7 Setesim letion

 

7.1 Texte

 

7.1.1 Li intern veritá

 

To quo, secun li opinion de frances e angles letores, distinte Goethe, es un qualitá, quel il divide con su nation – constant referentie a intern veritá. In Anglia e America existe reverentie por talent, e li publica es satisfat, si li talent es exercit pro un cert fixat o comprensibil interesse o partie, o in regulari oposition contra un de tales. In Francia existe un plu grand delicie por intellectual brilliantie, pro it self. E in omni ti landes talentat homes scri talentosimen. It es suficent, si li intercomprension es ganiat, li contact attinger, tant columnes, tant hores ocupat in un vivaci e honorabil maniere. Al german intellectu manca li frances brilliantie, li fin practical comprension del angleses, e li american aventura; ma it have un cert honestie, quel nequande resta in superficial performantie, ma questiona constant: pro quel scope? Un german publica demanda controlant sinceritá. "Ci es un activitá de pensada – ma por quo? Quo vole li mann? De u, de u omni ti pensas?"

 

Sol talent ne posse far un autor. It es necessi que existe un mann detra li libre, un personalitá qui per su orígine e su qualitá da garantíe a ti doctrines queles il exposi, e qui existe por vider e constatar li coses in ti e ne in un altri maniere, qui defende factes proque ili es factes. Si il ne posse expresser se corect hodie, li sam coses supervive e va explicar se deman. Un charge jace sur su mente, li charge de un veritá explicand – plu o minu comprendet, e it constitue su ocupation e su vocation in li munde soluer li problemas e far les conosset. Quo importa que il mistrotta e balbutia, que su voce es crud e mis-sonant, que su metodes e su tropes es ínadequat? Ti mission va trovar metode e images, articulation e melodie. Etsi il vell esser mut, it vell parlar. Si ne – si ne vell exister un tal divin parol che li mann – quo noi cuida, quam fluent, quam brilliant il es . . .

 

(Emerson)

 

distinter	to distinguish	atinger	attain
exposir	to expose	voce	voice
referer	to reference	aventura	adventure
explicar	to explain	crud	crude
reverer	to revere	charge	charge, burden
sonar	to sound	satisfar	to satisfy
performar	to perform	vocar	to call
trope	figure of speech, trope	exercir	to exercise
scope	a goal	demandar	to demand, request
cuidar	to take care of	delicie	a delicacy
sol	alone	ganiar	to win
orígine	origin	balbutiar	to stutter

 

Note: the -nd suffix (-and for -ar verbs, -end for -er and -ir verbs) adds the meaning "thing to be (verb)ed)". This is where words like dividende (thing to be divided, from divider) come from, which adds a certain obligation (a thing to do = a thing one should do).  As an adjective it can also take the -i at the end for euphony. The above un veritá explicand thus means "a truth to be explained". Another way to say the same would be un veritá a explicar.

 

 

7.1.2 Aforismes

 

Si li triangules vell posser pensar, ili vell imaginar su Due quam triangulari. (Spinoza.)

 

Li capes de grand homes diminue, si plures de ili conveni; plu mult li sagies, plu minimal li sagesse. (Montesquieu.)

 

Moventie, progresse, esperantie, vive, omnis es solmen sinonimes de optimisme. Li antiqui romano qui pensat li proverbie: durant que yo spira, yo espera, ha concentrat li filosofie del processe del vive, e dat a un biologic fundamental veritá li forme de un classic calambure. (Nordau.)

 

Li damas ne veni in li ciel, nam ja in li Apocalipse es dit in un loc: It esset silent durant un demí seconde. To ne es pensabil ta, u damas es present. (Kant.)

 

angule	angle	spirar	to breathe
loc	place	sagie	sage
calambure	wordplay, pun	siler	to be silent

 

 

7.1.3 Li evangelie del labor

 

It existe du folles in li munde. Li un es li millionario, qui crede, que il posse acumular real potentie per collecter moné; li altri es li glatt-rasat agitator, qui crede, que si il solmen vell posser prender li moné de un classe e dar it a un altri, li social maladies vell esser curat. Ili es ambi sur fals via. Mani del max successosi ho-temporan collectores de moné ne ha augmentat, ni per minimalissim summa, li richesse del homanité. Esque cart-luderos contribue al augmentation del richess del munde?

 

Si noi omni vell partiprender in li productiv labor, intra li límites de nor capacitá, on vell posser questionar solmen pri to, esque chascun va reciver to quo il besona. Un real manca del vital necessitás – ne un fals manca pro absentie de tintinant metallic monetes in nor tascas – posse depender solmen de ínsuficent production, e ti es, in su órdine, tro sovente un consequentie de mancant saventies pri to quo e qualmen on deve producter.

 

Ja in comensa noi deve fixar quam facte: li terra es capabil producter decent vive a chascun; ne solmen nutrition ma omnicos quo noi besona; nam omnicos veni del terra. It es possibil arrangear li labor, li production, li distribution e li recompensation talmen, que a chascun qui fa su deventie, es garantit un parte del resultate in conformitá al exact justicie.

 

Omnicos es possibil. Crede es li substantie de coses pri queles noi espera, e li testimonie pri coses queles ne es visibil.

 

(Henry Ford.)

 

folle	a fool	partiprender	to participate, take part
capabil	capable	deventie	a duty
acumular	to accumulate	capacitá	capacity
rasar	to shave	augmentar	to augment, increase
tintinar	to jingle	luder	to play
monete	a coin	substantie	substance

 

Note: mani before a singular means many a, while before a plural it means many (same as mult).

 

7.1.4. Un lettre

 

Cosmopolis, 12-esim marte 1930.

 

Mi car amico.

 

Yo mersía Vos cordialmen pro Vor amabil lettre de 10-esim ho-mensu. Yo joya leer, que anc Vu have interesse por li lingue international auxiliari, e yo constata, que yo esset rect, quande yo suposit, que Vu ne posse esser índifferent pri un question quel have grandissim importantie por li future de nor civilisation. Quam omni novones in li interlinguistica Vu comensa per decreter. In Vor curt lettre de quelc lineas Vu expresse Vor opiniones e exposi tant postulates concernent li lingue auxiliari, que, si Vu self vell provar satisfar les, Vu vell haver sufficent occupation por quelc cent annus. Vu di, que li lingue deve esser ne europan; ma universal, i. e. un

sintese de omni lingues existent sur li terra. Vu oblivia, que p. ex. li lingues chinesi e german es tam different, que un lingue, quel deve satisfar Vor postulate, vell esser quasi un hibride inter harengo e sparro. Vu di, que li lingue deve esser idealic, i. e. li max perfect linguistic instrument pensabil. Vu oblivia, que ne omnicos pensabil es possibil.

 

Idealic lingues es, secun mi opinion, tam ínpossibil quam idealic states. Ili apartene ambi a Utopie. Un idealic lingue sam quam un idealic state es possibil solmen ta u vive idealic homes. Vu di adplu, que li lingue deve esser absolut regulari, nam tande it vell esser max facil. Yo ne posse comprender, pro quo regularitá vell esser identic con facilitá. Li lingue ne es solmen grammatica. It posse esser facil aprender simplic regules, ma it es tre desfacil memorar e usar ínaccustomat paroles. Quant minu un nov lingue chargea li memorie del parlantes, tant plu facil it es.

 

It existet unquande témpores, quande homes credet seriosimen, que on posse crear, constructer e formar nov lingues arbitrarimen, ex profundore de su animas, secun principies, queles ili self inventet. It eveni ancor sovente, que on audi simil opiniones expresset de homes íniniciat. Plu valorosi quam inventer es constatar li ja factic existent international lingue, quel vive latent in li national lingues del occidental cultura. Li international vocabularium es tre rich, e pro que li scientie e technica ja possede un international terminologie, ili ne posse acceptar un altri lingue international quam un tal quel conserva ti internationalitá.

 

Vor devoet

 

Y. Z.

 

mersiar	to thank	ocupation	occupation
sam quam	same as	iniciat	initiated
esser rect	be right	adplu	moreover
suposir	to suppose	harengo	herring
sparro	sparrow	acustomar	to accustom
devoer	to be devoted	exposir	to expose
chargear	to charge, burden	obliviar	to forget

 

note: haver rason is another way to say 'be right'.

 

 

 

7.2 Explanations

 

7.2.1 Adjectival suffixes

 

The three most used adjectival suffixes are:

 

-al

 

a general suffix showing a relationship or dependency: national from nation, central from centre, diferential from diferentie, etc.

 

 

-ic

 

being so, possessing properties of the word: energic (energetic) from energie, fantastic from fantaste (a fantast, someone with eccentric or fanciful ideas), sistematic from sistema, problematic from problema, etc.

 

Note: Greek words ending in -ma take a t, and those ending in -se turn the s into a -t (xe also counts as it is pronounced cse). Thus:

 

hipnose - hipnotic

sintaxe - sintactic

 

From the adjective -ic we derive nouns with

 

-ica and -ico

 

-ica refers to the name of the science or art in general, and -ico to the person practicing it. This is one situation where the -o does not necessarily denote a male.

 

logic logica logico: logical, logic, logician

matematic matematica matematico: mathematic, mathematics, mathematician

politic politica politico: political, politics, politician

critic critica critico: critical, criticism, critic

 

What about -ical?

 

Generally, it is a good idea to resist the urge to express every -ical English word with another -ical in Occidental (just -ic is preferred). But this is another situation where you can for extra precision, and a subject mentioned in Cosmoglotta before. Because -ica as shown above refers to the entire branch of art or science, -al can make an adjective referring to it. Some examples where -ic or -ical could be preferred:

 

un jardin botanic: a botanical garden

un tractate botanical: a botanical treatise (a treatise relating to botany, the science)

 

precision matematic: mathematical precision

curiositá matematical: a mathematical curiosity (a curiosity that mathematicians are interested in)

 

un progression aritmetic: an arithmetic progression

un problema aritmetical: an arithmetical problem (a problem that arithmeticians are interested in)

 

On a related note, beware of words where English is the odd man out such as energic (energetic) where only English has the added -et- in the middle.

 

 

-aci

 

Tending to (similar to English -acious):

 

mordaci = mordacious (morder = to bite)

tenaci = tenacious (tener = to hold)

vivaci = vivacious (viver = to live)

 

 

-an

 

belonging to (often made into nouns with -ano, -ana, -ane):

 

american = American (America = America)

homan = human (hom = human)

 

 

-ari

 

according to, fitting, belonging to (English -ar):

 

regulari = regular (regul = rule)

populari = popular (popul = people)

 

 

-at

 

(on nouns) provided with something:

 

foliat = leafed (folie = leaf)

barbat = bearded (barbe = beard)

 

 

-ut

 

very rich in, exuberant:

 

barbut = heavily bearded (barbute)

sandut = sandy

armut = heavily armed

 

 

-atri

 

A resemblance but not entirely of the same quality (similar to English -ish):

 

verdatri = greenish (verd = green)

spongiatri = spongy (spongie = sponge)

 

 

-esc

 

(of people) similar to, possessing similar qualities to (similar to English -esque)

 

infantesc = childlike (infant = child)

gigantesc = giantesque (gigante = giant, gigantic = gigantic)

 

 

 

-bil

 

(transitive verbs): what can be done (transitive verbs) what one can do. -ar verbs: -abil, -er and -ir verbs: -ibil

 

navigabil = navigable (navigar = to navigate)

formabil = formable (formar = to form)

audibil = audible (audir = to hear)

horribil = horrible (horrer = to be horrified, to dread)

íncredibil = unbelievable (creder = to believe)

durabil = durable (durar = to last)

ínponderabil = unthinkable (ponderar = to ponder)

ínperceptibil = imperceptible (percepter = to perceive)

ínexpressibil = unexpressable (expresser = to express)

visibil (from the perfect stem) = visible (vider = to see)

explosibil (from the perfect stem) = explodable (exploder = to explode)

 

 

-in

 

denotes ancestry, origin:

 

argentin = silber (argente = silver)

florentin = Florentine (from Florence, Florentia = Florence)

svinine = pork (svin = pig)

 

 

-osi

 

rich in, full of:

 

famosi = famous (fama = fame)

musculosi = muscled (muscul = muscle)

respectosi = respectful (respecte = respect)

spinosi = thorny (spine = thorn)

 

The similar suffixes -iv and -ori were mentioned in lesson 3.

 

This finishes up the main suffixes seen in Occidental for forming new words. On top of this are many other much less productive affixes that show up from time to time and are worth noting:

 

-id: having the qualities of a verb: timid = timid (timer = to fear, timore = fear), frigid = cold, frigid (friger = to feel cold, frigore = cold)

-nd: (mentioned once in a note above): what is to be done. quo esset demonstrand = what was to be demonstrated (Latin quod erat demonstrandum), dividende = a dividend, examinando = an exam-taker (one who is to examine)

 

 

7.2.2 Divers afixes

 

Here are some more Latin- or Greek-derived affixes that are seen in words in Occidental and most other western European languages:

 

anti-: against

Anticristo (Antichrist), antitoxine (anti-toxin), antisocial (antisocial, asocial)

 

arch(i): highest, over-

archiepiscop (archbishop), archángel (archangel), archifripon (an "arch rogue", archinull (total zero, huge loser)

 

auto-: auto, self

automobile, autobiografie

 

non-: non

non-agression, nonsense

 

pan-: pan

paneuropa, panslavist

 

proto-: proto

protogerman, prototipe

 

pseudo-: pseudo, false (note: p is not silent!)

pseudo-Cristo (false Christ), pseudoscientie (pseudoscience)

 

semi-, hemi-: half

semivocale, semicólon, hemisfere

 

tele-: tele-, far

television, telemicroscope

 

-cide: killer of

patricide, suicide, homicide

 

-fer: bringing, bearing

fructiferi (fruit-bearing), mammifere (amammal)

 

-file: -phile, loving

germanofile

 

-fobe: fearing

germanofobe

 

-oide: -oid, resembling

negroide, mongoloide, caucasoide, romboide, elipsoide

 

 

 

7.2.3 Parol-composition

 

Words can be joined together in a variety of ways.

 

1. Through simple joining, either with or without a hypen. a) Without a hyphen: postcarte, manuscrite. b) With a hyphen: Nord-Europa, automobil-garage

 

2. With the vowels i or o between words: uniform, unilateral, centimetre, microcosmo, aeroplan.

 

The imperative of a verb can also be used to join words together: portamoné (a wallet, lit. a carry-money), parapluvie (an umbrella, lit. a block-rain), gardarobe (a wardrobe, lit. a guard-robe).

 

 

7.2.4 Parol-families (word families)

 

You might have noticed that properly applying the above derivation rules almost always produces existing international words with the same meaning. New ones can be made, as that happens consistently in natural languages. In the few cases where a regularly formed derivation form differs substantially from an existing international word, both forms are permitted. Examples: noctal = nocturn, terral = terrestri (terrestrial), cielal = celest (celestial), patrin = paternal (paternal).

 

Here are some example of how international words are created by deduction and composition from simple elements in the derivation of Occidental:

 

protecter = to protect (protect-er)

protectoratu = a protectorate (protect-or-atu)

protectoria = a house for orphans (protect-or-ia)

protection = protection (protect-ion)

protectionisme = protectionism (protect-ion-isme)

protectionist = protectionist (the person) (protect-ion-ist)

protectionistic = protectionistic (adjective) (protect-ion-ist-ic)

protectiv = protective (protect-iv)

 

 

star = to stand

stabil, instabil, stabilitá, ínstabilitá, stabilisar, stabilisation, stabilisator; station, stationar, stationari, stationario; state, statu, statue, statuarium, statuette, statuer, statute, statuari, static, statica; statist; statistic, statistica, statistico; stativ; statura; constar, constant; constantie, constatar; restar, restantie; distar, distantie; circumstar, circumstantie etc.

 

Plus some others if one considers that the -stituer ending is also related to star: constituer, constitution, instituer, institute, institution, institutor, restituer, restitution, substituer, substitute, substitution,

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 Ottesim letion

 

8.1 Texte

 

8.1.1 Un somnie

 

"In facte, yo havet un drolli somnie just nu," racontat un irlandeso. "Yo revat, que yo esset in Roma e visitat su Sanctitá, li Papa. Apen yo hat tappat sur li porta, quande il self apertet it. – "A, Pat, es it Vu, qui ha venit, o alqui altri?" – "Advere, Vor honore, it es yo e nequi altri." – "Ples venir con me in li superior etage!" il dit me. E ta esset un separat chambre, bellissim equipat, quel yo ne ha videt jamá." "Ples seder," dit su Sanctitá, "quo Vu vole?" – Yo meditat durant un momente, e in fine yo dit: "Un glass de fort trincage." – "Deve it esser frigid o calid?" – "Calid," yo respondet. E su Sanctitá departet por aportar li trincage, ma il esset absent tro long e interim yo avigilat me. Quam yo nu repente, que yo ne hat petit le dar me it frigid."

 

somnie	dream	tappar	to tap, knock
trincage	a drink	droll(i)	funny
honore	honor	departer	to depart
repenter	to repent	racontar	to tell (a story, etc.)
equipar	to equip	Papa	Pope (note: papá = papa, daddy)
jamá	ever, never	interim	meanwhile
apen	hardly, barely, just as	meditar	to meditate
avigilar	to awaken

 

 

 

8.1.2 Aforismes

 

de Otto Weiss.

 

Pri un cose noi omni concorda: ne existe plu abominabil erras quam tis del altres.

 

It es sovente plu facil pardonar un injurie quel noi ha causat a un altri hom.

 

Li opinion de mani autore es acceptat del publica – quande il self ha abandonat it ja de long.

 

Mani nómina se idealist: proque il vole viver ne por, ma per un idé.

 

Un conosset patriot ha dit: "Yo ne comprende que alcun hom vole nascer quam extraniano."

 

On posse tacer pro divers motives: anc pro to que on have necos a dir.

 

Homes (anc Vu ha certmen constatat it) have plu de témpore, quande ili vole alquicos de nos, quam quande noi vole alquicos de ili.

 

A un yun mann, qui fanfaronat pri su saventies, un old mann dit: "Vu es felici, qui vive ancor in ti etá, quande on save omnicos."

 

Quam ínprudent it vell esser, si noi vell dir a nor conossetes: "Yo have exact tant interesse por Vos quant Vu por me."

 

Quande un hom di: "Un de nos erra," yo save strax, quem il alude.

 

Certmen Vu conosse ti person, qui quande on parla pri un altri hom, comensa strax parlar pri se self.

 

concordar	to agree	injurie	injury, insult
tacer	to be silent	ínprudent	imprudent, careless
mani	many a	fanfaronar	to boast, talk up
abominabil	abominable	etá	age
aluder	to alude

 

 

 

8.1.3 Bon respondet.

 

"Ples pardonar me, Senior," dit un tre seriosi aparent mann a un jolli hom, qui stat fumant un grand cigare sur li strada, "quant cigares Vu fuma in un die?"

"O," li response esset, "forsan quar o quin."

"Quin cigares in un die fa triant quin in un semane, circa un cent quinant in un mensu, e plu quam mill ott cent in un annu. Ples supposir, que Vu vell har economisat omni ti moné, quel Vu ha expenset a tabac! Vu vell posser forsan esser li possessor de ti bell micri dom, quel Vu vide ci a levul."

"Esque it es Vor, mi Senior?"

"O no, yo ne possede un dom."

"Esque Vu save, de qui it es?"

"No."

"It es mi!"

 

Note: li mi, li vor etc. is also used.

 

seriosi	serious	jolli	jolly
fumar	to smoke	a levul	on the left

 

 

 

8.1.4 Aforismes

 

To quo yo time max mult, es li timore. (Montaigne.)

 

Ti qui es fidel, conosse solmen li trivial láteres del amore. Solmen li ínfidel conosse li tragedies de it. (Wilde.)

 

Existe international artistes qui nequande aprende un lingue perfect: ili es li nativ extranianos. (Moszkowski.)

 

Li fanatisme es li sol fortie de vole quel anc li debiles e li íncertes posse manifestar.

(Nietzsche.)

 

Poc homes pensa, ma omnes vole haver opiniones. (Berkeley.)

 

Un mann qui interprende viver per li favor del musas, yo vole dir, per su poetic talentes, apari me in alcun maniere quam un puella qui vive per su charmes. (Schopenhauer.)

 

Dilettantes, dilettantes, talmen tis qui cultiva un scientie o un arte pro amore o joy pri it, pro lor delecte, es nominat con despecte de tis qui ocupa se pri ili pro profite, proque les delecte solmen li moné, quel es ganiabil per to. (Schopenhauer.)

 

In mani landes on have ti opinion: tri ásinos constitue junt un inteligent hom. Ma to es profundmen fals: pluri ásinos in concret fa li ásino in abstract, e it es un horribil animale. (Grillparzer.)

 

Un solari sistema es solmen un punctuat profil del mundan genie, ma un homan ocul es li miniatura del solari sistema. (Jean Paul.)

 

fidel	faithful	ásino	donkey, ass
animale	animal	debil	weak
puella	girl	constituer	constitute
interprender	undertake	despecte	scorn

 

 

8.1.5 Iguanodon

 

Durant mi viage a Stockholm yo visitat anc li natur-historic muséo e yo esset vermen impressionat per li granditá opressiv del squelette del antediluvian iguanodon. Benque yo conosset teoricmen li dimensiones e li grandore de ti prehistoric gigant, li realitá superat omni imaginationes. Li longore del caude es tam grand, que it ne have spacie. in li grand sala, ma on ha devet divider it e posir li detra-parte paralel al squelette.

 

Su altesse, li prince de S., intrat con mult grandesse in li sala del iguanodon, ma bentost il esset un modest micri hom apu li colossal animale. Un dama regardat li gigant e dit: "It es ínpossibil. Etsi un tal animal ha vivet, qualmen on posse saver su nómine?"

 

 

8.2 Explanations

 

viage	journey	diluvie	flood
caude	tail	animale	animal
impressionar	to impress	benque	even though
spacie	space	superar	surpass

 

 

8.2.1 Pronouns

 

In the preceding texts we have become very familiar with many of the pronouns in Occidental. Let's look at them as a whole.

 

Personal pronouns

 

• yo, me (I, me)
• tu, te (you, you) -- singular and informal
• noi, nos (we, us)
• vu, vos (you, you) -- plural or formar
• il, le (he, him)
• ella, la (she, her)
• it, it (it, it)
• ili, les (they, them)

 

 

Possessive pronouns 

 

• mi: my
• tui: your
• su: his, her, its
• nor: our
• vor: your
• lor: their

 

se is used to form reflexive pronouns, and unaltru means "each other".

 

Some examples:

 

Il da la su parol = Il da su parol a ella = He gives her his word

Yo da te mi parol = Yo da mi parol a te = I give you my word

Li diferentie inter me e te = The difference between me and you

Li diferentie inter mi e tui = The difference between mine and yours

Li nores victet li vores = Ours (plural) beat yours (plural). If noi had had one and vu had also had had one, it would be expressed as Li nor victet li vor.

Yo es tua e tu es mio = I am yours and you are mine (said by a woman to a man)

Ples far lu tui! = Please do yours! (remember lu = "the thing which is")

 

Note that after prepositions the pronouns except me and te are in their subject form). This has long been a subject of discussion, with some preferring outright object forms (con le, a la, sin les) and others preferring the nominative (con il, con ella, con ili). But interestingly nobody has ever preferred the forms con yo, con tu, only con me, con te. Rule of thumb: always me and te, the others are up to personal preference. Whether the community will decide on one form over the other is tough to say: even English has yet to do so in cases such as You are taller than me (than + pronoun) vs. You are taller than I (short for "than I am").

 

 

Demonstrative and determinative pronouns

 

• ti: this, that
• tis: these, those
• tal: such, such a
• tales: such (plural)
• to: that (in general)
• tant: so much, so

 

ti is very general, which is why it is translated as both this and that. To add precision, add ci (here) or ta (there) after: ti ci (this), ti ta (that).

 

Ti du crayones es li mis: ti ci es curt e ti ta es long; ples prender tis. -- These two pencils are mine: this one is short and that one is long: please take these.

Il es sempre tal. -- He's always like that.

Yo ama tal homes. -- I like such people.

Vu ne ama tales? -- You don't like such (people)? (Here tales could be something else besides people as it is not specified)

To es ver. -- That's right.

To es tant ver. -- That's so right.

 

Interrogative and relative pronouns

 

qui? -- who?

quem? -- whom?

quel? -- which?

qual? -- how?

quo? -- what?

quant? -- how much?

 

Examples:

 

Qui es ta? It es yo. -- Who is there? It's me.

De qui es ti chapel? -- Whose hat is this?

Quem tu dat li moné? -- To whom did you give the money? (a qui is another way to say the same thing)

Quem Vu saluta? -- Whom are you greeting?

Quem tu ama max mult? -- Whom do you love the most?

Quel adresse Vu have nu? -- What/which adress do you have now?

Qual es li aqua hodie, calid o frigid? -- How is the water today, hot or cold?

Quo es to? -- What is that?

 

The most used relative pronouns are quel (singular) and queles (plural). For people qui is also used in the singular and plural, and for objects and abstract things also quo.

 

Ti qui (or quel) es pigri ne fa progresse. -- One who is lazy makes no progress.

Beat es tis qui (or queles) ne vide, ma támen crede. -- Blessed are those who do not see, but believe.

It es un cose quel (not qui) yo ne comprende. -- It's something I don't understand.

Yo ne comprendet to quo Vu dit. -- I didn't understand what you said.

Nor lingue fa on constant progress que (= quel facte) tre joya me. -- Our language makes constant progress, which much pleases me.

Qual compositor, tal musica. -- As the composer, so the music.

Quant vive, tant espera. -- As long as there is life, there is (that much) hope.

 

Note: sometimes users of Occidental do not bother to pluralize quel: tis, quel... instead of tis, queles. Queles in the plural is one of those words that looks more proper when used but not outright deserving of a correction when not.

 

Various other pronouns

 

Note that many of these are simply formed by prefixing al-, ne-, etc. to other existing pronouns. They are not accented.

 

on -- one. This is used much more than in English, where it has a pompous feel ("Pardon me, where can one purchase a..."). In Occidental it means one, we, people, you (a general you), and even forms the passive. In Italia on parla italian = one speaks Italian in Italy, we speak Italian in Italy, you speak Italian in Italy, Italian is spoken in Italy.

self -- self

li sam -- the same

alquí -- somebody

alquem -- (object) (to, on...) somebody.

alcun -- some, any

alquó, alquicos -- something, some thing

quelc -- some (a few)

nequí -- nobody

nequem -- nobody (object)

nequó, necos -- nothing, no thing

nequel, null -- no (no water, no money...)

nequal -- no (sort of)

nequant -- no (quantity)

chascun -- each

omni -- any, all

altri -- other

altricos -- something else

pluri -- several

mult -- many

poc -- few

un poc -- a few

cert -- certain

un cert -- a certain

mani -- many, many a

tot -- all

-cunc -- fixed to pronouns to give the sense of 'whatever'. quicunc = whoever, quelcunc = whichever, quocunc = whatever. -cunc is not accented.

 

Note: because al-, ne-, -cunc etc. are never accented, the pronouns are often written without accents (alquo instead of alquó, alqui instead of alquí).

 

These pronouns are easy to remember with sentences incorporating the same forms:

 

Quant vu have? Nequant. -- How much do you have? Nothing.

Quant vu have? Alquant. -- How much do you have? Some.

Qui veni? Quicunc. -- Who's coming? Whoever.

Qui veni? Nequi. -- Who's coming? Nobody.

Quo tu have? Nequó. -- What do you have? Nothing.

Quem tu dat it? Nequem. -- Who did you give it to? To nobody.

Qualmen tu fat it? Talmen. -- How did you do it? Like that.

 

Examples:

 

Oh hom, conosse te self! -- Oh human, know thyself!

In li sam témpore e in li sam loc, mi amica. -- At the same time and in the same place, my friend.

Si alcun fémina parla pri alquo, ella pensa pri alqui. -- When some woman talks about something, she thinks about someone.

Chascun hom es forjero de su propri fortune. -- Each person is the forger of his/her own fortune.

Ples dar me quelc libres, yo have qulec líber hores por leer! -- Please give me some books, I have some free hours for reading.

Placer a omnes on ne posse, es arte, quel nequi conosse. -- Pleasing all one cannot do, it is an art known by no one. (Note: in Occidental it rhymes.)

Ja pluri annus yo vive in ti cité. -- I have lived in this city for several years already. (Note: only the present tense is used here. yo ha vivet is also acceptable)

Il have poc espera. -- He has little hope.

Il have un poc de espera. -- He has a little hope.

Yo conosse un cert senior Miller, ma yo ne es cert, esque il es ci. -- I know a certain Mr. Miller, but I'm not certain if he is here.

It es tot egal, esque Vu vide li tot munde, o quelc partes de it. -- It is all the same whether you see the whole world, or some parts of it.

Quicunc va venir, yo ne es in hem! -- Whoever comes, I'm not at home!

Quocunc tu di, ples dir li veritá. -- Whatever you say, please speak the truth.

Quelcunc labor vu fa, ples far it bon. -- Whatever work you do, please do it well.