Lojban Through Dialogues
Lesson 15. Travel Stories
Geography! xabju = to live in / inhabit; litru = to travel; gugde = country; tcadu = city. And we introduce the welcome word fi'i and a suggestion: .e'u.
Moscow, Washington, Big Apple — suddenly we're globetrotting!
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| coi do mi'e la .alis. | Hello, I'm Alice. |
| fi'i do | Welcome! |
| fi'i do .i mi'o casnu ma .ei | Welcome! What shall we discuss? |
| .e'u mi'o casnu lo'e tcima | I suggest we talk about weather. |
| .e'u mi'o casnu lo'e djalitki | I suggest we talk about drinks. |
| xu do nelci lo'e vanju | Do you like wine? |
| na go'i .i mi nelci lo'e jisra | No. I like juices. |
| le speni be mi ca litru lu'i le drata gugde | My spouse is now travelling in another country. |
| xu do pu'i litru lu'i le ropno | Have you ever travelled in Europe? |
| mi pu'i litru lu'i le merko | I have travelled in the USA. |
| .i ku'i mi ca xabju le xazdo | But now I live in Asia. |
| mi xabju la .moskov. | I live in Moscow. |
| xu do xabju la .uocinton. | Do you live in Washington? |
| la .moskov. cu barda tcadu | Moscow is a big city. |
| mi xabju la barda plise | I live in Big Apple (New York). |
New words
| Lojban | Meaning |
|---|---|
| fi'i | welcome! (attitudinal: hospitality) |
| .e'u | I suggest / let's (attitudinal: suggestion) |
| djalitki | beverages |
| vanju | wine |
| litru | to travel |
| lu'i | in the domain of / as a set member |
| gugde | country |
| drata | other, different |
| pu'i | have ever (experiential past) |
| ropno | European |
| xabju | to live in / inhabit |
| xazdo | Asian |
| barda | big |
| tcadu | city |
pu'i — you've done it at least once before. A "have you ever" past. That's subtle but useful.
It marks that the experience has occurred at some point. You'll find it in "have you ever tried X?" questions constantly.
Written prompts
Say in Lojban: I live in Moscow. (mi xabju la .moskov.)
Say in Lojban: Have you ever travelled in Asia? (xu do pu'i litru lu'i le xazdo)
Say in Lojban: I suggest we discuss the weather. (.e'u mi'o casnu lo'e tcima)
Recycle — Lessons 12–14
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| la .moskov. cu barda tcadu .i na kargu | Moscow is a big city. Not expensive. |
| le speni be mi pu litru lu'i le ropno | My spouse has travelled in Europe. |
| mi nelci lo'e tcati ne semau lo'e vanju | I like tea more than wine. |
Say in Lojban: Welcome! Does your spouse live in Moscow? (fi'i do .i xu le speni be do cu xabju la .moskov.)