English Translation
Tom barely recognized Mary.
Let’s break down the sentence “nanpa wan la jan Ton li lukin e jan Mewi, li pilin e ni: meli ni li jan seme?” in Toki Pona:
nanpa wan la:
"nanpa" means "number".
"wan" means "one".
"la" is a conjunction that sets the context for the rest of the sentence. It can often be translated as "when" or "if".
Thus, "nanpa wan la" means "Firstly" or "In the first case".
jan Ton:
"jan" means "person".
"Ton" is a proper noun here, likely a name (Ton).
So, "jan Ton" means "Ton" (a person named Ton).
li lukin e jan Mewi:
"li" is a separator that introduces a verb or a predicate after the subject (used here with Ton).
"lukin" means "to see" or "to look at".
"e" marks the direct object of the verb.
"jan Mewi" uses "jan" (person) and "Mewi" (a name), meaning "Mewi".
Thus, "li lukin e jan Mewi" means "looks at Mewi".
li pilin e ni: meli ni li jan seme?:
"li" again introduces another verb/predicate for Ton.
"pilin" means "to feel" or "to think".
"e ni" marks "this" as the object of the thinking/feeling.
"meli" means "woman" or "female".
"ni" means "this".
"li" again introduces a new verb/predicate.
"jan" means "person".
"seme" means "what" or "who".
So, "meli ni li jan seme?" translates to "Who is this woman?" or "This woman is what person?"
Thus, "li pilin e ni: meli ni li jan seme?" means "thinks: Who is this woman?"
Putting it all together: “nanpa wan la jan Ton li lukin e jan Mewi, li pilin e ni: meli ni li jan seme?” means “First, when Ton looks at Mewi, he thinks: Who is this woman?”
This sentence sets the context with “nanpa wan la” (firstly) and then describes Ton’s actions and thoughts.