Lojban Through Dialogues
Lesson 22. How Long Will You Stay?
The trip is confirmed — now they figure out how long. Duration markers work just like tense markers but measure span, not direction.
When do you use ze'a vs ze'u?
ze'u = for a long time; ze'a = for a moderate while; ze'i = for a short time. They follow tense markers just like ca does.
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
 .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. |
 mi kanpe lo nu mi stali ze'a le jeftu be li pa | I expect to stay for one week. |
 mi ba stali ze'a le djedi be li ci | I'll stay for three days. |
New words
| Lojban | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ze'a | for a while (moderate duration) |
| ze'u | for a long time |
| ze'i | for a short time |
| stali | x₁ stays / remains at x₂ |
| kanpe | x₁ expects x₂ |
Grammar note:
Duration words follow tense markers: pu ze'i = "for a short time in the past." be li N attaches a number to a time unit: le jeftu be li pa = "a one-week period," le djedi be li ci = "a three-day period." (jeftu = week, djedi = day — from Lesson 14.)
Practice dialogue
Linto is heading somewhere for work — a different duration scenario than Mentu's vacation.
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
 mi ba klama le tcadu | I'm going to the city. |
 xu do ba ze'u stali | Will you stay for a long time? |
 na go'i .i mi ba ze'i gunka | No. I'll work for a short while. |
 mi kanpe lo nu mi stali ze'a le djedi be li ci | I expect to stay for three days. |
 .ui .i mi ba stali ze'a le jeftu be li pa | Yay! I'll stay for one whole week. |
 .ui .i ca ro jeftu mi ba klama le tcadu | Great! Every week I'll go to the city. |
Anticipation prompts
| Prompt | Lojban |
|---|---|
| I worked for a short while. | mi pu ze'i gunka |
| I'll stay for three days. | mi ba stali ze'a le djedi be li ci |
| I expect to stay for one week. | mi kanpe lo nu mi stali ze'a le jeftu be li pa |
| Did you work for a long time? | xu do pu ze'u gunka |
Spaced recall — Lessons 19–21
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| xu do pu litru lo drata gugde | Have you travelled in another country? |
| fi'i do | Welcome! |
| mi taske | I'm thirsty. |
| le bavlamdei cu zabna | Tomorrow is nice. |
| mi jo'u do ba klama le tcadu | You and I will go to the city. |
| mi prami lo nu tadni la .lojban. | I love studying Lojban. |
| do pendo mi | You are my friend. |
| mi gleki | I'm happy. |
| mi kufra | I'm comfortable. |
Challenge
| Prompt | Lojban |
|---|---|
| I'll stay in the city for one week. Then I'll go home. | mi ba stali le tcadu ze'a le jeftu be li pa .i mi ba klama le zdani |