Faleni · Lesson 8: Work, study & getting around town

Deeper into "going further," and again the design does the heavy lifting: this whole lesson adds no new grammar. Jobs are pa (person) compounds you can already read (pa fapi teacher = person + teach), study words cluster in the f- family (speech & info), and getting around town runs on the k- family (actions & motion) plus a few place words in t-. You'll talk about your job, your studies, and how to cross town.

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.

Talking about your job: the pa family

An occupation is almost always pa (person) + what they do, head-first, so you can build most jobs the moment you know the verb:

• wa ha towa: I work. (towa = work, Lesson 6) · wa ha pa towa: I'm a worker.
• pa fapi wa: my teacher (person + teach, then owner wa; bare owner-after-noun, Lesson 3)

Here's the job family at a glance, every one is guessable from the verb inside it:

Your workplace is a place word (ti place, Lesson 5): ti towa: office (place + work), tepe famu: school building (building + learn). Ask what someone does with jeta (what, Lesson 3): the question word sits in the answer slot, right where the reply will go:

• we ha ke towa jeta?: What work do you do? (you do work what?)
• wa ha pa kupe. wa ha towa ti tepo: I'm a cook. I work at the shop.

Money, hours & the workday

Work talk reuses money and time words you already have, no new roots:

• wa ha kani tomi: I earn money. (kani = get, so kani tomi = earn money)
• pa kifu ha ko tomi nosa wa: the boss pays me. (gives money to me)
• wa ha kipa towa nami: I start work in the morning. (kipa = start, Lesson 6)
• wa ha kine towa nana: I finish work in the evening. (kine = end/finish)

Two everyday states, both in the l- family (qualities): lose (busy) and lunu (tired, Lesson 2):

• wa ha lose neto: I'm busy today. · wa ha lunu nusu towa: I'm tired from work.

At school: the f- family

Study words gather under f (speech & info), so a new one rarely surprises you. The two anchors, famu (learn) and fapi (teach), you already know:

• wa ha famu faleni ti famu: I study Faleni at school.
• pa fapi ha fapi wa: the teacher teaches me.
• wa ha fi fila: I read a book. (fi = read, fila = book)
• wa ha fano fe lewi: I write new words. (fano = write, fe = word, Lesson 3)

A quick pair to keep straight: ti famu is the school (the institution), tepe famu is the school building (building + learn): same famu inside, different head.

When you're stuck, two m- words (mind family, Lesson 7) carry you:

• wa ha mepe: I understand. · wa ha he mepe: I don't understand. (he, Lesson 2)
• we ha melo feji asa?: Can you explain again? (melo = can, Lesson 7)

No single word for homework: build it: towa famu = work + learn = study-work, a task you take home.

Getting around: the k- family

Every motion word starts with k (the actions & motion family). The first four come as pairs:

• ka (go) · kawi (come): you know these from Lesson 3.
• kihi (arrive) · kihu (leave): reach a place or set off from one.
• kali (walk) · kawu (run) · kiki (drive) · kejo (ride): how you travel.

Point where you're going with nosa (to) and where you came from with nusu (from), both from Lesson 5:

• wa ha ka nosa tuna: I go to the city. · wa ha kawi nusu tu: I come from home.
• wa ha kali tewi nosa towa: I commute to work. (kali tewi = walk + road = travel)

A few place words for crossing town, all ones you can read at a glance:

• tu tomi: bank (house + money) · ti taji loni: station (place + train)
• tepo: shop · ti towa: office · tuna: the city itself

Transport modes are built head-first from taji (vehicle):

• taji: car · taji loni: train (car + long) · taji le: bus (car + big)
• teku kuwi: airplane (tool + fly) · taje: boat

Asking the way

Ask where something is with jewa (where, Lesson 5) and how to get there with jefe (how): both question words sit in the answer slot, and the sentence keeps its full subject + ha + predicate frame:

• ti famu ha ti jewa?: Where is the school? (the school is at where?)
• wa ha ka nosa tepo jefe?: How do I get to the shop? (I go to shop how?)
• niju ho?: Is it near? (niju = near) · nopa ho?: Is it far? (nopa = far)

Directions run on kefo (turn) plus the left/right pair, and on nihu (ahead):

• kefo nohu: turn left (turn + left) · kefo nono: turn right
• ka nihu: go straight ahead (go + front) · kuti ti wo: stop here
• felu ha kule tewi: the map shows the road. (kule = show, felu = map)

A little conversation: asking directions

A: fofu, ti taji loni ha ti jewa?: Excuse me, where is the train station? B: niju. ka nihu, hi kefo nono.: It's near. Go straight ahead, and turn right. A: wa ha melo kali nosa wu ho?: Can I walk there? B: awe. tewi ha loti. kali liwa.: Yes. The road is short. Walk fast. A: tefo kilu ha tomi jenu?: How much is a ticket? B: wa ha he ma. fewa pa towa ti wu.: I don't know. Ask the worker there. A: fife! la ka!: Thanks! Goodbye!

Practice

1. Listen & choose

Tap 🔊, listen, then pick what it means.

2. Read & understand

Read each aloud, then reveal the meaning.

• wa ha pa fapi. wa ha towa ti famu.
• wa ha ka nosa tu tomi jefe?
• wa ha he mepe. feji asa, foso.

3. Say it in Faleni

Translate to Faleni: 1. I study Faleni. 2. Where is the office? 3. I drive to work. 4. Turn left, and go straight ahead. 5. The teacher teaches new words.

Next

You can now talk about your job, your studies, and find your way across town, still without a single new rule, only pa people, f- words, and k- motion snapping together. Next up: Lesson 9 steps into storytelling, stringing the past and future (napo / nase) into whole tales. Meanwhile, browse the dictionary (every word has a 🔊) and keep the compound cheat-sheet close, pa towa workers and taji vehicles are just more of what you can already build.