Lojban Through Dialogues
Lesson 27. Paying Bills
Back home. Monthly expenses — electricity, companies, and asking the price of things.
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
 xu lo dikca ca kargu | Is electricity expensive now? |
 na kargu .i tolkargu | Not expensive — cheap. |
 xu do pleji le kagni be lo dikca | Do you pay the electricity company? |
 ca ro detma'i mi pleji | Every calendar month I pay. |
ma jdima le dikca | What is the price of electricity? |
 lo dikca cu meryru'u li re no | Electricity costs 20 dollars. |
 le dikca cu tolkargu | Electricity is cheap. |
New words
| Lojban | Meaning |
|---|---|
| dikca | electricity |
| kagni | company, organization, firm |
| jdima | x₁ is the price of x₂ for x₃ — ma jdima le X = "what is the price of X?" |
Grammar note:
jdima asks about the price as a property: ma jdima le dikca = "what price is electricity?" Compare with meryru'u (Lesson 12) which states a dollar amount: lo dikca cu meryru'u li re no = "electricity costs 20 dollars." Use jdima to ask; use meryru'u to answer with a number. ro (every, Lesson 14) and detma'i (calendar month, Lesson 14) are recalled here.
Practice dialogue
Linto asks about expenses.
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
xu do pleji le kagni be lo dikca | Do you pay the electricity company? |
go'i .i ca ro detma'i mi pleji | Yes. Every month I pay. |
xu lo dikca cu kargu | Is electricity expensive? |
na kargu .i tolkargu | Not expensive. Cheap. |
ma jdima le dikca | What is the price of electricity? |
lo dikca cu meryru'u li re no | It costs 20 dollars. |
Anticipation prompts
| Prompt | Lojban |
|---|---|
| Every month I pay. | ca ro detma'i mi pleji |
| Electricity is not expensive — cheap. | lo dikca na kargu .i tolkargu |
| Do you pay the electricity company? | xu do pleji le kagni be lo dikca |
| Electricity is cheap. | le dikca cu tolkargu |
| What is the price of electricity? | ma jdima le dikca |
Spaced recall — Lessons 24–26
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| le zdani be do cu melbi | Your home is beautiful. |
| le tcadu cu sepli mi lo ki'otre be li mu no | The city is 50 km from me. |
| ta simlu zabna | That seems nice. |
| mi jinvi lo du'u le tcadu cu melbi | I think the city is beautiful. |
| ba le nu vitke kei mi di'a klama le zdani | After the visit I'll return home. |
| le karce pe do cu melbi | Your car is beautiful. |
Challenge
| Prompt | Lojban |
|---|---|
| I need to pay the company every month. Electricity is expensive. | mi nitcu lo nu mi pleji le kagni ca ro detma'i .i lo dikca cu kargu |