Pronouns
Na'vi 1
Course 1 · Chapter 4 · Pronouns
Pronouns are the first words most learners use, and Na'vi's pronouns hold two surprises for English speakers: the language has a different word for "we" depending on whether you are being included, and its pronouns take the same case endings as nouns. This chapter lays out the full set, takes Oel ngati kameie apart for good, and builds a few short greeting exchanges.
The Basic Pronouns
| Person | Singular | Dual (two) | Trial (three) | Plural (more) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st, without you | oe "I" | moe | pxoe | ayoe |
| 1st, with you | oeng | pxoeng | ayoeng | |
| 2nd | nga "you" | menga | pxenga | aynga |
| 3rd (a person) | po "s/he" | mefo | pxefo | ayfo or fo |
The number prefixes are the ones from Chapter 3 (me+, pxe+, ay+), and the lenition is the same: po becomes mefo and ayfo, with p softened to f. The third-person form is for people and animals. For things, Na'vi uses a demonstrative such as tsa'u "that (thing)".
We Include or We Exclude
English "we" hides a question: does it include the person I am talking to? Na'vi answers it in the word itself.
| Form | Who is included | English |
|---|---|---|
| oeng | you and I | "we two", including you |
| moe | I and one other, not you | "we two", excluding you |
| ayoeng | I, you and others | "we all", including you |
| ayoe | I and others, not you | "we", excluding you |
Languages with this feature are said to have a clusivity distinction. It is common in languages of the Pacific and the Americas but absent from English and most European languages. Try to imagine the English sentence "we are going to the market" said in two situations: inviting a friend along, and telling a friend that you and another person are leaving without them. Na'vi would use different words for each.
Other Pronouns
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| sno | reflexive: "oneself" (himself, herself, myself) |
| fko | generic "one" or "someone" |
| tsa'u | "that (thing)", the usual stand-in for "it" |
Pronouns do not change for gender: po means "he" and "she" alike. Where it matters, the optional forms poan "he" and poé "she" can be used, which mirror the male and female noun endings of Chapter 3.
Pronouns in the Cases
Pronouns take the same endings as nouns, with a few shape changes. A table for the three most useful ones:
| Case | oe "I" | nga "you" | po "s/he" |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subjective | oe | nga | po |
| Agentive | oel | ngal | pol |
| Patientive | oeti | ngati (also ngat) | pot |
| Dative | oer / oeru | ngar / ngaru | por / poru |
| Genitive ("my, your, his") | oeyä | ngeyä | peyä |
| Topical | oeri | ngari |
Two things stand out. The genitive forms double as the words for "my", "your" and "his/her": ngeyä is "your". And the patientive of nga is ngati (as in the greeting), with a shorter variant ngat.
Taking the Greeting Apart
You can now read Oel ngati kameie in full, and invert it:
The verb kameie stays the same in both sentences. Its infix (the ei inside it) is covered in Chapter 5.
Polite Forms
Na'vi has formal pronouns for "I" and "you", used to show deference: ohe "I" and ngenga "you". They are used to speak respectfully to someone of higher standing, much like the formal "you" of many European languages. For a beginner, the ordinary pronouns oe and nga are the right choice.
Short Exchanges
With the greetings of Chapter 1 and the pronouns above, you can read this short exchange. Two phrases are new: Ngaru lu fpom srak? "How are you?" and the answer Oeru lu fpom "I am well". Both use the dative pronoun, in the pattern "to-you there-is well-being" (lu is "to be"; fpom is "well-being").
- "Na'vi has only one word for 'we'." It has at least four, depending on number and whether you are included.
- "Oel ngati kameie means hello." It is a deep greeting, not an everyday word; Kaltxì is the casual hello.
- "Pronouns are irregular." Mostly they follow the same endings as nouns, with a few short alternatives such as ngat beside ngati.
Hands-On Exercises
Choose the right pronoun: (a) You and I are going; (b) A friend and I are going, and you are staying; (c) All of us here, you too, are going; (d) The three of them are going; (e) She is going. Then give the word for "your" and for "my".
📄 View solutionBuild the agentive and patientive forms of oe, nga and po, then write "She sees me" and "I see her" with the pattern of Oel ngati kameie.
📄 View solutionWrite a short exchange of five lines in which two friends meet, ask how each is, answer, give thanks and part. Gloss every pronoun in your own exchange, and say which cases they are in.
📄 View solutionChapter 4 Quick Reference
- Singular: oe (I), nga (you), po (s/he), tsa'u (it)
- We: oeng (you and I), moe (two, not you), ayoeng (all, with you), ayoe (not you)
- Number prefixes on pronouns: me+, pxe+, ay+
- Cases: oel, ngal, pol (agentive); oeti, ngati, pot (patientive); oeyä, ngeyä, peyä (genitive: my, your, his/her)
- Other: sno (oneself), fko (one, someone); formal ohe (I), ngenga (you)
- Phrases: Ngaru lu fpom srak? (How are you?), Oeru lu fpom. (I am well.)