Dave's writing - mouse in cellar

Language learning: How to speak Toki Pona, translation problems, advice, memory aids, tools and methods to learn Toki Pona and other languages faster
Lingva lernado: Kiel paroli Tokiponon, tradukproblemoj, konsiloj, memoraj helpiloj, iloj kaj metodoj por pli rapide lerni Tokiponon kaj aliajn lingvojn
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aikidave
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Dave's writing - mouse in cellar

Post by aikidave »

mi jo e soweli lili lon tomo anpa pi tomo mi. mi lukin e ko jaki tan soweli lili. mi weka e ko jaki. soweli lili li jo e pipi lili ike. pipi lili ike li ken pakala e sijelo jan. mi kama jo e moku ike. moku ike li moli e soweli lili. soweli lili li tawa tomo mi seme? mi lukin lupa lili. mi wile moli e soweli lili. tan ni la mi ike ala ike?

Comments / corrections please - thanks.

I have a mouse in my cellar. I found mouse droppings. I cleaned up the poop. Mice carry disease. Disease can hurt the human body. I bought some poison. I looked for any small openings where the mouse came in. Am I a bad person because of this: I kill mice?
jan-ante
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Re: Dave's writing - mouse in cellar

Post by jan-ante »

mi jo e soweli lili lon tomo anpa pi tomo mi. mi lukin e ko jaki tan soweli lili. mi weka e ko jaki. soweli lili li jo e pipi lili ike. pipi lili ike li ken pakala e sijelo jan. mi kama jo e moku ike. moku ike li moli e soweli lili.
pona mute. taso nasin ni li ike. tan li ni: soweli li moli la kon ike li lon. o kepeken e ilo awen tawa ni: sina kama jo e soweli lili.
soweli lili li tawa tomo mi seme?
soweli lili li tawa tomo mi tan seme?
mi lukin lupa lili.
mi lukin tawa lupa lili
mi wile sona e ni: lupa lili li lon ala lon?
mi wile moli e soweli lili. tan ni la mi ike ala ike?
...mi jan ike ala ike?
aikidave
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Re: Dave's writing - mouse in cellar

Post by aikidave »

jan-ante wrote:soweli li moli la kon ike li lon
tomo ante mi li sin ala mute. soweli lili li moli lon insa sinpin. tenpo mun tu la kon ike li lon. mi ken ala open e sinpin.

My other house was very old. A squirrel died inside the wall. There was a bad smell for 2 months. I could not open up the wall to remove the squirrel.
jan-ante
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Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 4:05 pm

Re: Dave's writing - mouse in cellar

Post by jan-ante »

tenpo mun tu la kon ike li lon
this raises a good question i cannot really answer at the moment. to me this phrase means: at 2 months there was a bad smell. not for 2 months, although this interpretation is possible. may be one could say:
kon ike li lon tawa tenpo mun tu
, because tawa has a meaning "until", but i am not sure
jan Sowelilili
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Re: Dave's writing - mouse in cellar

Post by jan Sowelilili »

jan-ante wrote:
tenpo mun tu la kon ike li lon
to me this phrase means: at 2 months there was a bad smell. not for 2 months, although this interpretation is possible.
I think it equally means either. And in this context, it is clear that it meant "for two months"... a dead squirrel would not wait 2 months to start smelling
jan Sowelilili
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Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:26 pm

Re: Dave's writing - mouse in cellar

Post by jan Sowelilili »

aikidave wrote:mi jo e soweli lili lon tomo anpa pi tomo mi.

Comments / corrections please - thanks.

I have a mouse in my cellar.
Context is all, and in this context there is no ambiguity here. However, I wondered whether this was too much of a direct translation of the English (or indeed most languages I know!). In "I have a mouse" the meaning is actually closer to "there is a mouse in my cellar" rather than " I possess" which is the concept that the tp word jo evokes to me. So I would have written "soweli lili li lon tomo anpa pi tomo mi".
jan-ante
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Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 4:05 pm

Re: Dave's writing - mouse in cellar

Post by jan-ante »

jan Sowelilili wrote: I think it equally means either. And in this context, it is clear that it meant "for two months"... a dead squirrel would not wait 2 months to start smelling
it depends on climate. in my climate it could. that is why the less context-dependence the better
aikidave
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Re: Dave's writing - mouse in cellar

Post by aikidave »

Thank you for your comments.
jan-ante wrote:soweli lili li tawa tomo mi tan seme?
I forgot to use 'tan' - from where.
jan-ante wrote:mi lukin tawa lupa lili
I forgot to use 'tawa' - I am looking for a small hole.
jan-ante wrote:kon ike li lon tawa tenpo mun tu
I like this better to convey the duration of the bad smell.
jan Sowelilili wrote:In "I have a mouse" the meaning is actually closer to "there is a mouse in my cellar" rather than " I possess" which is the concept that the tp word jo evokes to me. So I would have written "soweli lili li lon tomo anpa pi tomo mi".
I don't have a pet mouse, so I shouldn't have said I had one in my basement. I like your suggestion that simply a mouse is in my basement.

Thanks,
Dave
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