Interjections and Commands

a
a
o
o
awen
awen
mu
mu
pakala
pakala

grammar review

The grammar in this lesson is covered in chapter 10 in pu, lesson 9 in Pije, and page 7 in Lentan.

a is used as an interjection, to add emotion, emphasis or laughter

  • aaa - ha ha ha
  • ike a! - ew, gross!

mu stands in for any animal sound, or to express the unexpressible

o is a particle that has three use cases. The first is after the subject to get their attention. Note that this can be considered a complete sentence in itself.

  • jan Piku o! - hey Piku!

The second use is at the start of a sentence. It take the place of the subject and implies a command.

  • o awen e mi! - wait for me!

The third case combines the last two, effectively taking the place of li. It also could be seen as softening the tone to that of a request.

  • jan Piku o awen e mi! - hey Piku please wait for me!

interjections o and mu

a and mu function as normal blocks, but their special grammatical usage means they can appear in interesting places throughout the sentence blocks. They are both quite recognizable logograms and their meaning is quite interpretive, so don’t be afraid to be creative in the way you use them.

aaa!
aaa!
mu!
mu!
pakala a!
pakala a!

using o

The different uses of o in toki pona are clear cases on their own, but when combined they can lead to multiple possibilities. You ultimately have a lot of flexibility in how to use o in your glyphs, and understanding the options will help you pick the most appropriate one for the context.

inline block

The most simple option is to use the o glyph with normal block structure rules. Just remember this is always an option for any glyph in any context, to simply revert to inline block rules.

o awen.
o awen.
o toki.
o toki.
o pakala ala.
o pakala ala.

When giving a command an inline o works similar to the first sentences we learned to draw with mi or sina as the subject. Think of o as operating in place of the subject.

o as a predicate container

Another option is to use o as a container for the predicate.

o awen.
o awen.
o toki.
o toki.
o pakala ala.
o pakala ala.

When operating as a container for the predicate, you can think of o as following the same block order rules as li.

o as a subject container

The third option, when addressing someone, is to use o as a container for the subject. The subject glyph, including a cartouche if present, all go within the o.

It is different from the containers we have see so far since o is containing the glyphs that come before it.

jan Ome o
jan Ome o
jan Lani o
jan Lani o
jan Suki o
jan Suki o

choosing how to use o

addressing the subject

When we are addressing others, but not giving direct orders, o as a subject container works well.

The o is still connected to the person who is being address, so this is what we infix in the o. Everything that comes after the o is a complete sentence with its own subject, and can follow the normal block order rules.

When used this way, it is often not necessary to include a comma.

jan Lani o, mi awen.
jan Lani o, mi awen.
jan Suki o, ilo li pakala.
jan Suki o, ilo li pakala.

addressing and giving commands

When both addressing someone by name while giving a command, o fulfills two roles, and the predicate container often feels like the more natural choice

jan Suki o pakala ala e ilo.
jan Suki o pakala ala e ilo.
	jan Lani o awen e mi.
jan Lani o awen e mi.

no strict container rules

With the many roles that o can play, I have found that absolute rules about when to choose which option don’t always work well. Just like so many things in toki pona, context matters, and should be your ultimate guide.

For instance, look at these two examples. They both translate to jan Ome o toki! but which one would you use for “Hi Ome!” and which for “Talk Ome!”? My choices are in the practice examples below.

jan Ome o toki!
jan Ome o toki!
jan Ome o toki!
jan Ome o toki!

translate into toki pona (hover or tab through to reveal the answer):

o moku.
o moku.
mu a
mu a
soweli Atulo o mu!
soweli Atulo o mu!
jan Epi o a!
jan Epi o a!
mu li tan soweli ni.
mu li tan soweli ni.
jan Niki o, mama meli li awen e sina.
jan Niki o, mama meli li awen e sina.
o awen e mama.
o awen e mama.

These examples were taken directly from jan Ote’s jan Kikamesi:

o kama tawa ma tomo Uluku.
o kama tawa ma tomo Uluku.
jan lili mi o, jan Kikamesi li lon ma tomo Uluku.
jan lili mi o, jan Kikamesi li lon ma tomo Uluku.
jan Enkitu o moku e moku ni. o moku e telo ni.
jan Enkitu o moku e moku ni. o moku e telo ni.

now compare your English translations to mine:

Hi Ome!
Hi Ome!
Talk Ome!
Talk Ome!