Lesson 7: Connecting Ideas
Grammar
Four short connectors cover a lot of everyday speech:
su — and / with / also
mai — but / however
dou — or
eta — so / therefore / then
Did you know? In Italian, ma, which is similar to mai, also means but; and in Portuguese, ou, which is similar to dou, also means or. For eta, you may think of ergo, which came to English from therefore in Latin.
nim su eofa i anvu
Click to Reveal Translation
*A friend and I go / I go with a friend.*a wamu a yalgai, mai a leirih a yaltan
Click to Reveal Translation
*The fish is small, but the tree is big.*i mo dou i anefene?
Click to Reveal Translation
*Are you eating or resting?*nim i mo, eta i anefene
Click to Reveal Translation
*I eat, then I rest.*When two connected actions have the same obvious subject, you normally do not need to repeat the pronoun.
Vocabulary
SU also has a building-block meaning
You already know su as and / with / also. Its building-block meaning is alongside.
That gives you fasu:
fasu = FA family + SU alongside → sibling
Family members are expressed based on the generation. The sibling is the family member beside you in the same generation, that's why we say alongside.
Building blocks
SU — alongside. Mnemonic: two things side by side.
CO — communication. Mnemonic: communication.
NI — new. Mnemonic: new / neo.
RI — act. Mnemonic: a rite is an act.
RO — thinking, reasoning. Mnemonic: reason.
OI — fun, amusement. Mnemonic: Oi! as a lively exclamation.
Words
| Oravia | Meaning | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| fasu | sibling | FA family + SU alongside |
| leini | seed | LEI plants + NI new |
| eori | polite, courteous; please | EO social + RI act |
| anro | decide | AN action + RO thinking |
| oico | gossip | OI fun + CO communication |
Look at two of the breakdowns:
leini = plant + new → seed
anro = action + reasoning → decide
Put it together
From earlier lessons
ilian = know
anona = give
eofa = friend
anefene = rest
eori, ce i mo?
Click to Reveal Translation
*Please, what are you eating?*nim fasu i ilian, mai nim i ilianum
Click to Reveal Translation
*My sibling knows, but I do not know.*i anona e leini u eofa
Click to Reveal Translation
*I give a seed to a friend.*i anro, eta i anvu
Click to Reveal Translation
*I decide, so I go.*i oico su eofa
Click to Reveal Translation
*I gossip with a friend.*i mo dou i anefene?
Click to Reveal Translation
*Are you eating or resting?*Your turn
Join two ideas with mai or eta, and use su once as and / with / also.
Mini Review
Quick review: