Lojban Through Dialogues
Lesson 4. Soup and Intentions
This lesson focuses on expressing intention and willingness: .au (I want), .ai (I intend), .ainai (I don't intend). You'll also get your first taste of zi — "soon."
And what's pei doing at the end of .au pei?
pei turns any attitude word into a question. .au pei = "do you want to?" .ai pei = "are you going to?" You'll see it a lot.
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| .au pei do retsku | Do you want to ask something? |
| fanva zoi gy.pretty.gy. la .lojban. fu ma | How does one translate "pretty" into Lojban? |
| xu do ba zi citka | Will you eat soon? |
| .ainai mi citka | I'm not going to eat. |
| .ai mi ba citka | I'm going to eat in a while. |
| mi ba zi klama le panka | I'll go to the park soon. |
| do ba citka ma | What will you eat? |
| le stasu | Soup. |
| .ai mi pinxe | I'm going to drink something. |
New words
| Lojban | Meaning |
|---|---|
| .au | I want / I wish (attitudinal) |
| pei | makes an attitudinal into a question |
| retsku | to ask a question |
| fanva | to translate |
| zi | soon / in a short time |
| .ainai | I don't intend to |
| stasu | soup |
| pinxe | to drink |
So .ai and .ainai are like an intention switch — on and off. And zi just tacks "soon" on without any verb tense complexity?
Exactly. ba zi = "will, soon." Time markers stack naturally in Lojban.
Written prompts
Say in Lojban: I'm not going to eat. (.ainai mi citka)
Say in Lojban: Will you eat soon? (xu do ba zi citka)
Say in Lojban: I'm going to drink something. (.ai mi pinxe)
Recycle — Lessons 1–3
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| mi na djuno le du'u .au pei do klama le panka | I don't know if you want to go to the park. |
| mi ba zi klama le zdani be mi | I'll go home soon. |
| xu le panka cu darno le zdani be do | Is the park far from your home? |
Say in Lojban: I want to talk to you. (.au mi tavla do)