Correlatives

Table of Correlatives

	interrogative (which)	demonstrative (this/these)	demonstrative (that/those)	unspecified (some, certain)	universal (every, each)	negative (no, none)	alternative (other, different, else)	identical (same)
any noun	ke... which	hin... this...	den... that...	ban... some... certain...	moy... every... each...	nil... no... none of...	alo... another... a different...	sama... (the) same...
thing to - it	keto what which one	hinto this (thing), this one	dento that (thing), that one	banto something	moyto everything	nilto nothing none	aloto something else	samato the same thing
plural thing oto - they	keoto what things which ones	hinoto these (things), these ones	denoto those (things), those ones	banoto some things	moyoto all things	niloto none of them	alooto some other things	samaoto the same things
animate being te - s/he or any life form	kete who which one	hinte this one	dente that one	bante somebody	moyte everybody	nilte nobody	alote somebody else	samate the same one
plural animate being ete - they	keete who which ones	hinete these ones	denete those ones	banete some of them	moyete they all	nilete none of them	aloete some other ones	samaete the same ones
possession -su - possessive suffix	kesu whose	hinsu this one’s	densu that one’s	bansu somebody’s	moysu everybody’s	nilsu nobody’s	alosu somebody else’s	samasu the same person's
kind, way -pul - adj/adv suffix	kepul like what; how (in what way)	hinpul like this; this way	denpul like that; that way	banpul some kind of; in some way	moypul every kind of; in every way	nilpul no kind of; in no way	alopul a different kind of; in a different way	samapul the same kind of; in the same way
degree -mo - adv suffix	kemo how (to what degree)	hinmo to this degree yay, yea	denmo to that degree as, so, such	banmo to a certain degree, somewhat	moymo to every degree	nilmo to no degree	alomo to a different degree	samamo to the same degree
quantity, amount kwanti - quantity amount	kekwanti how much	hinkwanti this much	denkwanti that much	bankwanti some amount of	moykwanti the entire amount of	nilkwanti no amount of, none	alokwanti a different amount of	samakwanti the same amount of
number numer - number	kenumer how many	hinnumer this many	dennumer that many	bannumer some number of	moynumer all of the	nilnumer none of the	alonumer a different number of	samanumer the same number of
location loka - place	keloka where	hinloka here	denloka there	banloka somewhere	moyloka everywhere	nilloka nowhere	aloloka elsewhere	samaloka in the same place
time watu - time	kewatu when	hinwatu now	denwatu then	banwatu sometime	moywatu always	nilwatu never	alowatu at a different time	samawatu at the same time
reason (cause or purpose) seba - reason	keseba why, how come	hinseba for this reason	denseba for that reason	banseba for some reason	moyseba for every reason	nilseba for no reason	aloseba for a different reason	samaseba for the same reason
way, manner maner - way, manner	kemaner how (done by what manner)	hinmaner like this, like so, by this manner	denmaner like that, like so, by that manner	banmaner somehow, by some manner	moymaner by every manner	nilmaner by no manner	alomaner by another manner	samamaner by the same manner
emphatic he - any, -ever	he keto what ever	he hinto this specific one	he dento that specific one	he banto anything	he moyto everything and anything	he nilto not any, not a single one	he aloto any other	he samato the same exact thing

Determiner Correlatives

The correlatives words ke, hin, den, ban, moy, nil, alo and sama must always be followed by a noun (whether modified with adjectives or not) or by a pronoun. They should never stand alone because by omitting the (pro)noun the correlative can easily be mistaken as a determiner of the noun/verb that follows it. In the absence of a specified noun, the pronouns te or to mark the end of the noun phrase. See Noun Phrases.

Compare the following sentences:

Hinto bon nasacu.
This (thing) smells good.

In the sentence above, -to marks the end of the noun phrase.

Hin bon nasacu... memorigi mi cel misu femgami.
This good smell... reminds me of my wife.

In the sentence above, nasacu marks the end of the noun phrase.

kekwanti, kenumer

Likewise, kekwanti (what quantity of) and kenumer (what number of) must also be followed by te or to when a noun is understood and not specified.

kenumer bon lala - how many good songs
vs
Kenumer te bon lala?
How many (of them) sing well?

Mi le kari dua kilogramo fe risi. Yu le kari kekwanti to?
I bought two kilos of rice. How much did you buy?

Obligatory cel

The preposition cel is obligatory with loka correlatives when movement is involved.

cel keloka - where (to)
cel hinloka - here (hither)
cel denloka - there (thither)
etc.

Questions vs Interrogative Clauses within Declarative Sentences

Interrogative clauses within declarative sentences are clauses that appear in place of noun phrases and which mean the answer to the question "XYZ?" or a variation thereof. They are formed by introducing them with the clause conjunction ku, using the same determiner (ke) seen in true questions, and preserving the word order of the clause's counterpart question.

The following pairs of example sentences illustrate: (1) true questions, (2) declarative sentences with interrogative clauses

ke - which; kete - who(m); keto - what

(1) Kete lubi yu?
"Who loves you?"
Who loves you?

(2) Mi jixi ku kete lubi yu.
"I know this: Who loves you?."
I know who loves you.

(1) Yu lubi kete?
"You love who(m)."
Who(m) do you love?

(2) Mi jixi ku yu lubi kete.
"I know this: You love who(m)?."
I know who(m) you love.

(1) Te vole na yam keto?
"He wants to eat what?"
What does he want to eat?

(2) Mi le wanji ku te vole na yam keto.
"I forgot this: He wants to eat what?."
I forgot what he wants to eat.

(1) Te le gibe pesa tas ke doste?
"She gave the money to which friend?" Which friend did she give the money to?

(2) Te le no loga ku te le gibe pesa tas ke doste.
"She didn't say this Which friend did she give the money to?."
She didn't say which friend she gave the money to.

kesu - whose

(1) Hinto sen kesu kursi?
"This is whose chair?"
Whose chair is this?

(2) Mi vole na jixi ku hinto sen kesu kursi.
"I want to know this: This is whose chair?."
I want to know whose chair this is.

(1) Kesu kitabu sen per mesa?
"Whose book on the table?"
Whose book is on the table.

(2) Mi jixi ku kesu kitabu sen per mesa.
"I know this: Whose book is on the table?."
I know whose book is on the table.

kepul - like what or what kind of (with nouns); how (with verbs)

(1) Yu sen kepul?
"You are how?"
How are you?

(2) Te le swal ku yu sen kepul.
"She asked this: You are how?."
She asked how you were.

(1) Yu sen kepul insan?
"You are what kind of person?"
What kind of person are you?

(2) Mi jixi ku yu sen kepul insan.
"I know this: What kind of person are you?."
I know what kind of person you are.

kemo - how (to what degree)

(1) Te sen kemo lao?
"She is how old?"
How old is she?

(2) Te le loga tas mi ku te sen kemo lao.
"She told me this: She is how old?."
She told me how old she is.

(1) Yu sen kemo pilodo?
"You are how tired?"
How tired are you?

(2) Mi jixi ku yu sen kemo pilodo.
I know this: "You are how tired?".
I know how tired you are.

kekwanti - how much; kenumer - how many

(1) Yu le kari kekwanti risi?
"You bought how much rice?"
How much rice did you buy?

(2) Mi le oko ku yu le kari kekwanti risi.
"I saw this: You bought how much rice?."
I saw how much rice you bought.

(1) Yu hare kenumer bete?
"You have how many children?"
How many children do you have?

(2) Mi jixivole ku yu hare kenumer bete.
"I wonder this: You have how many children?."
I wonder how many children you have.

keloka - where

(1) Te ergo keloka?
"He works where?"
Where does he work?

(2) Mi jixi ku te ergo keloka.
"I know this: He works where?."
I know where he works.

kewatu - when

(1) Te xa preata kewatu?
"She will arrive when?"
When will she arrive?

(2) Dento sen ku te xa preata kewatu.
"That is this: She will arrive when?."
That is when she will arrive.

keseba - why

(1) Yu le no idi cel parti keseba?
"You didn't go to the party why?"
Why didn't you go to the party?

(2) Mi jixi ku yu le no idi cel parti keseba.
"I know this: You didn't go to the party why?."
I know why you didn't go to the party.

kemaner - how (done how)

(1) Yu le xuli mobil kemaner?
"You fixed the car how?"
How did you fix the car?

(2) Mi jixivole ku yu le xuli mobil kemaner.
I wonder this: You fixed the car how?."
I wonder how you fixed the car.

Declarative Sentences with Interrogative Phrases

Speakers will sometimes reduce an interrogative clause into a phrase, even to the lone interrogative word. The conjunction ku is still used in the absence of a full clause.

Mi jixi ku fe ke mesi.
I know in what month.

Te le no loga ku keseba.
She didn't say why.

Dento sen ku keloka.
That is where.

Mi jixi ku na idi keloka.
I know where to go.

Correlative Phrasal Conjunctions

Correlative phrasal conjunctions end in -loka, -watu, -seba and -maner, and use the relative conjunction hu.

Mi ergo denloka hu yu ergo.
I work where you work.

Mi xa preata denwatu hu yam sen jumbi. or Denwatu hu yam sen jumbi, mi xa preata.
I will arrive when the meal is ready. or When the meal is ready, I will arrive.

Mi le no idi cel parti denseba hu yu idi.
I didn't go to the party for the reason that you went.

Mi le xuli mobil denmaner hu yu le alim tas mi.
I fixed the car how/like you taught me.

Denmaner hu mi le loga...
Like I said...

Comparative Correlatives

The conjunction kom means as, like and is used with the correlatives ending in -pul, -mo, -kwanti and -numer to make comparisions. In the following pairs of example sentences, the second sentence replaces a specific word or phrase with a correlative.

(1) Mi sen hazuni kom yu.
I am sad like you.

(2) Mi sen denpul kom yu.
I am like you.

(1) Mi salom yu sodarsim kom misu sodar.
I greet you fraternally as my brother.

(2) Mi salom yu denpul kom misu sodar.
I greet you as my brother.

(1) Mi no abil na lala meli kom yu.
I can't sing beautifully like you.

(2) Mi no abil na lala denpul kom yu.
I can't sing like you.

(1) Sama kom mi, pia te hare tiga bete.
The same as me, she too has three children.

(2) Denpul kom mi, pia te hare tiga bete.
Like me, she too has three children.

(1) Hin baytu sen daymo day kom misu to.
This house is very big like mine.

(2) Hin baytu sen denmo day kom misu to.
This house is as big as mine.

(1) Mi hare tiga bete kom misu gami.
I have three children like my spouse.

(2) Mi hare dennumer bete kom misu gami.
I have as many children as my spouse.

(1) Mi le kari dua kilogramo fe risi kom yu.
I bought two kilos of rice like you.

(2) Mi le kari denkwanti risi kom yu.
I bought as much rice as you.

daydenpul

The word daydenpul is a derived word composed of day- (augmentative prefix) and the correlative denpul. It translates as what a followed a noun in exclamations such as the following:

Daydenpul din!
What a day!

daydenmo

The word daydenmo is an derived word composed of day- (augmentative prefix) and the correlative denmo. It is an adverb of degree meaning so, when followed by an adjective/adverb, or such, when followed by a modified noun.

Yu daydenmo bala.
You are so strong.

Yu hare daydenmo day oko.
You have such big eyes.

The word daydenmo is also used much like daydenpul. It means how, when followed by an adjective/adverb, or what a, when followed by a modified noun.

Daydenmo meli!
How beautiful!

Daydenmo meli din!
What a beautiful day!

daydenkwanti, daydennumer, denmo multi

Similarly, the words daydenkwanti and daydennumer may be used to express so much and so many, respectively. Alternatively, the expression denmo multi may be used to express either, as it is synonymous with both daydenkwanti and daydennumer.

moyun

The word moyun is a derived word composed of the correlative word moy and un (one). It means each (one) and is used when it is necessary to distinguish it from every/all.

Compare the following sentences:

Mi le kari tiga yuxitul cel moyun nini.
I bought three toys for each child.

Mi le kari tiga yuxitul cel moy nini.
I bought three toys for all the children.