Lesson 4: Not, questions, answers and commands§
The word for "not" is mu, and it goes before what it denies: to mu lugo. "I don't know." Doubled, mu mu is "definitely not".
fe "also", na "only" and wi "even" work the same way, each going before what it covers:
- to fe obu. "I'm coming too."
- na to "only me"
- wi tiwu la obu. "Even the children came."
- wi don "even if"
Where English stresses a word for contrast, you put o before it: o en tomas yidu bu. "Tomas took it." Here en marks a name (lesson 7) and bu is "it". Before the verb, o insists: to o unfu. "I did pay."
Questions and answers§
A yes/no question starts with min: min me momu osa. "Do you want water?"
There are no words for yes and no. You answer by repeating the verb: momu "(I) want (it)", or mu momu "(I) don't want (it)". This feels strange for a week and then very natural. A question with gun is answered with whatever follows gun. To min guyi gun kudu. "Is the house big?" the answer is kudu or mu kudu.
To show you got it, you can say mm "heard you". Echoing the answer back means "understood", and de with a verb means "will do": de obu "I'll come".
Question words stay where the answer would go. English moves what to the front of the sentence, but here it stays put:
- me momu yu. "What do you want?" (you want what)
- ewo yu obu. "Who is coming?" (person-what comes)
- me kusa gi yu. "Why are you leaving?" (you leave because-what, with gi "because")
- me muge bu fu yu. "How did you do it?" (you do it like-what, with fu "like")
A few more question words:
| mon kemu yu | where (at what place) |
| mon muyi yu | when (at what time) |
| totu yu | which dog |
| wifu yu | how many, how much |
| pi ewo yu | whose (of what person) |
So me nume mon kemu yu. "Where do you live?"
A choice can be offered two ways: min me momu osa lu pasu. "Do you want water or food (either one)?" and me momu osa lu pasu yu. "Which do you want, water or food?" Answer by echoing your choice: osa.
Questions can also sit inside a sentence, after wun "that", which introduces a clause: to mu lugo wun min wan obu. "I don't know whether she's coming." to mu lugo wun min ewo yu obu. "I don't know who is coming." The min is what makes it a question inside the sentence. Without it, me momu wun to oyi yu is a real question: "You want me to say what?"
What kind of sentence it is§
A particle near the start says what kind of sentence it is. It comes after any opener such as afe, and after any name you're calling (lesson 8). A sentence without a particle is a plain statement.
| min | question |
| so | request ("would you…?"). With "we" it means "let's", as in so pen isi "let's go", and with someone else it's a wish |
| tin | instruction ("do this") |
| fon | advice ("I'd suggest…; your call") |
| de | "I'll…" (I intend), or "we will" for your group: de din, with din "we, not you" from lesson 5 |
| yo | warning, and yo yo is an emergency |
| ba | exclamation |
| genso | not literal (joking, irony) |
A command needs tin: tin obu. "Come." On its own, obu. is a statement, "(someone) comes". "Don't" is tin mu: tin mu kusa. "Don't leave."
For a request, use so: so neke to osa. "Give me water?" "Please" is so nun, which you'll meet in lesson 8.
genso and ba can go in front of another particle, and genso can also go in front of a plain statement. ba min is a surprised or indignant question. With genso you get things like genso min me lugo. "As if you'd know." and genso to gun bi sogi. "I'm so happy." (sarcastic)
de is only for your own plans, or your group's. To talk about someone else's plan, use a time word or kon "how sure" (lesson 13).