Lojban Through Dialogues
Lesson 24. Before You Go
Winding down: pu'o = about to (imminent future); pluka = pleasant; kansa = to accompany. And a beautiful parting phrase: pu'o nicte co'o do — night is coming, goodbye.
I love that one. It's almost poetic.
Lojban is full of these. pu'o nicte — "night is about to happen" — is compressed and evocative. Worth memorising for its own sake.
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| mi ba zi co'a sipna | I'll go to sleep soon. |
| ca vanci fi mi .i .ai mi ba zi co'a sipna | It's evening here. I'll fall asleep soon. |
| lo ka tavla do kei pu pluka mi | Talking to you was a pleasure. |
| pu'o nicte co'o do | Night is coming — goodbye! |
| ca le bavlamdei mi klama le tcadu | Tomorrow I'll go to the city. |
| xu do kanpe lo nu do ze'u stali le tcadu | Do you expect to stay in the city for a long time? |
| la'a mi ba stali ze'a le djedi be li vo | I'll probably stay for 4 days. |
| ca ma do di'a klama le zdani | When are you returning home? |
| mi na djuno le du'u ca makau mi di'a klama le zdani | I don't know when I'm returning home. |
| mi na djuno le du'u ca makau mi co'e | I don't know when I'll do it. |
| xu le speni be do cu kansa do lo ka litru | Does your spouse accompany you when you travel? |
| na go'i .i mi kansa no da lo ka litru | No. I travel without company. |
| .ei mi ki'u klama le zdani | I must go home — for a reason. |
| mi klama le zdani ki'u le nu le speni be mi cu nitcu su'o da | I'm going home because my spouse needs something. |
New words
| Lojban | Meaning |
|---|---|
| co'a | to begin / start (event inchoative) |
| pu'o | about to / imminently |
| nicte | night |
| pluka | pleasant |
| la'a | probably / I expect (attitudinal) |
| makau | when-specifically (indirect question for time) |
| co'e | does the contextually obvious thing (dummy predicate) |
| kansa | to accompany |
| .ei | I should / obligation (attitudinal) |
| ki'u | because (causal marker) |
co'e — a wild card predicate meaning "does whatever the context implies." I can see that saving a lot of circumlocution.
It's Lojban's "thing" or "do." When you can't remember a word or the context makes it obvious, co'e fills in. Speakers use it all the time.
Written prompts
Say in Lojban: Talking to you was a pleasure. (lo ka tavla do kei pu pluka mi)
Say in Lojban: Night is coming — goodbye! (pu'o nicte co'o do)
Say in Lojban: I must go home. (.ei mi klama le zdani)
Recycle — Lessons 21–23
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| mi ba zi co'a sipna .i lo ka tavla do kei pu pluka mi | I'll sleep soon. Talking to you was a pleasure. |
| la'a mi ba stali le tcadu ze'a le jeftu be li re | I'll probably stay in the city for two weeks. |
| xu le speni be do cu kansa do lo ka vitke le pendo | Does your spouse accompany you when visiting friends? |
Say in Lojban: I'm going home because I need to sleep. (mi klama le zdani ki'u le nu mi nitcu lo nu mi sipna)