Introduction
Kxì! Since I've been asked to publish my endlessly long lesson notes a lot, but don't want to because they are too much chaos and also kinda have become my notes for many other Na'vi projects I decided to get the useful stuff out of there, structure it a bit better and put it on this page. So here you find a lot of examples for most grammar topics, alongside with some (very brief) explanations and some overviews from time to time.
Important: This is not meant to teach you grammar. Don't come here to learn about topics you are not familiar with already. Come here if you have started studying a new topic and find it difficult to understand, because often seeing enough examples can help. But this page does not explains things properly, so you should definitely first go to an actual teaching resource before reading through this page!
Simple Sentences | Pronouns | Case Endings (-l / -t, indirect Object -ru, Genitive -ä, Topical -ri) | Negation | Adjectives (Comparisons) | Pre- and Suffixes (Lenition, Plural, Other Affixes for Nouns, For Verbs, Unproductive Affixes) | Adpositions | Adverbs | Infixes (Infix Positions, First Position, Second Position, Pre-First Position, All at once) | F-Words (Fwa, Fula, Futa, Fura, Furia, Tsa-Words, Similar Working Conjunctions) | Conjunctions (Time Conjunctions, Conditions / "if-clauses", Other) | Questions (Yes/No Questions, Open Questions, Other Types of Questions) | Numbers
Simple Sentences
Nga yom.
Yom nga.
You eat.
Po yom.
Yom Po.
He/She eats.
'eveng yom.
Yom 'eveng.
The/a child eats.
Three main differences between Na'vi and English:
• Flexible word order - In simple sentences, words can go in any order• No conjugation for person - While in English, the verb sometimes changes according to the subject (I eat, he eats), this does never happen in Na'vi• No articles - the definite and indefinite articles the/a(n) do not exist in Na'vi. Context tells what is meant.
Pronouns
Singular
Dual
Trial
Plural
1st person inclusive
oe - I
oeng - we two
pxoeng - we three
ayoeng/awnga - we all
1st person exclusive
moe - we two
pxoe - we three
ayoe - we all
2nd person
nga - you
menga - you two
pxenga - you three
aynga - you all
3rd person
po - he/she/they
mefo - they (2)
pxefo - they (3)
(ay)fo - they all
The pronouns are built by using the basic words for I/you/he/she and combining them with the dual/trial/plural. Inclusive means that the person you are talking to is included, exclusive means that person is not excluded.
An overview of how the forms of we are built up:
• oeng (oe + nga) - we two (inclusive). "Me and you", me + you• pxoeng (pxe + oe + nga) - we three (inclusive). "three of me, on of them is you", two of me + you (to make it three in total)• ayoeng/awnga (ay + oe + nga) - we all (inclusive). "four or more of me and you", me + you + at least two other people (to make it at least 4 in total) • moe (me + oe) - we two (exclusive). "Two of me", me + one other person, but not you• pxoe (pxe + oe) - we three (exclusive). "Three of me", me + two other people, but not you • ayoe (ay + oe) - we all (exclusive). "Four or more of me", me + at least 3 other people, but not you
Some other pronouns:
• tsa'u/tsaw - "that thing" → also used for the pronoun "it"• fko - "one", unspecific person as in "One must be careful when taming an ikran", sometimes translated as "you" in English• poe - she (not often used, gender neutral "po" is prefered)• poan - he (not often used, gender neutral "po" is prefered)• ohe - honorific form of "oe"• ngenga - honorific form of "nga"• poho - honorific form of "po"• pohe - honorific form of "poe"• pohan - honorific form of "poan"
Case Endings
After Vowels
After Consonants / ll / rr
After Diphthongs
Direct object
-t(i)
-it, -ti
-eyt(i), -ayit/-ayt(i), -ewit/-ewti, awit/-awti
Indirect object
-r(u)
-ur, after ': -ur/-ru
-ewr, -awr/-awur, -ayur, -eyur
Genitive
-yä, after o/u: -ä
-ä
-ä
Note: there are very few examples with diphthongs taking -l and -ìri as endings. These might be typos, as the last official source about this topic says they take -ìl and -ri.
Examples:
-l
oe-l, nga-l, fwampop-ìl, olo'-ìl
-t
oe-t(i), nga-t(i), fwampop-ti/fwampop-it, olo'-ti/olo'it
-ru
oe-r(u), nga-r(u), fwampop-ur, olo'-ru/olo'ur
-ä
Fwampop-ä, Neytiri-yä, oe-yä, nge-yä, pe-yä, sne-yä, soaiä, Omatikaya-ä
-ri
oe-ri, nga-ri, fwampop-ìri, olo'-ìri
Note the irregular genitive forms with the pronouns (also for the plural forms!), words ending in -ia and the word Omatikaya!
Subject and Direct Object - -l/-t
-l/-t case endings can only be used with transitive verbs. Transitive verbs (vtr.) can have a direct object, for example you can see someone/something. You cannot sleep something, so "to sleep" is intransitive (vin.) in English. All si-verbs are intransitive. Some verbs that are vtr in English are vin. in Na'vi, and the other way around. Some examples:
vtr.
tse'a (to see), yom (to eat), tok (to be at), nong (to follow), omum (to know), wìntxu (to show), fwew (to search), wätx (to be good at), 'efu (to feel), tspang (to kill), plltxe (to speak), natxu (to disapprove of)
vin.
hahaw (to sleep), fnu (to be quiet), nume (to learn, gain knowledge), irayo si (to thank), kaltxì si (to greet), smon (to be known), sunu (to be enjoyable), len (to happen), tsan'ul (to improve), latem (to change), kxakx (to break)
With vtr, the -l case ending shows the subject (who does something?) and -t shows the direct object (who is "verbed", who is affected by the action?)
Oel tse'a ngati.
I see you.
Ngal yom mautiti.
You eat the fruit.
Oel taron yerikit.
I hunt the yerik.
Awngal yune pamtseot.
We listen to music.
Fwew nantangtsyìpìl syuveti.
The dog searches for food.
Taronyut taron smarìl.
The prey hunts the hunter.
Tutanìl lì'uti plltxe.
The man says a word.
Transitive verbs can also be used intransitively:
Because of the case endings, we don't need to obey a certain word order as the case endings already show who does something and who is affected:
Oel tse'a ngati.
Oel ngati tse'a.
Ngati oel tse'a.
Ngati tse'a oel.
Tse'a oel ngati.
Tse'a ngati oel.
→ I see you.
Indirect Object - -ru
-ru can be used with both vtr and vin. It marks the indirect object, also called dative. In English, it can mostly be translated as to someone/something, but note that in case you can also say towards, you need the adposition ne instead. With intransitive verbs, it often replaces what would in English be the direct object. Examples:
Oeru tsaw lu ftue.
To me, that is easy. "That is easy for me."
Sunu oeru syuve.
To me, food is pleasing. "I like food."
Smon oeru po.
He is known to me. "I know him."
Oel ngaru pukit tìng.
I give the book to you.
Sa'nokìl fya'oti 'evengur wìntxu.
The mother shows the child the way.
Oe Eywaru aho.
I pray to Eywa.
Oe ngaru irayo si.
I to a thank to you. "I thank you."
Nga laro si kelkuru.
You do clean to the house. "You clean the house."
Together with the verb lu, "to be", this case ending can be used to replace the verbs "to have", "to love", "to miss" (as in, someone is missed to you) and "to trust":
Ngaru lu ikran.
There is an ikran to you. "You have an ikran."
Oeru lu fpom.
To me, there is well-being. "I have well being. I am fine."
Lu taronyuru tsko.
There is a bow to the hunter. "The hunter ahs a bow."
Lom lu oeru po.
He is missed to me. "I miss him."
Oe ngaru mal lu.
I am trustworthy to you. "You trust me."
Nga yawne lu oeru.
You are beloved to me. "I love you."
Three verbs allow for double-dative: pamrel si, law si, lu. For lu, the word order actually changes the meaning, see examples below. For the other two, word order, as usual, doesn't affect the meaning.
Lu oeru aylì'u frapor.
To me there are words to everyone. "I have words for everyone."
Lu fraporu aylì'u oeru.
To everyone there are words to me. "Everyone has words for me."
Pamrel si 'upxareru poru oe.
I do writing to the message to him. "I write him a message."
Ralur law soli fo oeru.
They did clear to the meaning to me. "They made the meaning clear to me."
Genitive - -ä
The genitive marks possession as in "my dog" and "the dog's toy". Use the genitive case ending (-(y)ä) and place the genitive and the noun that is possessed next to each other.
tsmukanä tsko
the brother's bow
kelku soaiä
the family's home
oeyä sa'nokä tsmuke
my mother's sister
Oel tse'a ngeyä sa'nokit.
I see your mother.
New oel tskoti ngeyä.
I want your bow.
Peyä mokrit oel stawm.
I hear his voice.
Oeyä pa'li nemfa na'rìng Omatikayaä tul.
My Pa'li runs into the forest of the Omatikaya.
Pukit sempulä oeyä pol inan.
She reads my father's book.
Topical - -ri
The topical introduces a topic of a sentence. The rest of the sentence then is a comment about that topic. The topical comes at the beginning of the clause in Forest Na'vi, or at the beginning or end in Reef Na'vi.
Srungìri oe irayo si ngaru.
Regarding the help, I thank you. "I thank you for the help."
Tsaw lesar soli, srungìri oe irayo si ngaru.
That was useful, I thank you for the help.
Lì'fyari oe nume.
Regarding the language, I gain knowledge. "I learn the language."
Fìuvanìri oe kanfpìl.
Regarding this game, I concentrate. "I concentrate on this game."
Tsari oe 'efu nitram.
Regarding that, I feel happy. "I'm happy about that."
Tsaskxawngìri oe tsap'alute si.
Regarding that idiot, I apologize. "I apologize for this idiot."
Tsaskxawngä hemìri oe tsap'alute si.
Regarding the actions of that idiot, I apologize. "I apologize for that idiot's actions."
Ngari pefmawn?
Regarding you, what news? "What's new?"
'awvea ultxari ohengeyä, Nawma Sa'nok lrrtok siyevi.
Regarding our first meeting, may the Great Mother smile.
The topical can also be used to mark inalienable possession:
Oeri re'o tìsraw si.
Regarding me, the head hurts. "My head hurts."
Ngari hu Eywa sivalew tirea.
Regarding you, may the spirit proceed with Eywa. "May your spirit go with Eywa."
Negation
A sentence can be negated by placing the negative particle ke in front of the verb. With si-verbs, the negation comes before the si:
Oe yom. → Oe ke yom.
I eat. → I don't eat.
Nga hahaw. → Nga ke hahaw.
You sleep. → You don't sleep.
Oe tsun tivaron ayioangti tskofa. → Oe ke tsun tivaron ayioangti tskofa.
I can hunt animals with a bow. → I cannot hunt animals with a bow.
Oe uvan si. → Oe uvan ke si.
I play. → I don't play.
Fìtrr laro ke si oe kelkuru.
Today I don't clean the house.
With modal constructions, the negation can come before either the modal verb or the second verb, for different meanings:
Oe ke tsun yivom.
I can't eat. I don't have the ability to eat.
Oe tsun ke yivom.
I can not eat. I have the ability to not eat.
Double negation: If there is any other negative word in the sentence (no one, never, no where, no, ...) the verb still has to be negated:
Oeru ke lu kea tsko.
I have no bow.
Kawkrr ke tsole'a oel torukit.
I never saw toruk.
Kekem ke soli oe fìtrr.
I did nothing today. / I didn't do anything today.
Ke kin oel ke'ut.
I need nothing. / I don't need anything.
Kawtuhu po ke plltxe.
He speaks with no one. / He doesn't speak with anyone.
Ke rolun ngal poti kawtseng.
You didn't find him anywhere.
Ke'ut ke tse'a awngal.
We see nothing. / We don't see anything.
Kawtu kawkrr ke za'u fìtseng.
No one ever comes here.
Words that require that double negation: kawtseng (nowhere), kawkrr (never), kawtu (no one), ke'u (nothing), kekem (nothing, no action), kaw'it (not at all), kea (no (for nouns))
"kaw'it" (not at all, not a bit) always comes at the end of a sentence. Same goes for negated sentences with "nulkrr" (longer) which gets the meaning "no longer" if in a negated sentence:
Tsat ke tslam oel kaw'it!
I don't understand that at all!
Ke slele oe nulkrr.
I don't swim any longer.
Nantang ke taron nulkrr.
The nantang doesn't hunt any longer.
Ke taron yerik kaw'it.
The yerik doesn't hunt at all.
Ke can come in front of nouns starting with fra- (every) and in front of the adverb li (already, "not yet" if negated). Note that also in this case, the verb still needs to be negated, yielding sentences with two times ke:
Frapol ke tslolam.
Everybody didn't understand. = No one understood.
Ke frapol ke tslolam.
Not everybody understood.
Ke fraporu ke sunu tsyoklìt.
Not everyone likes chocolate.
Po ke li ke polähem.
She didn't arrive yet.
Fo ke yom ke.
They didn't eat yet.
Adjectives
Adjectives are connected to the noun they belong to with an a which shows into the direction of the noun. On both sides of the noun one adjective can be added that way, more adjectives can be added with sì (and), without an a.
ean (blue/green), flower (syulang)
eana syulang / syulang aean - blue/green flower
lor (beautiful), 'ora (lake)
lora 'ora / 'ora alor - beautiful lake
tsawl (tall), skxawng (moron)
tsawla skxawng / skxawng atsawl - tall moron
laro (clean), kelku (house, home)
laroa kelku / kelku alaro - clean house
kanu (smart), win (fast), nantang (viperwolf)
kanua nantang awin / wina nantang akanu - smart (and) fast viperwolf
rim (yellow), hì'i (small), lor (beautiful), syulang (flower)
rima syulang alor sì hì'i / ... - small, beautiful, yellow flower
If an adjective already ends or starts with an "a", it doesn't get an extra a to indicate the noun, if the noun is at the same side as the already existing a:
hona (cute), ioang (animal)
hona ioang / ioang ahona - cute animal
apxa (large), na'rìng (forest)
apxa na'rìng / na'rìng apxa - large forest
Exception: In the reef Na'vi dialect, two of the same vowels adjacent to each other don't cause an exception, therefore the examples above would be honaa ioang / ioang ahona and abaa na'rìng / na'rìng aaba in Reef Na'vi.
Adjectives starting with le- don't need an a at that side, but still require it on the other side:
lehrrap (dangerous), ioang (animal)
lehrrapa ioang / ioang (a)lehrrap - dangerous animal
lefngap (metal), eltu (brain)
lefngapa eltu / eltu (a)lefngap - metal brain (computer)
Note that ioang alehrrap and eltu alefngap are possible and totally fine according to grammar, but very uncommon. You will get weird looks if talking like that.
In a sentence, the adjective needs to be adjacent to the noun it belongs to:
Tse'a oel lora syulangit arim.
I see the beautiful yellow flower.
Wina nantang tul.
The fast nantang runs.
Kxamlä na'rìng lehrrap tìran kanua taronyu.
The smart hunter goes through the dangerous forest.
Oel ngaru tìng layona tskoti asìltsan.
I give you a good black bow.
Comparisons
To build "adjective-er" and "the most adjective" (fast - faster - the fastest / most fast), the two adverbs nì'ul (more) and frato ("compared to everything") are used:
win
fast
win nì'ul
faster
win frato
the fastest
sevin
pretty
sevin nì'ul
prettier
sevin frato
the prettiest
hona
cute
hona nì'ul
cuter
hona frato
the cutest
In a sentence, flexible word order applies theoretically (so it is possible to not have the adjective next to the adverb nìtxan/frato), but keep in mind that for adverbs of number and degree (like the ones we are talking about right now) there is a strong tendency to place them behind the word they refer to. Some example sentences:
Lu nantang win nì'ul.
I see the beautiful yellow flower.
Slä win frato lu yerik.
The fast nantang runs.
Tsapuk lam ep'ang frato.
That books seems to be the most complex.
New oel pa'lit awin frato.
I want the fastest Pa'li.
Note that the adjective sìltsan (good) has an own word for the superlative: swey (best), not "sìltsan frato". Same goes for fe' (bad) for which the superlative 'e'al (worst) exists.
The same way, you can also modify adverbs with nì'ul/frato:
Peyral rol nìmiklor frato.
Peyral sings the most beautiful.
Oe tul nìwin nì'ul.
I run faster.
Nìtxur frato wem toruk.
Toruk fights the strongest.
Po tsakem soli nìkanu nì'ul.
She did that smarter. ("in a smarter way")
The adverb nì'ul'ul (more and more) can be used in place of nì'ul to indicate that something happens more and more. There are also the two adverbs nìnän (less) and nìnänän (less and less) which work precisely like their counterparts with 'ul:
Tul oe nìwin nì'ul'ul.
I run faster and faster. ("more and more fast")
Tul oe nìwin nìnänän.
I run slower and slower. ("less and less fast")
Ninat rol nìmiklor nìnän.
Ninat sings less beautifully.
Lu oe win nìnän.
I am less fast.
Tswesya si kilvan nìwin nì'ul'ul.
The river flows faster and faster.
To compare two things ("I am faster than you"), we use the particle to. Note that the adverb nì'ul (more) is not needed in Na'vi - while in English we say "I am faster than you", the Na'vi literally say "I am fast compared to you" - they use the base form of the adjective or adverb. Also note that the particle to can either go before the noun that something is compared to (with a space), or after (without a space):
To nga oe lu win.
I am faster than you. ("Compared to you, I am fast.")
Tsyoklìt to fkxen lu ftxìlor.
Chocolate tastes better than vegetables. ("Compared to vegetables, chocolate is delicious.")
Nulnew oel tsyoklìtit to fkxenit.
I prefer chocolate over vegetables. ("Compared to vegetables, I prefer chocolate.")
To Peyralìl Neytiril taron yerikit nìltsan.
Neytiri hunts yeriks better than Peyral does.
Fwa weyn to fwa rol sunu oeru.
I like drawing more than singing. ("To draw in comparison to sing is enjoyable to me.")
Ronguway nantang nìwok to hì'ang.
The nantang howls louder than the insect. ("Compared to the insect, the nantang howls loudly.")
Utraltsyìpto lu tsawl utral.
A tree is taller than a bush. ("Compared to a bush, a tree is big.")
To say that to things are equally "adjective" ("I am as smart as he is") we use the adverb nìftxan and the adposition na. Note that other than with to, you cannot have any case endings at a noun with na. Na can optionally be replaced with the topical.
Na nga / Ngana oe lu win nìftxan.
I am as fast as you are.
Ngari oe lu win nìftxan.
I am as fast as you are.
Nga weyn nìftxan nìlor na po.
You draw as beautifully as he does.
Neytiril taron yerikit nìltsan nìftxan na Peyral.
Neytiri hunts yeriks as good as Peyral does.
Fwa weyn na fwa rol sunu nìftxan oeru.
I like drawing as much as I like singing.
Pre- and Suffixes
Na'vi has a big variety of different affixes that change the meaning of a word slightly, or allow us to change the word class, for example turning a verb into an adjective.
Lenition
Under certain circumstances (some prefixes and adpositions being placed in front of the word) the first consonant of a word changes:
t / ts
s
taronyu → saronyu, tsray → sray
'
disappears (except in front of rr/ll)
'eylan → eylan, while 'rrta would not change
Lenition is caused by the prefixes me+, pxe+, ay+, pe+, all infixes that are combined versions with these (for example fay+, tsay+) and the adpositions sre+, lisre+, pxisre+, mì+, sko+, fpi+, ìlä+, wä+, nuä+, ro+. Infixes and adpositions that cause lenition are usually marked with +.
Plural
Na'vi distinguishes the dual (two of something), trial (three of something) and plural (four or more of something). All three forms are build with prefixes:
me+
dual
ikran → meikran (two ikran), pxazang → mepazang (two akulas)
pxe+
trial
ikran → pxeikran (three ikran), pxazang → pxepazang (three akulas)
ay+
plural
ikran → ayikran (4+ ikran), pxazang → (ay)pazang (4+ akulas)
Like shown in the table above, for words where lenition applies the plural ay+ can be left out, yielding a shortened plural form. This is not possible for the noun 'u, "thing" - for this noun, the plural form will always be ayu.
If the dual or trial cause a word to have two times e next to each other, one of them disappears. This does not happen with ay+:
me+
dual
eyktan → meyktan (two leaders), 'eylan → meylan (two friends)
pxe+
trial
eyktan → pxeyktan (three leaders), 'eylan → pxeylan (three friends)
ay+
plural
yerik → ayyerik (4+ yerik)
Other Affixes for Nouns
Fì- (this) and tsa- (that) belong to the most important affixes in Na'vi as they find a lot of use in grammar and building new words. They can be combined with the plural prefixes.
fì-
-
this
riti → fìriti (this stingbat), pxazang → fìpxazang (this akula)
me+
these two
riti → fìmeikran (these two ritis), pxazang → fìmepazang (these two akulas)
pxe+
these three
ikran → fìpxeikran (these three ikran), pxazang → fìpxepazang (these three akulas)
ay+
these 4+
ikran → f(ì)ayikran (these (4+) ikran), pxazang → f(ì)aypazang (these akulas)
tsa-
-
that
riti → tsariti (that stingbat), pxazang → tsapxazang (that akula)
me+
those two
riti → tsameikran (those two ritis), pxazang → tsamepazang (those two akulas)
pxe+
those three
ikran → tsapxeikran (those three ikran), pxazang → tsapxepazang (those three akulas)
ay+
those 4+
ikran → tsayikran (those (4+) ikran), pxazang → tsaypazang (those akulas)
Two things are worth to notice here: First, fì- and tsa- on their own don't cause lenition, but in combination with the plural prefixes they do. Second, while tsa- plus ay+ always combines to tsay+, fì- plus ay+ can become both, fay+ and fìay+. Note however, that fay+ is far more common, while fìay+ is barely used.
If using these two prefixes causes two of the same vowel to be next to each other, one of them disappears:
fì-
this
ìpxa → fìpxa (this fern)
BUT: ioang → fìioang (this animal)
tsa-
that
atan → tsatan (that light)
Fra- can be used to express "every noun". It combines with ay+ to fray+ (all).
fra-
every
riti → frariti (every riti), pxazang → frapxazang (every akula)
fray+
all
riti → frayriti (all ritis), pxazang → fraypazang (all akulas)
fì-, tsa- and fra- are used in many common words (these are not all of them!):
tseng
place
fìtseng
here ("this place")
tsatseng
there ("that place")
fratseng
everywhere ("every place")
trr
day
fìtrr
today ("this day")
'u
thing
fì'u
this ("this thing")
tsa'u
that ("that thing")
po
he/she
fìpo
this one ("this he/she")
tsapo
that one ("that he/she")
frapo
everyone ("every he/she")
kem
action
fìkem
this (action)
fya'o
way, manner
fìfya
this way
krr
time
frakrr
always ("every time")
The following table shows other productive affixes for nouns:
fne-
type of
productive for all nouns
riti → fneriti (type of riti)
sna-
group of
only productive for animals/plants (not humans/Na'vi)
riti → snariti (a group of riti)
munsna-
pair of
productive for all nouns
hawnven → munsnahawnven (a pair of shoes)
-fkeyk
state/condition of
productive for all nouns
riti → ritifkeyk (the condition of the riti)
-tsyìp
diminuitive (cute/small)
productive for all nouns
riti → rititsyìp (cute/small riti)
-am
last noun
only productive for time nouns like day, week, month, year, ..., creates an adverb
trr → trram (yesterday, "last day"), zìsìt → zìsìtam (last year)
-ay
next noun
only productive for time nouns like day, week, month, year, ..., creates an adverb
trr → trray (tomorrow, "next day"), zìsìt → zìsìtay (next year)
-o
indefinite "one, some"
productive for all nouns
trr → trro (one day, some day), fya'o → fya'o-o (some way)
sna-, -fkeyk, -o and -tsyìp are part of some dictionary words too, here some examples:
-fkeyk
condition of
yafkeyk
weather ("confition of the air")
ngafkeyk
"Condition of you", used in phrases like "ngafkeyk pefya?" to ask about someone's wellbeing
-tsyìp
diminuitive
utraltsyìp
bush (from utral "tree")
'oratsyìp
pond (from 'ora "lake")
hufwetsyìp
breeze (from hufwe "wind")
nantangtsyìp
dog (from nantang)
palulukantsyìp
cat (from palulukan)
ramtsyìp
hill (from ram "mountain")
txeptsyìp
flame (from txep "fire")
sna-
group of
snapamrelvi
alphabet ("group of letters")
snatxärem
skeleton ("group of bones")
snafpìlfya
philosophy ("group of thought patterns")
snatanhì
star constellation ("group of stars")
snayì
staircase ("group of ledges/levels")
snanumultxa
course ("group of classes")
-o
indefinite
tuteo
someone
tsengo
somewhere ("some place")
krro krro
from time to time ("some time some time")
Affixes for Verbs
There are a few productive affixes for verbs:
tsuk-
verb-able
productive for all verbs, creates an adjective
yom → tsukyom (edible), tslam → tsuktslam (understandable)
ketsuk-
un-verb-able
productive for all verbs, creates an adjective
yom → ketsukyom (unedible), tslam → ketsuktslam (ununderstandable)
-yu
person who does verb
productive for all verbs, creates a noun
yom → yomyu ("eater", person who eats), kar → karyu (teacher), nume → numeyu (learner)
-tswo
ability to verb
productive for all verbs, creates a noun
plltxe → plltxetswo (the ability to speak), stawm → stawmtswo (hearing, "ability to hear")
Combining Affixes
Affixes can be stacked very freely (as far as it makes sense!) to create long words with very specific meanings:
frafnenantangtsyìp
fra-fne-nantang-tsyìp
every type of dog
tsaysnautralfkeyk
tsay-sna-utral-fkeyk
the condition of those groups of trees
pxemunsnahawnvenfkeykit
pxe-munsna-hawnven-fkeyk-it
the condition of three pairs of shoes (marked as direct object)
Note that there is also the productive question affix -pe+ which was left out in this section, it will be discussed here, and the productive affix nì- which will be shown here. There is also the adjective affix a which has been discussed in the adjective section, adpositions can also be put onto a word like you can read about here, and lastly the conjunction sì (discussed here) and the comparison particle to (discussed here) can also be put behind a word.
Unproductive Affixes
Some affices are unproductive, meaning that you cannot freely put them on words. Only Paul Frommer himself can create words with these affixes. It is still worth learning them though, as they make it easier to understand the meaning of new words, or seeing quickly what type of word you are dealing with - for example, if you see a word with tì-, you know that very likely it is a noun! Therefore you can find a small overview of these affixes here:
sä-
creates nouns from different type of other words, mostly describes a specific instance of something
taron → sätaron (a specific hunt), 'ipu → sä'ipu (something funny), flä → säflä (a specific success)
tì-
creates nouns from different type of other words (including other nouns), often describes a broader concept
taron → tìtaron (hunting in general), 'ipu → tì'ipu (general concept of humor), flä → tìflä (general concept of success)
-vi
creates nouns from other nouns, "smaller part of a whole"
numtseng → numtsengvi (classroom, smaller part of a school), syay → syayvi (luck, "small piece of fate"), pamrel → pamrelvi (letter, "small part of writing")
-tu
creates nouns from other words, describes a person (comes from tute "person")
yawne → yawn(e)tu (beloved person), spe'e → spe'etu (prisoner), frrfen → frrtu (visitor)
-nay
creates nouns from other nouns, describes something lower in the hierarchy
eyktan → eyktanay (leader in a lower position), karyu → karyunay (apprentice teacher), ikran → ikranay (forest banshee, smaller relative of the mountain banshee)
le-
adjective creating prefix
fngap → lefgnap (metallic), 'al → le'al (wasteful), 'aw → le'aw (only)
-nga'
turns nouns into adjectives, "containing noun"
tìtstew → tìtstewnga' (courageous), srung → srunga' (helpful), tìfnu → tìfnunga' (silent)
-e
feminine marker
po → poe (she), tute → tuté (woman), 'eveng → 'evenge (girl)
-an
masculine marker
po → poan (he), tute → tutan (men), 'eveng → 'evengan (boy)
ke-/kaw-
negative marker, used for different word types
lesar → kelsar (useless), tute → kawtu (no one), zene → kenzen (not nessecarily)
Adpositions
Adpositions in Na'vi can go before a noun, with a space, or after, without a space. The noun introduced by an adposition does not receive any case ending:
Oe taron hu nga. / Oe taron ngahu.
I hunt with you.
Tswayon fa ikran oe. / Tswayon ikranfa oe.
I fly with the ikran.
Za'u oe ftu tsray apxa. / Za'u oe apxa tsrayftu.
I come from a large village.
Neytiril yerikit tspolang fa tsko. / Neytiril yerikit tspolang tskofa.
Neytiri killed the yerik with a bow.
Wäpan yerik kip ayutraltsyìp. / Wäpan yerik ayutraltsyìpkip.
The yerik hides among the bushes.
If the adposition is in front of the noun, adjectives and subclauses can go inbetween. If it comes after, adjectives and subclauses follow after it.
Oe taron hu txura tsamsiyu. Oe taron hu tsamsiyu atxur.Oe taron tsamsiyuhu atxur.Oe taron txura tsamsiyuhu.
I hunt with the strong warrior.
Oe uvan si hu hì’ia ioang ahona. Oe uvan si hì’ia ioanghu ahona.
I play with the small cute animal.
Oe uvan si hona ioanghu a yawne lu oeru.Oe uvan si hu yawne lu oeru a ioang ahona.
I play with the cute animal that is beloved to me.
There are 10 adpositions that cause lenition if they are in front of the noun:
mì+
in, on
fpi+
for the sake/benefit of
sko+
as, in the role of
sre+
before (temporal)
lisre+
by, before, not after
pxisre+
right before (temporal)
nuä+
beyond
wä+
against
ro+
at
ìlä
according to, via, following
If before the noun, they cause lenition to whatever type of words follow (which can also be an adjective or another word that has been placed in a subclause before the noun). If they come after the noun, they do not cause lenition to the noun itself, or the following word.
Oe taron fpi sahìk. / Oe taron tsahìkfpi.
I hunt for the tsahìk.
Lu Mo'at Neytiriyä sa'nok, slä set perlltxe sko sahìk.
Mo'at is Neytiri's mother, but now she's speaking as/in the role of tsahìk.
Wem oe wä sawla taronyu. / Wem oe wä saronyu atsawl. / Wem oe tsawla taronyuwä.
I fight against the tall hunter.
Palulukanwä taronyu wem. / Wä falulukan wem taronyu.
The hunter fights against the palulukan.
Nuä se'a ngal a na'rìng oe kelku si.
I live beyond the forest that you see.
There are two adpositions meaning "with", hu vs. fa. Hu means that you are doing something together with someone, fa means you are doing something by the means of someone/something else:
Oe tswayon hu ikran.
I fly with the ikran. I am flying, and next to me my ikran is flying. Great, I grew wings!
Oe tswayon fa ikran.
I fly with the ikran. I fly by the means of the ikran, the ikran allows me to fly. I'm probably sitting on it's back, or it is carrying me in another way.
Oe uvan si hu nga.
I play with you. We are playing together!
Oe uvan si fa nga.
I play with you. I play by means of you, I'm somehow using you to play a game, like maybe I throw you around like a ball?
Stawm oe hu memikyun.
I hear with my two ears. I am hearing, and they are next to me, also hearing.My ears have a life of their own I guess.
Stawm oe fa memikyun.
I hear with my two ears. I hear by means of my ears, they are my instruments to hear.
There are two adpositions for the english "from", ftu (from as a directional) and ta (from a source/origin, or temporal):
Zene hivum ftu fìtseng awnga.
We have to leave from here.
Zola'u po ftu na'rìng.
He came from the forest.
Nga za’u pesengeftu?
Where are you from?
Kaltxì ta Berlin!
Hello from Berlin!
Za'u tsatson ta Eywa.
That duty comes from Eywa.
Txula oel tskoti ta rìn.
I make/construct a bow from wood.
Tiam ta pxey vay vol.
Count from three to eight.
Trr’ongta Txon’ongvay po tolìran.
He walked from dawn to dusk.
Pol polawm tìpawmit oeta.
He asked me a question. "He asked from me"
The two adpositions for "like, as", na and pxel are interchangable in most situations. However, pxel is always used with the verb zet "to treat (emotionally) like", and na is used to build new color adjectives and in the construction "as adjective/adverb as X" (see here). For the other two, see here for examples:
Zet oeti pxel 'eylan pol.
She treats me like a friend.
Peyralìl zet wura wutsot a’awnem pxel sngel.
Peyral treats a cool cooked meal like garbage.
syulang aean-na-ta'leng / ta'lengna-eana syulang
skin-blue flower
Adverbs
Using adverbs is very straight forward. They can be added anywhere in the clause they belong to:
Ikran oeyä tswayon nìwin.
My ikran flies fast.
Po pxìm rol.
He/She sings often.
Pukit fìtrr oel inan.
I read a book today.
Pxìm ne 'ora oe kä.
I often go to the lake.
Tsapukit li oel olinan.
I already read that book.
Nìwin nìtxan tul nantang.
The nantang runs very fast.
However, there is a strong tendency to place adverbs of degree/quantity after the word they refer to:
Nìwin nìtxan tul nantang pxìm.
The nantang often runs very fast.
Nìwin tul nantang pxìm nìtxan.
The nantang very often runs fast.
The prefix nì- can be used freely to form new adverbs from adjectives and pronouns:
narlor
beautiful
nìnarlor
beautifully
kanu
smart, intelligent
nìkanu
smartly, in an intelligent way
muve
second
nìmuve
secondly, as second
po
he/she
nìpo
like him/her
Note that with pronouns, these adverbs describe how someone acts ("She speaks like you"), to describe how someone is perceived, the adpositions na/pxel are prefered.
The adverb nìfya'o can be described with adjectives or relative clauses to describe in which way something happens (manner adverbial). This can sometimes be helpful to distinguish the adverb from the sentence adverbial (refering to the entire sentence, kinda given a comment):
Nìhek, fo plltxe nìNa'vi.
Strangely, they speak Na'vi.
Fo plltxe nìNa'vi nìfya'o a hel.
They speak na'vi strangely/in a strange way.
Po plltxe nìlaw.
Clearly, he/she speaks. / He/She speaks clearly.
Po plltxe nìfya'o alaw.
He/She speaks clearly. (in a clear way)
Note that the adverb nìhek can only be used as a sentence adverbial (therefore there is only one translation for the first sentence) while other adverbs sometimes can be used in both ways (like nìlaw, which can be interpret as both sentence adverbial and manner adverbial, resulting in two possible translations). The versions with nìfya'o always are manner adverbials.
Infixes
Infix Positions
First Position
Second Position
Pre-First Position
All at once
F-Words
Fwa
Fula
Futa
Fura
Furia
Tsa-Words
Similar Working Conjunctions
Conjunctions
Time Conjunctions
Conditions / "if-clauses"
Other
Questions
Yes/No Questions
Open Questions
Other Types of Questions
Numbers