Lojban Through Dialogues
Lesson 22. Morning Errands and Taxis
Duration vocabulary: ze'a (for a while), ze'u (for a long time), ze'i (for a short time). And kanpe — to expect. Plus taksi for taxi, and stali for staying somewhere.
When do you use ze'a vs ze'u?
ze'u = for a long time (longer than expected); ze'a = for a moderate while; ze'i = for a short time. Like spatial markers vi / va / vu but for duration.
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| .ai mi te vecnu su'o da ca le cerni be le bavlamdei | I'm going to buy something tomorrow morning. |
| .ai mi te vecnu su'o da ca le cabvanci bu'u le tcadu | I'm going to buy something this evening in the city. |
| ca lerci .i no da zvati le zarci | It's late. Nobody is in the shop. |
| no da zvati le zarci .i ki'u bo ca lerci | Nobody is in the shop, because it's late. |
| .ai mi klama le tcadu fu tu'a le taksi | I'm going to go to the city by taxi. |
| .ai mi klama le tcadu fu tu'a le karce pe mi | I'm going to go to the city in my car. |
| xu do djica lo nu do vitke le pendo le tcadu | Do you want to visit a friend in the city? |
| .ai mi ze'a gunka | I'm going to work for a while. |
| xu do pu ze'u gunka | Did you work for a long time? |
| na go'i .i mi pu ze'i gunka | No. I worked for a short while. |
| do kanpe lo nu do stali le tcadu ze'a ma | How long do you expect to stay in the city? |
| mi kanpe lo nu mi stali le tcadu ze'a le masti be li re | I expect to stay in the city for two months. |
| la'a mi stali le tcadu ze'a le jeftu be li pa | I'll probably stay in the city for one week. |
| mi ba surla ze'a le djedi be li ci | I'll rest for three days. |
New words
| Lojban | Meaning |
|---|---|
| cerni | morning (here in le cerni be le bavlamdei = tomorrow's morning) |
| cabvanci | this evening |
| taksi | taxi |
| fu tu'a | by means of / using |
| vitke | to visit |
| ze'a | for a while (moderate duration) |
| ze'u | for a long time |
| ze'i | for a short time |
| kanpe | to expect |
| stali | to stay / remain |
| masti | month |
| jeftu | week |
| djedi | day |
| surla | to rest / take a break |
| ki'u bo | because (causal compound) |
le masti be li re = "the month of number 2" = two months. The be li construction attaches a number to any time unit.
le djedi be li ci = three days. le jeftu be li pa = one week. Same pattern for masti, nanca (year) — all the time units.
Written prompts
Say in Lojban: I worked for a short while. (mi pu ze'i gunka)
Say in Lojban: I'll go by taxi. (.ai mi klama fu tu'a le taksi)
Say in Lojban: I expect to stay for one week. (mi kanpe lo nu mi stali ze'a le jeftu be li pa)
Recycle — Lessons 19–21
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| ca lerci .i no da zvati le zarci .i ku'i mi nitcu lo nu mi te vecnu lo cidja | It's late. Nobody's in the shop. But I need to buy food. |
| mi ba stali le tcadu ze'a le djedi be li re | I'll stay in the city for two days. |
| mi kanpe lo nu mi sipna ca le cerni be le bavlamdei | I expect to sleep tomorrow morning. |
Say in Lojban: I'll rest for three days, then go to work. (mi ba surla ze'a le djedi be li ci .i ba bo mi gunka)