Faleni · Lesson 6: A day, family & shopping

The finish line of the core course. You'll introduce your family, narrate a whole day from waking to sleeping, and get through a shop, paying, asking the price, and being polite. One small new particle (ju); everything else is vocabulary resting on the grammar you already have.

Hear these first

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

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

Your family

The p- family is people. Possession is still just owner after the noun (Lesson 3):

• pa person · pama mother · papo father · pu child · pate sibling · pawe parent · pasi partner · peni friend
• pama wa: my mother · pate we: your sibling
• wa ha komu pama, papo, hi pate: I have a mother, father, and sibling. (komu = have, hi = and)

A whole day

No tenses to worry about, just say what happens, adding a time word where it helps. Read this top to bottom; it's your day:

• wa ha kaluwe nami: I wake up in the morning. (kaluwe = wake up)
• wa ha koje: I wash. (koje = wash)
• wa ha kapo tamo: I get dressed. (kapo tamo = put + clothes)
• wa ha kema nami: I eat breakfast.
• wa ha ka nosa towa: I go to work. (towa = work)
• wa ha kawi nusu towa: I come back from work.
• wa ha kupe kema nana: I cook dinner.
• wa ha kumi noti: I sleep at night.

Bonus: ju for right now

Faleni doesn't force tense, but when you want to stress an action is in progress, put ju before the verb:

• wa ha ju towa: I am working (right now).
• pu ha ju kumi: The child is sleeping.

Shopping & money

The money words sit in two families: the things tomi (money), tepo (shop), and the actions komi (buy), komo (sell).

• wa ha ka nosa tepo: I go to the shop.
• wa ha komi sufe hi salomi: I buy bread and milk.
• wa ha ko tomi: I pay. (literally give money)

Asking the price uses jenu (how many / how much) and a number to answer:

• sufe ha tomi jenu?: How much is the bread? (bread is how-much money?)
• tomi pe: Five. · loko: (it's) cheap · loke: (it's) expensive

Being polite: foso and fofu

• foso: please (after a request). salomi foso = milk, please.
• fofu: sorry / excuse me: fofu, tepo ha jewa?: Excuse me, where's the shop?

A little conversation: at the market

A: fofu, somuni ha jewa?: Excuse me, where's the rice? B: somuni ha niwi ti. we ha me jenu?: The rice is over there. How much do you want? A: wa ha me somuni hi sumela. tomi jenu?: I'd like rice and fruit. How much? B: tomi si. la mata!: Seven. It's tasty! A: fife. tomi ha niwi.: Thanks. Here's the money. (niwi = here/in) B: la ka!: Goodbye!

Practice

1. Listen & choose

Tap 🔊, listen, then pick what it means.

2. Read & understand

Read each aloud, then reveal the meaning.

• wa ha kaluwe, koje, hi kema nami.
• pama wa ha ju kupe kema nana.
• fofu, somuni ha tomi jenu?

3. Say it in Faleni

Translate to Faleni: 1. I have one child. 2. I go to work in the morning. 3. We buy fruit and milk. 4. The meat is expensive. 5. Excuse me, where is my mother?

You've finished the core course 🎉

Six lessons in, you have the whole grammar and the everyday vocabulary to introduce yourself, get through a day, eat, and shop, all by ear. From here:

• Keep going with Lesson 7, Feelings & health: the first of the going-further lessons, and proof of the design; it adds no new grammar at all.
• Keep the compound cheat-sheet handy and invent words you were never taught.
• Browse the dictionary: every word has a 🔊.
• Read the full grammar when you want the fine print, and coin new words into the families.