la
la is a particle in Toki Pona. It separates the main part of 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 antecedent–consequent relationships, including prepositional descriptions, cause and effect, or conditions. Generally, what comes before la is the context for what comes after.
Fronting prepositional phrases
la can be used to put a prepositional phrase at the front of a sentence.
- jan Sonja li pana e toki pona tawa kulupu kepeken toki ni.
- Sonja gave Toki Pona to the community with these words.
- kepeken toki ni la jan Sonja li pana e toki pona tawa kulupu.
- With these words Sonja gave Toki Pona to the community.
When fronted, lon is dropped.
- mi moku e kili lon tenpo ni.
- I'm eating a fruit at this time (now).
- tenpo ni la mi moku e kili.
- As for this time (now) 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.
- tenpo seli la mi pilin pona.
- "Summertime and the livin' is easy".[1]
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.