The syntax of Kanamarí is characterized by
ergative–absolutive alignment. The absolutive argument (i.e. the subject of intransitive verbs and the object of transitive verbs) is unmarked for case, and usually appears following the verb phrase. {{interlinear|indent=2 If the absolutive argument is a pronoun, it is represented by its free-standing form. The ergative argument (i.e. the agent of transitive verbs) is marked for genitive case. If the agent is a pronoun, it is represented by a genitive prefix (as in
no-ti paiko 'you killed grandfather' above). If the agent is a full noun, it is linked to the verb with the case marker
na, which phonologically attaches to the verb: ==References==