Lingwa de planeta/Compound sentence

In this lesson you are going to learn: 59 words altogether
 * 4 pronouns (swa, mutu, it, oni)
 * 12 verbs (pregi, kwesti, jawabi, dai, pren, helpi, go, lai, safari, gani, dansi, rasmi)
 * 10 special verbs (mog, janmog, darfi, treba, mus, gai, majbur, nidi, yao, pri)
 * 8 prepositions (a, om, fo, por, kun, sin, in, fon)
 * 6 question words (hu, kwo, wo, wen, way, komo)
 * 6 indicative words (hir, dar, ahir, adar, dan, tak)
 * 6 useful words (yoshi, toshi, poy, snova, turan, tuy)
 * 3 conjunctions (sikom, obwol, yedoh)
 * 2 grammar words (ke, unkwe, hi, ku)

(+34 from lesson 1 = 93 altogether)

= Pronoun as an object =

Pronouns in Lidepla don't change to indicate their grammatical role.

If a pronoun is put after the verb, it is an object (not a subject).

For "oneself" (myself, yourself etc.) the word "swa" is used.

For "one another" - the word "mutu".

An inanimate object can be replaced by the pronoun "it".

= Some prepositions =

The preposition "a" corresponds to the English "to" to some extent.

The preposition "om" corresponds to the English "about" / "of".

Some other prepositions: fo (for), por (because of), kun (with), sin (without)

A gerund verb may also follow a preposition:

= Question and indication words =

Question words:
 * hu - who
 * kwo - what
 * wo - where (place)
 * a wo - whereto, whither (direction)
 * fon wo - wherefrom, whence
 * wen - when
 * way - why
 * komo - how

A question word is usually put in the beginning of a phrase; the word order doesn't change.

To answer the questions you can use indication words:
 * se - this (noun)
 * to - that (noun)
 * hir - here (place)
 * dar - there (place)
 * ahir - here (direction)
 * adar - there (direction)
 * dan - then
 * tak - so, this way

= Compound sentence =

Question words can also begin a clause:

Also, complex sentences can be formed, using the linking word ke (that):

It is important not to confuse the words kwo and ke:

Note that there is no such thing as tense agreement in Lidepla: in the subordinate clause, the particles indicate the time of the action relative to the action in the main clause.

Another way to build a complex sentence: preposition + the particle ke:

= Generative meaning =

In English, there is a phrase “whatever”, which can occur after any interrogative word at the beginning of a subordinate clause: whoever, whatever, no matter how. In Lidepla, this turnover is expressed using a single word: unkwe, which can also be placed after any interrogative word (the verb is used in the main form):

Sometimes it does not matter who is doing something. For such a case there is a pronoun oni, which can be translated as "one," "they", or even "people." In modern English, the word "one" is less often used; we sometimes say "you" in this situation.

= Special verbs =

Special verbs expressing an attitude towards an action are usually called "modals". And with their help, you can compose verb sequences:
 * mog – can
 * janmog – know how
 * darfi – have permission
 * treba – need
 * mus – must
 * gai – should
 * majbur – have to
 * yao – want
 * pri – like

Modals themselves can attach particles that specify tense. Semantic verbs after modals are in the main form.

The subject before the modal may be omitted. In this case, the phrase takes on an impersonal meaning:

= Emphatic particles "hi" and "ku" =

In order to highlight or emphasize the meaning of the entire sentence (that is, primarily its predicate), as we already know, the particle ya is used. But in Lidepla there is also a particle of a more directed action: it highlights exactly the word after which it is located. This is the "hi" particle:

To emphasize a word in a question, the particle "ku" is used after the word.

The particle "ku" is useful when one needs to make a general question to a short phrase.

= Useful words for stories =

In a story you may need the word yoshi ("also"):

In a dialog the word toshi ("too") may be used:

Words used when talking about the order and time of some events:
 * poy (then, later)
 * snova (again)
 * turan (suddenly)
 * tuy (immediately, right now):

Useful conjunctions:
 * sikom (since, as, for)
 * obwol (though)
 * yedoh (however, nevertheless)

= New verbs =

= Translation exercise =

= Text =

Read the text. Try to retell it. Try to make your own story with all the words you know.

Me kwesti ta: "Hu komandi hir?"

Ta bu jawabi.

Me snova kwesti: "Way yu bu jawabi? Ob yu bu mog shwo?"

Ta shwo: "Me mog. Bat me bu jan kwo shwo. Bikos me bu jan hu komandi. Nu oli lubi mutu."

(afte Jani Rodari)

komandi - to command

= Etiquette: Where are you from? Where do you live? =

Before asking a question, it may be appropriate to apologize for interrupting someone: Skusi.

When meeting, you may ask the question: Wo yu jivi? (Where do you live?). In response, you’ll need the preposition in. The meaning is just as in English:

You might also ask: Fon wo yu lai? (Where do you come from?)

In response, you’ll need the preposition fon (from).

Names of countries in the Lidepla language sound as close as possible to the way they are pronounced in the native language of these countries:
 * Rusia - Russia (Россия, Rossiya)
 * Ingland - England
 * Frans - France
 * Doichland - Germany (Deutschland')
 * Espania - Spain (España)
 * Nipon - Japan (日本, Nippon)
 * Jungwo - China (中国, Zhōngguó)

= Language in focus: Chinese =

Despite its popularity, the English language is only in third place by number of native speakers (about 300 million). The number of Chinese speakers is more than two times larger (over 800 million)!

The Chinese language is very ancient: scientists have found inscriptions carved on the bones of animals sacrificed as early as the 11th century BCE.

A feature of the single Chinese writing system is that the characters do not transmit the sounds and meanings of words. Several dialects were formed on the basis of this system, which have each evolved independently within different regions of China. Over time, more widely spoken dialects formed in the north, and these served as the basis for forming an official language for the Chinese empire, in which all significant documents were written, as well as the language of ordinary people, which was used only in oral communication.

The lexical structure of the language has undergone at least two significant transformations — in the 1st century BCE, when the arrival of Buddhism enriched the language with many religious and philosophical concepts; and from the beginning of the 20th century, when the language absorbed many concepts of Western civilization.

An excerpt from "The Little Prince" in Chinese (very approximate transcription recorded with the sounds of Lidepla but without marking the tones):

(reminder:
 * the Lidepla letter ‘z’ is read as a lightweight affricate "dz", as in the English word "adze."
 * the Lidepla letter ‘j’ is read as a lightweight affricate "dzh", as in the English word "June."

Chinese words are made up of syllables, each of which has its own value, and which are quite different from the sounds of familiar European languages. In addition, Chinese has not only the sounds themselves but also distinctive tones which specify how to pronounce a syllable — whether the vocal utterance is to be raised in pitch for that syllable, to be lowered or to remain at the same pitch.

Among the most frequent words of Lidepla, many words are borrowed from Chinese.
 * Reserved keywords and adverbs: bu (not), ba (marks imperative), gwo (some time ago, at one time, earlier in life), zai (current activity), zuy (most), fen (to form a fraction), shi (ten), idyen (a little), haishi (still), shao (a little), turan (suddenly).
 * Nouns: jen (man), bao (bag), mao (wool), dao (path), yuan (employee), guan (a public institution), bey (back), duza (abdomen), tuza (hare), chiza (spoon), feng (wind).
 * Verbs: zwo (do), shwo (talk), lwo (fall), yao (want to), kan (watch), gun (work), chi (eat), zin (included), chu (go), zun (to do something), mangi (to be busy with something), tungi (hurt), kaulu (consider, take into account).
 * Adjectives: hao (good), lao (old), gao (high), syao (small), byen (convenient), hwan (yellow), suan (sour), guy (expensive), kway (fast), lenge (cold), lan (lazy).

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