Lesson 2: Markers

How to Use This Lesson

This lesson is divided into four sections. Please move through them in this order: Grammar, Vocabulary, Practice, Flashcards.

Do not try to memorize! Just read through the content attentively. The warm-ups and flashcards will bring the vocabulary back later!

GrammarVocabularyPracticeFlashcards

Markers

The words in Oravia are flexible, and the same word can play different roles depending on the sentence.

For example, the word mo can mean both to eat or food.

So how do we know which one?

We use markers! Markers indicate what the word is doing in the sentence.

i indicates verbs. For example,

i mo

Here mo is the verb. In a short utterance about yourself, i mo can simply mean I eat / I'm eating.

To name what is being eaten, use e. e indicates the direct complement of the verb. For example,

i mo e mo

means I eat the food when the subject is understood. Notice that we don't use articles!

a indicates the subject, usually who is doing the action. You may say,

a nim i mo e mo

With a simple pronoun, a is often left out:

nim i mo e mo

So all three occur:

a nim i mo → nim i mo → i mo

Use nim when you want to make the subject explicit.

So, the sentence pattern is:

a [someone] i [verb] e [something]

If it's helpful to you, here's some mnemonics:

Actor
Initiate
Engaged

Also, because we have the markers, the word order is flexible.

a nim i mo e mocen
        =
e mocen i mo a nim

I eat chocolate

So you can use whatever order feels most natural to you!

Now, take a look at the words that we saw last time:

Oravia	English
moaria	apple
mocen	chocolate
mogali	coffee
mouje	drink

Singular	Plural
nim (I)	nimas (we)
run (you)	runas (you all)
hay (he/she/they)	hayas (they pl.)

Can you say "she eats an apple?" Notice that there is no verb conjugation.

How about "we drink coffee?" Remember, the words have flexible use!

Now try to create a sentence using what you've just learned, or 3 if you're up for a challenge!

a [someone] i [verb] e [something]

That's it for grammar today! Let's move on to the next tab: Vocabulary.

The FA Cluster

Time to take a look at our second cluster! Look at the list of words below.

Remember, do not try to memorize them. Just read it through attentively.

Oravia	English
faibor	spouse
fare	parent
falfal	child
fasu	sibling

What do you think the words that start in FA have in common?

🌍 Sound Connections

Fa is like Latin familia, which is where the English word family comes from.

Parent uses the root re(l), which comes from Latin relevare (to lift, raise up). This is because parents are one generation above!

Here is another word that uses this root:
wirel = north (geography + up), just like fare = parent (family member + up).

Matching Games

Time to practice! Match the Oravia words with their English meanings. Use sound-meaning associations as clues. For example, the subcluster sound tells you the category, even for words you haven't seen before.
If you don't remember or make a mistake, that's totally fine! We will have plenty of opportunities to practice. Right now just give it a try.
Click one word from each column to match them. The game will check automatically when you select both words.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

🎉 Lesson 2 Complete!

Use the Flashcards tab for another quick review.

Come back tomorrow for Lesson 3.