Prerequisite: Lesson 14.
New words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ini | this |
| itu | that |
| in | at, in, on |
| dari | from |
| por | to, for |
| o | or |
Six little words. After this lesson the grammar you need to get through a day is complete.
This and that
They go after the noun, and after everything else in the phrase:
| dom ini | this house |
| anak itu | that child |
| Ca ini garam. | This tea is hot. |
| Insan itu es doktor. | That person is a doctor. |
| dom mi kabir ini | this big house of mine |
On their own they are a subject, and before a noun they take es:
| Ini es dom mi. | This is my house. |
| Itu es ke? | What is that? |
| Ini hao, itu mal. | This is good, that is bad. |
You have met their shape before: s-ini is here, s-itu is there.
din ini is today. rat ini is tonight.
At, from, for
| Mi in dom. | I am at home. |
| Anak lala in dom. | The child sleeps in the house. |
| Mi lai dari market. | I come from the market. |
| Yu dari nali? | Where are you from? |
| Mi beri pan por yu. | I give bread to you. |
| Ca ini por kim? — Por mi! | Who is this tea for? — For me! |
por is the por in porke — “for what”, why.
Going somewhere needs no word at all. After go, lai, anda, kimbia, the place is the destination:
| Mi go market. | I go to the market. |
| Ta lai dom. | She comes home. |
Or
| Ca o akua? | Tea or water? |
| Mi mau pan o ca. | I want bread or tea. |
| Yu lai din ini o din itu? | Are you coming today or that day? |
With
una was “together”. Put a noun after it and it is “with”:
| Kita kula una. | We eat together. |
| Kita kula una familia. | We eat with the family. |
| Mi go market una rafiki mi. | I go to the market with my friend. |
Answering no-questions
| — Yu no mau ca? | Don’t you want tea? |
| — No. | I don’t. |
| — Ya. | I do. |
ya and no answer the fact, never the shape of the question. Ya means it is so; no means it is not. When it matters, answer with the verb: Mi mau. / Mi no mau.
Where the little phrases go
Place first, then time, both at the end:
| Mi kula pan in dom din ini. | I eat bread at home today. |
| Kita saufa lai dari market rat ini. | We’ll come from the market tonight. |
A conversation
— Salam! Yu dari nali? — Mi dari dom. Yu go nali? — Mi go market. Yu lai una mi? — Ya! Mi mau pan o ca. — Pan ini hao. Pan por familia yu? — Ya, por familia mi. Aur ca por mi! — Kita go sasa. Market situ, kiri.
Hello! Where are you from? — From home. Where are you going? — To the market. Coming with me? — Yes! I want bread or tea. — This bread is good. Bread for your family? — Yes, for my family. And tea for me! — Let’s go now. The market is there, on the left.
Practice
- Dom ini kabir aur dom itu keci. — This house is big and that house is small.
- Mi lai dari market una dugu mi. — I come from the market with my sibling.
- Ca ini por yu o por mi? — Is this tea for you or for me?
- Anak-anak lala in dom rat ini. — The children sleep at home tonight.
- Yu no faham? — Ya, mi faham. — Don’t you understand? — Yes, I do.
- Ini es ke? — Itu es telefon. — What is this? — That is a telephone.
What you can already say
Fifteen lessons, 124 roots. You can point at things, place them, say where they came from and who they are for, offer a choice, go somewhere with someone, and answer any question without ambiguity. That is the grammar of A1, and it is done.
Existence — how to say “there is” — and comparison were both settled the next day; see Lesson 18.