Na'vi expressions and idioms

Started by omängum fra'uti, February 01, 2010, 08:30:08 PM

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omängum fra'uti

Quote from: Blue Elf on April 26, 2011, 03:05:44 PM
There's a small mistake in "How do you say ____ in Na'vi?/How do you say ____ in English" part - missing glottal stop in 'upe
____ nìNa'vi slu 'upe?
____ nì'ìnglìsì slu 'upe?

Ah good catch, I'm surprised that's slipped up so long.  Fixed.

I should probably update this with more phrases and idioms, at some point.
Ftxey lu nga tokx ftxey lu nga tirea? Lu oe tìkeftxo.
Listen to my Na'vi Lessons podcast!

Meuianga

Irayo! This is very helpful!  ;)
Na'vi, one with nature.

Txaia Crowley

Kaltxì, ngaru lu fpom srak?
I found this thread useful, especially because even though I have been studying, it helps me immensely to see it come together rather than just endless reading on how to do it. Irayo!
I just joined the wonderful community here and yay, first post! Celebrate with me and these awesome smilies!  ;D

Tìtstewan

#83
Kaltxì ma Txaia Crowley!

Welcome here! I see you have fun to lean Na'vi, txantsan! :D
*epic necroposting* ::)




I found a mistake:

QuoteWelcome
You don't always greet someone with "Hello", especially if they are just arriving.  In English, we can of course say "Welcome!"  In Na'vi you can express a similar concept as well.
Zola'u nìprrte <- here ist missing '  :)
Lit. Pleasantly come

Eywa ayngahu!

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Txaia Crowley

Oh, thanks for correcting me. See how new I am :-[

Ftiafpi

Quote from: Txaia Crowley on July 08, 2013, 09:40:22 AM
Oh, thanks for correcting me. See how new I am :-[

Don't worry about it. Glad you found this topic useful and welcome to the forums. Perhaps you would like to make a post in the introduction board?

Tìlor

Kaltxì ma frapo

There is the phrases 'God provides' and 'God has done it right' or 'God chosed rightly' (or something like that. Sorry I'm not a native speaker :-[) Or can I simply translate it for Eywa? Nonetheless, a little help would be very useful  :-[

Tìtstewan

#87
Kaltxì!

I think:
"God provides" - Eywa(l) terìng.
"God has done it right" - Eywa fìkem/tsakem salmi nìeyawr

Tipp:
In the German section has a Na'vi part, where you can ask that question also in German. ;) ;)

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Taronyu Leleioae

Quote from: Tìlor on August 17, 2013, 08:55:54 AM
Kaltxì ma frapo

There is the phrases 'God provides' and 'God has done it right' (or something like that. Sorry I'm not a native speaker :-[) Or can I simply translate it for Eywa? Nonetheless, a little help would be very useful  :-[

From the Na'vi perspective, it would be:  "Eywa provides." which is direct from the movie after the destruction of Hometree.
QuoteEywa t<er>ìng = Eywa (is) providing...  (Note the -ing ending in English.  This means it is continuing and hasn't stopped.)
There isn't an exact word for "to provide", however the verb tìng = to give, would be a good alternative.
Thus Eywa tìng would be correct.  However, remember, that tìng is a transitive verb.  

So, just as a reminder...  If you say, "Eywa gives something."  Then you need to add the proper case endings in your sentence.  Example:  Eywa gives shelter.  We can use zongtseng = safe place, refuge.  Thus > Eywal tìng zongtsengit.

Tìtstewan

#89
The infix <er> is optional here, if no action been finished. :)

Edit:

"God had chosen rightly" - Eywa(l) ftxalmey nìeyawr.

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Tìlor


Taronyu Leleioae

Quote from: Tìtstewan on August 17, 2013, 09:13:17 AM
The infix <er> is optional here, if no action (has) been finished.
(More accurately, <er> is if the action is continuing, ongoing.)

QuoteEdit:

"God chosed rightly" - Eywa(l) ftxalmey nìeyawr.

"To choose" is one of those crazy irregular English verbs...
choose, chose, chosen (past participle)

ftx<am>ey = choose-d > chose (there is no chose-d)
ftx<ol>ey = has/have choose-d > has/have chosen (note the -n)
ftx<alm>ey = had choose-d > had chosen

Tìtstewan

Quote from: Taronyu Leleioae on August 17, 2013, 09:38:18 AM
Quote from: Tìtstewan on August 17, 2013, 09:13:17 AM
The infix <er> is optional here, if no action (has) been finished.
(More accurately, <er> is if the action is continuing, ongoing.)
This is what I want to say. :)

Quote from: Taronyu Leleioae on August 17, 2013, 09:38:18 AM
QuoteEdit:

"God chosed rightly" - Eywa(l) ftxalmey nìeyawr.

"To choose" is one of those crazy irregular English verbs...
choose, chose, chosen (past participle)

ftx<am>ey = choose-d > chose (there is no chose-d)
ftx<ol>ey = has/have choose-d > has/have chosen (note the -n)
ftx<alm>ey = had choose-d > had chosen
I did a "copy and past" from the original post. ;) I going to correct it.

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Blue Elf

Quote from: Tìtstewan on August 17, 2013, 09:04:35 AM
Kaltxì!

I think:
"God provides" - Eywa(l) terìng.
"God has done it right" - Eywa kem salmi tsaw nìeyawr. / Eywa kem salmi fì'u aeyawr.

Tipp:
In the German section has a Na'vi part, where you can ask that question also in German. ;) ;)
These sentences are not correct. "si" verbs are intransitive, so how you know what is subject? Eywa or tsaw? Here you must put fì-/tsa- prefix to noun part of the verb:

Eywa fìkem/tsakem salmi nìeyawr -> Eywa has done it/that correctly.
I somehow don't like nìeyawr, although it was created correctly by productive way, I would expect something like *nìyawr. Maybe question for Paul.....

For "Eywa provides" I would reword this sentence a little. Eywa tìng looks like incomplete sentence, although formally it is fully correct.
To me, "Eywa will take care of you / look after you" is better -> Eywal ngati v(ay)ewng
Oe lu skxawng skxakep. Slä oe nerume mi.
"Oe tasyätxaw ulte koren za'u oehu" (Limonádový Joe)


Tìtstewan

Quote from: Blue Elf on August 17, 2013, 02:42:57 PM
Quote from: Tìtstewan on August 17, 2013, 09:04:35 AM
Kaltxì!

I think:
"God provides" - Eywa(l) terìng.
"God has done it right" - Eywa kem salmi tsaw nìeyawr. / Eywa kem salmi fì'u aeyawr.

Tipp:
In the German section has a Na'vi part, where you can ask that question also in German. ;) ;)
These sentences are not correct. "si" verbs are intransitive, so how you know what is subject? Eywa or tsaw? Here you must put fì-/tsa- prefix to noun part of the verb:

Eywa fìkem/tsakem salmi nìeyawr -> Eywa has done it/that correctly.
Well, I will correcting that.

Quote from: Blue Elf on August 17, 2013, 02:42:57 PM
I somehow don't like nìeyawr, although it was created correctly by productive way, I would expect something like *nìyawr. Maybe question for Paul.....
And why exactly you don't like that word? Because nì- collides with e of eyawr?

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Blue Elf

Quote from: Tìtstewan on August 17, 2013, 02:48:46 PM
Quote from: Blue Elf on August 17, 2013, 02:42:57 PM
I somehow don't like nìeyawr, although it was created correctly by productive way, I would expect something like *nìyawr. Maybe question for Paul.....
And why exactly you don't like that word? Because nì- collides with e of eyawr?
*nìyawr appears to me as simpler to pronounce, but of course it is not argument. nìeyawr should be perfectly correct.
Oe lu skxawng skxakep. Slä oe nerume mi.
"Oe tasyätxaw ulte koren za'u oehu" (Limonádový Joe)


Txaia Crowley

It seems (to my inexperienced judgement) that a lot of phrases are similar to English, but different enough. I suppose you can only translate something so directly from a funky-grammar language like English.
If you meet someone you've heard a lot about, you could say, 'my name is ___, you must be ___,' with names in the blanks (obviously). How could you say that nìNa'vi?
(random thought sorry): Has anyone else noticed that words like 'nìNa'vi' ('in Na'vi') seem kind of like 'in' is switched around and the i turned to ì, to become nì? Easy way to remember it if my explanation makes any sense!

Tìtstewan

#97
This point with the name:
Fyape fko syaw ngar?
What are you called? - What's your name?


Oeru syaw (fko) Jake Sully.
I am Jake Sully. - My name is Jake Sully


Oeru syaw (fko) Neytiri.
I call me Neytiri. - I'm Neytiri.



'you must be ___' should be Nga zene livu ____, I think.
But if I read these three sentences above...
-> Ngaru sy<äp>aw fko __ ?!

So...
'my name is ___, you must be ___'
Oeru syaw (fko) ___, ngaru sy[äp]aw fko __?
lit.: I call me ___, You call [yorself] ___?



Quote from: Blue Elf on August 17, 2013, 03:03:37 PM
*nìyawr appears to me as simpler to pronounce, but of course it is not argument. nìeyawr should be perfectly correct.
Ma Blue Elf,
Note that you don't need to "create" a new word. Maybe this word is written nìeyawr but pronounced as *nìyawr. :)

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Plumps

Quote from: Tìtstewan on August 18, 2013, 11:51:08 PM
Oeru syaw (fko) Jake Sully.
I am Jake Sully. - My name is Jake Sully


Oeru syaw (fko) Neytiri.
I call me Neytiri. - I'm Neytiri.
Just to make it clear, where that comes from: fko = one/you, syaw = call (to somebody), oeru/ngaru = to me/you ... in a conversation where fko is already mentioned in the question, it can be dropped because it's understood from context.


Quote from: Tìtstewan on August 18, 2013, 11:51:08 PM'you must be ___' should be Nga zene livu ____, I think.
Wrong. That would have the meaning of 'you must be (= have the obligation to be)' – it's not used for assumptions.


Quote from: Tìtstewan on August 18, 2013, 11:51:08 PMBut if I read these three sentences above...
-> Ngaru sy<äp>aw fko __ ?!

So...
'my name is ___, you must be ___'
Oeru syaw (fko) ___, ngaru sy[äp]aw fko __?
lit.: I call me ___, You call [yorself] ___?
Also wrong, unless you confuse ‹äp› with ‹ats›. ‹äp› cannot appear in an intransitive verb like syaw but only in a transitive like tse'a.

Fko ngaru syatsaw ____, (kefyak).
'one calls (to) you ____, (right?).'
‹ats› implies here that you are not sure about the truth value of the statement and need confirmation.

Quote from: Tìtstewan on August 18, 2013, 11:51:08 PM
Quote from: Blue Elf on August 17, 2013, 03:03:37 PM
*nìyawr appears to me as simpler to pronounce, but of course it is not argument. nìeyawr should be perfectly correct.
Ma Blue Elf,
Note that you don't need to "create" a new word. Maybe this word is written nìeyawr but spelled as *nìyawr. :)
You mean 'pronounced' ;)
Reasonable assumption. Given the existence of tìyawr I always suspected that nìeyawr (which is totally fine grammatically) would be written *nìyawr but until now we don't have an official example.

Tìtstewan

Quote from: Plumps on August 19, 2013, 02:06:33 AM
Quote from: Tìtstewan on August 18, 2013, 11:51:08 PM
Oeru syaw (fko) Jake Sully.
I am Jake Sully. - My name is Jake Sully


Oeru syaw (fko) Neytiri.
I call me Neytiri. - I'm Neytiri.
Just to make it clear, where that comes from: fko = one/you, syaw = call (to somebody), oeru/ngaru = to me/you ... in a conversation where fko is already mentioned in the question, it can be dropped because it's understood from context.
I just would keep that clear. :)

Quote from: Plumps on August 19, 2013, 02:06:33 AM
Quote from: Tìtstewan on August 18, 2013, 11:51:08 PM'you must be ___' should be Nga zene livu ____, I think.
Wrong. That would have the meaning of 'you must be (= have the obligation to be)' – it's not used for assumptions.
Ok. :)

Quote from: Plumps on August 19, 2013, 02:06:33 AM
Quote from: Tìtstewan on August 18, 2013, 11:51:08 PMBut if I read these three sentences above...
-> Ngaru sy<äp>aw fko __ ?!

So...
'my name is ___, you must be ___'
Oeru syaw (fko) ___, ngaru sy[äp]aw fko __?
lit.: I call me ___, You call [yorself] ___?
Also wrong, unless you confuse ‹äp› with ‹ats›. ‹äp› cannot appear in an intransitive verb like syaw but only in a transitive like tse'a.

Fko ngaru syatsaw ____, (kefyak).
'one calls (to) you ____, (right?).'
‹ats› implies here that you are not sure about the truth value of the statement and need confirmation.
Oops! That emprassing fail by me.

Quote from: Plumps on August 19, 2013, 02:06:33 AM
Quote from: Tìtstewan on August 18, 2013, 11:51:08 PM
Quote from: Blue Elf on August 17, 2013, 03:03:37 PM
*nìyawr appears to me as simpler to pronounce, but of course it is not argument. nìeyawr should be perfectly correct.
Ma Blue Elf,
Note that you don't need to "create" a new word. Maybe this word is written nìeyawr but spelled as *nìyawr. :)
You mean 'pronounced' ;)
Reasonable assumption. Given the existence of tìyawr I always suspected that nìeyawr (which is totally fine grammatically) would be written *nìyawr but until now we don't have an official example.
I have too much German in my brain. :-[

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