la: Difference between revisions
Content added Content deleted
m (→External resources: Add more jan Kekan San) |
(Rewrite) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Other license|ask|it was copied from ''[[ma pona pi toki pona]]''}} |
|||
[[la]] is a [[:Category:Particles|particle]] of toki pona used to separate a sentence from its context. |
[[la]] is a [[:Category:Particles|particle]] of toki pona used to separate a sentence from its context. |
||
== Functions of la == |
== Functions of la == |
||
[[la]] indicates that what comes after it follows from or depends on what came before. It is extremely general and can indicate all sorts of antecedant/consequent relationships. For example, |
|||
la is a context particle. Anything that comes before la in a sentence is taken as context for the rest of the sentence. "X la Y" –> "in the context of X, Y." |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
: In the context of my land, the air is cold. |
|||
: The air in my country is cold. |
|||
It can be used to convey the same information as lon. Anything that you would say after a prepositional lon, you could put before a la and it would mean the same thing. |
|||
; mi pilin pona lon tenpo ni. : tenpo ni la mi pilin pona. |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
=== Fronting prepositional phrases === |
|||
It can also move other prepositional phrases to the front, often negating the need for the preposition (but not always). |
|||
[[la]] can be used to put a prepositional phrase at the front of a sentence. For example, |
|||
; |
;"ale ante li kama tan sina". |
||
:"Now the rest depends on you".<ref>[[pu]]-en p. 62</ref> |
|||
: mi la ni li pona. |
|||
:"Dorénavant la suite vous appartient".<ref>[[pu]]-fr p. 67</ref> |
|||
: tawa mi la ni li pona. |
|||
:;kepeken toki ni la jan Sonja li pana e toki pona tawa kulupu. |
|||
::With these words, Sonja gave toki pona to the community. |
|||
:;jan Sonja li pana e toki pona tawa kulupu kepeken toki ni. |
|||
::Sonja gave toki pona to the community with these words. |
|||
When fronted, [[lon]] is dropped, |
|||
; sina pali e ni tan seme : tan seme la sina pali e ni. |
|||
;mi moku e kili lon tenpo ni. |
|||
:I'm eating a fruit not. |
|||
;tenpo ni la mi moku e kili. |
|||
:This time, I'm eating fruit. |
|||
Sometimes, [[lon]] is also used as a content word. In this case, it is retained: |
|||
A la-phrase can even take entire sentences under it, making a conditional phrase |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
:Lots of people are here. |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
:Around here there are lots of people. |
|||
=== Cause and effect === |
|||
; suno li loje la tenpo li pona. : When the sun is red, the time is right. |
|||
[[la]] can show cause and effect. The part before the [[la]] is taken to bring about or be the condition for what comes after the particle. |
|||
; |
:;ilo li mu la mi lukin e ona. |
||
: |
::My phone rang so I checked it. |
||
: |
::When my phone rings I check it. |
||
::If my phone rings I'll check it. |
|||
:;suno li seli la mi pilin pona. |
|||
== Idioms == |
|||
::[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14Mava1H8V8 "Summertime, and the livin's easy".] |
|||
Certain [[la]] phrases are used with particular meanings. |
|||
== Punctuation == |
|||
; ni la : so/then |
|||
Commas are optional, and can be placed before or after the [[la]]. [[ku]] calls this a "stylistic choice". In this article, commas are omitted. |
|||
; ante la : in any case/anyway |
|||
== External resources == |
== External resources == |
||
Revision as of 17:25, 27 February 2023
la is a particle of toki pona used to separate a sentence from its context.
Functions of la
la indicates that what comes after it follows from or depends on what came before. It is extremely general and can indicate all sorts of antecedant/consequent relationships. For example,
Fronting prepositional phrases
la can be used to put a prepositional phrase at the front of a sentence. For example,
- "ale ante li kama tan sina".
- "Now the rest depends on you".[1]
- "Dorénavant la suite vous appartient".[2]
- kepeken toki ni la jan Sonja li pana e toki pona tawa kulupu.
- With these words, Sonja gave toki pona to the community.
- jan Sonja li pana e toki pona tawa kulupu kepeken toki ni.
- Sonja gave toki pona to the community with these words.
When fronted, lon is dropped,
- mi moku e kili lon tenpo ni.
- I'm eating a fruit not.
- tenpo ni la mi moku e kili.
- This time, I'm eating fruit.
Sometimes, lon is also used as a content word. In this case, it is retained:
- jan mute li lon ma ni.
- Lots of people are here.
- ma ni la jan mute li lon.
- Around here there are lots of people.
Cause and effect
la can show cause and effect. The part before the la is taken to bring about or be the condition for what comes after the particle.
- ilo li mu la mi lukin e ona.
- My phone rang so I checked it.
- When my phone rings I check it.
- If my phone rings I'll check it.
- suno li seli la mi pilin pona.
- "Summertime, and the livin's easy".
Punctuation
Commas are optional, and can be placed before or after the la. ku calls this a "stylistic choice". In this article, commas are omitted.