Lojban Through Dialogues
Lesson 19. Travel and Countries
Linto mentions she travelled abroad. They discuss countries and languages — including a new standalone use of bangu beyond the se bangu you already know.
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
 fi'i do | Welcome! |
 xu do pu litru lo drata gugde | Have you travelled in another country? |
 go'i .i mi pu litru | Yes. I have travelled. |
 xu do pu se bangu le glibau ca le nu do litru | Did you use English while you were travelling? |
 go'i .i le glibau cu bangu mi | Yes. English is my language. |
 .i ku'i mi nelci la .lojban. | But I like Lojban! |
New words
| Lojban | Meaning |
|---|---|
| litru | x₁ travels in/through x₂ |
| gugde | country |
| fi'i | welcome! (attitudinal: hospitality) |
| drata | other, different — lo drata gugde = "another country" |
| bangu | x₁ is a language used by x₂ — le glibau cu bangu mi = "English is my language"; se bangu (Lesson 2) swaps to "x₁ speaks language x₂" |
Grammar note:
fi'i is a vocative attitudinal for welcoming someone — like coi but warmer: "you are my guest." drata means "other / different" and modifies nouns the same way as barda: lo drata gugde = "another country." Place and language names use la (la .paris., la .lojban.); English as a language is le glibau (the English language). bangu place structure: x₁ is a language used by x₂ — so the language goes in x₁: le glibau cu bangu mi = "English is my language." Compare: mi se bangu le glibau (Lesson 2 pattern — swap puts the speaker in x₁) means the same thing.
Practice dialogue
Mentu tells Lifri about his travels.
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
xu do pu litru | Did you travel? |
 go'i .i mi pu litru lo drata gugde | Yes. I travelled in another country. |
fi'i do | Welcome! |
 ki'e | Thank you. |
le gugde cu darno | The country is far. |
Anticipation prompts
| Prompt | Lojban |
|---|---|
| Welcome! | fi'i do |
| Have you travelled in another country? | xu do pu litru lo drata gugde |
| English is my language. | le glibau cu bangu mi |
| The city is far. | le tcadu cu darno |
| I live in a big city. | mi xabju le barda tcadu |
Spaced recall — Lessons 16–18
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| le tixnu be mi cu zvati le zdani | My daughter is at home. |
| do xabju ma | Where do you live? |
| mi xabju lo barda tcadu | I live in a big city. |
| le panka cu jibni | The park is near. |
| mi nitcu lo nu mi gunka | I need to work. |
| .ai mi sipna | I'm going to sleep. |
| ma jibri do | What is your job? |
| mi lerci | I'm late. |
| le bersa be mi cu cmalu | My son is small. |
| le mensi be mi cu nixli | My sister is a girl. |
| le bruna be mi cu nanla | My brother is a boy. |
Challenge
| Prompt | Lojban |
|---|---|
| Welcome! My family lives in a big city. I have travelled in another country. | fi'i do .i le lanzu be mi cu xabju lo barda tcadu .i mi pu litru lo drata gugde |