KWANYA NA NINI - Kah

KWANYA NA NINI
Lesson Ten
Kwantono na Yuka na Kah
Kah Language Course

Lesson 10
Jamoyo bas - Wrapping things up
This would be an excellent moment for a most awkward confession. Basicly, I lied
about a dozen given translations. In all cases I fibbed about the English
counterpart being a preposition. Take for example a sentence from lesson 7:
Yunus: - Li gevu ge tunti wa.
Yunus: - You run faster than I do.
li gevu ge tunti wa
YOU RUN FAST SURPASS I
you run faster than me
The word tunti, originally translated as "than", actually has a much better
translation as the verb "to surpass":
zeto tunti akuyun
RESULT SURPASS EXPECTATION
the result surpassed our expectations
ijejeng na adensi tunti asaka yo
STUPIDITY OF INCIDENT SURPASS DESCRIPTION ALL
the stupidity of the incident surpassed all description
A similar case is the word "until" (or so the translation was until now) as used in
the snippets below from earlier texts in this course:
wa lara lai maro kwa deche ata wa bochu tai
I STAY THERE MONTH ONE UNTIL I HATCH THEN
I stayed there for one month until the time I hatched
naim nyom doya yo deche dingu
RABBIT RUB FURNITURE ALL UNTIL SPARKLE
the rabbit rubbed all furniture until it sparkled
Deche actually is a verb, meaning "to meet":

om deche la kizado
OPT MEET AT RESTAURANT
let's meet in a restaurant
deche janjashi
MEET HABITUAL
they met in the usual way
nong kwiku deche bua
NOT BEFORE MEET BROTHER
I never met your brother before
nunai deche alum na Yula
TRAVEL MEET EDGE OF WORLD
they traveled to the edge of the world
The word le "to have" is another preposition-like word in Kah which is actually a
verb. The meaning can be expanded somewhat to "with" or "having, holding" or in
a more verbal sense "to have, hold" when you look at the construction used in the
conversation in the previous paragraph:
Ben: -Simbu le tiro vai lai.
Ben: -The six year old boy over there.
This sentence can also be translated as "the boy having six years". Also compare
the following examples:
varu le chempe gevu chu
SOLDIER HOLD GUN RUN FROM
the soldier holding the gun ran off
bau sofi le pepe bo kiki
DOG SWIM HOLD STICK IN MOUTH
the dog swam holding the stick in his mouth
reza en nuvu le seo na chai
HARD THAT WALK HOLD CUP OF TEA
it is hard to walk holding a cup of tea
More examples of proper use of the word le are:

tatang reju uyu le duntu - never trust someone with fangs
nenju sunda le pengo - I like the bike with the flag
yudo le doti yam nenyun - the house with the red roof is pretty
tumbenyo le mosa - a cheese sandwich, sandwich with cheese
The antonym of le is leleng and behaves the same way. It can be translated
either as "without" or "to be without", "to not have":
wa leleng apa - I don't have any money
bau leleng dun - a dog without teeth
In fact, many words translated until now as prepositions work like this in Kah:
bo - (to be) inside
ti - (to be) above
tila - (to be) on top of
vu - (to be) below, under
chu - (to come) from, to leave
tos - (to be) regarding, to concern, regard, for, with, intended for, per
And examples of their use are:
buyu bo podo - the man is inside the store
shum ti finso - the clouds are above the water
kwenga tila titi - the spider is on top of my head
yinga jovan yulo vu zonya - the monster is hiding underneath my bed
shuki wau chu podo na Mohamed - this candy is from Mohamed's
shop
kaiko wau tos nyonoka - this book is about politics
Kah does not have many words resembling English prepositions altogether. Most
locative expressions contain the verb la "to be at":
la Sumaro na sumpol sasta... - in February 2009...
la kwando - at school
la Irakan - in Iraq
la penyo - in the woods

Another very important one is tos "about, to concern" but also "for, with". It is
used in a whole variety of situations which are covered my multiple prepositions
in English:
kaiko wau tos haijono - this book is about biology
wa kova yu tos aya - I emailed him considering the matter
awau nong tos li - this doesn't concern you
nong jo aya tos awau - I dont know anything about this
ju mim wi tos aye - I feel real bad about it
haya jam tos meo? - what are you doing with the cat?
ben la nyiru tos fia - the kids were bickering over a toy
adepo tos li - a delivery for you
nong keju wehim tos aye - I won't hear of it
Let's look at one of the example sentences above again:
ben la nyiru tos fia
CHILD BE AT BICKER CONCERN TOY
the kids were bickering over a toy
There are two verbs here, nyiru and tos, placed directly after one another,
without conjunction. Kah allows a subject to take multiple verbs! This is known as
a "serial verb construction" (SVC), in which multiple verbs are strung together.
For example, each of the following three verbs can be used separately in
combination with the same subject:
wa nunai
I TRAVEL
I traveled
wa de
I COME
I came
wa ka
I TALK
I talked
But they can also be strung together by merely placing them next to one another
to form one sentence:

The example above uses the three verbs in a string: nunai, de and ka, all having
the same subject! The translation of the sentence is:
wa nunai de ka li
I TRAVEL COME TALK TO YOU
I traveled to come to talk to you
Such verb strings in the following sentences are underlined:
yunyo nuvu lutum podo
THEY WALK PASS BY STORE
they walked past the stores
nong keju ka tos
NOT WANT TALK ABOUT
I don't want to talk about it
simbu bon che titi
BOY FALL HIT HEAD
the boy fell hitting his head
om nuchi paza remos
OPT GO OUT BUY ICECREAM
let's go out for some icecream

om baska jeto rejo yo
OPT DECIDE CONSIDER FACT ALL
let's decide considering all facts
wanyo nubo fanai tunu Sibiran nunai Chosonan
WE ENTER TRAIN CROSS SIBERIA TRAVEL NORTH KOREA
we travelled across Siberia to North Korea by train
This probably is the trickiest aspect about Kah for most people. Therefore, this
entire lesson will be devoted to serial verb constructions. Every paragraph will be
concluded with a short exercise in order to get acquainted with the matter first
before moving on to the next level.
10.1 Purpose
Let's start off easy with a couple of examples from colloquial English doing the
same thing:
come see me
let's go shopping
Kah would put two verbs in the sentence in the exact same way:
de weyun wa
COME SEE ME
come see me
om denu pazanu
OPT GO SHOP
let's go shopping
Sentences like these express purpose. One could add a conjugator "in order to"
or "to" eno:
de eno weyun wa
COME PURP SEE ME
come to see me
om denu eno pazanu
OPT GO PURP SHOP
let's go shopping
More examples of the use of two verbs with or without eno in order to express
purpose are:

gevu lo (eno) hai
RUN EMPH (PURP) LIVE
run for your life!
kava yu (eno) haka tos
CALL HE (PURP) ASK CONCERN
I called him to ask about it
bau tomia (eno) muvan ule
DOG DIE (ENO) SAVE OWNER
the dog died saving its owner
umomi pau yu miki (eno) momi
DOCTOR GIVE 3SG MEDICINE (PURP) CURE
the doctor gave him medicine to cure him
kwaibo ponya (eno) zapau aboko
CLICK BUTTON (PURP) SUBMIT SUBSCRIPTION
click the button to submit your subscription
soi zapau kovaka (eno) wanyo tengi kava
PLEASE SUBMIT GIVE EMAIL-ADDRESS (PURP) WE CAN CALL
please submit your email so we can get in touch
Examples using this construction can be found in the letter below:

owenju - respected, dear... (used in formal letters)
munjo - to inform
tara - to wait, wait for
nenila - airport
kova - to email
Peching - Beijing
jeto - to consider, think about as an option
wanki - supper
kava - to call, make a phonecall to
Ital - Italian
kubora - to reserve, make reservations

nunya - table
wenjule - respectfully, sincerely yours (used in formal letters)
Now please make the following exercise, combining the pictures in order to make
a sentence expressing purpose:
(eno)
(PURP)
(to)
chevu roya
KICK BALL
to kick a ball
fon
TO PUNISH
to punish it
(eno)
(PURP)
(to)
jala kaizaya
PLACE TRAP
to place a trap
yun tanu
WATCH MOVIE
to watch a movie
(eno)

(eno)
(PURP)
(to)
seseche ben
SPANK CHILD
to spank a child
hiza kil
CATCH MOUSE
to catch a mouse
(eno)
(PURP)
(to)
jari yunum
TURN ON TV
to turn on the tv
lara sham
STAY WARM
to keep warm
(eno)
(PURP)
(to)
jango mengo gai
DRESS SWEATER THICK
to put on a thick sweater
jafio
SCORE
to score

10.2 Tunti tio
The verb translated as "than" tunti is used in comparative constructions:
mul wan tunti ume
COW BE BIG SURPASS SHEEP
cows are bigger than sheep
anin wan tunti tira yo
SUN BE BIG SURPASS PLANET ALL
the sun is bigger than all planets
chempe tenza tunti shuki (eno) munchu uyu la gevu
GUN USEFUL PURPASS CANDY (TO) CHASE OFF PERON BE AT RUN
guns are more useful than candy to send people running
wa le apa wi tunti li
I HAVE MONEY MUCH SURPASS YOU
I have more money than you
And superlatives are formed by using the verb tio "to be above all":
Chomolumah wen tio
MT EVEREST HIGH ABOVE ALL
Mount Everest is the highest
uma jo nen tio
MOTHER KNOW GOOD ABOVE ALL
mother knows best
huyu nenje tio, win eom milkos?
WHO SMART ABOVE ALL, HORSE OR DOORKNOB
who's smarter, a horse or a doorknob?
The following cartoon shows ample use of both verbs:

Unga tenza tio

aska - to decide
zauza - to irritate
janjesko - to confuse
mwevu - to stroll, wander
haka - to ask
sencho - to give birth to, to lay
geta - instantly, imminent
mindi - vermin, bugs
jekil - rat
unai - snake
yunga - human
shushoi - to pet, stroke
cheze - right away, directly after
nyeki - to smile
numia - to hunt
cheta - sudden, suddenly
jebas - to conclude
2) Answer the following questions regarding the cartoon above:
a) Hayu unga nen tio?
b) Haya kwo janja bencho?
c) Reo hiwi kwenga tengi bencho tos tato?
Please translate the following sentences to Kah:
d) Mike is bigger than me.
e) I am smarter than a horse.
f) Horses are smarter than doorknobs.
g) I have more candy than you.
h) I have more horses than you.
i) Horses are bigger than cats.
j) My horse is the biggest.
k) My horse is the blackest.

Please translate the following sentences to English:
l) Nini wi tunti jom.
m) Kaiko wau wan tunti aye.
n) Kwenga tengi bencho reo wi tio.
o) Nong keju li wan tunti wa ha?
p) Nenju meo wi tunti bau.
q) Nenju win si tio.
Look carefully at the pictures below and answer the following
questions in Kah:
r) Roya hana wan tio?
s) Roya jim sin tio ha?
t) Haya dau na roya saska?
u) Ajim wan tunti ayam ha?
Observe the picture below and answer the questions in Kah:

v) Tira hana wan tio?
w) Tira hana jesa en nenyun tio?
x) Nin tira mau ha?
y) Soi sendau tira jom yanyo sin tio.
z) Ka tira hana le rongu.

10.3 Fanai denu Rioh
A word like denu "to go" can be used like both a preposition and a verb in Kah.
Compare:
denu vado!
GO HOME
go home!
bau vuvunyau denu vado
DOG LIMP GO HOME
the dog limped towards our home
wanyo la denu Rioh
WE BE AT GO RIO
we are going to Rio
wanyo nubo fanai denu Rioh
WE ENTER TRAIN GO RIO
we took the train to Rio
The word chu also expresses a motion from a certain point:
uma kwi chu chipola
MOTHER ALREADY FROM MARKET
mother came from the market
chu Kah denu Ingilka
FROM KAH GO ENGLISH
from Kah to English
kovako chu bua
EMAIL FROM BROTHER
an email from my brother
kovako nong chu mea
EMAIL NOT FROM SISTER
the email was not from my sister
A very common type of verb strings consist of two verbs, one describing the
action by which the means of transportation is entered or mounted, and a second
one expressing the direction involved. A frequently used verb occurring such
constructions is nubo "to enter". Take for example the sentence we encountered
earlier in this paragraph:

wanyo nubo fanai denu Rioh
WE ENTER TRAIN GO RIO
we took the train to Rio
nubo anenu denu Peching
ENTER FLIGHT GO BEIJING
to take a flight to Beijing
nubo nia deza aki
ENTER CAR BRING FOOD
to get some food by car
nubo fanai denu lai
ENTER TRAIN GO THERE
they went there by train
And a comparable one is nuti "to mount":
nuti win gevu dola
MOUNT HORSE RUN CITY
they took a horse (running) to the city
nuti sunda muno vado
MOUNT BIKE DRIVE HOME
to ride home by bike
nuti sunda tunu sindola
MOUNT BIKE CROSS VILLAGE
to ride across town on a bike
Likewise, combining a verb like muno "to drive, ride" with a verb expressing
direction or location results in constructions as:
muno uyu denu bandola
DRIVE PERSON GO TOWN
to drive someone to town
al nong tengi muno nia deche sindola
IMP NOT CAN DRIVE CAR REACH VILLAGE
the village cannot be reached by car
Now please make the following exercise:

3) Translate the following to Kah:
a) They rode their bikes to the library.
b) They rode their horses to the library.
c) They rode their horses to town.
d) The library cannot be reached by horse.
e) The boy ran across the street.
f) The boy rode across the street on his bike.
g) They took a plane to Acapulco.
h) They took the train to Acapulco.
i) We took a flight to the market.
Translate the following sentences into English
j) Uma muno ben denu kaikodo.
k) Ben nuti sunda muno kaikodo.
l) Om nubo naini denu kizado.
m) Umukwan nubo nia nuchi sindola.
n) Keju denu muno ha?.
o) Bau tengi nuti sunda denu vado ha?.
p) Haya linyo janja muno denu Akapulkoh?
q) Keju nuti sunda muno ha?
r) Win nong janja tengi nubo fanai denu vado.
Read the following letter and answer the questions:

s) Hayu janko nuko?
t) Tos hayu be janko nuko?
u) Haya nubo denu Tokioh?
v) Nunai chu hala deche hala?w) Kwiku nunai Seol mau ha?
x) Haya nen tio la Tokioh?

10.4 Yun kwesho kwan Kah
Another very important verb occurring in these strings is za "to take" or "to use".
Please note how it is used as the first verb in the construction below:
za koya janko nuko
TAKE PEN WRITE LETTER
to write a letter with a pen
za tuya tu seki
TAKE KNIFE CUT MEAT
to cut meat with a knife
za duzu jando wendo
TAKE BRICK BUILD TOWER
to build a tower with bricks
za api jaru api
TAKE FIRE FIGHT FIRE
fight fire with fire
The part that is translated in English with "with" is expressed by the verb za and it
is placed in front of the actual action, which is the opposite of the English
situation, where the phrase denoting the instrumental value is placed after the
verb:
za koya janko nuko
za tuya tu seki
za duzu jando wendo
vs.
to write a letter with a pen
to cut meat with a knife
to build a tower with bricks
But za is not the only verb acting in such an instrumental manner
wa yun kwesho kwan Kah
I LOOK WEBSITE LEARN KAH
I learned Kah from a website
nenti nong jango vuzepe ye gevu
BETTER NOT DRESS HEELS THAT RUN
you better not run with those heels

al nong tengi yun kochi jesa kaiko
IMP NOT CAN LOOK COVER JUDGE BOOK
you can't judge a book by it's cover
him Led Zeppelin sisi kwan Ingilka
LISTEN LED ZEPPELIN JUST LEARN ENGLISH
he learned English by merely listening to Led Zeppelin
4) Please translate the following sentences to Kah:
a) Please do not write with pencil.
b) I can beat you up with one finger.
c) You can't pay with Euros here.
d) To build a tower with trees.
e) To build a tower with eggs.
f) They killed the horse with a gun.
g) One can't eat soup with a fork.
h) The soldier chased the dog holding the stick in his mouth with a gun.
i) You better not run with a knife.
j) Maybe we ought to stirfry it in oil.
Please translate the following sentences to English:
k) Varu za pepe cheche bau.
l) Varu za chempe cheche bau.
m) Varu za tuya tutu bau.
n) Uba nubo nia mimia kwenga.
o) Tinti za koya janko nuko yu.
p) Hamun nong za pepe jando wendo?
q) Al janja za tuya tu aya.
r) Soi za Dolar papau.
s) Al nong janja za tuya janko nuko.
t) Yunga wi yun yunum kwan Ingilka.

10.5 Li kwan Kah bas!
Combining verbs is also very useful in order to express a resultative state of
something. In this matter, the second verb used tends to denote something with a
finitive meaning. A very common verb in these constructions is bas "to end,
finish".
jamoyo aya bas
PREPARE THING END
to wrap something up
jampi sindola bas
BURN VILLAGE FINISH
to burn a village to the ground
nong tengi pai li bas!
NOT CAN THANK YOU FINISH!
I can't thank you enough!
Other verbs involved are:
al cheche simbu mimia
THEY BEAT BOY KILL
the boy was beaten to death
tinki tomia
STARVE DIE
to starve to death
bunche doki kai
SLAM DOOR SHUT
to slam the door shut
gegeze zim munchu vado
CHASE FLY EXPEL HOME
to chase a fly out of the house
mune kihu sisimbe
THROW PLATE SCATTER
to throw a plate to pieces
fum pisau mompi
BLOW CANDLE EXTINGUISH
to blow out a candle

Another finitive serial verb construction is the sentence describing the level to
which you have mastered Kah at this point:
li kwan Kah bas!
YOU STUDY KAH END
you're done studying Kah!
Therefore I promise this is the last exercise from this course:
5) Please translate the following sentences to Kah:
a) I ate it all up.
b) I'm done looking at it.
c) Finish building the tower!
d) Can one truly be done learning a language?
e) Maybe you ought to finish the tower with bricks.
f) The boys beat the bricks to pieces.
g) The boys kicked the tower to pieces.
h) You won't starve to death if you don't eat candy for a day.
i) They threw the soldier off the tower to his death.
j) How I'd like to shoot that parrot dead.
k) His parents kicked him out when he was 16.
l) He drove the car out of the train station.
m) He kicked the cardoor shut.
Please translate the following sentences to English:
n) Al soza binso yo bas.
o) Toto al nong kiza, ke tinki tomia.
p) Tengi janko nuko bas nintau ha?
q) Papau buyu bas lo!
r) Nong tus kiza ayo bas.
s) Chen yu mimia!
t) Simbu mune seo bai.
u) Haya za cheche yu mimia?
v) Al nong cheche uyu za koya.
w) Champe sol tunti koya.
x) Hata bau jandun meo mimia?
y) Nong jo ata bau jandun meo mimia tai.
z) Nong jo amun bau jandun meo mimia chumunye.

Tau jere li tengi koyun auko na vu gejole :
Muhim lilo!
Soi tombe kwalanyo na Kah noza ashika na vu:
1) Kwaibo nova wau.
2) Kwaibo nova ya ka "Register" boko:

3) Kwaibo ponya na ti:
4) Janko senka lau:

5) Janko kovaka lau tato sun:

6) Janko deshoka lau tato sun:

7) Suntoko sistan la josho:

8) Kwaibo ponya "Submit" eno zapau aboko:
9) Mai nende la kwalanyo na Kah!
Pai li ho en kwan Kah!
Nova tenza:
Kayako wan - Great dictionary
Lexicon - Kayanyo
Karen na noke - Reference grammar

Answers
1)
Jala kaizaya (eno) hiza kil
Chevu roya (eno) jafio
Seseche ben (eno) fon
Jari yunum (eno) yun tanu
Jango mengo gai (eno) lara sham
jala kaizaya
PLACE TRAP
to place a trap
(eno)
(TO)
(to)
hiza kil
CATCH MOUSE
to catch a mouse
chevu roya
KICK BALL
to kick a ball
(eno)
(TO)
(to)
jafio
SCORE
to score

seseche ben
SPANK CHILD
to spank a child
(eno)
(TO)
(to)
fon
TO PUNISH
to punish it
jari yunum
TURN ON TV
to turn on the tv
(eno)
(TO)
(to)
yun tanu
WATCH MOVIE
to watch a movie
jango mengo gai
DRESS SWEATER THICK
to put on a thick sweater
(eno)
(TO)
(to)
lara sham
STAY WARM
to keep warm
2) Answer the following questions regarding the cartoon above:
a) Kwenga unga nen tio.
b) Kwo janja bencho reo.
c) Tengi bencho reo pol tos tato.

Please translate the following sentences to Kah:
d) Mike wan tunti wa.
e) Wa nenje tunti win.
f) Win nenje tunti milkos.
g) Wa le shuki wi tunti li.
h) Wa le win wi tunti li.
i) Win wan tunti meo.
j) Win na wa wan tio.
k) Win na wa sol tio.
Please translate the following sentences to English:
l) Ten is more than five.
m) This book is bigger than that one.
n) A spider can lay the most eggs of all.
o) Don't you want to be bigger than me?
p) I like cats better than dogs.
q) I like horses least of all.
Look carefully at the pictures below and answer the following questions in
Kah:
r) Roya saska wan tio.
s) Nong, roya jim nong roya sin tio.
t) Dau na roya saska ya yem.
u) Eo, ajim wan tunti ayam.
Observe the picture below and answer the questions in Kah:
v) Yanyun tira wan tio.
w) Jesa en ... nenyun tio,
x) Nong, Nin nong tira, ya mangu.
y) Tira jom yanyo sin tio Bunchala, Shunku, Yula, Yamadu ai Vendu.
z) Aurora tira le rongu.
3) Translate the following to Kah:
a) Nuti sunda denu kaikodo.
b) Nuti win denu kaikodo.
c) Nuti win denu bandola.
d) Al nong tengo nuti win deche kaikodo.
e) Simbu gevu tunu nuno.
f) Simbu nuti sunda tunu nuno.
g) (Yunyo) nubo neni denu Akapulkoh.
h) (Yunyo) nubo fanai denu Akapulkoh.
i) (Wanyo) nubo anenu denu chipola.

Translate the following sentences to English
j) The mother drove her kid to the library.
k) The child rode his bike to the library.
l) Let's take the bus to the restaurant.
m) The teacher went to the village by car.
n) Do you want to go for a drive?
o) Can a dog ride home by bike?
p) How do you usually go to Acapulco?
q) Do you want to go by bike?
r) Horses do not usually go home by train.
Read the following letter and answer the questions:
s) Nikitah janko nuko.
t) Janko nuko tos uma.
u) Nubo neni denu Tokioh.
v) Nunai chu Maskavah denu Tokioh.
w) Eo, mau nunai Seol.
x) Aki, titom eom Utokioh? Utokoih nen tio.
4) Please translate the following sentences to Kah:
a) Soi nong za champe janko.
b) Tengi za yol kwa cheche li can beat you up with one finger.
c) Nong tengi za Eroh papau lau.
d) Za ape jando wendo.
e) Za reo jando wendo.
f) Za chempe jamia win.
g) Al nong tengi za kipyu kiza runso.
h) Varu za chempe geze bau le pepe bo kiki.
i) Nenti nong gevu le tuya.
j) Tente tinti za sau gezu.
Please translate the following sentences to English:
k) The soldier beat the dog up with a stick.
l) The soldier beat the dog up with a gun.
m) The soldier chopped the dog up with a knife.
n) Father killed the spider with a car.
o) You should write him a letter with a pen.
p) Why don't you build a tower with sticks?
q) Things are usually cut with a knife.
r) Please pay in Dollars.
s) One usually doesn't write a letter with a knife.
t) Many people learn English from tv.

5) Please translate the following sentences to Kah:
a) Kiza ayo bas.
b) Yun ya bas.
c) Jando wendo bas!
d) Al ho tengi kwan yuka bas ha?
e) Tente tinti za duzu jando wendo bas.
f) Simbu cheche duzu sisimbe.
g) Simbu chevu wendo sisimbe.
h) Nong denu tinki tomia toto nong kiza shuki tos anin kwa.
i) Mune varu chu wendo mimia.
j) Wu ke chen sankane mimia.
k) Fanyo chevu yu munchu eta le tiro nini vai.
l) Muno nia chu fanaila.
m) Chevu doki na nia kai.
Please translate the following sentences to English:
n) All beer has been finished.
o) If one doesn't eat, he will starve to death.
p) Can you finish the letter today?
q) Pay the man off!
r) You may not eat everything up!
s) Shoot him to death!
t) The boy threw the cup breaking it.
u) What did they beat him to death with?
v) One usually doesn't beat someone up with a pen.
w) The pencil is darker than the pen.
x) When did the dog bite the cat to death?
y) I don't know when the dog bit the cat to death.
z) I don't know why the dog bit the cat to death.