Conversational Vocab - Learn These First

Started by Erimeyz, February 07, 2010, 07:59:44 AM

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Erimeyz

Beginners sometimes ask: "What are the most important words to learn?"

We now have a "Na'vi Only" forum section, in which experienced Na'vi learners have been holding lengthy conversations exclusively in Na'vi.  By analyzing the text of those conversations, we can see which words are used most frequently in "everyday Na'vi".  By learning those most common words first, beginners will be better prepared to join in the conversations.

The following words account for approximately two-thirds of the Na'vi text from the Na'vi Only forums.  They are listed roughly in order of frequency, but they have been grouped together by function to make it easier to learn them.  Only the uninflected root forms are listed here, i.e. "oe" but not "oel", "oeti", "oeru", etc.  Likewise "lu" but not "layu", "lolu", "livu", etc.

Just memorizing this word list won't be enough to understand or participate in the Na'vi Only conversations.  You'll need to learn the basics of Na'vi grammar, such as how to inflect words like "oe" and "lu" for case and tense, and you'll need to expand your vocabulary beyond just the most common words.  But if you start by learning these words so that you don't have to keep looking them up in the dictionary, you'll have a strong foundation for the rest of your Na'vi studies.

I hope you find this list helpful.

 - Eri

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Pronouns
oe - I
ayoeng - we
awnga - we
nga - you (singular)
aynga - you (plural)
po - he, she, it
poan - he
poe - she
fo - they
ayfo - they

Basic Verbs
lu - to be
tok - be at a place
si - make/do
tìng - give

Basic Modifiers
ke - not
a - which, that
lahe - other
kxawm - perhaps

Words and Language
lì'u - word
lì'fya - language
plltxe - speak
tslam - understand
ral - meaning
fpìl - think
omum - know
Na'vi - The People
nìNa'vi - in the Na'vi way
leNa'vi - Na'vi-like
plltxe nìNa'vi - speak the Na'vi language

People, Things
fko - one (a person or thing, not the number)
fìpo - this one
lapo - other one
frapo - everyone
kawtu - no one
'awpo - one person or thing
fì'u - this thing
tsa'u - that thing
fra'u - everything
ke'u - nothing
'upe - what thing?

Time, Place, Manner
krr - time
krrpe - when?
tsakrr - that time
frakrr - always
kawkrr - never
nulkrr - longer
tengkrr - while
set - now
tseng - place
tsengpe - where?
fìtseng - here
tsatseng - there
fya - way
fyape - how?
fìfya - this way
tengfya - same way

Conjunctions
ulte - and (for clauses)
- and (not for clauses)
slä - but
fu - or
txo - if
ha - so, in that case
fte - so that, in order to

Modal Verbs
tsun - can
zene - must
new - want

Relative Pronouns
futa - that; this thing that/which
tsnì - that; thusly, like so

Adpositions
- in
ta - from
ne - towards
vay - up to
fa - by means of
na - like, as
fpi - for the sake of

Particles
ma - particle of address
rutxe - please
irayo - thanks
srak - yes/no question
srane - yes
kehe - no
san - quote
sìk - unquote
tut - continuation ("... and you?" etc)

Adverbs of Quantity
nì'aw - only
nìtxan - much
nìhawng - too
nìmun - again
nì'ul - more
nìwotx - all
nìteng - also
kop - also

Other Common Words
sìltsan - good
nìltsan - well
muiä - right
txoa - forgiveness
prrte' - pleasure


Ftiafpi

Irayo! I'll make sure that the spoken words include all of these. Really useful stuff.

Erimeyz

Quote from: Ftiafpi on February 07, 2010, 10:43:24 AM
I'll make sure that the spoken words include all of these.

Excellent!  Rock on your bad self!

Quote from: Ftiafpi on February 07, 2010, 10:43:24 AM
Really useful stuff.

Irayo ngaru.

  - Eri

Scruffy


kewnya txamew'itan

Just thought, there's the useful particle of continuation tut that you don't have.
Internet Acronyms Nìna'vi

hamletä tìralpuseng lena'vi sngolä'eiyi. tìkangkem si awngahu ro
http://bit.ly/53GnAB
The translation of Hamlet into Na'vi has started! Join with us at http://bit.ly/53GnAB

txo nga new oehu pivlltxe nìna'vi, nga oer 'eylan si mì fayspuk (http://bit.ly/bp9fwf)
If you want to speak na'vi to me, friend me on facebook (http://bit.ly/bp9fwf)

numena'viyä hapxì amezamkivohinve
learnnavi's

Eyaye Tskxe

I joked around in the other thread, so let me say Irayo here! This is great. Time to make some four fold fans.

Erimeyz

Quote from: tìkawngä mungeyu on February 07, 2010, 01:39:38 PM
Just thought, there's the useful particle of continuation tut that you don't have.

Blame the Na'vi Only folks - if they used it more, it would have made the list. :)

(added anyway, good call)

  - Eri

kewnya txamew'itan

I use it a fair bit although I haven't been on na'vi nì'aw recently. When I have more time I will go on and use tut for you.
Internet Acronyms Nìna'vi

hamletä tìralpuseng lena'vi sngolä'eiyi. tìkangkem si awngahu ro
http://bit.ly/53GnAB
The translation of Hamlet into Na'vi has started! Join with us at http://bit.ly/53GnAB

txo nga new oehu pivlltxe nìna'vi, nga oer 'eylan si mì fayspuk (http://bit.ly/bp9fwf)
If you want to speak na'vi to me, friend me on facebook (http://bit.ly/bp9fwf)

numena'viyä hapxì amezamkivohinve
learnnavi's

tsamna

Irayo ma tsmukan oe am just starting to learn this will help me immensly.
Go climbing, its better for you than xbox.

Rain

This thread makes me happy and will continue to do so if you keep posting  ;D
"If there are self-made purgatories, then we shall all have to live in them."
-Spock, "This Side of Paradise"

"The greatest danger about Pandora is that you may come to love it too much." ~Grace Augustine

Erimeyz

Quote from: Rain on February 07, 2010, 09:41:23 PM
This thread makes me happy and will continue to do so if you keep posting  ;D

You make me happy because you are a toaster. :)

  - Eri

Unicorn


Eaite Randjam

Hey, this is pretty great.  Now I have a goal to shoot for instead of blindly flailing around the Na'vi vocabulary.  I'm gonna concentrate on memorizing these words and learning how they are used and spoken.

Thank you so much!

Tìrey Tsmukan

Irayo! thank you so much! I have been looking for the meaning of Lì'feya for at least an hour now... lol plus, all of these word are things that I can (and absolutely will) use.

Eywa Ngaha, Lu Nìlstan. (i'm not sure if that's right, I think there is a <ay> that comes after lu, but I'm not sure)

Rain

Quote from: Erimeyz on February 08, 2010, 01:51:18 AM
Quote from: Rain on February 07, 2010, 09:41:23 PM
This thread makes me happy and will continue to do so if you keep posting  ;D

You make me happy because you are a toaster. :)

  - Eri


Eh, it's all I can do ;)
"If there are self-made purgatories, then we shall all have to live in them."
-Spock, "This Side of Paradise"

"The greatest danger about Pandora is that you may come to love it too much." ~Grace Augustine

Ftiafpi

Quote from: Tìrey Tsmukan on February 09, 2010, 01:46:55 PM
Irayo! thank you so much! I have been looking for the meaning of Lì'feya for at least an hour now... lol plus, all of these word are things that I can (and absolutely will) use.

Eywa Ngaha, Lu Nìlstan. (i'm not sure if that's right, I think there is a <ay> that comes after lu, but I'm not sure)


Clearly someone needs a copy of Taronyu's dictionary. It's your 'eylan (friend): http://content.learnnavi.org/taronyu/NaviDictionary.pdf

cowboymeowmix

Quote from: Erimeyz on February 08, 2010, 01:51:18 AM
Quote from: Rain on February 07, 2010, 09:41:23 PM
This thread makes me happy and will continue to do so if you keep posting  ;D

You make me happy because you are a toaster. :)

  - Eri


This made me laugh the hardest I've laughed all week. Thank you for that. And thank you for the word list!

Tireapamtseo

Thank you so much for compiling this list!  I was just about to start a thread asking what words a beginner should learn first - now I don't need to!   :)

Irayo!!!
Ewya, srung si oeru fte tsun kivame a fì'u ke tok kea keyey mì sìngop ngengayä,
Tírey srereu nì'aw.

Ftiaronsem

Irayo ma Erimeyz.

This list is really great.
Since I am using Jmemorize for learning new vocabs, I converted your vocab list to a csv file, which can be imported in Jmemorize. It is attached to this thread.

Nimun Irayo

Erimeyz

b1, thanks very much!  I'm sure others will find it very helpful, thanks for sharing!

  - Eri