Lojban grammar examples
Lojban grammar examples
"VERB" FORMS | ||
---|---|---|
da dunda
da dunda de da dunda de di |
HE GIVES.
HE GIVES IT. HE, GIVES IT TO HIM. | |
da se dunda | IT IS A GIFT. | |
da te dunda | HE IS A RECIPIENT. | |
da ca dunda
da pu dunda da ba dunda |
HE NOW GIVES.
HE GAVE. HE WILL GIVE, | |
da pu pu dunda
da ba pu dunda |
HE HAD GIVEN.
HE WILL HAVE GIVEN. | |
da ca ca'o dunda | HE IS NOW GIVING. | |
da pu ca'o dunda | HE HAS BEEN GIVING. |
Lojban GRAMMAR derives great flexibility and variety from manipulation of tense particles that do much of its work. As demonstrated here, it is the particles that determine whether a predicate—a term of extralinguistic reference, such as dunda and bajra—is to serve in a given statement as a noun, verb, adjective or adverb, as in more familiar grammars. Thus pu(before), ca (now) and ba (after) give the predicate dunda (to give) the function of a verb (upper left) and "conjugate" it through the future, present and past tense. Compound forms of these operators yield the compound tenses; | for example, pu pu (before-before) indicates the pluperfect tense. In such combinations they not only duplicate all of the familiar grammatical forms but go far beyond to express relationships that can be only clumsily approximated in the natural languages, as is indicated by the translation of the compound operator ba zi ze'u at center left. The flexibility of the system is suggested further by the transformations of dunda (in this table give, giver, gift, generous, generously, generosity, and so on) in accord with its association with operators and connectives or its place in a multiple predicate. |
"ADVERB" FORMS | ||
---|---|---|
da ro roi dunda
da so'e roi dunda da so'o roi dunda ETC. |
HE ALWAYS GIVES.
HE USUALLY GIVES. HE SOMETIMES GIVES. | |
da pu zi dunda
da pu zu dunda da ba zi dunda |
HE RECENTLY GAVE.
HE GAVE LONG AGO. HE WILL SOON GIVE. | |
da vi dunda
da va dunda da vu dunda |
HE GIVES HERE.
HE GIVES THERE. HE GIVES OVER THERE. | |
da bu'u ro de dunda | HE GIVES EVERYWHERE (IN ALL PLACES). | |
da ba zi ze'u vi dunda | SOON HE WILL BE GIVING HERE FOR A LONG TIME. |
NEGATIVES | ||
---|---|---|
da na ku dunda
na ku da dunda no da dunda |
HE DOESN'T GIVE.
THERE ISN'T SO THAT ANYONE GIVES. NONE OF THEM GIVES. |
"NOUN" FORMS | ||
---|---|---|
lo remna
lo vi remna lo va remna |
A HUMAN
THIS MAN THAT MAN | |
lo ro remna
lo so'e remna lo so'i remna |
ALL MEN
MOST MEN MANY MEN | |
no lo remna
lo pa remna lo re remna |
NONE OF THE MEN
A MAN, ONE MAN TWO MEN | |
ro lo ci remna | ALL OF THE THREE MEN |
ABSTRACT "NOUNS" | ||
---|---|---|
lo nu dunda
lo nu bajra |
THE GIVING
THE RUN |
"ADJECTIVE" FORMS | ||
---|---|---|
lo laldo remna
lo dunda remna |
AN OLD MAN
A GIVING MAN | |
lo melbi verba zdani
lo verba melbi zdani |
A PRETTY-CHILD HOME
A CHILDISHLY PRETTY HOME | |
lo remna poi laldo
lo remna poi na'o dunda lo remna poi na'o dunda gi'e laldo |
A MAN WHO IS OLD
A MAN WHO IS GENEROUS A MAN WHO IS GENEROUS AND OLD | |
lo remna poi dunda de
lo remna poi dunda de di |
A MAN WHO GIVES IT
A MAN WHO GIVES IT TO HIM | |
lo laldo remna poi pu dunda ci de lo ze vi bajra | THE OLD MAN WHO GAVE THREE OF THEM TO THESE SEVEN RUNNERS |
IDENTITIES | ||
---|---|---|
da du la djon
da du lo remna da du lo laldo remna poi pu dunda ci de lo ze vi remna |
HE IS JOHN.
HE IS THE MAN. HE IS THE OLD MAN WHO GAVE THREE OF THEM TO THESE SEVEN RUNNERS. |
COMPOUND FORMS | ||
---|---|---|
da bajra gi'a cadzu
da bajra gi'e cadzu |
HE RUNS OR WALKS.
HE RUNS AND WALKS. | |
da a de bajra
da e de bajra |
HE1 OR HE2 RUNS.
HE1 AND HE2 RUNS | |
da bajra i ja de cadzu
da bajra i je de cadzu da bajra i babo de cadzu da bajra i jo de cadzu |
HE1 RUNS OR HE2 WALKS.
HE1 RUNS AND HE2 WALKS, IF HE1 RUNS THEN HE2 WALKS. HE1 RUNS IF AND ONLY IF HE2 WALKS | |
da bajra ki'u lo nu de cadzu
da bajra tai lo nu de cadzu |
HE1 RUNS BECAUSE HE2 WALKS.
HE1 RUNS LIKE HE2 WALKS. | |
ki'u lo nu da cadzu vau da bajra | BECAUSE HE2 WALKS, HE1 RUNS. | |
da bajra ca lo nu de cadzu
da bajra ba lo nu de cadzu da bajra bu'u lo nu de cadzu ETC. |
HE1 RUNS WHEN HE2 WALKS.
HE1 RUNS AFTER HE2 WALKS. HE1 RUNS WHERE HE2 WALKS, | |
ca lo nu de cadzu vau de bajra | WHEN HE2 WALKS HE1 RUNS. |
UNIVERSALS | ||
---|---|---|
ro bajra cu cadzu
da bajra ca ro nu de cadzu da bajra bu'u ro nu de cadzu ro dunda cu dunda de |
ANYONE WHO RUNS WALKS.
HE1 RUNS WHENEVER HE2 WALKS. HE1 RUNS WHEREVER HE2 WALKS. EVERYONE WHO GIVES GIVES SOMETHING |
ATTITUDINAL FORMS | ||
---|---|---|
le'o da bajra
ue da bajra oinai da bajra |
WHAT! HE RUNS? [ANGER]
WELL! SO HE RUNS. [SURPRISE] HOW NICE THAT HE RUNS! [PLEASURE] | |
xu da bajra
ma bajra bu'u ma da bajra |
DOES HE RUN?
WHO RUNS? WHERE DOES HE RUN? | |
je'u da bajra
la'a da bajra ju'o cu'i da bajra je'u nai da bajra ETC. |
YES; HE RUNS.
HE PROBABLY RUNS, PERHAPS HE RUNS. NO, HE DOESNT RUN. | |
ai mi bajra
au mi bajra a'o da bajra ainai mi bajra |
I'M GOING TO RUN.
I WANT TO RUN. I HOPE TO RUN, I'M NOT GOING TO RUN | |
e'i mi bajra | I MUST RUN. |