Lojban Through Dialogues
Lesson 17. Grown-Up or Baby?
makcu means grown-up / mature; cifnu means baby / infant. Two ends of the life-stage spectrum — and both come up in family conversation constantly.
Short lesson this time?
Short but dense. Four sentences to lock in bersa, tixnu, makcu, cifnu, and zabju — that's five words in eight lines. Efficient.
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| xu do se panzi su'o da | Do you have children? |
| go'i .i mi se panzi ci da | Yes, I have three children. |
| xu le bersa be do cu makcu | Is your son grown-up? |
| le bersa be mi ca cifnu | My son is a baby. |
| le tixnu be mi ca makcu | My daughter is grown-up. |
| le tixnu be mi ca zabju la barda plise | My daughter now lives in New York. |
New words
| Lojban | Meaning |
|---|---|
| makcu | grown-up, mature, adult |
| cifnu | baby, infant |
| zabju | to reside / to live (long-term dwelling) |
xabju vs zabju — are those different?
xabju is broader: to inhabit a region. zabju implies more settled residence, often used for an address. In practice they overlap — most speakers use them interchangeably for "lives in."
Written prompts
Say in Lojban: My son is grown-up. (le bersa be mi cu makcu)
Say in Lojban: Is your daughter a baby? (xu le tixnu be do cu cifnu)
Say in Lojban: I have three children. (mi se panzi ci da)
Recycle — Lessons 14–16
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| le bersa be mi cu se esporte .i ku'i le tixnu be mi cu tadni la .lojban. | My son is athletic. But my daughter studies Lojban. |
| xu le tixnu be do cu makcu je'i cifnu | Is your daughter grown-up or a baby? |
| le speni be mi pu xabju la .moskov. .i ca ri zabju la barda plise | My spouse used to live in Moscow. Now she lives in New York. |
Say in Lojban: Welcome — is your son grown-up or still a baby? (fi'i do .i xu le bersa be do cu makcu je'i cifnu)