Lojban Through Dialogues
Lesson 7. Shopping for Snacks
Now we're buying things. te vecnu is "to buy" — literally the third place of vecnu (to sell): the buyer's role. And je'i is an or-question: "A or B?"
And su'o da — is that "something" like a quantity?
su'o = at least one; da = some thing. Together: "at least one thing" — natural Lojban for "something."
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| .ai mi te vecnu su'o da | I'm going to buy something. |
| do ba te vecnu ma | What will you buy? |
| .ai mi ba te vecnu lo titnanba .e lo jisra | I'm going to buy some cookies and some juice. |
| do djica lo nu do pinxe ma | What do you want to drink? |
| .au pei do pinxe lo jisra je'i lo djacu | Are you going to drink juice or water? |
New words
| Lojban | Meaning |
|---|---|
| te vecnu | to buy (lit. third place of "sell") |
| su'o | at least one |
| lo titnanba | cookies / sweet baked goods |
| djica | to desire / want (an event) |
| je'i | or (choice question) |
The A .e B structure for "A and B" — is that the same .e that means "and"?
Exactly. .e connects noun-phrases: lo titnanba .e lo jisra = "cookies and juice." For connecting sentences you'd use .i je. Lojban keeps those roles distinct.
Written prompts
Say in Lojban: I'm going to buy some cookies. (.ai mi te vecnu lo titnanba)
Say in Lojban: What do you want to drink? (do djica lo nu do pinxe ma)
Say in Lojban: Juice or water? (lo jisra je'i lo djacu)
Recycle — Lessons 4–6
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| .au mi ba zi te vecnu lo titnanba | I want to buy cookies soon. |
| mi ba klama lo gusta .i mi ba te vecnu le stasu | I'll go to a restaurant. I'll order the soup. |
| xu do djica lo nu do pinxe lo djacu | Do you want to drink some water? |
Say in Lojban: I'm not going to buy anything. (.ainai mi te vecnu su'o da)