Lojban Through Dialogues
Lesson 8. Speak Slowly! I Don't Understand
They meet at the park. Lifri starts speaking fast. Mentu panics — and eventually gets what he needs.
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
 xu do jimpe | Do you understand? |
 mi na jimpe .i do sutra tavla | I don't understand. You speak fast. |
 .u'u | Sorry! |
 ko masno tavla .i mi na djuno | Speak slowly! I don't know [what you said]. |
 je'e .i xu do jimpe | Got it. Do you understand now? |
 milxe .i .e'o do masno tavla | A little. Please speak slowly. |
New words
| Lojban | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tavla | x₁ talks to x₂ about x₃ in language x₄ |
| sutra | fast, quick |
| masno | slow |
| ko | command form of do — replace do with ko to turn any statement into a command |
| djuno | x₁ knows that x₂ is true |
| jimpe | x₁ understands x₂ |
Grammar note:
ko is simply do with a command force. do masno tavla = "you speak slowly (statement)." ko masno tavla = "speak slowly! (command)." ko na + predicate = "don't…!" .e'o softens a request: .e'o do masno tavla asks the same thing as ko masno tavla but sounds less blunt.
je'e here means "got it" / "OK" with no sumti after it. je'e do (Lesson 4) aims the acknowledgment at do — "message received [by you]," often glossed "got you" / "I hear you" (not a prank "gotcha").
Practice dialogue
Linto gives commands too.
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
 ko masno tavla | Speak slowly! |
je'e .i mi masno tavla | Got it. I speak slowly. |
 xu do jimpe | Do you understand? |
mi na djuno | I don't know. |
 .e'o do masno tavla | Please speak slowly. |
 ko na sutra tavla | Don't speak fast! |
Anticipation prompts
| Prompt | Lojban |
|---|---|
| You speak fast. | do sutra tavla |
| Speak slowly! | ko masno tavla |
| Please speak slowly. | .e'o do masno tavla |
| I don't know. | mi na djuno |
| Don't speak fast! | ko na sutra tavla |
Spaced recall — Lessons 6–7
| Lojban | English |
|---|---|
| cerni coi .i mi gleki | Good morning! I'm happy. |
| ca le vanci mi klama le panka | In the evening I go to the park. |
| .oi .i mi tatpi | Ugh — I'm tired. |
| donri coi | Good day! |
| ca le nicte mi tatpi | At night I'm tired. |
| ma ca tcika | What time is it? |
| ti'u li cacra bu ze | At 7 o'clock. |
| ti'u li cacra bu xa | At 6 o'clock. |
| ti'u li cacra bu bi | At 8 o'clock. |
| ti'u li cacra bu so | At 9 o'clock. |
| ti'u li cacra bu no | At 0 hours. |
| ti'u li cacra bu ci | At 3 o'clock. |
Challenge
| Prompt | Lojban |
|---|---|
| You speak fast. Speak slowly! I don't understand. | do sutra tavla .i ko masno tavla .i mi na jimpe |