noki

1. Vowels sound like Spanish: a, e, i, o, u. Say them fully, never a lazy “uh”.

2. The first part of a word is the strong part: LE-fu, SU-li, KI-fi.

3. v sounds like the English v in “very”: soft, top teeth on your bottom lip. Never like a b. The hear buttons say it like a b: ignore them and say v.

4. kui is one quick sound, like the “cui” in cuidado.

lo means he or she. Noki doesn't care which. It works for animals too: a dog is lo.

Two people? Say both. si ka = we (you and me). lo ka = we, but not you.

Same one twice? That's more of them. si si = you two, or all of you. lo lo = they.

That lets Noki say something English can't say in one word: si ka lefu = you and I are going. lo ka lefu = he and I are going, you're not.

The one you never say is ka ka — it means something else in Spanish! Say si ka or lo ka.

Some things are also actions. foma is food and eat. vimo is water and drink. fipo is play, a game, and fun.

Whose is it? Put the person first: ka tuka = my home.

That one: put ke first: ke suno = that person.

No Noki word for it? Just say the normal word. Names never change. Tip: use the language the people around you understand less.

If you keep borrowing the same word, put it on your wishlist (on paper or in your phone's notes). It might become a Noki word one day.

Who, then action, then what: ka suli vimo = I want water.

No “who”? Then it's an order: lefu tuka! = Go home!

Two actions together: the second one is what you want or need to do. ka suli lefu tuka = I want to go home. Put a person in the middle, and they are the one who should do it: ka suli si milu = I want you to come.

A person after an action is who you mean it for: dafu ka! = help me! · milu ka! = come to me! · ka lefu si = I'll go with you. If there's a thing too, the person comes first: moku ka vimo = give me water. But with nisu (take), the person is whose it is: lo nisu ka ball! = he's taking my ball!

Actions can be things, too. Where a word sits decides its job: ka dafu si = I help you, ka duni dafu:what = I need help.

da = yes. vek = no. da vek = maybe: yes-no, with a shrug.

Before an action, vek means not: ka vek naki = I don't understand.

Before a thing, it means none: vek suno = nobody.

With no “who”, it means don't: vek doki! = Don't tell!

tesu does three jobs. The moment tells which one.

Words never change. To say when, put a time word right before the action.

panu = it already happened. kifi = right now. lati = it will happen.

No time word? Then you'll know from what's going on.

A time word only works on the next action.

Tip: ka foma can mean “my food” or “I eat”. Add a time word to make it an action: ka kifi foma:do = I'm eating now.

No action? The time word still goes in the same place. That's how you say there is, there was and there will be: vimo lati meni = there will be water here. It also gives you was and will be: ka panu mufo:desc = I was tired.

Have: say “got it earlier”, panu nisu. Just like I've got a dog: ka panu nisu perro = I have a dog.

e = and. u = or. Just like Spanish: padre e hijo, siete u ocho. Say u “oo”, never “you”.

Join two things: vimo e foma = water and food. vimo u juice? = water or juice?

Join two actions: a time word only works on the next action, so each action gets its own. ka panu foma:do e lati lefu tuka = I ate, and I'll go home later.

After a word that ends in u, give u its own little beat, or it gets lost: lefu · u · dusa?

Places go at the end: si ka lefu lopa = we're going there.

In, out, on, under: they go before the thing, just like in English. kunu bed = under the bed. On their own, they're places: lefu nide! = go inside! tefe also means up, and kunu down.

Yes-or-no questions: just say it like a question. si naki? = do you understand?

Is there a vek in the question? Answer with the action too, not just da or vek: da, ka duni = yes, I do · vek, ka vek duni = no, I don't. Then nobody has to guess.

A question with no time word also means “shall we” or “can we”: si ka lefu? = shall we go? · si ka kifi deli? = can we leave now? That's why Noki needs no word for “can”.

Every other question uses kui. Put kui where the answer would go. The answer goes in the same place.

No word for “is”: ke suno pomi = that person is good. ka mufo:desc = I'm tired.

Before or after? Before the thing, it names it: somu dog = a big dog. After, it's a sentence: dog somu = the dog is big.

Say it twice to make it more. pomi pomi = very good! somu somu = huge! ka mela mela si = I love you so much.

A little? That's mipi too: mipi vimo = a little water. A lie? ke vek koti = that's not true.

They work like describing words: ka tisi = I'm cold. ke foma pufa = the food is hot.

How are you? si pomi? Happy? Just say ka pomi. Very sad? Say it twice: ka pemo pemo.

Where does it hurt? neku kui? Borrow the body part, owner first: ka tummy neku = my tummy hurts.

Count by saying it again: suno = one person, suno suno = two people, suno suno suno = lots of people. Three times means lots, not exactly three.

How many? tolu? — suno tolu? = how many people? vimo tolu? = how much water? Answer by saying it again, or borrow a number.

Saying it again works everywhere: si si = you all, lo lo = they, panu panu = long ago, lati lati = much later or another day, kifi kifi = right now!, fipo:do fipo:do! = play again!