Lojban Through Dialogues
Lesson 15. My Family
The conversation turns to family. se swaps predicate slots to change perspective; be links a possessor inside a noun phrase; da is a variable for "things"; xo da asks "how many?"
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
 xu do speni | Are you married? |
 go'i .i le speni be mi cu gleki | Yes. My spouse is happy. |
 xu do se panzi | Do you have children? |
 go'i .i mi se panzi re da | Yes. I have two. |
do se panzi xo da | How many children do you have? |
re .i le lanzu be mi cu gleki | Two. My family is happy. |
New words
| Lojban | Meaning |
|---|---|
| speni | x₁ is the spouse of x₂ |
| panzi | x₁ is the offspring of x₂ |
| lanzu | x₁ is a family including members x₂ |
| se | swaps x₁ and x₂ of a predicate |
| be | links a sumti (noun phrase) inside a description: "of" — le speni be mi = "my spouse" |
| da | variable: "thing(s)" — numbers quantify it: re da = "two things" |
| xo | how many? — always used with da: xo da = "how many things?" |
Grammar note:
se swaps the first and second slots. panzi = "x₁ is offspring of x₂." se panzi = "x₁ has offspring x₂." da is a variable meaning "things"; a number in front quantifies it: re da = "two things." So mi se panzi re da = "I have two children." be links a possessor inside a description: le speni be mi = "the spouse of me" = "my spouse." xo asks "how many?" and always precedes da: do se panzi xo da = "how many children do you have?" Answer: mi se panzi re da.
Names revisited: Now that se is a tool, you can say mi se cmene zo lifri — "I am named by the word lifri" — as an alternative to zo lifri cmene mi from Lesson 3. Both are correct.
Practice dialogue
Linto asks about Mentu's family — and connects it to what she knows about him.
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
 xu do se panzi | Do you have children? |
go'i .i mi se panzi re da | Yes. I have two. |
 do se panzi xo da | How many children? |
 re | Two. |
 le lanzu be do cu gleki | Your family is happy. |
ki'e | Thanks. |
 xu le speni be do cu se bangu la .lojban. | Does your spouse speak Lojban? |
 milxe .i le speni be mi cu nelci la .lojban. | A little. My spouse likes Lojban. |
Anticipation prompts
| Prompt | Lojban |
|---|---|
| Are you married? | xu do speni |
| I have two children. | mi se panzi re da |
| My family is happy. | le lanzu be mi cu gleki |
| My spouse is happy. | le speni be mi cu gleki |
| How many children do you have? | do se panzi xo da |
Spaced recall — Lessons 12–14
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| lo nanba cu meryru'u li pa ci | The bread costs 13 dollars. |
| .ai mi te vecnu lo titnanba .e lo jisra | I'm going to buy cookies and juice. |
| le cidja cu mutce kargu | The food is very expensive. |
| ca ro jeftu mi ba klama le panka | Every week I'll go to the park. |
| mi birti | I'm certain. |
| .au mi te vecnu su'o titnanba | I want to buy at least one cookie. |
| ca ro djedi mi nelci la .lojban. | Every day I love Lojban. |
| ca ro detma'i mi ba klama le panka | Every month I'll go to the park. |
| mi nelci su'o jdini | I like some money. |
Challenge
| Prompt | Lojban |
|---|---|
| I have two children. My spouse wants to go to the park every week. | mi se panzi re da .i le speni be mi cu .au klama le panka ca ro jeftu |