Kame's Vocabulary Sentences

[Kame Ayyo’koti]

I am trying a new method for learning vocab. Since simply memorizing words won't teach one how to use them in a sentence, I've decided to do this: For each of the vocab items I've studied each day in Anki, I will write a short sentence using that word.

The idea is: Since Anki tracks how well you remember something, the more often I see a word, the more example sentences I will write for it, and hopefully the better I will learn it, since I can reread these sentences as often as I like.

I will post these sentences here, both for corrections and for other aynumeyu to use if they like.

I'm currently focusing on adpositions (since these are few, but very useful) and verbs (since getting the infixes, cases, etc. right can be tricky, and I want to get the harder stuff out of the way).

Moe holeyn äo aysanhì.	We(two) sat under the stars.
Oe kllkxolem eo eyktan.	I stood before the leader.
Ayoe tolaron fa tsko.	We hunted with bows. Should this be tsko or aysko? Does it matter?
Oel tskxet tsrole'i few txayo.	I threw the rock across the field.
Pxoe tswolayon fkip ayfìwopx.	We(three) flew up among the clouds.
Oel holena fpi hoaktu..	I carried (something/it) for the senior. The direct object is left off here. Imagine this being an answer to a question like, "What were you doing with that?" I assume the direct object should be obvious. Not sure if DO-dropping is allowed.
Pay za'u ftu ayram.	The water comes from the mountains.
Oe pohu solop.	I traveled with him.
Nantang spolä io utral.	The viperwolf jumped over the tree.
Oe ftolia ìlä sänume peyä.	I studied according to his instruction. I studied in the way he instructed me to.
Ayrìk zolup ka kllte.	The leaves fell across the ground.
Oe pähem kam trr avol.	I arrived eight days ago.
Ayoeng taron kay trr atsìng.	We will hunt four days from now. Is -ay- needed here if kay already implies this will happen in the future? Edit: No, -ay- is not necessary since kay applies it will happen in the future.
Oe kelku si kip Na'vi.	I live among the Na'vi.
Oe solop krrka yrrap.	I traveled during the storm.
Oe tolul kxamlä yapay.	I ran through the fog.
Oe holeyn lok Neytiri.	I sat near Neytiri.
Oe solop payluke.	I traveled without water.
Oe kä maw trray.	I will go after tomorrow.
Oe holahaw mì helku.	I slept in the house.
Ayoe kelku si mìkam meram.	We live between the two mountains.
Ayoel molunge frayut mungwrr tsko.	We took everything except the bow.
Awnga salew ne swotu.	We proceed to the sacred place.
Po tolìran ftumfa yapay.	He walked out of the mist.
Oel tsyeymit fwew.	I seek treasure.
Ayfol mot fyolel.	They sealed the room.
Pol oeti holawneiu.	He protected me (and I'm happy about it).
Pol oeti holena.	He carried me.
Oe tswolayon io kelku apxay.	I flew over many houses.
Ayutral virä ka tsong.	Trees spread over the valley.
Oe tolìran kip ayutral.	I walked among the trees.
Oe holahaw krrka yrrap.	I slept during the storm.
Oel tskxet kxoleltek.	I lifted the stone.
Oel payt kxolukx.	I swallowed the water.
Pol por kxolìm tsonta 'evengit hawnu.	He ordered her to protect the child.
Oe za'u kelkune maw trray.	I come home after tomorrow.
Oel fìtìhawlit mok.	I suggest this plan.
'Evengìl sa'nokit mong.	A child depends on the mother.
Oel tsyokxit oeyä molun'ängi.	I cut my hand (and I'm not happy about it).
Kä kelkunemfa!	Go into the house!
Ayoe pate maw txon'ong.	We arrived after nightfall.
Oe kämolakto rofa eyktan.	I rode out alongside the leader.
Palulukan spolä ftumfa ayutraltsyìp.	The thanator jumped out of the bushes.

Both pate and pähem mean to "arrive." What is the difference between these two?
Similarly for kä and salew? (Both can mean to "go.")

Edit: According to Plumps (below):

As far as I understood it, there is no difference between pate and pähem. AFAIK, it was a pronunciation slip up on Zoë Saldaña's part and Frommer entered it in the dictionary.

Edit: Removed my example for lisre+ because it was incorrect.

[阿波]

Interesting idea (you can add new fields for example sentences in Anki, too, in case you didn't know). However, it would be better if we could just learn the vocabulary and grammar upfront, and then just read our tìmit off.

[Plumps]

Indeed, an interesting idea. Everybody is different in learning. Often example sentences help (kind of like a paradigm) to remember certain word usages. So, if it helps you, go for it

A few things...

Oe polähem kam trr avol.	I arrived after eight days.
Ayoeng tayaron kay trr atsìng.	We will hunt four days from now. Is -ay- needed here if kay already implies this will happen in the future?

...

Pol por kxolìm tsonta 'evengit hawnu.

He ordered her to protect the child.

...
[/table]

Both pate and pähem mean to "arrive." What is the difference between these two?
Similarly for kä and salew? (Both can mean to "go.")

The translation for the first is off. The Na'vi sentence means "I arrived eight days ago." If you want to go for "after" that would be maw.
The second is similar. I don't know whether the English translation sounds maybe 'weird' but I would just say "We will hunt in four days." The golden rule for tense infixes is, if you can get the meaning from context you can leave them out. I'd had no problem in understanding the sentence if ‹ay› wouldn't be there.

The kxìm example is for the verb, right? Because there is no adposition in there

As far as I understood it, there is no difference between pate and pähem. AFAIK, it was a pronunciation slip up on Zoë Saldaña's part and Frommer entered it in the dictionary. I wonder how much of this will happen with the next films...

[Tirea Aean]

This is a fantastic idea and I fully support it and encourage others to try the same thing. truly I have found that using the language is the best way to learn and retain it and begin to understand it efficiently.

[Kame Ayyo’koti]

For the corrections irayo.

I've found it easier to remember word meanings if they're used in a sentence, along with whether they're transitive and whatnot. Trying to remember the different meanings of eo io and uo was almost impossible until I began doing this, but remembering them as part of a phrase ("... eo eyktan.") solves the problem. Those phrases can also help me remember whether they cause lenition or not; io doesn't, because the phrase is  "... io kelku ...", but I know mì does, because I've heard "... mì helku ..." so many times I don't even have to think about it anymore.

I don't know whether the English translation sounds maybe 'weird' but I would just say "We will hunt in four days."

"We will hunt in four days" is also correct, and probably more colloquial. The dictionary definition for kay- is "from now (in the future)", which is why I wrote it that way.
Otherwise, I agree with leaving out tense infixes in these cases. Seems like Na'vi has a "use the least amount of information necessary" rule. (Which I like, but is another thing to get used to. )

The kxìm example is for the verb, right? Because there is no adposition in there

Yes, it is for the verb. The sentences are mixed together, however Anki presents them to me.

[Kame Ayyo’koti]

Since Anki has me review many words everyday, I'm only going to write sentences for the difficult ones.

Also, fìtrr oe ngeyn 'efu nìtxan, so these sentences may be a little lazy/very similar to some of Paul's. Too tired to think.

Ayoel uranit fyolel wä fay.	We sealed the boat against the water.
Oel eltut lefngap kan'ìn.	I specialize in computers.
Tsamsiyul eyktanit lolek.	The warrior obeyed the leader.
Na'vil Sawtutet lolätxayn.	The Na'vi defeated the Skypeople in battle.
Tsampongu txoley.	The war party halted.
Oel teylut 'anla. (hrh)	I long for teylu. (lol)
Tsamìri ayoel fa'lit holawl.	We prepared the direhorses for the war.
Oel yerikit hefi.	I smell a hexapede.
Nga ke tsun ayoet kawngsivar.	You cannot exploit us.
Oeyä aykeyeyt kulat rutxe.	Reveal my mistakes please. ()
Moe fìtsap mäpoleyam.	We hugged each other.
Sawtute kllzola'u tafkip aysanhì.	The Skypeople came down from up among the stars.
Nantang tsyolìl vay kxaylyì.	The viperwolf climbed up to the high level.

This one may be incorrect is correct:

Oel 'efu sireat.

I sense spirits.

I know 'efu is used to express how we feel (see my statement at the top), but I haven't seen it used in this fashion. The dictionary gives the meaning sense or perceive, so I believe it can be used in this way.
However, whether cases are called for here I'm not sure. It's listed as transitive, so I assume it can be. However, as it doesn't take cases for expressing feeling, I wonder if this rule doesn't apply:

6.2.6.2. If there is ambiguity with slu become about which constituent is the subject and which the predicate, the predicate can be marked with the adposition ne, as in taronyu slu ne tsamsiyu the hunter becomes a warrior.

So would it perhaps be?:

Oe 'efu ne sirea.

I sense spirits.

If you are going to say: I feel like a ghosts/spirits it would be Oe 'efu na sirea. But it's become interesting, because I feel like ghosts would mean that one can feel how ghosts can feel and if I put a reflexive into 'efu, it would mean I feel myself like a ghost.

Oe 'efu na tirea.

I feel like a spirit.

Edit: Fixed the example sentence for hawl.

[Tìtstewan]

This one may be incorrect: Oel 'efu sireat. I sense spirits.

That sentece simply means: I feel spirits.
If you are going to say: I feel like a ghosts/spirits it would be Oe 'efu na sirea. But it's become interesting, because I feel like ghosts would mean that one can feel how ghosts can feel and if I put a reflexive into 'efu, it would mean I feel myself like a ghost.
Eltur tìtxen seiyi.

So would it perhaps be?: Oe 'efu ne sirea. I sense spirits.

No, not really. The translation of that sentences is weird: "I feel to spirits."
Don't confuse the use of 'efu with slu:

Oel 'efu sireat VS Oe slu ne tirea
I feel spirits VS I become |to| a spirit.
German: Ich fühle Geister VS Ich werde |zu| einem Geist

[Kame Ayyo’koti]

This one may be incorrect: Oel 'efu sireat. I sense spirits.

That sentece simply means: I feel spirits.
If you are going to say: I feel like a ghosts/spirits it would be Oe 'efu na sirea. But it's become interesting, because I feel like ghosts would mean that one can feel how ghosts can feel and if I put a reflexive into 'efu, it would mean I feel myself like a ghost.
Eltur tìtxen seiyi.

I didn't consider the difference between I feel/sense spirits vs. I feel like a spirit. Oe ngahu mllte, that's good food for thought.

The translation of that sentences is weird: "I feel to spirits."
Don't confuse the use of 'efu with slu:

ne means to, when I meant na (as), but I was too tired last night to realize what I wrote. I know the difference between 'efu and slu; I brought up that rule because those verbs function similarly, so I figured there would be a similar rule (using na, which you have confirmed) for 'efu.

[`Eylan Ayfalulukanä]

I think oel 'efu sireat is correct for 'I sense spirits' because 'sense' is one of the possible meanings of 'efu, and the meaning difference between 'feel' and 'sense' is relatively small. Since we don't have a word (yet) to refer to the physical senses in general (although it could be argued this isn't a physical sense), 'efu is a good fit. Kame's suggestion of using na- is good as well.

The sentence idea is definitely a good one, and one I should use more often. Even better is using words in a song. Music or poetry seems for me to be an especially effective way to remember vocabulary.

[Vawmataw]

Oe slu ne tirea

Oe slu tirea would make more sense.

oel 'efu sireat

I feel/sense the spirits. Correct.

[Wllìm]

Oe slu ne tirea

Oe slu tirea would make more sense.

ne can be used to disambiguate sentences with slu. In other words, you can put ne before the thing that the subject is becoming, to make clear what is the subject and what is the thing the subject becomes.

Edit: a much clearer explanation is here

  Taronyu slu ne tsamsiyu.
  The hunter becomes a warrior.

     or

  Ne taronyu slu tsamsiyu.
  The warrior becomes a hunter.

[Vawmataw]

I probably don't understand, but if your sentence has SVO order, you shouldn't need to add ne. Well, why should one need to do that?

[Tìtstewan]

Prrton explained that really good:

(2) Word Order with Slu

Because of Na'vi's flexible word order, it is possible to create sentences like Taronyu slu tsamsiyu. It can be unclear which noun became which if enough context is lacking or the situation is complicated. In a case like Po slu tsamsiyu., the speaker and listener(s) already know who po is. If they did not, there would be no pronoun in play. There is no ambiguity in this scenario. But if you have any lack of clarity about the meaning, you can frame the outcome of slu with ne.

  Taronyu slu ne tsamsiyu.
  The hunter becomes a warrior.

     or

  Ne taronyu slu tsamsiyu.
  The warrior becomes a hunter.

Ne is the regular directional adposition. We're already familiar with it. Now its role has be metaphorically extended for this grammatical construct (specifically with slu). It can be used before or after the predicate, which is the 'outcome' of the the becoming. Taronyune slu tsamsiyu. is also a valid way to say "The warrior becomes a hunter."

[Vawmataw]

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I don't know enough the grammar to have an intermediate level of knowledge in Na'vi.

[Kame Ayyo’koti]

Fìtrrä aykìng aylì'uä:

Ngoal tsampongut holultstxem.	The mud hindered the war party.
Tsahìkìl ftumfa tseng ayvrrtepit kolurakx.	The priest/ess drove the demons out of the place. Not sure if ftu would be better here.
Sawtutel 'Rrtat moläkxu.	The Skypeople have thrown the Earth out of harmonious balance.
Oel pukit ne kxaylyì 'olärìp.	I moved the book to the high shelf.
Oel tskxet io tsyeym kä'olärìp.	I pushed the stone over the treasure.
Karyul holpxayt leNa'vi txankrr lolawk.	The teacher talked about Na'vi numbers for a long time.
Poel ayvulit fa telem 'awstengyolem.	She bound the branches together with cord.

[Vawmataw]

#3. Tsahìkìl ayvrrtepit fewi would work.
The other sentences are gramatically correct, however I don't know if there are changes to be made.

[Kame Ayyo’koti]

Kame's suggestion of using na- is good as well.

Nìfkeytongay that was Tìtstewan's suggestion.

The sentence idea is definitely a good one, and one I should use more often. Even better is using words in a song. Music or poetry seems for me to be an especially effective way to remember vocabulary.

I might do that as well, except that I'm terrible at writing poetry (nìÌnglìsì fu nìNa'vi). For now it's just another level of complication that I don't want to deal with.

I probably don't understand, but if your sentence has SVO order, you shouldn't need to add ne. Well, why should one need to do that?

In English, the syntactic role of a word (subject or direct object) is determined by its position in the sentence. In Na'vi, it isn't. Therefore a sentence like "Taronyu slu tsamsiyu" can be SVO or OVS — we can't tell which. Because either meaning is reasonable, ne is used to make explicit who-becomes-what. This:
  Taronyu slu ne tsamsiyu.
will mean:
  The hunter becomes → a warrior.
even if we write it:
  Ne tsamsiyu slu taronyu.
or:
  Tsamsiyune slu taronyu.

However, sometimes the meaning is obvious because the other meaning is silly. For example, we would assume the meaning of:
Rina' slolu utral.
is:
The seed became a tree.

Because "the tree became a seed" is unlikely, so ne isn't needed here. (Unless we were talking about a story with magic or something like that, where perhaps a tree can "become a seed," then we might need ne.)

This post has a good, long explanation of Na'vi and word order.

[Vawmataw]

Thanks for the explanation.

[Kame Ayyo’koti]

#3. Tsahìkìl ayvrrtepit fewi would work.

Your sentence has a very different meaning.

fewi means to chase.
kurakx means to drive out, which means something similar to "removed."

Your's means, "The priest/ess chases the demons."

[Vawmataw]

*checks the definition of chase*
Never mind. My English isn't perfect.

As for ftumfa, if the tsahìk does that in room (as an example), it's correct (see the examples on Na'viteri).