„Qab e Park”, South Yarra
Pasnintato, e vasebovatti dajuzon sendebbona, starebiatti Abdullah mepa mansuda gasta Wayne, veqi poutatis. Vaneudiyo yos busai yenda oher Wayne:
«Lour, bes buoubouda iher Abdullah!»
«Na ya serebiatta,» Wayne bepeqda.
Ayo yabis selasdi mubousisti uzois: yoyole arsyanun e Islan gasta basyun e Hippie! „Qab e Park” das nesto lacyeqo aimovatisgará ayoi, yoyole: basyungara e Hippie je arsyanungara e Hare Krishna (savos peresoti neu rah vayole arsyanungara dus qehocyungara).
Abdullah rah mouda piyoi giniole yopamevanustada eher raula ninta. Yomas vaudi ayoi daju busai yendi »Aju!« e pamevanda. Vuslandi nuri daju gon yole sedirdi cengat, pula ata, pula acyarma mirta e pula sounosya. Wayne mas vaudi ayoi daju; evon, hamodi nuri hasat. Avi yoicyodi »Dentu aiban« e vasejir aibandi avi daju. Yoga, yoga suda busai yenda:
«Vaqabustada. Vaqab laguaniardi biran buhai esnula.»
Ya vaicyodi »Evon stadentutta«, cye vamouda asyuni peva piyoi eher mas vaudi avi daju.
Veqomaqaizet
Translation
Last night, as I entered the boarding-house dining-room, I came across Abdullah sitting with Wayne, another boarder. I joined them and said to Wayne:
“I see you know Abdullah!”
“We just met,” replied Wayne.
sebovatti, enter sth (swh)
starebiatti, meet, come across, encounter s.o. [again]
ya, each other, one another
neu, group (n). together (= nevu) (adv): neudi, join sth/s.o.
yos, both
lour, [I] see!: lourda, see, find out
bes, already
oubouda -i, know s.o.
The two of them made an interesting pair: a Muslim with a hippie! Park Street is famous for its residents: hippies and Hare Krishnas (people say the latter group isn’t a religion but a sect). Abdullah didn’t stay long for he has to work nightshift. He finished his meal and said “see you!” as he was leaving.
ayo yabis, the two of them (cp., yabnu nura, two [of them])
selasdi, make, form sth
mubousisti, interesting
uzois, pair, couple (of people or things)
arsyanun, adherent of a religion: arsyanun e Islama, Muslim
je, and (optional plural form)
basyun, member of a movement: basyun e Hippie, hippie
qehocya, sect, cult [pej.]: qehocyun, sect or cult member
nesto, fame: das nesto, be famous
lacyeq, reason: lacyeqo -a, because of
aimovatis, resident: aimovatisgara, residents
savos, word has it, they say, people say
pamevanda, leave [eher, for]
raula ninta, nightshift
mas vaudi, finish sth
I then ordered a meal of chicken, potatoes, carrots and peas. Wayne finished his meal, then had some tea. He wished me “bon appétit” as I began my meal. Soon, he stood up and said,
“I have to go. I’m going to listen to some music at a friend’s place.”
We said good night to each other, but I stayed on a little while longer to finish my meal.
uslandi, order sth (meal)
daju, meal
sedirdi, contain
cenga, chicken, fowl: cengat, chicken (as food)
pula ata, potato[es]
pula acyarma mirta, carrot[s]
pula sounosya, pea[s]
hasat, tea
evon, [and] then
aicyodi, say or wish sth
yoga, soon (informal; or more formally, the inflected, yogu)
ga suda, stand up
qabda, go [out]
laguanatti, listen to (noise, siren, etc.); laguaniardi, listen to (music, radio, etc.)
biran, music
peva, more (+ adj.): peva piyoi, longer
Uzeut
Remarks
1. A) Yos strengthens the notion of two people: yos va-/ava, we two (the both of us) (subj) (= ayo yabis); –va yos (obj). Canis, melis, suyis, yanis, auanis, jaunis, sautis, etc., is the form used when there are more than two people: e.g., ava melis ga suda nevu, the four of us stood up together.
B) Ya, being the reciprocal particle, gives an automatic notion of plurality: ya vaqainda, we saw each other; ya yolesegada, they helped one another. Ya is customarily dropped as a redundancy from verbs in which neu, together, is present because reciprocity is inferred: e.g., neuda, join up, unite.
2. Bes, already, is an adverbial of time conveying the notion of having completed something: ni bes buaibanda? have you [already] eaten? hoje, bes vaibanda, yes, I’ve eaten (I already ate); rah, cer rah vaibanda, no, I haven’t [eaten yet]. Cp., pas, already, before: pas viorgadiyo, I saw it before.
3. A) Direct object pronouns are affixed to the transitive ending: vaqaindiyo, I saw it. B) While –i characterises indirect object pronouns, iher (or less commonly oher) is used with indirect object proper nouns: ayoi voubouda, I know him, but voubouda iher Charles, I know Charles. NB, while “know” is transitive in English, oubouda is intransitive; ouboudi means “to be acquainted with or know sth beyond mere facts”: vouboudi nunieni peilaqa, I know this place.
4. Agent –is confers the quality expressed in the radical: celini, beautiful > celinis, beautiful person; peresoti, the latter > peresotis, the latter [person]. Agent –un is used for offspring, inhabitants and adherents: tou, person > tovun, child; jitou, society > jitovun, citizen; arsyan, religion > arsyanun, adherent of a religion. From –gara, the ending for nouns of multitude, the plural of primary relationships may be formed: tougara, people; magara, parents; esnulagara, [group of] friends. It is also used for groups of people or animals, no matter what size: tovungara, children; arsyanungara, adherents [of a religion]. It also designates definable inanimate groups: qoisugara, jewellery (as worn; saqir qoisu, jewellery as wares); beidugara, [set of] teeth.
5. Savos introduces an impersonal mood to a declarative sentence: savos yonasuda, they say he’s rich. An, we, may function as the impersonal pronoun: anienda [anvas yenda] yole yonasuda, they say he’s rich (when a consonant meets y, the y becomes i: an+yenda = anienda). NB, yole never follows modals such as savos.
6. Yole sedirdi may translate “of” after partitive nouns: daju yole sedirdi cahi pula ata, a meal of round potatoes.
7. Suda or ga suda? Suda is the state while ga suda is the action. NB, A synonym for uma audepatta is manga suda.
8. Giniole, because, for, but lacyeqo -a, because of, for. NB, eher, for, means “for the sake of” or “in order that/to”.