form both short and complex questions in Dusun.