Cheat sheet/Gamma

Pronouns

jí = I
súq = you
nháo = he/she/they
múy = I+you
míy = I+they
máy = I+you+they
há = one/people (as in "One does not simply walk into Mordor")

These pronouns refer back to words of a certain animacy class:

hó = him/her/them (animate)
máq = it (inanimate)
hóq = it (abstract)
tá = it (adjective)

Attach -bo to pronouns to make genitive words:

jıbo = ___ is mine
suqbo = ___ is yours
maqbo = ___ is its (inanimate)

Nature vocab

poq = ___ is a person
ocha = ___ is a human
nıaı = ___ is an animal
deo = ___ is a child
kato = ___ is a cat
kune = ___ is a dog
cıe = ___ is a fish
hoe = ___ is a sun
mıao = ___ is a moon
nao = ___ is water
haq = ___ is food
rua = ___ is a flower

Colors

reo = ___ has color ___
reocuaq = ___ is a color

kıa naraq lue rıq kuao mıo loa bao ruı kuo tıaq

All of the above verbs mean "___ has color X", not "___ is the color X".

Everyday vocab

maı = ___ loves ___
paı = ___ is a friend of ___
cho = ___ likes ___
hıo = ___ greets/bids farewell to ___

ceohıo = ___ says hi to ___
shaıhıo = ___ says bye to ___

chuq = ___ eats ___
pıe = ___ drinks ___
kuq = ___ says ___ to ___
koy = ___ talks to ___
gı = ___ is good
huı = ___ is bad
de = ___ is beautiful
tı = ___ is at ___
nıe = ___ is inside ___
neo = ___ is on top of ___

Abstract vocab

toa = ___ is a word
muı = ___ is a meaning of ___

muıbo / semıo = ___ means ___

toaq = ___ is Toaqic
dua = ___ knows ___
chı = ___ believes ___
mıu = ___ opines ___
gaı = ___ senses ___

kaqgaı = ___ sees ___
huogaı = ___ hears ___
shıqgaı = ___ smells ___
noqgaı = ___ tastes ___
puaqgaı = ___ touches ___

sı = ___ pays attention to ___

kaqsı = ___ looks at ___
huosı = ___ listens to ___, etc.

Abstract vocab 2

kuaı = ___ longs to do ___
leo = ___ tries to do ___
tua = ___ makes ___ happen
shao = ___ wants ___ to happen
choq = ___ uses ___ to do ___
ca = ___ causes ___
kuı = ___ is because ___
bu = ___ is false (i.e. "not")
le = ___ is likely
daı = ___ is possible
raı = ___ is something
nı = ___ is this/that

Tenses and aspects

pu = ___ happened
naı = ___ happens now
jıa = ___ will happen
ceo = ___ starts to happen
chufaq = ___ is happening
shaı = ___ stops happening
shıu = ___ happens before ___
rao = ___ happens during ___
bıe = ___ happens after ___
nıqguo = ___ happens again
he = ___ is gnomically (generally) true

Sentence structure

(Connector)	(Topic)	Body	(Illocution)
Je, (Well,)	háq bı,	gỉ máq jìe nháo	da. (statement)
Keo, (However,)			moq? (question)
Tıu, (So,)			ba. (wish)
Nhu, (Anyway,)			nha. (promise)

Rising tone

Makes a noun phrase out of the first slot of a verb:

pỏq = ___ is a person => póq = "the person(s)"

cả = ___ causes ___ => cá "the cause(s)"

If a noun for the second slot is needed, use mú and the verb form of the word.

cả => mú cả "the thing(s) that was caused"

Rising-creaky tone

Attaches a relative clause to a preceding noun.

Inside the phrase, hóa refers to the noun attached to. cy ends the clause.

póq düa hóa cy = "the people who know"
níaı mäı hóa jí cy = "the animal who loves me"
níaı mäı jí hóa cy = "the animal whom I love"

cy is not necessary if the word that immediately follows can terminate the content clause. For example, cy is not needed before da because da already ends the sentence.

Falling tone

Main verb.

Mảı jí súq da. = "I love you."

Also marks any non-initial word in a serial. In serials (think "unit" of words), only the first word of the serial changes tone. The rest stays in . In the example below, only the word kúo changes to . The remaining kảto is in .

Mảı jí kúo kảto da. = "I love the black cat."

Peaking tone

Starts a content clause, terminated by cy.

ôcha jí cy = "that I am human"
Dủa jí ôcha jí cy da. = "I know that I am human."
Keo shảo jí nîaı jí cy da. = "But I want to be an animal."

cy is not always needed for the same reason as the rising-creaky tone .

Mid-falling tone

A preposition, which makes an adverbial with the following noun phrase.

It can go before or after the arguments to the main verb.

nèo míao = "on the moon"
Kỏy jí súq nèo míao. = "I talk to you on the moon."
Mảı jí súq kùı pâı súq jí. = "I love you because you are my friend."

Falling creaky tone

An adverb. It can go before or after the arguments to the main verb.

dãı = "possibly"
Chỉ hó hóq dãı da. = "They possibly believe it."

Neutral tone

Used for function words like illocutions or determiners. Pronounced as any tonal "break" with the contour of the last word.

Determiners

Combine with a verb to make a "determiner phrase".

sa cỉe	a/some fish
tu cỉe	every fish
sıa cỉe	no fish
ke cỉe	the fish
baq cỉe	fish (in general)
hı cỉe	which fish?

Or you can omit the verb: sa = "something", sıa = "nothing"…

Conjunctions

Logical conjunctions connect any parts of speech, with a "logic and/or/xor" meaning:

Gỉ ra dẻ baq kảto da. = "Cats are good and/or beautiful."
Gỉ ro hủı baq hảq da. = "Food is either good or bad."
Rẻı súq ru jí múao. = "You and I surround the tree." (Both I do, and you do.)

roı is special, and combines nouns it connects:

Rẻı súq roı jí múao. = "You and I (together) surround the tree."

rı is used in questions:

Kảqgaı súq káto rı kúne moq? = "Do you see a cat or a dog?"

Quotations and names

Quotations start with mo and end with teo.

mı is placed before a name.

If you are addressing someone, hu should be added before the name.

Hu mí Hỏemaı, lả hỉo ka = "Hello, Hoemaı".

Remember to add some separation between the name and the following sentence with lả or something similar.

Asking questions

moq is the illocution for asking questions.

mả can be used to ask a yes/no question.

Mỉ Hỏemaı súq da. = "You are Hoemaı."
Mả mỉ Hỏemaı súq moq? = "Are you Hoemaı?"

hı 'what, which', tıopuı 'how many' may be used to ask non-yes/no questions. Note that hı is a determiner.

Tỉ	súq	hı	rảı	moq	?
at	you	which	thing	INT	?
"Where are you?"

Tỉsha	súq	rào	hı	moq	?
arrive	you	when	which	INT	?
"When did you arrive?"

Pủ	chủq	hı	rảı	ní	moq	?
PST	eat	which	thing	this/that	INT	?
"Who ate this?"

Tảo	súq	ní	kùı	hı	moq	?
do	you	this/that	because	which	INT	?
"Why did you do that?"

Tỉopuı	póq	moq	?
how many	person	INT	?
"How many people are there?"

Fả	tíopuı	póq	moq	?
go	how many	person	INT	?
"How many people went?"

po

Used for showing possession, terminated by ga; "Pó [possessor] ga [possessee]"

Nủı pó káto ga nỉoka. = "The cat's paws are tiny."