Grammar Help

[ilyadesroi]

Could somebody please tell me if I'm making sentences in Na'vi correctly?


Srefwa spamä oel ta 'awkx, pamrel sami oel.
Before I jumped off a cliff, I wrote.


Ke svin oeyä eltu lefgnap.
My computer doesn't work.

tspang ayfol oeti fa txewk.
They're killing me with a club. 

[Vawmataw]

Kaltxì ulte zola'u nìprrte'!

Srefwa spamä oel ta 'awkx, pamrel sami oel.

No -l to oe, because the verbs don't have direct objects.

Ke svin oeyä eltu lefngap.

svin is not a word. The verb zo is correct.

tspang ayfol oeti fa txewk.

Correct, but you can also write tsperang if your verb is in the present progressive form.

[Plumps]

Srefwa spamä oel ta 'awkx, pamrel sami oel.
Before I jumped off a cliff, I wrote.


Ke (svin) zo oeyä eltu lefngap.
My computer doesn't work.

tspang ayfol oeti fa txewk.
They're killing me with a club. 

So far so good! and zola'u nìprrte'

Be careful with the endings. They help you a lot of who does what in a sentence but they are not always needed. With 'jump' for example, you don't 'do jumping to something or someone', you just do. So there is no L-ending necessary Same with pamrel si ... but si-verbs are a whole different matter

Otherwise, this looks good!

ninja'd

[Tìtstewan]

Kaltxì! Welcome!

Srefwa spamä oel1 ta 'awkx, pamrel sami oel2. Before I jumped off a cliff, I wrote.

1

With 'jump' for example, you don't 'do jumping to something or someone', you just do.

2 The verb pamrel si is intransitive, that means, the subject does not get any case ending, so also there no -l.

Ke svin oeyä eltu lefgnngap. My computer doesn't work.

The blue marked word is unknown to me...
I would say, use zo there: Ke zo oeyä eltu lefngap.

tspang ayfol oeti fa txewk. They're killing me with a club.

No mistakes. I think, there could be the infix <er> in tspang

Ninja'd!

[Kemaweyan]

1 You used ta there and ta is an adposition that 'breaks' the case endings, so no -l at oe.

Oel tolel 'upxaret ta nga Which case ending is broken?

[Tìtstewan]

*keytsyokx*
Fixing...

[Blue Elf]

Ke svin oeyä eltu lefngap.

svin is not a word. The verb zo is correct.

Ke zo oeyä eltu lefngap means literally "My computer is not well / is not as it should be"
If you prefer exact meaning, you can use Tìkangkem ke si oeyä eltu lefngap.

As for case ending - in dictionary you can find verbs to be marked as vtr (vtrm) or vin(svin). The first ones are transitive, so they can have direct object. In such case subject is marked by -l/-ìl ending and object by -t/-ti/-it. If object is not present, no marking is used.
The second verbs are intransitive so they have no direct subject and marking is used. If indirect object is present, it takes -r/-ur/-ru ending.
If verb is marked just v., transitivity is not known yet and you are on gray area.

Do not scare - you'll get it after some exercise. Good luck!

[Plumps]

Ke svin oeyä eltu lefngap.

svin is not a word. The verb zo is correct.

Ke zo oeyä eltu lefngap means literally "My computer is not well / is not as it should be"
If you prefer exact meaning, you can use Ke tìkangkem ke si oeyä eltu lefngap.

I've been thinking about this some more... and I think your version is only correct if you gave your computer a task (like converting a file type into another) and it is still processing this task. If it is about the mere function of the object (it works or it doesn't when you switch it on) I still think zo is the better choice.

I don't know how Czech or Russian handles this but in German we have two ways to convey this intended meaning with zo: ,,Der PC (or: er) funktioniert." (lit.: the PC (or: it) functions); or ,,Der PC geht." (lit.: the PC goes). If we were to say, ,,der PC arbeitet" (lit.: it works), then the meaning is always that it is processing at the moment.

I'd translate Apple's slogan "It just works" as Tsaw zo nìyey and not as *tsaw tìkangkem si nìyey, though it is grammatically correct, of course, it conveys a different meaning, tì'efumì oeyä. Nga oehu ke mllte srak?

[Tìtstewan]

Exactly this is why I used zo there. Also, the definition of zo covers "work correctly, functioning correctly".

[Blue Elf]

Ke svin oeyä eltu lefngap.

svin is not a word. The verb zo is correct.

Ke zo oeyä eltu lefngap means literally "My computer is not well / is not as it should be"
If you prefer exact meaning, you can use Ke tìkangkem ke si oeyä eltu lefngap.

I've been thinking about this some more... and I think your version is only correct if you gave your computer a task (like converting a file type into another) and it is still processing this task. If it is about the mere function of the object (it works or it doesn't when you switch it on) I still think zo is the better choice.

I don't know how Czech or Russian handles this but in German we have two ways to convey this intended meaning with zo: ,,Der PC (or: er) funktioniert." (lit.: the PC (or: it) functions); or ,,Der PC geht." (lit.: the PC goes). If we were to say, ,,der PC arbeitet" (lit.: it works), then the meaning is always that it is processing at the moment.

I'd translate Apple's slogan "It just works" as Tsaw zo nìyey and not as *tsaw tìkangkem si nìyey, though it is grammatically correct, of course, it conveys a different meaning, tì'efumì oeyä. Nga oehu ke mllte srak?

I've got what you mean. You want to distinguish, whether it really do some work (performs a task), or whether it is able to work. Yes, in Czech we can express both of these meanings too:
- Computer is functional (PC funguje/je funkční) - it means when you switch it on, it boots, OS starts and reaches state where it waits for your commands
- Computer works/is working (PC pracuje) - it means computer performs a task, it is not in state where it awaits your command.
Unfortunately both these meanings are covered by English "to work".
But if your PC crashes and therefore is not functional anymore, in Na'vi zo works better, zene mivllte. Applause for you