English Translation
My grandfather goes for walks on days when the weather is good.
Certainly! The sentence “kon sewi li pona la, mama mama mije mi li tawa.” in Toki Pona translates to something like “If the weather is good, my grandfather will go.” Let’s break it down:
kon sewi:
"kon" means "air," "spirit," or "weather."
"sewi" means "high," "superior," or "divine."
Together, "kon sewi" can mean "weather" or more literally "the high/spiritual air" (something in the sky).
li pona:
"li" is a grammatical marker used between the subject and the verb. It is used here to connect "kon sewi" with the verb "pona."
"pona" means "good," "simple," "positive," or "to improve."
"kon sewi li pona" means "the weather is good."
la:
"la" is a grammatical particle used to indicate a conditional or contextual phrase at the beginning of a sentence. It translates to "if" or "when" in English.
In this structure, "kon sewi li pona la" means "if the weather is good."
mama mama mije mi:
"mama" means "parent."
Repeating "mama mama" intensifies the meaning, making it "grandparent."
"mije" means "man" or "male."
"mi" means "my."
Together, "mama mama mije mi" means "my grandfather."
li:
Again, "li" is used to connect the subject ("mama mama mije mi") with the verb ("tawa").
tawa:
"tawa" means "to go" or "to move."
Putting it all together:
"kon sewi li pona la": "if the weather is good,"
"mama mama mije mi li tawa.": "my grandfather will go."
So the whole sentence “kon sewi li pona la, mama mama mije mi li tawa.” means “If the weather is good, my grandfather will go.”
I hope that helps! Toki Pona is a minimalist language, and its simplicity often hides deeper meanings depending on the context.