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.

smuni

… means … (text)

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.

zabna

… is cool, … is nice

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.

bebna

… is foolish, … is stupid

citno

… is young

• va'o le nu

  provided that …

va'o le nu do djica kei mi ka'e ciksi

If you want I can explain.

va'o

modal term: provided that …

• simlu le ka

  … seems to be …

simlu le ka zabna

It seems to be cool.

simlu

… seems to be … (property)

• ca le cabdei

  today

pu ce'e ca le cabdei mi surla

Today I took a rest.

le cabdei

today

surla

… relaxes

• 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.

le vlaste

the dictionary, the dictionaries

nandu

… is difficult

• 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!

le skami

the computer, the computers

• mutce le ka

  very …

mi mutce le ka se cinri

I am very interested.

mutce

… is very, … is much

se cinri

… is 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.

rinka

… (event) causes … (event)

• 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.

gasnu

… (agent) makes … (event) happen

spofu

… is broken, … doesn't work

• xusra le du'u

  assert that …

xu do xusra le du'u mi na ku drani

Do you state that I am not right?

xusra

… asserts that … (proposition)

drani

… is right, … is correct

• 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.

kanpe

… expects that … (event)

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?

tcima

… is the weather

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?

tarmi

… is the form of … (something)

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?

jinvi

… has opinion that … (proposition)

makcu

… is ripe

.au mi zgana le sefta be le plise

I'd like to palpate it.

sefta

… is a surface of … (something)

.i ua xutla

Oh, it is smooth.

xutla

… is smooth

.i mi pacna le nu makcu ie

I hope that it is ripe, yeah.

panci pei

What about the smell?

panci

… is an odor of … (something)

.i .e'o do sumne le plise

Please, smell it.

sumne

… smells … (odor)

le xrula cu panci

It smells of flowers.

.i .au mi zgana le vrusi be le plise

I'd like to taste the apple.

vrusi

… is the taste of … (something)

.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?

fasnu

… (event) happens

mi pu farlu

I fell down.

farlu

... falls down to ...

xu do cortu

Do you feel pain?

cortu

… has pain in … (body part)

cortu .i mi cortu le cidni

Yes, I feel pain in the knee.

le cidni

the knee, the knees

.i na ku ckape

It's not dangerous.

ckape

… is dangerous

.i ca ti mi ganse le nu da vi zvati

And now I can sense a presence of someone here.

ganse

… senses … (stimulus)

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.

denpa

… waits for … (event)

le sance

the sound, the sounds

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.

le lenku

the 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

x₁ sees x₂ (object, form, color)

skari

x₁ is an object with the color x₂ (property)

tarmi

x₁ is the form of x₂

cukla

x₁ 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

x₁ hears x₂ (object or sound)

mi tirna le palta

I hear the plate

le palta

the plate

mi tirna le sance be le palta poi ca'o porpi

I hear the sound of a plate that is falling.

porpi

… breaks, … shatters

.i le palta cu se sance le cladu

It sounds loud.

cladu

x₁ is loud

tolycladu

x₁ is quite in sound

tonga

x₁ is a tone of x₂

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.

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

x₁ senses stimulus x₂ (object, event) by means x₃

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

x₁ notices, observes, watches x₂. 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

x₁ smells x₂ (odor)

panci

x₁ is an odor of x₂ (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

x₁ is a taste of x₂

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

x₁ is a surface of x₂

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

x₁ has pain in organ x₂, which is a part of x₁'s body

cidni

x₁ is a knee of x₂

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

x₁ 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

le cerni

the morning

.i le solri cu simlu le ka narju

The sun seems to be orange.

le solri

the Sun

simlu

x₁ looks like x₂ (property of x₁)

narju

… is orange

.i le pelxu xrula cu se farna le solri

Yellow flowers are oriented towards the Sun.

pelxu

… is yellow

se farna

x₁ is oriented towards x₂

farna

x₁ is the direction of x₂

.i le pezli be le tricu cu crino

Leaves of trees are green.

pezli

x₁ is a leaf of x₂

le tricu

tree

crino

… is green

.i mi zvati le korbi be le blanu xamsi

I am at the border of a blue sea.

zvati

… is present at …

korbi

x₁ is the border of x₂

le xamsi

sea

blanu

… is blue

.i mi catlu le prenu noi dasni le zirpu taxfu

I look at a person who wears the violet dress.

dasni

x₁ wears x₂ (something)

le taxfu

the garment, the dress

zirpu

… is violet, … is purple

xunre

x₁ is red

narju

x₁ is orange

pelxu

x₁ is yellow

crino

x₁ is green

blanu

x₁ is blue

zirpu

x₁ is violet

Other useful relations:

le gusni be le manku pagbu pu na ku carmi

The light illuminating dark areas was not intense.

le pagbu

the part, the parts

le gusni be fi le solri pu carmi

The light from the Sun was intense.

gusni

x₁ is a light illuminating x₂ from the light source x₃

carmi

x₁ is intense, bright

manku

x₁ 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

x₁ sleeps

cikna

x₁ is awake

ganse

observer x₁ senses, notices some stimulus (event) by mrans x₃

sanji

x₁ is conscious, aware of x₂ (event)

ganse doesn't imply any mental processing; it just describes perception, recognition, detection of some stimulus via sensory channels (specified in x₃).

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.

nuzba

… is news about … (something)

badri

x₁ is sad about x₂

mi steba le nu le bruna be mi co'a speni le ninmu

I am frustrated that my brother gets married the woman.

le bruna

the brother, the brothers

steba

x₁ feels frustration about x₂

speni

… is married to … (someone)

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

x₁ is confused about x₂

gleki

x₁ is happy about x₂

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.

pindi

… is poor

le jdini

the money

ponse

… owns … (something)

kakne

x₁ is capable of x₂ (property of x₁)

ciksi

… explains … (something)

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

x₁ expects x₂ (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

x₁ fears x₂

tarti

… behaves as … (property)

lo xlali

something bad

cisma

x₁ smiles

cmila

x₁ laughs

mi kucli le nu le ninmu cu prami le bruna

I wonder whether the girl likes the brother.

kucli

x₁ is curious of x₂

mi na ku kanpe

I don't expect that.

kanpe

x₁ expects that x₂ (event) happens

ko surla

Relax!

surla

x₁ relaxes by doing x₂ (property of x₁)

cinmo

x₁ feels emotion x₂ (property of x₁)

nelci

x₁ likes x₂

manci

x₁ feels awe or wonder about x₂

fengu

x₁ is angry about x₂

xajmi

x₁ thinks x₂ is funny

se zdile

x₁ is amused by x₂

zdile

x₁ is amusing

djica

x₁ desires x₂

pacna

x₁ hopes that x₂ is true

Health#

ca glare

It's hot now.

glare

… is hot

.i ku'i mi ganse le lenku

But I feel cold.

ku'i

interjection: but, however

xu do bilma

Are you ill?

bilma

… is 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.

le galxe

the throat

cortu

x₁ has pain in organ x₂, which is a part of x₁'s body

sruma

… assumes that … (proposition)

la .zukam.

common cold (disease)

ko kanro

Get well!

kanro

x₁ is healthy

ki'e

Thanks.

bilma

x₁ is ill or sick with symptoms x₂ from disease x₃

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

x₁ has the body x₂

xadni

x₁ is the body of x₂

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

x₁ hits x₂ with x₃

le stedu

the head

le xance

the hand, the hands

zunle

… is to the left of … (something) as viewed by … (someone)

pritu

… is to the right of … (something) as viewed by … (someone)

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

stedu

x₁ is a head of x₂

However, some describe smaller parts:

degji

x₁ is a finger/toe on part x₂ (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

clani

… is 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.

le jamfu

the foot, the feet

janco

x₁ is a joint attaching limbs x₂

ctebi

x₁ is a lip of mouth, orifice x₂

cidni

x₁ is a knee or elbow of limb x₂

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.

se cmene

… is called … (name)

speni

… is married to … (someone)

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.

pluka

… is pleasant

penmi

… meets … (someone)

le nenri

the interior

le dinju

the building, 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.

gau

modal term: caused by … (agent)

slabu

… is familiar with … (something)

le lanzu

the family

panzi

… is a child of … (someone)

le tixnu

the daughter, the daughters

le bersa

the son, the sons

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.

ji'a

interjection: additionally, also

tunba

… is a sibling of … (someone)

sa'e

interjection: to be precise

mensi

… is a sister of … (someone)

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

x₁ is a husband/wife of x₂

co'a speni means to get married:

mi co'a speni la .suzan.

I married Susan.

lanzu

x₁ is a family including x₂

panzi

x₁ is a child of x₂

tixnu

x₁ is a daughter of x₂

bersa

x₁ is a son of x₂

tunba

x₁ is a sibling (brother/sister) of x₂

bruna

x₁ is a brother of x₂

mensi

x₁ is a sister of x₂

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

verba

x₁ is a child, immature person of age x₂ (event)

panzi

x₁ is a child, offspring of x₂

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

x₁ is young

laldo

x₁ 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

x₁ is a mother of x₂, x₁ acts maternally

patfu

x₁ is a father of x₂

rirni

x₁ is a parent of x₂, x₁ raises x₂

In the shop#

ue

do pu te vecnu le laldo karce

Wow!

You bought an old car.

te vecnu

… buys … (something)

laldo

… is old

ie

.i ku'i mi na ku pu pleji le so'i jdini

Yeah.

But I didn't pay much money.

pleji

… pays … (payment) to … (recipient)

so'i

many

ma pu jdima le karce

What was the price of the car?

jdima

… is the price of … (something)

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.

rupnusudu

… costs … (number) US dollars

le kagni

the company, the companies

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.

vecnu

… sells … (something) to … (recipient)

rupne'uru

… costs … (number) euro

ki'o

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

Shop, buildings#

ma stuzi le zdani be do

What is the location of your home?

stuzi

… is a place, … is a location

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.

le cmana

the mountain, the mountains

se zdani

… lives in … (place)

le nurma

the rural area, the countryside

sledi'u

… is a room

vimstu

… is a toilet

lumstu

… is 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.

je'e

interjection: I see, understood

jbena

… is born

le tcadu

the city

jarbu

… is a suburban area of … (city)

xabju

… inhabits … (place)

ne'a

modal term: near …