[For Beginners] FAQ

[Tsyaltuan]

the verb for to be (am, is, are) is represented by lu

Can having lu just once in a sentence act as multiple parts in the sentence? Ex: I am wondering if you are ready to go outside. Could just having lu once in that sentence mean am and are? I've seen some sentences where people have done this.

I'm not a heavily experienced speaker or master of this language, so take my advice lightly, with what you just said as a sentence, "I am wondering", that seems like it would be a progressive action, comparable to the progressive tense in english; therefore, i'm not sure if theres a verb in na'vi for "wonder" but if there were, I would use the infix <er> to suggest an ongoing action (aka progressive) rather than the verb lu

Regarding the second "are" in "are ready to go outside" you would be able to use the verb lu , but it may be put into a subjunctive tense (using the infix <iv>, because the action is not a certainty...sorry if that was too long or confusing? 

I understand what you mean but you didn't really answer my question. I was just trying to provide an example even though it was a bad one.

[Tsamsteu]

the verb for to be (am, is, are) is represented by lu

Can having lu just once in a sentence act as multiple parts in the sentence? Ex: I am wondering if you are ready to go outside. Could just having lu once in that sentence mean am and are? I've seen some sentences where people have done this.

I'm not a heavily experienced speaker or master of this language, so take my advice lightly, with what you just said as a sentence, "I am wondering", that seems like it would be a progressive action, comparable to the progressive tense in english; therefore, i'm not sure if theres a verb in na'vi for "wonder" but if there were, I would use the infix <er> to suggest an ongoing action (aka progressive) rather than the verb lu

Regarding the second "are" in "are ready to go outside" you would be able to use the verb lu , but it may be put into a subjunctive tense (using the infix <iv>, because the action is not a certainty...sorry if that was too long or confusing? 

I understand what you mean but you didn't really answer my question. I was just trying to provide an example even though it was a bad one.

OH sorry!
If i were trying to convey the idea: I was wondering if you are ready to go (outside). I would say:

ke oe omum txo nga alaksì l<iv>u k<iv>ä ne wrrpa.

not I  know  if    you  ready  are     go    to   outside ---------> I don't know if you a ready to go outside

(first, lu is conjugated in subjunctive, followed by kä in the infinitive)..not sure if this is right though)

[Tsyaltuan]

I'm still not sure you understand and sorry if I made you do work putting that together.
My question was can you use lu once in a sentence and have it mean multiple things? I can't think of a good example for this. Like can you have it mean is and be in the same sentence while only saying lu one time in the sentence?

Editing this to get rid of the quotes there is really no need for us to keep doing that. lol
Also could the iv infix get added to this guide http://forum.learnnavi.org/index.php?topic=353.0
I had no idea about it till you just told me what it means.

[Tsamsteu]

I'm still not sure you understand and sorry if I made you do work putting that together.
My question was can you use lu once in a sentence and have it mean multiple things? I can't think of a good example for this. Like can you have it mean is and be in the same sentence while only saying lu one time in the sentence?

Editing this to get rid of the quotes there is really no need for us to keep doing that. lol

Oh, that's okay, practice makes perfect! But i'm struggling to fully understand your question, because in english, the verb "to be" is conjugated as is am are, likewise in na'vi. The only idea I can come up with is something such as, "I am well, and they are well."

Oe sìltsan lu, ulte ayfo sìltsan lu.


Can you give me an example of what you mean?

[Tsyaltuan]

Okay here is a good example I think. It is a pleasure to be able to chat with you.
I also understand lu to mean be so if you use lu just once in that sentence can it mean is and be?
You don't have to translate it to Na'vi unless I gave a bad example again.

[Tsamsteu]

..hmm...I see your point, and i dont have a definite answer for your question, regretfully, however that sentence seems a bit awkward to say.

Fikem sìltsana lu ts<iv>un ne plltx<iv>e nga-ti hu.

This   good   to be able     to  speak      you   with

This is good to be able to speak with you. -----> best shot, no idea though, dont put trust in that sorry 

[Tìhawnu Ta'em]

What is the Na'vi 'Add-on' word equivalent to -ed in the English language?

[Tsamsteu]

..as in past tense? example please?

[Tsyaltuan]

What is the Na'vi 'Add-on' word equivalent to -ed in the English language?

What your looking for is an infix. You can check out most (but not all, I guess some were forgotten) infixes towards the bottom of the first post in this thread http://forum.learnnavi.org/index.php?topic=353.0

This is probably the one you're looking for
-ol-used to show you that you did it but it does not affect now. it was an event rather than an ongoing thing. the use of -ed without just. hunted, shopped, talked. we talked yesterday.

[Tsamsteu]

What is the Na'vi 'Add-on' word equivalent to -ed in the English language?

What your looking for is an infix. You can check out most (but not all, I guess some were forgotten) infixes towards the bottom of the first post in this thread http://forum.learnnavi.org/index.php?topic=353.0

This is probably the one your looking for
-ol-used to show you that you did it but it does not affect now. it was an event rather than an ongoing thing. the use of -ed without just. hunted, shopped, talked. we talked yesterday.

good call! i was asking tihawnu for an example, as in did he mean past tense, cause i was unsure. By the way, did help clear up your "to be" problem or further confuse you? 

[Tsyaltuan]

good call! i was asking tihawnu for an example, as in did he mean past tense, cause i was unsure. By the way, did help clear up your "to be" problem or further confuse you?  

I think I'm at the same spot I was before so neither. lol
I guess all I can really do is use it that way until someone corrects me. Unless it's correct, and after using it a few times and having no one correct me, then I know it's correct. lol

Unless someone else comes into this thread and answers my question. I have a complicated brain. lol

[Tìhawnu Ta'em]

Thanks that helped. So basically you just add on -ol to a verb?

[Tsamsteu]

Thanks that helped. So basically you just add on -ol to a verb?

in a basic sense, yes, but the placement of <ol> is crucial, after the consonant of the first syllable, for example, the verb:

Taron: I hunt

T<ol>aron: I hunted

Read some more about conjugations and infixtures if you want with the v3 guidebook!

[flashbash2]

Okay, I have a question about verb tenses, primarily the infixes. On the website the infix for the present is -er- and the infix for the imperfect tense was -irm-, but on the pocket guide the infixes for the tenses is N/A and -er- respectively. I might just be a little confused because of the difference between the "tense" and the "aspect/mood" since I take Latin and the imperfective and perfect mood in Na'Vi is the same as the imperfect and perfect tense respectively in Latin.

[Tsyaltuan]

Okay, I have a question about verb tenses, primarily the infixes. On the website the infix for the present is -er- and the infix for the imperfect tense was -irm-, but on the pocket guide the infixes for the tenses is N/A and -er- respectively. I might just be a little confused because of the difference between the "tense" and the "aspect/mood" since I take Latin and the imperfective and perfect mood in Na'Vi is the same as the imperfect and perfect tense respectively in Latin.

The er infix is like adding ing to a word like hunt with er = hunting. Without er it's like hunt in I hunt.

[flashbash2]

Okay, I have a question about verb tenses, primarily the infixes. On the website the infix for the present is -er- and the infix for the imperfect tense was -irm-, but on the pocket guide the infixes for the tenses is N/A and -er- respectively. I might just be a little confused because of the difference between the "tense" and the "aspect/mood" since I take Latin and the imperfective and perfect mood in Na'Vi is the same as the imperfect and perfect tense respectively in Latin.

The er infix is like adding ing to a word like hunt with er = hunting. Without er it's like hunt in I hunt.

Okay thx for clearing that up, but on the pocket guide the -er- infix is used to form the "was verbing" or imperfect while on the grammar page of the site, -irm- is used to form the "was just now verbing" form, which i really don't see a difference in.

[Tsamsteu]

..to my knowledge, <er> seems to be used as present progressive.

Oe T<er>aron: I am hunting.

Present tense, as stated before, is the verb by itself, without an infix.

[flashbash2]

let me show you the pocket guide. lol

http://www.learnnavi.org/docs/Learn-Navi-Pocket-Guide.pdf

pg 9

[Tsyaltuan]

..to my knowledge, <er> seems to be used as present progressive.

Oe T<er>aron: I am hunting.

Present tense, as stated before, is the verb by itself, without an infix.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the am. Thanks for the correction.

let me show you the pocket guide. lol

http://www.learnnavi.org/docs/Learn-Navi-Pocket-Guide.pdf

pg 9

Hmm seems to be a mistake. Bound to happen with all that's in that guide. I was just looking at the iv infix in that part of the guide a few minutes ago. I'm surprised I didn't spot that.

[Tsamsteu]

..ah i see now, however, i dont know if thats an error, but i notice below the <er> conjugation it says: "was hunting", however, in the paragraph directly below, it states that the imperfective (mood) is used to describe an ongoing action, does not declare whether its an ongoing action in the past, which would be the true imperfect (in spanish for example). Interesting.....like tsayltuan stated, might be a mistake..