Linguifex

Chlouvānem/Phrasebook

< Chlouvānem

This page lists some basic everyday expressions in the Chlouvānem language.


Notes

  • [2] denotes the need for a second person (singular) referent. It can be:
    • sāmi (gen./poss. sāmyā), informal pronoun (dual: sanak, ilayā; plural: nami, namyā);
    • nami (namyā), formal pronoun for higher-ranked people (dual: nanak, innayā);
    • tami (tamyā), formal pronoun for same-ranked people (dual: tanak, ittayā);
    • ravi (ravyā), formal pronoun for lower-ranked people (dual: raṇak, irayā);
    • yavyāta (gen. yavyāti, declines as singular 1h noun) is the plural formal pronoun generally needed in these sentences. nami (namyā) is commonly used too.
    • The given name plus the appropriate title — usually the preferred option.
  • When the second person referent is represented as nami*, the only alternatives are either nami (as 2SG formal superior) or the given name plus title.
  • When titles have to be used, the most commonly used formulae yamei … lāma and yamei aveṣyotarire lila are used as examples.

Basic phrases

  • mei - yes, true
  • go - no, false
  • daudike nacugi - Please (to a single person); also daudike nacumbin (to two people); daudike nacukṣin (to more than two people).
    • lālis yacē nami - Please (quite old-styled)
  • pęrdų rojhē - Excuse me.
    • pęrdų rojhē : māṃtadvārma yajulā ? - Excuse me, where is the toilet?
  • lālyu aveṣyotariri namyau yaccechlašute - I humbly ask for your forgiveness.
  • pęrdų demi tašeiskulke gānu - I humbly excuse myself for the disturb. (common in formal contexts)
  • pęrdų tælū rojhute tašeiskulke gānu no - I'm sorry to have bothered you. (usually said before going)
  • agarpiram - I'm sorry (the most common apology overall, quite formal anyway. Literally "I have been bad")
  • agarpāliram — I'm sorry (in advance, usually said as a request to pass somebody)
  • lilyā salkam - Thank you!
  • lilyā bhaudūkirāhe salkāk - Thank you! (more formal)
  • nairviru - Thank you! (also formal) (dual: nīrvirṣme, plural: nīrvirata)
  • gomi vi - You're welcome.
  • yaiva hulābdān vi - It's all right.
  • mbunsiṭ mbānyu - Welcome!
  • [2-GEN] daidanat mbinē - Nice to meet you.
  • arāmye maitimu - Greetings. (most formal greeting, literally "in peace I stand in front [of you]")
  • iluna - Hi!, Hello!
  • hulābdān yartām - Good morning!
  • hulābdān bhraṃšai - Good afternoon!
  • hulābdān prājānya - Good evening!
  • hulābdān lalyā - Good night!
  • hulābdān pudbhamai - (may you) Sleep well!
  • ħærviṣe sām - See you later.
    • ħærṣā - See ya!
  • halše sām - See you soon.
    • halše – See ya! (literally means "soon")
  • hulābdān lāvi - Goodbye.
  • [2] yalīce (virā) ? - How are you?
  • taili hulābdān : lilyā salkam : [2] no dam? - Very well, thank you. And you?
  • šeiša - Fine.
  • yanū najire ? - What's going on?
    • yanūñjye ? - What's up? (very colloquial, contraction of the above)
      • nūñje ? - What's up? (even more colloquial, often considered youth/young adults' slang)
  • baragī ! - Well done!
  • dājidolka ! - Congratulations! (more formal than baragī)
  • denā ! - Come on!
  • saṃdārvādhya ![1] - long live ...! hooray!

Name and residence/origin

  • [2] mæn haloe yanū ? - What's your name?
  • lili mæn lairē haloe - My name is Lairē.
  • [2] mæn yajulų ? - Where are you from?
  • [2] mæn yajulā lilaši ? - Where do you live?
  • lili mæn līlasuṃghāṇų : nanašīramų : murkadhānāvyų (ū) - I'm from Līlasuṃghāṇa, Nanašīrama, the Chlouvānem Inquisition. (use ABLATIVE case)
  • lili mæn līlasuṃghāṇe : nanašīrame : murkadhānāvye lilah - I live in Līlasuṃghāṇa, Nanašīrama, the Chlouvānem Inquisition. (use LOCATIVE case)

Age

Chlouvānem people do not express age by counting the years that have passed, but by counting which year someone is in. Thus, a person who we'd say is 20 years old is, for a Chlouvānem, in its 21st year of life.

  • [2] mæn yanū heirah liven? - How old are you? (lit. *which year does go by you?)
  • lili mæn [ordinal] liven - I'm ... years old.
    • lili mæn māmitītyende liven - I'm 19 years old (lit. the 20th (1812th goes by me)
    • lili mæn pāmvimāminde liven - I'm 35 years old (lit. the 36th (3012th goes by me)
  • hulābdān heirom peithū! - Happy birthday! (lit. "good walk in the/your [new] year")
    • [2-DAT] hulābdān heirdhūrṣus! - Happy birthday! (less common)
  • heirdhūrṣus - birthday (anniversary)

Language

  • chlǣvānnaise dhāḍiri dam ? // chlǣvānumi dhāḍap dhāḍiri dam ? - Do you speak Chlouvānem?
  • mei : chlǣvānnaise dhāḍiru - Yes, I speak Chlouvānem.
  • go : chlǣvānnaise gu dhāḍiru ša - No, I don't speak Chlouvānem.
  • lili mæn ṣubha chlǣvānumi dhāḍų viṣāmi gu vi ša. // lili mæn ṣubha chlǣvānumi dhāḍų viṣāmeyi gu tarliru ša. - I only speak//understand a little Chlouvānem.
  • chlǣvānnaise ñiltīnų viṣlīce gu dhāḍiru ša. - I'm only a beginner at Chlouvānem.
  • [word] mæn yanū dhvakājeldē? – What does it mean?
  • [word] mæn yalīce ārṣami? – What do you mean (with that)?

Some countries and languages of Earth

→ See Chlouvānem non-canon words

Common signs

  • uvalda — open
    • storgē or storgenta are more commonly found on public offices.
  • aspṛša — closed
  • nalunya — entrance
  • kaulunya — exit
  • mælnamaite — push
  • khulimaite — pull
  • māṃtadvārma — toilet
  • (nalonamah/raiki nillanah/yąlanah/molanah) pulsmē — (access, entrance/smoking/eating/drinking) forbidden

Idioms

  • dildhā — one of Calémere's largest land animals, a giant lizard up to 15 metres long and 1 ton heavy; in metaphorical use it refers to something extensive or gigantic:
    • [POSS.DIR.] lūlka dildhā vi — to be damn lucky (literally "[one's] luck is a dildhā")
  • našabuṃšanah — literally "drought", is used in many idiomatic sentences referring to a disaster or bad luck
    • [POSS-DAT.] šāṇṭrom našabuṃšanah ānimirtirā — to be down on one's luck (literally "drought has sat down on [one's] field")
    • ... gu našabuṃšanah! — ... it's not a disaster! (literally "it's no drought")

Talking on the phone

  • tamendē or tatemendu - Hello!
  • širē nupsiṭ dhāḍake nacugite garpirati paibu - Please speak slower
  • kukilveke nacugite garpirati paibu - Please repeat

Formal conversation phrases

  • yamei [haloe] lāma mæn lili taktulke nanācñānute dam ? - Could I speak with Mr./Ms. [name]?
  • rojhute : yamei lila aveṣyotarire ni kaminæne ejulā gu nuvē ša - I'm sorry, but (s)he's not here at the moment.
  • lili mæn ñulikah gu nuvu ša - I'm not sure.
  • lillaukų širē gu yaccechlašute ša - Just a moment, please.
  • mei : daudike nacugi - Yes, please.
  • go : tami ṣvalara - No, it's OK.
  • daudike nacugi : nami* mæn lū pridhyuɂake gānīte yamei lilu aveṣyotarire pṛdhake nanācñaugite dam? - Could you please ask him/her to call me?
  • lili ħærviṣe pridhyuɂake gaiṣyaṃte : nami* mæn tū yamei lilom aveṣyotarire kaukulke nanācñaugite dam? - Could you please tell him/her I'll call back later?

Wrong number

  • go : ridvūkire duṇānyañom dhyuɂake agāneste - No, you have called the wrong number.
  • pęrdų rojhē : ridvūkire duṇāsmoḍu ni pamidhultake agaiste - Sorry, you dialed the wrong number.
  • pęrdų rojhē : ridvūkire duṇāsmoḍu pamidhultake agāṃte - I'm sorry, I have dialed the wrong number.

Calling someone's home

  • yamei [haloe] lāma mæn amaha dam ? - Is this Mr./Ms. [name]'s home?
  • mei : vi - Yes, it is.
  • [1] mæn dhāḍire : [2] āñjulā dam ? - This is [1] speaking. Is [2] there?
  • pęrdų rojhute : pridīdiye tailnaise tī dhyuɂake gānute - I'm sorry for calling so late.
  • (emibe) pahām yanamęlike nīnaiṣūdē dam ? - Can I leave a (one) message?
  • ħærviṣe pridhyuɂake agāltaṃte - I'll call back later.

Describing people

Note that "adjectives" in this section are usually already given as conjugated words.

lila mæn... - the/this person is...
  • lalla - tall
  • hehire - short (pl. hihirena)
  • spragnyire - big
  • ñikire - small
  • ṭaɂire - thin, slender
  • sådhire - fat (liter. "wide")
lila mæn pārāk... - the/this person's hair are...
  • chītirāhe - short
  • mųrmirāhe - long
  • pomai - bun, chignon
  • læñchiša - braid
  • murkirāhe - black, more generally dark
  • yoltvirāhe - brown (sometimes not light brown), incl. chestnut
  • chlirairāhe - blond
  • lyåchirāhe - red, incl. auburn and often light brown too
  • ƾamirāhe - gray
  • pāṇḍirāhe - white

Slang

  • chlisake (class 3), dorṣake – cool, great, fantastic (very colloquial. chlisake is typically Eastern Jade Coastal, while dorṣake, originally from the lower Nīmbaṇḍhāra, has spread throughout all of the Inquisition)
  • nūlismoḍin - a moderate insult, not considered vulgar (lit. "leaf counter", as in someone who wastes time)
    • nūlyai smoḍīste lun ! - the corresponding exclamation (lit. "go (away) and count the leaves!")

Notes

  1. ^ Originally a military hooray, from murkadhānāvyom yamei camimurkadhānom no saṃdārvādhya "glory to the Inquisition and the Great Inquisitor".
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