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Greetings & Salutations

How to say hello, introduce yourself and describe where you're from.

Verbs & Gerunds.​

Meeting someone involves the verb monodo and a usage of a subordinate clause (an inner sentence). The subordinate clause acts similar to a gerund would in English, meaning that it allows you to refer to the action of the verb as a noun.

xe kelo tö öni tüek, lı küzoü. Playing on computers is awesome.

lı küzoü ü xe kelo tö öni tüek. It is awesome to play on computers.

noyo süko xe kelo tö öni tüek. I like playing on computers.

Starting the first sentence with a subordinate clause requires that you use a pause (a comma, orthographically) to ensure that the listener understands this to be an inner clause of the sentence. However, second example doesn't start the with a subject and instead provideds it after the verb (lı) by using the subject preposition (ü). This allows you to introduce the subordinate clause at the end of the sentence which reduces the need for the pause when speaking. In the third sentence, since the subordinate clause is being provided as the object of the verb, it also is the last argument of the sentence and avoids the need for a pause.

Meet & Greet​

Now with some grammar under our belt, let's learn how to meet and greet your fellow Hisyëans! We will try to describe some of the characteristics of the different sentences being used in the examples. Feel free to skip over that if you want to just focus in on learning the phrases.

Meeting Someone​

In the first sentence, we are using a simple sentence with a transitive verb, two pronouns. This is your standard subject, verb, object sentence. With the addition of one preposition at the end.

In the next sentence, we are using a deontic verb phrase coupled with propositive sentence ender. The deontic verb phrase marker indicates the sentence describes a desired future. The propositive sentence ender indicates the speaker is looking for agreement or approval from the listener. The sentence also uses the beneficiary/purpose preposition indicating what the meeting is for.

Finally, the last sentence is where we make use of a subjective subordinate clause we learned about above. It indicates that an action is what is desired (the verb of the main predicate).

noyo monodo niün hoi suhot dus. I am meeting them at 10

nü küu monodo oxon cöüfon bıtün ci. Let's meet for supper, sound good?

nimü fölun xe monodo noyo hoi cıhöü ko. Do you want to meet me later?

Responding to questions

There are three types of questions that need a special answer: polar questions, propositive questions, and pro-form questions. Each one is answered slightly differently.

Polar Questions​

A polar question (in English, these are often called yes-no questions) is one where you are offering a state or action and asking someone to indicate if that state or action is affirmed or not affirmed (i.e., true or false, respectively).

To answer a polar question, you can respond with the verb that was used in the question or the negatitive marker (yök) or both.

ke mokon nı hoi lono uklo ko. "Will you eat it tomorrow?"

mokon. "Yes."

nimü cöüfon öfo ko. "Did you cook this?"

yök. "No."

nimü monodo si niün bı öhel ko. "Have you met them before?"

monodo yök. "I haven't"

Or, in the case of a subject complement sentence, you can respond with the nucleus of the complement, the verb for "to exist" (gö) or the negatitive marker (yök).

ke lı gö hoi öfo hoi lono uklo ko. "Will you be here tomorrow?"

gö. "Yes"

nimü lı cunyü ko. "Are you cold?"

cunyü. "Yes"

umo Somiel lı gö hoi ulyö hoi bıtün öfo ko. "Was Samuel there tonight?"

yök. "No"

In either case, you can also respond with "true" (hokiki) or "false" (hüdul).

ölë zowo mokon ëo si hoi bıtün öfo ko. "Did the dog get fed tonight?"

hüdul. "False."

Propositive Questions​

A propositive question (in English, these don't have a specific form but involve usage of specific sentence ending phrases like "agreed?" or "sound good?") is one where you are offering a state or action with an irrealis mood and requesting someone to indicate if they agree.

Like the polar questions, you can respond with the verb that was used in the question or the negatitive marker (yök) or both.

nimü mokon ofek noyo hoi lono uklo ci. "Does you eating with me tomorrow sound good?"

mokon. "Yes."

nü cöüfon öfo ci. "Let's cook this!"

yök. "No."

nimü monodo niün ci. "Do you agree to meet them?"

monodo yök. "I don't."

Or, in the case of a subject complement sentence, you can respond with the nucleus of the complement, the verb "to agree" (wofok) or the negatitive marker (yök).

ke lı gö hoi öfo hoi lono uklo ci. "You will be here tomorrow, right?"

wofok. "Agreed."

nimü lı cunyü ci. "You will be cold, okay?"

cunyü. "Yes"

umo Somiel küu lı gö hoi ulyö hoi bıtün öfo ci. "Samuel must be there tonight, right?"

yök. "No"

Unlike polar questions, you can't respond with "true" or "false" but you can make more formal approval setnences by making use of the verb "to agree".

ü nimü ölë zowo onö mokon ëo hoi bıtün öfo ci. "You will feed the dog tonight, sound good?"

noyo wofok yök nënko fos noyo küu lı lö müt dënëmëk yë zomo kiösö noyo. "I do not agree because I must go to my team's practice."

Pro-Form Questions​

A pro-form question (in English, these are called open questions) is one where the interrogative word (zık) is either a nucleus of a preposition (a noun) or a modifier.

noyo küu öntön zık müt köndodü onö. "What clothes should I wear to the party?"

ü cüdo yë umo zık lı dıbo zık. "Whose gifts are in which boxes?"

nënko zık ü nimü güwolo. "Why are you scratching?"

How To Greet​

For the initial contact with another person, there are some common expressions used as pleasantries. Each one uses a subjective subordinate clause as the experiencer of an adjectival complement.

lı xön ü xe monodo nimü löicök. It is so nice to meet you.

lı xön ëto ü xe dëko nimü. It is great to see you.

lı cömël ü xe monodo nimü. Lovely to meet you.

Responding To A Greeting​

The standard "thank you" can be interpreted as either being subjectless or a first-person subject drop. The context preposition indicates that the thankfulness is concerning that marked object. Use adjectives on the thankfulness to expand on the meaning. In the third example, we are interpeting the "much" as being adverbial (i.e., they have been thankful many times) and the added emphasis sentence ender is being used to represent "so".

lı konxo hön nimü.Thank you.

lı konxo ëto hön nimü.Many thanks to you.

lı konxo bı ëto löicök. Thank you so much.

oxon noyo ütok. For me also.

lı xön ü xe monodo nimü ütok. It is nice to meet you too.

When You'll Meet Again​

Here, we are intepreting the mood in the English sentence as being deontic and the added ender of "ok?" is being filled by the propositive sentence ender. In the second sentence, we are interpeting the mood in the English sentence as being epistemic and the question word also means that it is effectively interrogative as well. In the third sentence, you have to be careful to remember that the second verb is being intepreted as the object of the active verb preposition. The fourth sentence makes use of the interrogative sentence ender.

nü küu monodo bı dizel zelen ci. Let's meet again soon, ok?

hoi woküt zık ü noyo köi dëko nimü bı dizel. When can I see you again?

nü köi döstoc iskö hoi bıtün yë lono unbol ci. We could get a drink on Saturday night, sound good?

nimü lı fölni hoi suhot tukwos yë bıtün öfo ko. Are you free at 8pm tonight?

noyo xiwon xe dëko nimü bı zelen ëto löicök. I so hope to see you very soon!

Introductions​

My Name Is...​

umo zık lı nimü. Who are you?

noyo lı umo Zëk. I am Jake.

zık lı somo nimü. What is your name?

somo noyo lı Keli. My name is Kelly.

umo somo zık müt nimü. What do people call you?

umo somo Ootyo müt noyo. People call me Aadhya.

nimü somo zık müt cızi. What do you call yourself?

noyo somo Ismël müt cızi. I call myself Ismail.

noyo yünyoü somo dizel ko. Do you have a nickname?

somo dizel lı Yüsılnëmu123. My nickname is UserName123.

Introducting others​

Getting To Know You​

Do You Speak...​

Where You're From​

Invitations​

Inviting Someone​

Being Invited​