English Translation
Is he passing stones?
Sure, let’s break down the Toki Pona sentence “ona li pana ala pana e kiwen lili lon telo jelo?” step by step in English, looking at both vocabulary and grammar.
"ona":
Meaning: he, she, it, they (context will determine the exact meaning).
Usage: Subject of the sentence.
"li":
Function: A particle that separates the subject from the predicate (verb and object), used when the subject is not "mi" (I, me) or "sina" (you).
Usage: Indicates the start of the predicate.
"pana":
Meaning: to give.
Usage: Main verb of the sentence indicating the action.
"ala":
Meaning: not, nothing (negation).
Usage: Used for negation, often placed before the verb to indicate no action.
"pana ala pana":
Structure: This is a question formation in Toki Pona.
Meaning: "give or not give?" (yes/no question about the action).
Usage: When you put "pana ala pana" together, you're asking if something is given or not in question form.
"e":
Function: A direct object marker.
Usage: Put before the object of the verb.
"kiwen lili":
Meaning: small stone.
Usage: Direct object of the verb "pana" (give).
"lon":
Meaning: in, at, on (preposition indicating location).
Usage: Indicates where the action is happening.
"telo jelo":
Meaning: yellow liquid.
Usage: It’s the location where the action is considered to happen.
Now, when we put it all together, the sentence “ona li pana ala pana e kiwen lili lon telo jelo?” can be translated to:
“Do they give, or do they not give, the small stone in the yellow liquid?”
In this sentence, you are asking whether “ona” (he, she, it, they) perform the action of giving a small stone into a yellow liquid or not. The structure “pana ala pana” is a common way in Toki Pona to form yes/no questions about performing an action. The use of “li” separates the subject “ona” from the action part of the sentence. “Kiwen lili” is the object being given, and “lon telo jelo” tells you where the object is supposed to be given (in the yellow liquid).