Reference grammar of Lidepla

Endings -ik- and -ul- in simple (not compound) nouns and adjectives are not stressed: gramAtika – grammar, pUblika – audience, Afrika – Africa, polItike – politic, lOgike – logic, stImula – stimulus, fAbula – fairy-tale, fOrmula – formula

-im in "mInim" (the least), "mInimum", "mAximum" is not stressed.

In some special cases the non-standard stress is indicated by doubled vowel: adyoo – bye, namastee – hello, how do you do

Compound words retain the stress of the components.

The stress doesn't change when using the following:

- the plural form of nouns (+ (e)s): kitAba / kitAbas – book / books, man / mAnes – man / men

- adverbs formed from adjectives: jamIle / jamIlem – beautiful / beautifully

- nouns formed from verbs: lOpi / lOping – run / running Simple sentence[edit]

1. Word order in a clause: subject – predicate – object (usually)

- Me (I) lubi (to love) yu (you). Me lubi yu. – I love you.

To mark the change of the word order special particles are used:

a) da (before the subject)

b) den (before the object):

- Lubi (to love) da me (I). Lubi da me. – I love.

- Den yu (you) me (I) lubi (to love). Den yu me lubi. – I love you. It's you whom I love.

2. Word order in a phrase: adjective is before a noun (usually).

- Es (is/are) may (my) syao (little) son (son). Es may syao son. – That's my little son.

To emphasize the adjective, it can be placed after the noun.

- Me (I) pri (to like) elay (her) gran (big) okos (eyes) blu (blue). Me pri elay gran okos blu. – I like her big blue eyes.

3. Predicative adjectives and nominals

- May (my) mata (mother) es (is) talimer (teacher). May mata es talimer.– My mother is a teacher.

- May (my) sista (sister) yao (to want) bikam (to become) leker (doctor). May sista yao bikam leker.– My sister wants to become a doctor.

- Sey (this) gela (girl) es (is) muy (very) jamile (beautiful). Sey gela es muy jamile.– This girl is very beautiful.

- Es (is) jamile (beautiful) hir (here). Es jamile hir.– It's beautiful here.

4. Impersonal sentence (without the subject)

- Pluvi (to rain) gro (much). Pluvi gro.– It rains / is raining much.

- Treba (it's necessary) shwo (to talk). Treba shwo.– It's necessary to talk.

- Es (is) garme (hot). Es garme. – It's hot.

5. Negation: negation particle bu is placed before the verb group.

- Lu (he) bu (not) somni (to sleep). Lu bu somni. – He doesn't sleep / isn't sleeping.

- Me (I) bu (not) wud (would) yao (to want) resti (to remain) dar (there). Me bu wud yao resti dar.– I won't stay there.

If there is at least one negative word in the phrase, the whole phrase gets a negative meaning. If there are several of them, that only emphasizes the negative meaning.

- Lu (he) bu (not) samaji (to understand) nixa (nothing), neva (never)! Lu bu samaji nixa, neva!– He doesn't understand anything, ever!

6. General question: the particle ob (is placed before the phrase):

- Ob yu (you) lubi (to love) me (I)? Ob yu lubi me? – Do you love me?

Possible answers: ya (yes), non (no), doh

a) Ob yu lubi me? – Ya, me lubi. Non, me bu lubi. – Do you love me? – Yes, I do. No, I don't.

b) Ob yu bu lubi me? – Ya / non, me bu lubi. Doh, me lubi. – Don't you love me? – No, I don't. Yes, I do.

Other ways to make a general question:

a) "bu ver?" (is placed after a phrase, with a comma):

- Es (is) hao (good) meteo (weather), bu (not) ver (really)? Es hao meteo, bu ver? – The weather is good, isn't it?

Possible answers: ver (yes, it's true), bu es ver (no, it isn't true).