Faleni · Lesson 4: Describing your world

You can already make sentences. Now you'll color them in: describe nouns, say when and where, compare things, and build words you've never been taught.

Hear these first

Tap to hear, say it aloud, then reveal the meaning.

Tap a word to hear it, say it aloud, then reveal the meaning.

Describe a noun: the adjective follows it

• sope le: a big dog · tu lewi: a new house · pa la: a good person
• In a sentence: sope wa ha le: My dog is big.

Describe an action: the adverb follows the verb

Same rule, the describer comes after what it describes:

• wa ha kali liwa: I walk fast. (liwa = fast)
• wi ha fa lowe: They speak quietly. (lowe = quiet)

When: just add a time word

Faleni has no tenses; you add a time word when it matters:

• wa ha kema neto: I eat today. · wa ha kema napo: I ate (eat + past).
• wa ha ka neka: I'll go tomorrow. (neka = tomorrow)

nima now · neto today · neke yesterday · neka tomorrow · napo past · nase future

Where: the space words

Put the relation before the place (it heads its little phrase):

• sopo ha niwi tu: The cat is in the house. (niwi = in)
• taki ha nuto tato: The cup is on the table. (nuto = on)
• wa ha ka nosa tepo: I go to the market. (nosa = to)
• wa ha kawi nusu tu: I come from home. (nusu = from)

niwi in · nuto on · nije under · nupu over · niju near · nopa far · nosa to · nusu from · noha with

Compare things

With nelo (more), nela (most), ame (than):

• wa ha le nelo ame we: I'm bigger than you.
• wa ha le nela: I'm the biggest.
• we ha liwa ahu wi: You're as fast as them. (ahu = as/like)

Build words you were never taught

This is the superpower. Head first, describe it:

• teku fa: tool + speak = phone
• ti famu: place + learn = school
• pa fapi: person + teach = teacher
• tepa kumi: room + sleep = bedroom

A Faleni speaker decodes these on sight. (See the compounds page for ~100 more, then invent your own.)

A little conversation

A: la nami!: Good morning! B: la nami! fone we ha jeta?: Good morning! What's your name? A: fone wa ha ji jano. hi we?: My name's John. And you? B: wa ha ji fofalo. we ha ka nosa ti famu ho?: I'm Foval. Are you going to school? A: awe! wa jo ha ka.: Yes! We're going. B: la ka!: Goodbye!

Vocabulary (this lesson)

Practice

1. Listen & choose

Tap 🔊, listen, then pick what it means.

2. Read & understand

Read each aloud, then reveal the meaning.

• tu wa ha lewi.
• wa ha ka neka.
• sopo ha nije tato.

3. Say it in Faleni

Translate to Faleni: 1. My house is new. 2. The dog runs fast. (kawu = run) 3. The cat is under the table. 4. I'll eat tomorrow. 5. You are taller than me. (lapi = tall)

You now have the whole core grammar and the compounding superpower. The last two lessons put it to work on everyday life, food, family, a daily routine, and shopping.

Next: Lesson 5, Food & home →