ALPT D Grammar Content (A2)
ALPT D
LU-PEI/TEI-LU (WE)
In Arusian we usually distinguish whether we are including the listener or not when using the WE pronoun. LU-PEI means you are excluding the listener (THEM AND I but not YOU) and TEI-LU means YOU and I.
Lu-pei tr pai-tek (We go to school - I and them)
Nepa-tei-lu ouwr tei-lu dauwas (Don't we want to eat? - You and me)
~R VERBS (ACTOR OR ACTIVE)
When the verb has a subject (an actor) who acts upon an object (the patient), it ends in -R. Both the subject and the object have to be present when using these type of verbs.
Tei-lu demr Anglei-dem u rmr Keyaya-dei (We speak English with Keyaya)
Lu auwemr TV (I'm watching TV)
Tei auwemr ayau-vai (You are watching movies)
Lu auwr sru (I see a cat)
~SE VERBS (PATIENT OR PASSIVE)
We use -SE when we want to focus on the object. It's kind of passive voice in English (e.g.: the food was eaten by the cat), but in this kind of "passive", both the actor/agent and the object must be present in the sentence.
Lu ause Pauwa-dei (I'm seen by Pauwa)
Anglei-dem demse anglei-vo (English is spoken by the English)
Nut dauwse sru (The food is eaten by the cat)
Sru ause lu (The cat was seen by me)
ADVERBS OF TIME
You will now learn how to tell the time when an action takes place (today, now, yesterday, tomorrow). You just add them at the end of the sentence. U SA TRA PUS (today), U SA WEL PUS (now), U SA MREGRA-TRA (yesterday), U SA TREGRA-TRA (tomorrow).
Vej sa lu tekr Japonei-dem u sa tra pus (I didn't study Japanese today)
Vej sa sru dauwr nut u sa mregra-tra (The cat didn't eat food yesterday)
Nepa-tei ouwr tei tr fai-fai u rmr ma teis u sa tregra-tra (Do you want to go to the forest with your parents tomorrow?)
Puwei-pai teis u sa wel pus (Where are you now?)
PUWEI-SEG~ (WHEN...?)
You add PUWEI-SEG to the beginning of the sentence to ask WHEN an action happens, happened or will happen. SEG is a noun meaning 'time'.
Puwei-seg sa tei tr mez lus (When are you coming to my house?)
Puwei-seg sa tei delr tei puwauwas (When can you read?)
PUWEI-KEI (WHY...?)
You add PUWEI-KEI to the beginning of the sentence to ask WHEN an action happens, happened or will happen. KEI is a noun meaning 'reason'.
Puwei-kei sa tei tr pai-tek (Why are you going to school?)
Puwei-kei sa vej sa tei demr-rmr lu (Why don't you talk to me?)
KOR (TO DO SOMETHING, TO ACT, TO WORK)
This verb is used for 'to do something', 'to create', 'to do an action', and 'to work'. It works the same as the -R verbs we saw before. You can also add nouns as objects after eat for actions that produce something as a result (e.g.: cooking).
Lu kor vreyek otras (I do many things)
Tei kor nut (You are cooking food)
Tei kor kai (You are doing/creating art)
KEISE, U KEISE (BECAUSE)
This expression is used to give an explanation, aka. a reason, for something happening. It works like 'because' in English. It literally means 'caused by'. The order is FACT/STATEMENT + u keise + EXPLANATION/REASON.
Lu demr-rmr tei u keise lu amr tei (I talk to you because I like/befriend you)
Vej sa tei amr lu u keise vej sa lu kamr um otras (You don't like me because I don't have a lot of money)
Another use of KEISE is 'caused by':
Uwef-uwef keise uwaai-lek (Depression is caused by loneliness)
~AGR (TO NEED, TO REQUIRE)
This verb expresses 'needs' and 'requirements' in Arusian.
Lu agr lu dauwas (I need to eat)
Lu agr lu demr-rmr tei (I need to talk to you)
Lu agr nut u sa wel pus (I need food now)
NRA (A FEW, FEW, A LITTLE OF)
We place it either before or after the noun, but we have to add the SA particle to the 2nd noun. It depends on what you want to emphasize.
Juwa nras (Few books, the [quantity] of books is small)
Nra juwas (Books are few, scarcity of books)
VOT (ALL, EVERY, EACH)
It is used the same as NRA and means 'all', 'every' or 'each' instance or instances of an entity.
Vom sa vot (All the people)
Vot sa vom (The [group] of people/each of the people/every single person)
X USU Y (X OR Y)
This structure is used to give the listener a choice between two entities.
Nepa-tei ouwr cai usu kafei (Do you want tea or coffee?)
Tei delr tei semr juwem usu bai-juwa (You can write a story or a biography)
SUMR AND LEYEMR (VERBS OF LOVING AND LIKING)
There are many verbs to express the concept of loving someone in the Arusian culture. SUMR means familial love. LEYEMR is romantic love.
Ma sumr puk (The parent loves [their] children)
Lu leyemr tei (I have feelings for you!)
~KRMR (TO KNOW)
This verb is used to express that someone has the knowledge of something.
Lu krmr dei teis (I know your name)
Nepa-tei krmr tara pus (Do you know this city?)
KETR (TO THINK [ABOUT]/[OF])
This verb is used to describe the process of thinking or imagining.
Lu ketr lru beis (I am thinking about the well-behaving dog)
Nepa-tei ketr miya teis (Are you thinking about your girlfriend?)
Lu ketr juwa teis (I'm thinking about your book)
-DEI (A MARKER FOR PROPER NAMES)
In Arusian we often add -DEI to proper names. It is mandatory for native Arusian names and optional for foreign names. If you speak Tagalog, it is the same as SI (Si Maria).
Rareya-dei tr pai-tek u sa tra pus (Rareya is going to school today)
Kaya-dei tekr kai (Kaya studies art)
Vej sa lu leyemr Pauwa-dei (I don't love Pauwa)
Arusian names don't have gender!
PLEI~ (POLITE REQUESTS)
To make polite requests, we add PLEI at the beginning of the sentence, usually atached to first noun or pronoun. This one is more formal than MAREI.
Plei-luwa (Water, please)
Plei-tei puwauwr juwa otras (Please read many books/May you read many books)
AUWR (TO SEE)
The verb AUWR primarily means to see, but it can also mean 'to notice'.
Lu auwr tei (I see you)
Nepa-tei auwr miya lus (Did you see my girlfriend?)
Lu auwr lru dauwas (I noticed the dog eating)
~DEYEKR...~U EDR... (TO GIVE SOMETHING TO SOMEONE)
You use this structure to express giving something to someone: GIVER + deyekr + OBJECT GIVEN + u edr + RECEIVER.
Lu deyekr nut u edr sru (I give my cat food)
Tei deyekr sru u edr ma teis (You gave a cat to your parent)
~SASA DEYAI (MAYBE, PROBABLY, PERHAPS)
To express uncertainty or probability, we add SASA DEYAI to the end of the sentence.
Lauwa-dei kamr sru sasa deyai (Lauwa probably has a cat)
Luwa gauweis sasa deyai (It's probably going to rain)
Vej sa lu auwr Rareya-dei. Rareya-dei tr pai-tek sasa deyai (I don't see Rareya. Maybe Rareya went to the school)
LUWA GAUWEIS is an Arusian expression meaning "water is falling"
~SASA BEI (DESCRIBE THAT YOU DO SOMETHING WELL)
To say that someone does something well or perfectly, add SASA BEI at the end of the sentence. Actually, all SASA expressions will go to the end, except for some exceptions that you will see later. SASA BEI OTRAS would mean 'very well'.
Tei semr sem-lek sasa bei otras (You write Semlek well)
Nepa-tei demr aru-dem sasa bei (Do you speak Arusian well?)
~SASA NA (DESCRIBE THAT YOU DO SOMETHING BADLY, POORLY)
With SASA NA or SASA NA OTRAS you can describe that someone does things poorly or badly.
Tei vekras sasa na (You drive poorly!)
Lu demr aru-dem sasa na (I speak Arusian poorly)
~PEWEIS (...IS EASY)
To say that something (A NOUN) is easy you add PEWEIS after it. The noun cannot be modified by any other thing just yet, because you will learn to do it in the future.
Vej sa ko-puwau peweis ([The action of] focusing isn't easy)
Ko-tek peweis (Learning is easy)
~VEGREIS (...IS HARD)
To say that something (A NOUN) is difficult you add VEGREIS after it. The noun cannot be modified by any other thing just yet, because you will learn to do it in the future.
Ko-tel vegreis (Teaching is hard)
Vej sa aru vegreis (Arusian isn't hard/Peace isn't hard)
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