Question everything! Well, that is what they say at least. Questions, for better or for worse, are an integral part of our lives, so we had better know how to ask and answer to them. In this lesson, we will learn how to ask common types of questions, as well as how to give answers to those questions in Toki Pona.
Yes-No Questions
Yes-no questions are closed questions, meaning they only require a single word answer with no elaboration. These questions are often asked in Toki Pona by using the X ala X? construction (lit. This not this?). This type can be answered by responding with either repeating the verb to indicate yes or negating the verb to indicate no.
anu seme?
Another common type of yes-no question is the anu seme? construction (lit. or what?). This is used at the end of a sentence, similar to the phrase “isn’t it” in English. You answer this type of question in much the same way as X ala X, either by repeating or negating the verb to answer yes or no, respectively.
Open Questions
The word seme is used to stand in for information you want filled in. For example, if you are checking to see if your entire group is here, you might say mi mute li nanpa seme e jan? (lit. we, what number, people?) to ask how many people we have right now. You can answer these types of questions by simply filling in the information the other person is requesting.
Words
- seme | seme – what, (modify other word to get general wh- questions)
- anu | anu – or
- olin | olin – strong emotional bond: platonic, romantic, familial
- pilin | pilin – experience of emotion, heart (physical or emotional), opinion
- tenpo | tenpo – time, event, duration
- kama | kama – come, become, future, arrive
- lupa | lupa – hole, window, pit, portal, door
- nanpa | nanpa – number, particle to construct ordinal numbers (first, second, third)
- wan | wan – one, single, combine, mix, fuse, join
- tu | tu – two, separate, divide
- mute | mute – multiple, many, twenty
Example Sentences
sina kama e tenpo seme
sina kama e tenpo seme? – What time are you coming?
jan[alenasaa] o, olin ala olin e mi
jan Ana o, olin ala olin e mi – Anna, do you like me?
ma seme li jan olin sina
ma seme li jan olin sina – Where is your girlfriend? (literally: What place, your loved one?)
mi kama e tenpo tu tu wan
mi kama e tenpo tu tu wan – I will come at five
jan[esunlukinalenasa] o, sina sona e pilin mi
jan Elan o, sina sona e pilin mi – Aaron, you know I do (literally: Aaron, you know my heart)
jan olin mi? ona li lupa insa
jan olin mi? ona li lupa insa – My girlfriend? She’s in the hole. (literally: My loved one? They are in the hole)
Conclusion
Now you know how to ask and answer questions in Toki Pona. Now get out there and question everything! Why do snakes shed their skin? Where do we all go when we sleep? What is the meaning of life? Well, once you have found the answers to those questions, why not come back and read the rest of my lessons?