Curso 03

Lesson 3 - Triesma Leciono

Questions

So far we have been making simple statements in Ido, such as:
Me vidas la kato or Me tushas la hundo.
Now it is time to consider how we can make questions. The English language uses two basic formulae:
(1) A few verbs can be put into the question form by changing the word order, for example:
'I must' becomes 'Must I?' 'He is' becomes 'Is he?' and 'They can' becomes 'Can they?'.
(2) Then there are other verbs which are turned into the question form by putting 'do' or 'does' at the beginning of the sentece:
'He sings' becomes 'Does he sing?', and 'You come' becomes 'Do you come?'

In Ido question-making is much simpler. Firstly the words are kept in exactly the same order as for a statement, but to make it clear that a question is being asked the word 'Ka/Kad' is placed at the beginning of the sentence.
'Ka/Kad' has no equivalent in English:
Vu havas kato (You've got a cat) becomes ..... Ka vu havas kato? (Do you have a cat?) Have you got a cat?
Me manjas ovo (I am eating an egg) becomes ..... Ka me manjas ovo? (Am I eating an egg?)

Note as with 'ed/e', if the following word begins with a vowel then it is usual, though not obligatory, to use 'kad' instead: Il mustas (He must) -> Kad il mustas? (Must he?), or, you may use 'kad' alone irrespective of the following words.

Note, if there is a word like who, where, etc., 'ka/kad' is not used:
Ube vu habitas? Where do you live?
Kad vu komprenis? - Did you understand?

Vortaro (Vocabulary)

Learn the following words by heart:

a / ad	to
blanka	white
irar	to go
nigra	black
parko	park
rivero	river
venar	to come
arboro	tree
bruna	brown
jupo	skirt
no	no
policisto	policeman
portar	to carry, to wear
yes	yes
bona	good
ibe	there
mala	bad
ol	it
ponto	bridge
ucelo	bird

Exerco 1 (Exercise 1)

Examples to read and translate. (Click here to go to the answers):

 1. Me es, Ka me es? 

 2. Il es, Kad il es? 

 3. Vu havas, Ka vu havas? 

 4. Ka me es bona? No. 

 5. Ka vu es bela? Yes 

 6. Ka Mary portas bela jupo? 

 7. Yes, el portas bela blanka jupo. 

 8. Ka la policisto es en la parko? 

 9. Kad il es en la parko? 

 10. No, il ne es hike hodie. 

 11. Ka vu havas nigra hundo? 

 12. No, me havas bruna hundo. 

 13. Il drinkas. 

 14. Kad il drinkas? 

 15. Ka vu havas kato? 

 16. Yes, me havas blanka kato. 

 17. Kad el venas? 

 18. No, el iras a la ponto. 

 19. Ka la ucelo drinkas? 

 20. Ka la ucelo es sur la ponto? 

 21. No, ol ne es ibe. 

 22. El manjas. 

 23. Kad el manjas? 

 24. Kad el manjas fisho? 

 25. Ka la fisho es en la aquo? 

 26. Yes, ol es en la aquo, e la hundo anke. 

The plural

In English, to show that we are talking about more than one thing, we usually add an 's', e.g. 'cat' becomes 'cats', 'pig' becomes 'pigs', etc.
In Ido, forming the plural is also very simple. The -o ending of the noun is changed to an -i, so that 'kato' (cat) becomes 'kati' (cats), 'hundo' (dog) becomes 'hundi' (dogs) and so on without exception.

The adjective is invariable; but when used without a noun, it becomes a noun itself, and takes the plural, if necessary:
blanka hundi - white dogs, nigra kavali - black horses
La blanki e la nigri - The whites and the blacks.

The Definite Article - 'le' for the plural

The definite article 'le' is used when there is no other sign of plural:
the ayes and the nays - le yes e le no
blanka hundi - white dogs, nigra kavali - black horses
Le blanka e le nigra - The whites and the blacks.

Exerco 2 (Exercise 2)

Examples to read and translate (Click here to go to the answers):

 1. kato, kati 

 2. tablo, tabli 

 3. Me vidas la kato. 

 4. Vu vidas la kati. 

 5. La kati es sur la tabli. 

 6. La kato dormas dop la flori. 

 7. La libri es nigra. 

 8. Kad il prizas pomi? 

 9. La parki es bela. 

 10. Mary prizas blanka jupi. 

 11. Ka vu havas bela jupo? 

 12. La fishi es en la aquo. 

 13. La policisti ne es grosa. 

 14. La policisti chasas la yuni. 

 15. La musi chasas la kato. 

 16. La uceli es en la arbori. 

 17. La uceli es sur la ponti. 

 18. Ka la yuni es en la arbori? 

 19. La kavali drinkas la aquo. 

 20. La flori es en la taso sur la tablo. 

Vortaro (Vocabulary)

danko	thank you
durstar	to be thirsty
glaso	glass
kafeo	coffee
teo	tea
me pregas	please
yen	here is
semblas ke	it seems that
ma	but
dezirar	to desire, to want
hungrar	to be hungry
glaso de lakto	glass of milk
kafeerio	cafe
kuko	cake
taso de kafeo	cup of coffee
pekunio	money
esar	to be

Konversado

(En la kafeerio inter Peter e Mary)

P: Bon jorno, Mary! Quale vu standas?
M: Bon jorno, Peter! Me standas bone, danko. E vu?
P: Tre bone, danko. Ka vu durstas?
M: Yes, me durstas. Ube la kafeerio esas?
P: Yen la kafeerio! Ka vu deziras taso de kafeo?
M: No, danko. Me deziras glaso de lakto, me pregas.
P: Ka vu hungras?
M: Yes, me hungras.
P: Ka vu deziras kuko?
M: Yes, me pregas. Me prizas kuki.
P: Hm...Mary... Semblas ke me ne havas mea pekunii... Ka vu havas.....pekunio?

Exerco 3 (Exercise 3)

Answer the questions (Click here to go to the (possible) answers):

 1. Quale vu nomesas? 

 2. Quale vu standas? 

 3. Ka vu ofte drinkas lakto? 

 4. Ka vu havas bela domo? 

 5. Ka vu havas gardeno? 

 6. Ka vu havas kato? 

 7. Ka vu prizas kati? 

 8. Ka vu havas granda hundo? 

 9. Ka vu es en la parko? 

 10. Ka vu hungras? 

 11. Ka vu prizas kafeo? 

 12. Ka vu durstas? 

 13. Ka vu deziras kuko? 

 14. Ka vu es bona? 

 15. Ka vu prizas blanka musi? 

Colours

blanka	white
bruna	brown
griza	grey
purpura	purple
reda	red
verda	green
blua	blue
flava	yellow
nigra	black
oranjea	orange
rozea	pink
violea	violet

The imperative

The imperative is the form of the verb used for giving orders and commands.

So far we have met the present tense ending -as, as in 'drinkas', 'manjas', etc.
To make the above words into commands is easy. You merely exchange the -as ending for -ez.
This gives for example: drinkez! (Drink!), manjez! (Eat!), venez! (Come!).

Vortaro (Vocabulary)

apertez	open!
irez	go!
pozez	put!
sideskez	sit down!
tushez	touch!
donez	give!
klozez	close!
levez	pick up!
staceskez	stand up!
krayono	pencil
adsur	onto/upon

Exerco 4 (Exercise 4)

Examples to read and translate (Click here to go to the answers):

 1. Staceskez! 

 2. Sideskez! 

 3. Apertez la buxo! 

 4. Manjez la pomo! 

 5. Apertez la libro! 

 6. Apertez la pordo! 

 7. Klozez la libro! 

 8. Klozez la fenestro! 

 9. Tushez la stulo! 

 10. Tushez la fenestro! 

 11. Drinkez vua kafeo! 

 12. Levez la libro! 

 13. Levez la stulo! 

 14. Levez la krayono! 

 15. Donez la libro a me! 

 16. Pozez la taso adsur la tablo! 

 17. Pozez la plado adsur la stulo! 

 18. Pozez la krayono adsur la tablo! 

 19. Pozez la libro e la krayono adsur la stulo! 

Animals

Note that the following can be either male or female. Distinction is made in the following lesson.

anado	duck, drake
cervo	deer
gorilo	gorilla
hundo	dog
kato	cat
kavalo	horse
leopardo	leopard
muso	mouse
porko	pig
simio	monkey
volfo	wolf
bovo	cow, bull
elefanto	elephant
hano	hen, cock
kamelo	camel
kapro	goat
krokodilo	crocodile
leono	lion
mutono	sheep
tigro	tiger
urso	bear

Answers of the Exercises

Exerco 1 - Solvi

(Click here to return to the exercise)

 1. I am, Am I?

 2. He is, Is he? 

 3. You have, Have you? 

 4. Am I good? No.

 5. Are you beautiful? Yes. 

 6. Is Mary wearing a beautiful skirt? 

 7. Yes, she is wearing a beautiful white skirt. 

 8. Is the policeman in the park?

 9. Is he in the park? 

 10. No, he is not here today.

 11. Have you got a black dog? 

 12. No, I have a brown dog.

 13. He is drinking. 

 14. Is he drinking?

 15. Have you a cat? 

 16. Yes, I have a white cat. 

 17. Is she coming?

 18. No, she is going to the bridge. 

 19. Is the bird drinking? 

 20. Is the bird on the bridge? 

 21. No, it is not there.

 22. She is eating. 

 23. Is she eating?

 24. Is she eating a fish?

 25. Is the fish in the water?

 26. Yes, it is in the water, and the dog as well. 

Exerco 2 - Solvi

(Click here to return to the exercise)

 1. a cat, cats

 2. a table, tables

 3. I see the cat.

 4. You see the cats.

 5. The cats are on the tables.

 6. The cat is sleeping behind the flowers. 

 7. The books are black.

 8. Does he like apples? 

 9. The parks are beautiful.

 10. Mary likes white skirts.

 11. Have you got a beautiful skirt? 

 12. The fish are in the water.

 13. The policemen are not fat.

 14. The policemen are chasing the teenagers. 

 15. The mice are chasing the cat.

 16. The birds are in the trees.

 17. The birds are on the bridges.

 18. Are the children in the trees? 

 19. The horses are drinking the water. 

 20. The flowers are in the cup on the table. 

Exerco 3 - Solvi

(Click here to return to the exercise)

 1. Me nomesas Bebson Hochfeld 

 2. Me standas tre bone 

 3. Yes, me tre ofte drinkas lakto. 

 4. Yes, me havas bela ma (but) mikra domo. 

 5. Yes, me havas mikra gardeno. 

 6. No, me ne havas un 

 7. No, me ne prizas kati. 

 8. No, me nek (neither) prizas hundo. 

 9. Yes, me es en la parko. 

 10. Yes, me es grosa e sempre hungras. 

 11. Yes, me tre prizas kafeo. 

 12. No, me ne durstas ma me hungras. 

 13. Yes, me multe deziras kuko. 

 14. Yes, me es tre bona segun me (as far as I know). 

 15. No, no, me ne prizas musi. 

Exerco 4 - Solvi

(Click here to return to the exercise)

 1. Stand up! 

 2. Sit down!

 3. Open the box! 

 4. Eat the apple!

 5. Open the book! 

 6. Open the door! 

 7. Close the book! 

 8. Close the window! 

 9. Touch the chair! 

 10. Touch the window! 

 11. Drink your coffee! 

 12. Pick the book up!

 13. Pick the chair up! 

 14. Pick up the pencil! 

 15. Give the book to me! 

 16. Put the cup on the table! 

 17. Put the plate on the chair! 

 18. Put the pencil on the table! 

19. Put the book and the pencil on the chair!

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