Chlouvānem/Phrasebook

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. samiā), informal pronoun (dual: saše, sareṣyā; plural: nani, naniā);
  • nani (naniā), formal pronoun for higher-ranked people (dual: naiše, nanešā);
  • ravi (ravyā), formal pronoun for same-ranked people (dual: raude, ravedyā);
  • kūri (kūriā), formal pronoun for lower-ranked people (dual: kūrḍe, kūredyā);
  • yavyāta (gen. yavyāti, declines as singular 1h noun) is the plural formal pronoun generally needed in these sentences. nani (naniā) is commonly used too.
  • The given name plus the appropriate title — usually the preferred option.
• When the second person referent is represented as nani*, the only alternatives are either nani (as 2SG formal superior) or the given name plus title.
• The -ęe [-eɦe] forms of languages are adverbs, used in phrases like "I speak…" or "I [can] read/write [in]…"
• When titles have to be used, the most commonly used formulae yamei … lāma and yamei lila aveṣyotarah are used as examples.

Basic phrases

• mei - yes, true
• go - no, false
• lālis yacė nami - Please
• pęrdų rojhė - Excuse me.
• lāliu naniau aveṣyotariri yaccechlašute nami - I humbly ask for your forgiveness.
• pęrdų demi tašeistekilu īvai - I humbly excuse myself for the disturb. (common in formal contexts)
• pęrdų tælū rojhute tašeistekilu no īvai - I'm sorry to have bothered you. (usually said before going.)

no īvai is usually pronounced here as if it were *nīvai.

• liliā salkam - Thank you!
• liliā bhaudūkirena salkye - Thank you! (more formal)
• raigodah valu - Thank you! (also formal)
• gvami væl - You're welcome.
• yaiva miąre væl - It's all right.
• dėmba - Hi!, Hello!
• miąre yartām - Good morning!
• miąre bembīh - Good afternoon!
• miąre prājamnā - Good evening!
• miąre laliā - Good night!
• miąre pugleini - (may you) Sleep well!
• færviṣe natte - See you later.
• miąre fleina - Goodbye.
• [2] yalīce (vælrā) ? - How are you?
• taili miąre : liliā salkam : [2] no dam? - Very well, thank you. And you?
• ṣvalara - Fine.
• yananū najire ? - What's going on?
• lālis yacė nami : nakaidoman yajulā ? - Excuse me, where is the toilet?
• [2] mæn haloe yananū ? - What's your name?
• lili mæn lairė haloe - My name is Lairė.
• [2-_GEN] daidanah pṛšcāṃvæl - Nice to meet you.
• chlouvānęe dældiri dam ? // chlouvānumi dældīni dældiri dam ? - Do you speak Chlouvānem?
• mei : chlouvānęe dældiru - Yes, I speak Chlouvānem.
• go : chlouvānęe gu dældiru ša - No, I don't speak Chlouvānem
• [2] mæn yajulųu ? - Where are you from?
• lili mæn līlasuṃghāṇų : nanašīramų : murkadhānāvyų - I'm from Līlasuṃghāṇa, Nanašīrama, the Chlouvānem Inquisition.

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 yananū heirah fliven? - How old are you? (lit. *which year does go by you?)
• lili mæn [ordinal] fliven - I'm ... years old.
  • lili mæn māmitītyende fliven - I'm 19 years old (lit. the 20th (18₁₂th goes by me)
  • lili mæn pāmvimāminde fliven - I'm 35 years old (lit. the 36th (30₁₂th goes by me)

Some countries and languages of Earth

• Belarus: bilarusia, Belarusian: bilaruskiyumi dældā / bilaruskiyęe
• Bhutan: bhūṭān
  • Dzongkha: tsolkhumi dældā / tsolkhęe
• Catalunya: kataluña, Catalan: kataluṃskumi dældā / kataluṃskęe
• China: kitai
  • Mandarin: mandarīlkitaiskumi dældā / mandarīlkitaiskęe
  • Cantonese: yūtkitaiskumi dældā / yūtkitaiskęe
  • Hokkien: hokkyalkitaiskumi dældā / hokkyalkitaiskęe
• Denmark: dænmarka, Danish: dæṃskumi dældā / dæṃskęe
• England: ilglæna, English: ilgelskumi dældā / ilgelskęe
  • Australia: austrālya
  • United Kingdom: namālire šåkhaṃṣarivāṇa
  • United States: amærikhi namālirena bhælai or amænalai (both plural)
• France: fralkrih, French: fraṃskumi dældā / fraṃskęe
• Germany: tiusklæna, German: tiuskumi dældā / tiuskęe
  • Austria: yostrih
• Gujarat: gujrāta, Gujarati: gujrātiyumi dældā / gujrātiyęe
• Iceland: īslanta, Icelandic: īsleṃskumi dældā / īsleṃskęe
• India: bhāratah
  • Hindi: hindī ga dældā
  • Sanskrit: saṃskrtā ga dældā
  • Urdu: urdū ga dældā
• Iran: irān, Persian: pærskumi dældā / pærskęe
• Italy: itālya, Italian: itālskumi dældā / itālskęe
• Japan: nippun, Japanese: nippuṃskumi dældā / nippuṃskęe
• Latium: latyum, Latin: latīṃskumi dældā / latīṃskęe
• Liguria: ligyūrya, Ligurian: līgyurumi dældā / līgyuręe
• Lithuania: liætuva, Lithuanian: liætskumi dældā / liætskęe
• Lombardy: lumbārdīya, Lombard: lumbārdumi dældā / lumbārdęe
• Mongolia: mulgolya, Mongolian: mulgolumi dældā / mulgolęe
• Norway: noura, Norwegian: norṣkumi dældā / norṣkęe
• Piedmont: pyemūnta, Piedmontese: pyemūntskumi dældā / pyemūntskęe
• Portugal: purtugāva, Portuguese: purtugėsumi dældā / purtugėsęe
  • Brazil: brasīvuh
• Punjab: pañjāba, Punjabi: pañjābiyumi dældā / pañjābiyęe
• Russia: rasīya, Russian: ruskiyumi dældā / ruskiyęe
• Sardinia: sardæña, Sardinian: sardæṃskumi dældā / sardæṃskęe
• Sicily: sicīlya, Sicilian: sicīlьskumi dældā / sicīlьskęe
• Sweden: sværyeh, Swedish: svæṃskumi dældā / svæṃskęe
• Switzerland: skvīsera
  • Rumantsch: rumañcumi dældā / rumañcęe
  • Swiss German: skvīsertiuskumi dældā / skvīsertiuskęe
• Ukraine: ukrayīna, Ukrainian: ukrayīṃskumi dældā / ukrayīṃskęe
  • Proto-Indo-European: obhāratyorapīyumi dældā / obhāratyorapīyęe
• Veneto: vėneta, Venetian: vėnetumi dældā / vėnetęe
• Wales: kaṃrih, Welsh: kaṃrāgumi dældā / kaṃrāgęe

Talking on the phone

• tamendė or tatemendu - Hello!
• lālis yacė nami : nanū nuppęe dældeiniri - Please speak slower
• lālis yacė nami : kukilveinite - Please repeat

Formal conversation phrases

• yamei [haloe] lāma mæn lili tattekukilenau īvai dam ? - Could I speak with Mr./Ms. [name]?
• rojhute : yamei lila aveṣyotarire ni kaminæne ejulā gu væl ša nami - I'm sorry, but (s)he's not here at the moment.
• lili mæn ñulikah gu valu ša īvai - I'm not sure.
• lillauku glidemæh yaccechlašutė īvai - Just a moment, please.
• mei : lālis yacė nami - Yes, please.
• go : tami ṣvalara - No, it's OK.
• lālis yacė nami : nani* mæn lū pritedhyuɂīti yaši yamei lilu aveṣyotarire papardhenaite yoṣa dam? - Could you please ask him/her to call me?
• lili færviṣe pritedhyuɂiṣyam īvai : fali* mæn tū yamei lilom aveṣyotarire kautekukilenai yoṣa dam? - Could you please tell him/her I'll call back later?

Wrong number

• go : ridvūkire duṇāniañom udhyuɂeste spa - No, you have called the wrong number.
• pęrdų rojhė : ridvūkire duṇāniañu ni pamyudhulteste spa - Sorry, you dialed the wrong number.
• pęrdų rojhė : ridvūkire duṇāniañu pamyudhultaṃte - 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 : væl - Yes, it is.
• [1] mæn dældirė : [2] āñjulā dam ? - This is [1] speaking. Is [2] there?
• pęrdų rojhute : pridīdiye tailьnaise tī dhyoɂute - I'm sorry for calling so late.
• leilum pehām yanamiąlīprė dam ? - Can I leave a message?
• færviṣe pritedhyuɂiṣyam - 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 parye... - the/this person's hair are...

• chītirena - short
• māhārirena - long
• pomai - bun, chignon
• læñchiša - braid
• murkirena - black, more generally dark
• yoltvirena - brown (sometimes not light brown), incl. chestnut
• chlirairena - blond
• lьlåchirena - red, incl. auburn and often light brown too
• framirena - gray
• pāṇḍirena - white