Lesson 4. Practice#

Now we know the most crucial parts of the grammar and can start accumulating new words through situations.

Colloquial expressions#

Here are some common structures used by fluent speakers of Lojban, along with examples illustrating their usage.

They may help you get used to colloquial Lojban more quickly.

• .i ku'i

  But…

mi djuno .i ku'i mi na ku djica I know. But I don't want.

• mi djica le nu

  I want that …

mi djica le nu mi sipna I want to sleep. I want that I sleep.

• mi djuno le du'u ma kau

  I know what/who …

mi djuno le du'u ma kau smuni zo coi I know what is the meaning of coi.

mi na ku djuno I don't know.

• jinvi le du'u

  … has an opinion that …

mi jinvi le du'u la .lojban. cu zabna I think that Lojban is cool.

coi ro do Hello, everyone!

co'o ro do Bye, everyone!

• jinvi le du'u

  … has an opinion that …

ai mi cliva .i co'o I'm going to leave. Bye!

• .ei mi

  I should …

.ei mi citka .i co'o I should eat. Bye!

• ca le nu

  when …

mi pu bebna ca le nu mi citno I was stupid when I was young.

• va'o le nu

  provided that …

va'o le nu do djica kei mi ka'e ciksi If you want I can explain.

• simlu le ka

  … seems to be …

simlu le ka zabna It seems to be cool.

• ca le cabdei

  today

pu ce'e ca le cabdei mi surla Today I took a rest.

• mi nelci

  I like

mi nelci le mlatu I like the cat.

• le nu pilno

  using …

na ku le nu pilno le vlaste cu nandu Using dictionaries isn't hard.

• kakne le ka

  capable of …

xu do kakne le ka sutra tavla Are you able to talk quickly?

• tavla fi

  talk about …

.e'ei tavla fi le skami Let's talk about computers!

• mutce le ka

  very …

mi mutce le ka se cinri I am very interested.

• troci le ka

  … tries to …

mi troci le ka tavla fo la .lojban. I am trying to talk in Lojban.

• rinka le nu

  (event) leads to …

le nu mi tadni la .lojban. cu rinka le nu mi jimpe fi do That I study Lojban makes me understand you.

• gasnu le nu

  (agent) causes …

mi pu gasnu le nu le skami pe mi co'a spofu I made it so that my computer got broken.

• xusra le du'u

  assert that …

xu do xusra le du'u mi na ku drani Do you state that I am not right?

• kanpe le du'u

  expect (in the sense of assessment, prediction) that …

mi na ku kanpe le du'u mi jinga I don't expect myself to win.

A simple dialogue#

coi la .alis. Hi, Alice!

coi la .doris. Hi, Doris!

do mo How are you?

mi kanro .i mi ca tadni la .lojban. .i mi troci le ka tavla do I'm healthy. I now study Lojban. I'm trying to talk to you.

kanro

to be healthy

tadni

to study … (something)

troci

to try … (to do something)

tavla

to talk [to someone]

zabna .i ma tcima ca le bavlamdei Good. What will be the weather tomorrow?

zabna

… is nice, cool

tcima

… is the weather

ca

at (some time)

le bavlamdei

tomorrow day (day as an event)

mi na ku djuno .i le solri sei mi pacna I don't know. It'll be sunny, I hope.

djuno

to know (fact)

le solri

the sun

Note that le solri cu tcima (literally the sun is the weather) is the way of using tcima in Lojban.

sei

comment starts

pacna

to hope (for some event)

mi jimpe I understand.

co'o Goodbye.

Human senses#

ju'i la .alis. Hey, Alice!

ju'i

vocative that draws attention: Hey! Psst! Ahem! Attention!

re'i Listening.

re'i

vocative: I'm ready to receive information.

xu do viska ta Do you see that thing near you?

In English we say Сan you see, in Lojban we say just xu do viska — You see?

---

Relations describing perception will be explained after the dialogue.

viska .i plise .i le plise cu xunre .i skari le ka xunre Yes. It is an apple. The apple is red. It's colored red.

xu do viska le tarmi be le plise Can you see the form of the apple?

viska .i le plise cu barda Yes. The apple is big.

xu do jinvi le du'u le plise ca makcu Do you think that the apple is ripe?

makcu

… is ripe

.au mi zgana le sefta be le plise I'd like to palpate it.

.i ua xutla Oh, it is smooth.

.i mi pacna le nu makcu ie I hope that it is ripe, yeah.

panci pei What about the smell?

.i .e'o do sumne le plise Please, smell it.

le xrula cu panci It smells of flowers.

.i .au mi zgana le vrusi be le plise I'd like to taste the apple.

.i .oi nai le kukte cu vrusi Yum, it tastes sweet.

.i .oi Oh-no.

le xrula

the flower(s)

ma pu fasnu What happened?

mi pu farlu I fell down.

farlu

... falls down to ...

xu do cortu Do you feel pain?

cortu .i mi cortu le cidni Yes, I feel pain in the knee.

.i na ku ckape It's not dangerous.

.i ca ti mi ganse le nu da vi zvati And now I can sense a presence of someone here.

doi la .alis. do cliva .e'o sai Alice, please, return immediately!

ko denpa .i mi ca tirna le sance Wait, I can hear some sound.

le sance be ma A sound of what?

mi pu tirna le nu le prenu cu tavla I heard a person talking.

.i ca ti mi zgana le lenku Now I feel cold.

ju'i la .alis. Hey, Alice!..

In this dialogue, the most important concepts for human senses were touched. In the following sections we shall explain their place structures, along with additional relations and examples.

Vision#

viska

$x_1$ sees $x_2$ (object, form, color)

skari

$x_1$ is an object with the color $x_2$ (property)

tarmi

$x_1$ is the form of $x_2$

cukla

$x_1$ is round (in form)

mi viska le plise I see the apple.

mi viska le tarmi be le plise I see the form of the apple.

.i le plise cu se tarmi le cukla The apple is round.

.i le plise cu skari le ka xunre The apple is colored red.

Note: we can both say see the form of the apple and see the apple.

Hearing#

tirna

$x_1$ hears $x_2$ (object or sound)

mi tirna le palta I hear the plate

mi tirna le sance be le palta poi ca'o porpi I hear the sound of a plate that is falling.

.i le palta cu se sance le cladu It sounds loud.

le palta

the plate

cladu

$x_1$ is loud

tolycladu

$x_1$ is quite in sound

tonga

$x_1$ is a tone of $x_2$

We can use cladu and similar words directly:

mi tirna le cladu I hear something loud.

mi tirna le tolycladu I hear something quite in sound.

mi tirna le tonga be le palta poi farlu I hear the tone of the plate falling down.

Similarly to vision, we can say hear a sound and hear something producing the sound:

— ma sance gi'e se tirna do — What sound do you hear?

— le zgike — The music.

— do tirna le sance be ma — You hear a sound of what?

— le plise poi co'i farlu — The apple that has fallen down.

Perception in general#

We can also use the vague ganse — to sense stimulus.

ganse

$x_1$ senses stimulus $x_2$ (object, event) by means $x_3$

ganse le glare

to feel the heat

ganse le lenku

to feel the cold

mi ganse le plise I sense the apple.

For observing our perceptions we can use zgana:

mi zgana le tarmi be le plise I observe the form of an apple.

.i le plise cu se tarmi le'e cukla The apple is round.

zgana

$x_1$ notices, observes, watches $x_2$. Not limited to vision

Some arguments can be used with different sensory relations. For example, we can

viska le sefta

to see the surface

zgana le sefta

to palpate the surface

Sense of smell#

sumne

$x_1$ smells $x_2$ (odor)

panci

$x_1$ is an odor of $x_2$ (object)

mi sumne le xrula I smell the flower.

mi sumne le panci be le za'u xrula I smell the odor of flowers.

mi sumne le panci be le plise I smell the odor of the apple.

.i le plise cu se panci le xrula The apple smells of flowers.

Note that English can be confusing when it comes to distinguishing between smelling an odor and smelling an object that produces that odor. We say to smell the apple, the apple smells of flowers (has the scent of flowers). This two-fold distinction is important because an apple produces aromatic particles that are distinct from the apple itself. The same applies to a falling plate and its sound — we may not want to mix them.

In Lojban, we can easily separate these cases, as demonstrated in the examples above.

Sense of taste#

vrusi

$x_1$ is a taste of $x_2$

mi zgana le vrusi be le grute I taste the apple. I observe the taste of the fruit

le grute

the fruit, the fruits

.i le plise cu se vrusi le titla The apple tastes sweet.

titla

… is sweet, … is a sweetie

Sense of touch#

sefta

$x_1$ is a surface of $x_2$

mi zgana le sefta be le plise I palpate, touch-feel the surface of the apple.

.i le plise cu se sefta le xutla The apple has a smooth surface.

Pain#

mi cortu le birka be mi I feel pain in my arm. My arm hurts.

mi cortu le cidni I feel pain in my knee, my knee hurts.

cortu

$x_1$ has pain in organ $x_2$, which is a part of $x_1$'s body

cidni

$x_1$ is a knee of $x_2$

Colors#

Different languages use different sets of words to denote colors. Some languages simply refer to colors by referencing other "prototype" objects with similar colors, shades, or forms. In Lojban, we use all the options:

ti xunre This is red.

xunre

$x_1$ is red

ti skari le ka xunre This is red. This has the color or red things.

ti skari le ka ciblu This has the color of blood.

le ciblu

the blood

Here are some color examples that align with the English language. You can also use other color words, reflecting the way how speakers of different languages typically categorize things.

le tsani cu xunre ca le cerni The sky is red in the morning.

le tsani

the sky

.i le solri cu simlu le ka narju The sun seems to be orange.

le solri

the Sun

simlu

$x_1$ looks like $x_2$ (property of $x_1$)

.i le pelxu xrula cu se farna le solri Yellow flowers are oriented towards the Sun.

se farna

$x_1$ is oriented towards $x_2$

farna

$x_1$ is the direction of $x_2$

.i le pezli be le tricu cu crino Leaves of trees are green.

pezli

$x_1$ is a leaf of $x_2$

le tricu

tree

.i mi zvati le korbi be le blanu xamsi I am at the border of a blue sea.

zvati

… is present at …

korbi

$x_1$ is the border of $x_2$

le xamsi

sea

.i mi catlu le prenu noi dasni le zirpu taxfu I look at a person who wears the violet dress.

dasni

$x_1$ wears $x_2$ (something)

xunre

$x_1$ is red

narju

$x_1$ is orange

pelxu

$x_1$ is yellow

crino

$x_1$ is green

blanu

$x_1$ is blue

zirpu

$x_1$ is violet

Other useful relations:

le gusni be le manku pagbu pu na ku carmi The light illuminating dark areas was not intense.

le gusni be fi le solri pu carmi The light from the Sun was intense.

gusni

$x_1$ is a light illuminating $x_2$ from the light source $x_3$

carmi

$x_1$ is intense, bright

manku

$x_1$ is dark

«sipna» — ‘to sleep’, «sanji» — ‘to be aware’#

The following examples illustrate some basic aspects of the mind:

pu ku mi cikna gi'e ku'i na ganse le nu do klama I was awake but didn't sense your arrival.

pu ku ca le nu mi sipna kei mi ganse ku'i le nu do klama While I was asleep I nevertheless sensed you coming.

pu ku mi ca'o sipna gi'e sanji le nu mi sipna I was sleeping and I was aware that I was sleeping. I was having a lucid dream.

mi sanji le nu mi sanji I am aware that I'm aware. I am self-conscious.

sipna

$x_1$ sleeps

cikna

$x_1$ is awake

ganse

observer $x_1$ senses, notices some stimulus (event) by mrans $x_3$

sanji

$x_1$ is conscious, aware of $x_2$ (event)

ganse doesn't imply any mental processing; it just describes perception, recognition, detection of some stimulus via sensory channels (specified in $x_3$).

On the other hand, sanji describes passive sensing, which involves mental processing but not necessarily via sensory inputs at all (some mental relationships are not detected by the senses).

Emotions: «cmila» — ‘to laugh’, «cisma» — ‘to smile’#

coi .i ma nuzba .i do simlu le ka badri Hi. What are the news? You seem to be sad.

badri

$x_1$ is sad about $x_2$

mi steba le nu le bruna be mi co'a speni le ninmu I am frustrated that my brother gets married the woman.

steba

$x_1$ feels frustration about $x_2$

mi se cfipu .i xu do na ku gleki le nu le bruna co'a speni I am confused. You are not happy that the brother gets married?

se cfipu

$x_1$ is confused about $x_2$

gleki

$x_1$ is happy about $x_2$

ie .i le ninmu cu pindi .i le ninmu na ku ponse le jdini .i mi na ku kakne le ka ciksi Yeah. The woman is poor. She doesn't have money. I am not able to explain.

le jdini

the money

kakne

$x_1$ is capable of $x_2$ (property of $x_1$)

ua .i la'a do kanpe le nu le ninmu na ku prami le bruna Ah! Probably, you expect that the woman doesn't like the brother.

la'a

interjection: probably, it's likely

kanpe

$x_1$ expects $x_2$ (some event )

mi terpa le nu le ninmu ba tarti lo xlali .i ku'i le bruna cu cisma ca ro nu ri tavla le ninmu .i ri ta'e cmila I am afraid that she will behave bad. But the brother smiles every time he talks to her. And she usually laughs.

terpa

$x_1$ fears $x_2$

cisma

$x_1$ smiles

cmila

$x_1$ laughs

mi kucli le nu le ninmu cu prami le bruna I wonder whether the girl likes the brother.

kucli

$x_1$ is curious of $x_2$

mi na ku kanpe I don't expect that.

kanpe

$x_1$ expects that $x_2$ (event) happens

ko surla Relax!

surla

$x_1$ relaxes by doing $x_2$ (property of $x_1$)

cinmo

$x_1$ feels emotion $x_2$ (property of $x_1$)

nelci

$x_1$ likes $x_2$

manci

$x_1$ feels awe or wonder about $x_2$

fengu

$x_1$ is angry about $x_2$

xajmi

$x_1$ thinks $x_2$ is funny

se zdile

$x_1$ is amused by $x_2$

zdile

$x_1$ is amusing

djica

$x_1$ desires $x_2$

pacna

$x_1$ hopes that $x_2$ is true

Health#

ca glare It's hot now.

.i ku'i mi ganse le lenku But I feel cold.

ku'i

interjection: but, however

xu do bilma Are you ill?

bilma Yes.

xu do bilma fi le vidru .i .e'u do klama le mikce Do you have a virus? I suggest you go to a doctor.

le vidru

the virus

le mikce

doctor

mi bilma le ka cortu le galxe .i mi sruma le du'u mi bilma fi la .zukam. My symptoms is that my throat aches. I assume that I have a cold.

cortu

$x_1$ has pain in organ $x_2$, which is a part of $x_1$'s body

la .zukam.

common cold (disease)

ko kanro Get well!

kanro

$x_1$ is healthy

ki'e Thanks.

bilma

$x_1$ is ill or sick with symptoms $x_2$ from disease $x_3$

Note that the second place of bilma describes symptoms, such as le ka cortu le galxe = to have pain in the throat. The third place indicates the name of the disease causing those symptoms. Obviously, you may wish to skip filling these places of bilma.

Human body#

le nanmu cu se xadni le clani The man has a long body. The man is tall.

se xadni

$x_1$ has the body $x_2$

xadni

$x_1$ is the body of $x_2$

mi pu darxi fi le stedu .e le zunle xance .i ca ti le degji be le xance cu cortu .i ku'i le pritu xance na ku cortu I hit something with the head and the left hand. Now the finger of the hand hurts. But the right hand doesn't hurt.

darxi

$x_1$ hits $x_2$ with $x_3$

Most of words for parts of body have the same place structure as xadni:

stedu

$x_1$ is a head of $x_2$

However, some describe smaller parts:

degji

$x_1$ is a finger/toe on part $x_2$ (hand, foot)

le degji be le xance be le ninmu cu clani The woman's fingers are long. Digits of hand of the woman are long

mi viska le jamfu .i ku'i mi na ku viska le degji be le jamfu I can see the feet. But I don't see its toes.

janco

$x_1$ is a joint attaching limbs $x_2$

ctebi

$x_1$ is a lip of mouth, orifice $x_2$

cidni

$x_1$ is a knee or elbow of limb $x_2$

Kinship#

coi do mi se cmene zo .adam. .i ti du la .alis. .i ri speni mi Hello to you. I am called "Adam". This is Alice. She is my wife.

pluka fa le nu penmi do .i .e'o do klama le nenri be le dinju Pleasure to meet you. Please, come into the house.

ki'e Thanks.

.i .au gau mi do co'a slabu le lanzu be mi .i le re verba cu panzi mi .i le tixnu cu se cmene zo .flor. .i la .karl. cu du le bersa I'd like you to get to know my family. The two children are my offspring. The daughter is called "Flor". Karl is the son.

la .karl. cu mutce citno Karl is very young.

ie Yeah.

.i ji'a mi se tunba re da noi ca na ku zvati le dinju .i sa'e mi se tunba le pa bruna .e le pa mensi Also I have two siblings who are now not in the house. To be precise, I have a brother and a sister.

ue .i le lanzu be do cu barda Wow! Your family is large.

je'u pei Really?

je'u

interjection: truly

The words for names of family members have a similar place structure:

speni

$x_1$ is a husband/wife of $x_2$

co'a speni means to get married:

mi co'a speni la .suzan. I married Susan.

lanzu

$x_1$ is a family including $x_2$

panzi

$x_1$ is a child of $x_2$

tixnu

$x_1$ is a daughter of $x_2$

bersa

$x_1$ is a son of $x_2$

tunba

$x_1$ is a sibling (brother/sister) of $x_2$

bruna

$x_1$ is a brother of $x_2$

mensi

$x_1$ is a sister of $x_2$

Note that panzi can be applied to grown-up children:

verba

$x_1$ is a child, immature person of age $x_2$ (event)

panzi

$x_1$ is a child, offspring of $x_2$

verba doesn't necessarily talk of the child as of a family member:

le bersa be le pendo be mi cu verba le nanca be li ci The son of my friend is a child of three years old.

citno

$x_1$ is young

laldo

$x_1$ is old, aged

Pairs of traditional words (for humans only):

le ninmu

woman / women

le nanmu

male man / male men

le nixli

the girls

le nanla

the boys

le remna

the humans

Note that le prenu means the people or the persons. In fairy tales and fantastic stories, not only humans (lo'e remna) but also animals or alien beings from other planets can be considered persons.

These words can be used to describe genetically determined sex (both in animals and humans) as opposed to gender:

le fetsi

the female

le nakni

male

These word describe parental (not necessarily genetic) relations:

mamta

$x_1$ is a mother of $x_2$, $x_1$ acts maternally

patfu

$x_1$ is a father of $x_2$

rirni

$x_1$ is a parent of $x_2$, $x_1$ raises $x_2$

In the shop#

ue do pu te vecnu le laldo karce Wow! You bought an old car.

ie .i ku'i mi na ku pu pleji le so'i jdini Yeah. But I didn't pay much money.

ma pu jdima le karce What was the price of the car?

mi pu pleji le rupnusudu be li pa ki'o le kagni le karce I paid a thousand dollars to the company for the car.

mi pu vecnu le laldo karce pe mi le pendo be mi .i le pendo pu pleji le rupne'uru be li re ki'o mi le karce I sold an old car of mine to my friend. The friend paid 2 000 euro for the car.

ki'o

comma between digits so that pa ki'o is 1, 000 (one thousand)

vecnu

$x_1$ sells $x_2$ to $x_3$

te vecnu

$x_1$ buys $x_2$ from $x_3$

pleji

$x_1$ pays $x_2$ to $x_3$ for $x_4$

jdima

$x_1$ is the price of $x_2$

jdini

$x_1$ is money

rupnusudu

$x_1$ costs $x_2$ (number) US dollars

rupne'uru

$x_1$ costs $x_2$ (number) euro

Shop, buildings#

ma stuzi le zdani be do What is the location of your home?

le korbi be le cmana .i mi se zdani le nurma .i le zdani be mi cu barda dinju gi'e se sledi'u ci da .e le vimstu .e le lumstu The edge of the mountain. I live in the country. My home is a big house and has three rooms plus a toilet plus a bathroom.

je'e .i ku'i mi pu jbena le tcadu .i je ca ti mi se zdani le jarbu be la .paris. .i mi xabju ne'a le zarci I see. But I was born in the city, and now I live in the suburbs of Paris. I live near a shop.

stuzi

$x_1$ is a place

dinju

$x_1$ is a building, house

sledi'u

$x_1$ is a room, a part of a building $x_2$

vimstu

$x_1$ is a toilet, a place for excreting

lumstu

$x_1$ is a bathroom, a place for washing something

zdani

$x_1$ is a home of $x_2$

se zdani

$x_1$ lives in $x_2$, $x_1$ inhabits $x_2$

tcadu

$x_1$ is a city or town

jarbu

$x_1$ is a suburban are of city/town $x_2$

nurma

$x_1$ is a rural area, $x_1$ is in the country

zarci

$x_1$ is a shop