The fourteenth text, and the first written for a learner in the middle of the course. The reading ladder showed the problem: story 1 opens at Lesson 13 and the next text does not open until Lesson 24. Eleven lessons with nothing new to read.
This one uses only the 147 roots the lessons have taught by Lesson 18, and no rule beyond that lesson. It is not a simplified text — it is a text written inside a smaller language, which is a different thing and a harder one.
Rat. Yamur in madina.
Mi anda in tarik. Angin barid.
Mi mau ca garam.
Es kafe keci sini.
Mi go kafe. Mi otur in kursi.
Rafiki mi lai. Ta kotor aur barid.
Mi sema: "Yu barid?"
Ta sema: "Mi no bil tarik por dom mi."
Mi kan telefon mi. Telefon mi no hao.
Kita no bisa sema una telefon.
Mi sema: "Bas. Kita anda una."
Kita nomu ca. Ca garam.
Kita espera. Yamur no lai tena.
Kita anda in tarik una.
Mi bil tarik ini. Dom ta situ, upar.
Ta sema: "Mersi, rafiki."
Ta go dom ta. Mi go dom mi.
Rat. Mi no sedih.
Line by line
| Amadunia | English |
|---|---|
| Rat. Yamur in madina. | Night. Rain in the city. |
| Mi anda in tarik. | I walk on the road. |
| Angin barid. | The wind is cold. |
| Mi mau ca garam. | I want hot tea. |
| Es kafe keci sini. | There is a small cafe here. |
| Mi go kafe. Mi otur in kursi. | I go to the cafe. I sit in a chair. |
| Rafiki mi lai. | My friend comes. |
| Ta kotor aur barid. | She is dirty and cold. |
| Mi sema: “Yu barid?” | I say: “Are you all right?” |
| Ta sema: “Mi no bil tarik por dom mi.” | She says: “I do not know the road to my house.” |
| Mi kan telefon mi. Telefon mi no hao. | I look at my phone. My phone is not good. |
| Kita no bisa sema una telefon. | We cannot speak with a telephone. |
| Mi sema: “Bas. Kita anda una.” | I say: “Enough. We walk together.” |
| Kita nomu ca. Ca garam. | We drink tea. The tea is hot. |
| Kita espera. Yamur no lai tena. | We wait. The rain does not come again. |
| Kita anda in tarik una. | We walk on the road together. |
| Mi bil tarik ini. | I know this road. |
| Dom ta situ, upar. | Her house is there, above. |
| Ta sema: “Mersi, rafiki.” | She says: “Thank you, friend.” |
| Ta go dom ta. Mi go dom mi. | She goes to her house. I go to mine. |
| Rat. Mi no sedih. | Night. I am not sad. |
What a smaller language cost
Twenty-nine sentences, 45 roots, and every one of them taught by Lesson 18. The grammar is all there — existence, the verb chain, una, a command, a question, a subordinate clause — because Lesson 18 is where the last of those arrives. What is missing is words, and the shape of what is missing is worth recording, because none of it is a hole in the language:
| Wanted | Arrives in | Written instead |
|---|---|---|
| senang, happy | Lesson 25 | Mi no sedih — I am not sad |
| tanya, to ask | Lesson 25 | Mi sema: “Yu barid?” |
| punya, to have | Lesson 25 | left out; the phone is described, not owned |
| pencere, a window | Lesson 21 | the cafe has no window |
The ending is the clearest case. The story wants I am happy, and at Lesson 18 the only feeling word is sedih. So it ends on Mi no sedih, which is a colder sentence than the one intended and is the honest one to write. A learner who reaches Lesson 25 can come back and see what the language gained.
Gaps
These are gaps in the course order, not in the language: every word above exists and is taught later. That distinction matters, and this is the first text able to make it — every other text was written at 300 roots, where the question cannot come up.
The two standing gaps are here as well. No word for then: the friend arrives, the tea is drunk, the rain stops, and the page’s order does the work. No word for but: Ca garam would rather be “the tea is hot but the night is cold”. Both are recorded with the others.
Roots used
45 of 300.