Words in Apatani, as in other languages, are formed by putting together morphemes.
Morpheme is a meaningful linguistic unit consisting of a word, such as man, or a word element, such as -ed in walked, that cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts (American Heritage Dictionary). As such morphemes in Apatani are in form of words (aya, kaaru, miyu, nii, whu etc.), verb roots (aa, dii, ka etc.,) and affixes (-ne, -do, -ma, -kindo, -kinma, -pa, -pyo, -pyow etc.).
Word formed by putting together words/roots and suffixes:
Tenses from verb roots:
i) aa (to come) + do aado (come/ coming)
ii) aa (to come) + ma aama (do not come/ is not coming)
iii) dii (to eat) + ne diine (ate)
iv) dii (to eat) +ma+ne diimane (did not eat)
v) in (to go) + la inla (in state of going)
vi) in (to go) +la + do inla do (is going)
vii) in (to go) + la + do+ ma inla doma (is not going)
viii) mii (to do) + kindo miikindo (shall do)
ix) mii (to do) + kinma miikinma (shall not do)
x) to (to come down) + kinne tokinne (should have come down)
xi) mii (to do) + tii miitii (has done)
xii) mii (to do) + tii + do miitiido (would have done)
xiii) mii (to do) + dii + ma miidiima (would not have done)
Noun from verb roots:
i) dii (to eat) + nii diinii (eater/ one who eat)
ii) dii (to eat) + ma + nii diimanii (non eater/ one who don not eat)
iii) dii (to eat) + sanii diisanii (food/ something to be eaten)
iv) mii (to do) + sanii miisanii (task to do)
v) aa (to come) + sanii aasanii (part of something that has to come)
vi) dii (to eat) +sii+nii diisiinii (something edible)
vii) du (to sit/ live) + ko duko (place of sitting/ living)
viii) mii (to do) + ko miiko (place of doing something)
ix) mii (to do) + ggo miiggo (task one generally does)
x) dii (to eat) + ggo diiggo (food one eats)
Adjective from verb roots:
i) dii (to eat) + sii diisii (edible/ something one can eat)
ii) mii (todo) + sii miisii (something one can do)
iii) kaa (to see/look) + pyo kaapyo (beautiful/ good to look at)
iv) dii (to eat) + pyo diipyo (tasty/ good to eat)
v) in (to go) + pyo inpyo (convenient/easy/comfortable to go)
vi) hen (to feel/think) + pyo henpyo (happy/ feel good)
vii) kaa (to see/ look) + ru kaaru (ugly/ not good to look at)
viii) dii (to eat) + ru diirii (bad taste/ not good to eat)
ix) hen (to think/feel) + ru henru (feel bad/ sad)
Another verb from verb roots:
i) tan (to drink) + fpyo tanfpyo (to steal by act of drinking)
ii) la (to take with hand) + fpyo lafpyo ( to steal by taking with hand)
iii) jo ( to carry) + fpyo jofpyo (to steall by carrying)
iv) jo (to carry) + bow (to cross) jobow (to carry across)
v) mii (to do) + bo miibo (to help/ assist in doing)
vi) jo (to carry) +bo jobo (to help assist in carrying)
vii) in (to go) + bo inbo (to go along)
viii) aa (to come) + bo aabo (to come along)
ix) dii ( to eat) + gii diigii (to share something to eat)
x) in (to go) + gii ingii (to allow someone to go with)
Adverb from adjective:
i) aya (good/ nice) + pa ayapa (in nice/good way)
ii) haso (slow) + pa hasopa (slowly)
iii) haso + haso haso-haso (slowly slowly)
iv) nyibya (fast/qick) + pa nyibyapa (quickly)
v) aya (good/nice) + ka+pa ayakapa (in a way that one looks good)
vi) kaapyo (good looking) +kapa kaapyokapa (manner of good looking)
vii) kaaru (ugly) + kaka karukaka (manner of ugly looking)
viii) henpyo (henpyo) +henpa henpyo-henpa (happily/ jolly)
ix) henpyo (henpyo + kapa henpyo-kappa (appears to be in happy mood)
Word formed by putting together two words:
· ngiinyi ngo+anyi [we (I and someone with me= we two)]
· niinyi no+anyi [you (you and someone with you= you two)]
· naba niika+aba [your father]
· nama niika+ama [your mother]
· nane niika+ane [your mother]
· nate niika+ate [your elder brother]
· nata niika+ata [your elder sister]
· nayo niika+ayo [your grandmother/mother in law]
· nato niika+ato [your grand father/ father in law]
