1. Basic Sentences
1.1 Content Words
In Kokanu, all content words belong to one of three categories:
- Nouns
- Verbs
- Modifiers
Although a word’s category and its usage don’t always have to match (verbs can be used as nouns, etc. — see Chapter 3), here we will start using them in their base form.
The main verb in a sentence is usually marked by le (exceptions in 2.2 and 5.4). In the simplest case, the subject goes right before it.
Examples:
| Kokanu | English |
|---|---|
| mi | I |
| makan | eat/drink |
| mi le makan | I eat |
| tu | you |
| kota | speak |
| tu le kota | you speak |
1.2 Pronouns
Besides content words, Kokanu also has pronouns. There are five:
| Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|
| mi | I / we |
| tu | you |
| ja | he / she / it / they |
| sa | self |
| usen | each other |
Warning
Like any other word in Kokanu, pronouns do not carry grammatical information.
- “I / me” and “we / us” use the same word (mi).
- Likewise, there is no distinction between “he / him / she / her / it / they / them” → all use ja.
1.3 Direct Objects
In Kokanu, every base verb is transitive (for intransitives, see Chapter 3).
This means one can always form a direct object, marked by in.
The direct object, like the subject, must be a noun or pronoun.
Examples:
| Kokanu sentence | English meaning |
|---|---|
| tu le makan in kuwosi | you eat a fruit |
| ja le teka in kuku | they see a bird |
| mi le makan in pani | I drink (lit. eat liquid) |
| ukiki le suki in tu | the monkey likes you |
New Words
- kuwosi = fruit
- teka = to see
- kuku = bird
- pani = water, liquid
- ukiki = monkey
- suki = to like
Warning
The direct object in Kokanu may differ from English.
For example: in English you answer a question; in Kokanu you answer a response.
Some verbs come with a built-in preposition. For instance:
- sitija = to sit on → the direct object is the thing someone sits on.
The Kokanu dictionary shows this explicitly:amo · verb · to love (a loved entity). See 3.4.
1.4 Modifiers
The last word type are modifiers. As the name suggests, they modify other words.
- They can act on both verbs and nouns.
- In English terms, they are both adjectives and adverbs.
- A chain of modifiers collectively modifies the preceding word.
- A pronoun used as a modifier becomes a possessive pronoun.
Examples:
| Kokanu sentence | English meaning |
|---|---|
| mi le makan wiki in kuwosi hunsi | I quickly eat a red fruit |
| pawo cenpo le teka in sa | the big dog sees itself |
| insu cenpo hunsi | big red building |
| pawo mi | my dog |
| kuwosi ja | their fruit |
New Words
- wiki = fast
- hunsi = red
- pawo = dog
- cenpo = big
- insu = building