Lojban Through Dialogues
Lesson 1. First Words
Every Lojban conversation starts with coi — the universal greeting. Let's listen to a short exchange and see how much you can pick up just from context.
I like that it doesn't have a "good morning" vs "good evening" distinction yet. Just… hello!
Opening exchange
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| coi do .i xu do se bangu le glico | Hello. Can you speak English? |
| na go'i .i xu do se bangu la .lojban. | No. Can you speak Lojban? |
| go'i .i mi milxe se bangu | Yes. I can speak a little. |
| xu do merko | Are you American? |
| go'i .i mi merko | Yes. I'm American. |
New words
| Lojban | Meaning |
|---|---|
| milxe | mildly, a little |
| merko | American (from the USA) |
| se bangu | to speak / know a language |
Oh — go'i is just "yes, what you said is true." And na go'i means "no, it isn't." That's elegant.
Continuing the conversation
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| coi do .i do mo | Hello — how are you? |
| le tcima cu zabna vi mi | The weather is nice at my place. |
| do zabna se bangu la .lojban. | You speak Lojban well. |
| mi na'e zabna se bangu la .lojban. | I don't speak Lojban very well. |
| ki'e do | Thank you. |
| co'o do .i mi cliva | Goodbye — I'm leaving. |
| co'o do | Goodbye. |
New words
| Lojban | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tcima | weather |
| zabna | nice, pleasant |
| vi | at / near (here) |
| ki'e | thank you |
| cliva | to leave |
| do mo | how are you? (lit. "you — what predicate?") |
Notice na'e — it softens a negation: not "I speak Lojban badly" but "I speak Lojban not-well." A more nuanced shade of no.
Written prompts
Say in Lojban: I can speak a little. (go'i .i mi milxe se bangu)
Say in Lojban: The weather is nice. (le tcima cu zabna)
Say in Lojban: Goodbye, I'm leaving. (co'o do .i mi cliva)