Prerequisite: Lesson 8.
New words
None. Every form in this lesson is built from words you have.
Say it twice
You know mi, yu, ta. You know that saying a word twice makes it “more than one”. Put those together:
| one | more than one |
|---|---|
| mi — I | mi-mi — we |
| yu — you | yu-yu — you all |
| ta — he, she, it | ta-ta — they |
| Amadunia | English |
|---|---|
| Ta-ta suda lai. | They came. |
| Yu-yu mau ca? | Do you all want tea? |
| Mi-mi rabota sini. | We work here. |
| Ruma ta-ta nali? | Where is their house? |
Two kinds of “we”
You also know kita. It means “we” too — but a particular we.
| mi-mi | we, not you | me and my people |
| kita | we, with you | you and me, together |
— Mi-mi go market sasa. Yu-yu? — No, mi-mi sini. — Ok. Kita saufa kula una rat!
We’re going to the market now. You all? — No, we’re staying here. — Ok. We’ll all eat together tonight!
The last line uses kita because the speaker means everyone — both groups.
One word, three jobs
ta is he, she, and it.
| Doktor lai. Ta hao. | The doctor is coming. She is good. |
| Ca garam. Mi mau ta. | The tea is hot. I want it. |
| Anak keci. Ta suda dormi? | The child is small. Has he slept? |
Nothing changes
The same pronoun whether it does the action or receives it:
| Mi kan ta. | I see her. |
| Ta kan mi. | She sees me. |
| Yu-yu bil mi-mi? | Do you all know us? |
| Mi-mi bil yu-yu. | We know you all. |
No I / me, no she / her, no we / us. One form each.
A conversation
— Salam! Yu-yu es kim? — Mi-mi es rafiki Sol. Sol sini? — Ya, ta sini. Ta-ta rabota. — Ta-ta es kim? — Sol, rafiki ta, anak-anak ta. Kita go kan ta-ta? — Ya! Mersi!
Hello! Who are you all? — We’re Sol’s friends. Is Sol here? — Yes, she’s here. They’re working. — Who are they? — Sol, her friend, her children. Shall we go see them? — Yes! Thanks!
Practice
- Ta-ta mau akua. — They want water.
- Yu-yu suda kan doktor? — Did you all see the doctor?
- Mi-mi saufa lai kab? — When will we come? (we, not you)
- Kita saufa lai sasa. — We’ll come now. (all of us)
- Nama ta-ta ke? — What are their names?
- Pan garam. Mi mau ta! — The bread is hot. I want it!
What you can already say
Nine lessons, 76 roots. You can now talk about anyone — one person or many, with you or without you, a person or a thing — and the words for them have never once changed their shape.
there is covered in Lesson 10, the copula in Lesson 11. Still open: this and that, and how to say not. See the open questions in grammar/.