= = = VÖTGIL LESSON 1 = = =
This lesson will introduce the basics of Vötgil grammar and some simple words.
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= = = ALPHABET = = =
Vötgil has 28 letters total. Letters may be written in Vötgil script or in Roman characters. The table below shows each Vötgil character, the corresponding Roman characters in uppercase and lowercase, and pronunciation:
| W W w (as in bOOt) | O O o (as in bOAt) | U U u (as in bUt) | 0 Ö ö (as in bOUGHt) |
| A A a (as in bAt) | E E e (as in bEt) | I I i (as in bIt) | Y Y y (as in bEEt) |
| Q Q q (as in raNG) | H H h (as in Hat) | N N n (as in Not) | M M m (as in Mat) |
| L L l (as in Lot) | R R r (as in Rat) | K K k (as in Cat) | G G g (as in Got) |
| C C c (as in SHot) | J J j (as in meaSure) | S S s (as in Sat) | Z Z z (as in Zap) |
| X X x (as in THought) | 9 Ð ð (as in THen) | T T t (as in Tar) | D D d (as in Dot) |
| F F f (as in Fat) | V V v (as in Vat) | B B b (as in Bat) | P P p (as in Pat) |
= = = VOCABULARY = = =
Every Vötgil word contains exactly three letters. Most words resemble some part of their English definition. As a result, Vötgil vocabulary is relatively easy to learn.
The words below will be used in example sentences and practice sentences. The part of speech of each word is represented by a letter in parentheses:
(N) = Noun
(V) = Verb
(D) = Descriptor
(P) = Preposition
Each word is written in Vötgil script, then in Roman characters. Note that future lessons will use Vötgil script exclusively. It is recommended that you learn Vötgil script during this lesson.
Mod Mod (N): metal.
Xiq Xiq (N): thing; the most general noun.
B0j Böj (N): object; item.
Prs Prs (N): person.
Man Man (N): man; male.
Fim Fim (N): woman; female.
Nuy Nuy (N): I/me; the speaker.
Ywn Ywn (N): you; the person being addressed.
Nam Nam (N): animal; creature.
Brd Brd (N): bird.
Ryn Ryn (N): rodent.
Kat Kat (N): cat.
D0g Dög (N): dog.
Fwd Fwd (N): food.
Bre Bre (N): bread; roll.
P0s Pös (N): pasta.
Frw Frw (N): fruit.
Vej Vej (N): vegetable.
Mil Mil (N): milk.
Tcy Tcy (N): cheese.
Fwc Fwc (N): meat; flesh; muscle.
Sac Sac (N): sandwich.
Pyt Pyt (N): pizza.
Cwg Cwg (N): sugar.
Tc0 Tcö (N): chocolate.
Hey Hey (N): hello.
Nem Nem (N): name; title.
Viz Viz (V): to be (an instance/kind of).
Mwv Mwv (V): to move (something); cause to go; cause to travel.
Gof Gof (V): to go (on a surface); travel; move one's self.
Hav Hav (V): to have; own; possess.
Get Get (V): to get (something); receive.
Tey Tey (V): to take (something); actively remove.
Yot Yot (V): to eat (something); consume; drink.
Coy Coy (V): to enjoy (something); like; prefer.
W0n Wön (V): to want; wish for; hope for; seek.
W0k Wök (V): to walk (on something).
Run Run (V): to run (on something).
Syc Syc (V): to see (something).
9eq Ðeq (V): to thank (for doing something).
9yt Ðyt (D): the; a specific one.
Sum Sum (D): some; a; an; a particular instance of (previously unmentioned).
9is Ðis (D): this; a close specific one.
9at Ðat (D): that; a more distant specific one.
Wit Wit (D): which; interrogative identity.
Duz Duz (D): does; makes the sentence a question (optional; removes ambiguity).
Tcw Tcw (D): true/truly; in fact; did; indeed; yes (in response to a question).
N0t Nöt (D): not; makes a word false; no (in response to a question).
V0t Vöt (D): anti; opposite; inverse in meaning.
Gwd Gwd (D): good/well.
Hap Hap (D): happy/happily; glad.
Fas Fas (D): fast; quick/quickly.
Swy Swy (D): sweet.
Spy Spy (D): spicy.
Vun Vun (P): of; originating from; possessed by; related to.
Van Van (P): and.
Jor Jor (P): or; either one.
Wix Wix (P): with; along with; accompanied by.
Twr Twr (P): to; towards; in the direction of.
= = = GRAMMAR = = =
Vötgil grammar is similar to that of English, but with some simplifications. When writing or speaking legitimate Vötgil, it is important to follow Vötgil grammar rules. Some English sentences must be worded differently when translated into Vötgil.
Every Vötgil word has exactly one part of speech. There are four parts of speech in Vötgil.
The basic word order for a sentence is noun-verb-noun. The first noun is the subject, and performs the action of the verb. The second noun is the direct object, and receives the action of the verb. Spaces are not placed between words. Every word is the same length, so spaces may be excluded without creating ambiguity.
NuyCoyP0s.
NuyCoyPös.
I enjoy pasta.
YwnSycFrw.
YwnSycFrw.
You see fruit.
The direct object may be excluded. In this case, the direct object is implied or unimportant.
NuyYot.
NuyYot.
I eat. (alternatively: I am eating.)
Descriptors act as both adjectives and adverbs in English. A descriptor precedes the word which it describes.
9ytPrsHavSpyPyt.
ÐytPrsHavSpyPyt.
The person has spicy pizza.
9ytD0gHapRun.
ÐytDögHapRun.
The dog happily runs.
Every verb is transitive, meaning that every verb may accept a direct object. In English, some verbs are intransitive. It is not possible to "walk" a noun in English, but it is possible to "walk" (Wök) a noun in Vötgil. This is because the dictionary entry for Wök describes the role of the direct object:
9ytManW0kSumSac.
ÐytManWökSumSac.
The man walks on (literally on top of) a sandwich.
Prepositions are placed before the nouns which they modify. There is no conjunction part of speech in Vötgil; instead, prepositions serve the role as conjunctions. A prepositional phrase may be placed anywhere in a sentence.
9ytFimHavP0sVanPyt.
ÐytFimHavPösVanPyt.
The woman has pasta and pizza.
NuyGofTwrSumKat.
NuyGofTwrSumKat.
I am going toward a cat.
= = = SEMANTICS = = =
The word vot (vöt) is relatively important in Vötgil. In fact, the word is so important that it is included in the name of the language. vot causes a word to have the opposite meaning. It is worth noting that "Vötgil" literally means "the opposite of English". vot allows many words to be excluded from the Vötgil dictionary.
= = = HOW TO LEARN = = =
The Vötgil Practice Utility will help you learn Vötgil characters and vocabulary. Copy the list of words on this page into the practice utility textbox. You can chose the direction of translation by using the radio buttons. I recommend that you practice both directions.
It is also helpful to write your own Vötgil sentences. Get a notebook and write sentences using all of the vocabulary.
If you have questions about this lesson or future lessons, please send an email to esperantanaso at gmail. I would also be glad to proof read your practice sentences.
To return to the lesson list, click here.