pipiinsect, bug, spider, tiny crawling creature
molideath, dead, die, dying; kill, murder
ilotool, implement, machine, device
kamaarrive, approach, summon; future preverbto become
wilewant, desire, wish, require preverbwant to
awenstay, remain, wait, pause; protect, keep safe; continue preverbcontinue to
sonaknowledge, information, data; know, be skilled in, be wise about preverbknow how to
kenability, permission; possibility, maybe; allow, enable preverbto be able to
lukinlook, view, examine, read, watch; eye, seeing organ preverbto try to
kama, wile, awen, sona, ken, lukin are preverbs! words have different meanings when used as preverbs and otherwise. the preverb meaning of a word is marked separately.
there are two words you already know on this list, ken and lukin, but their preverb meanings are new.
preverbs go before the predicate and modify it.
preverbs can only be modified with the word ala, to negate it. you can also put multiple preverbs after each other.
subject preverb predicate ( object)
subject li preverb predicate (e object)
mi ken ala moli e pipi
i can't kill the bug
sina ken kama pona
you can become good
waso suwi li awen wile e pipi
the cute bird still wants a bug
mi ken awen wawa
we can stay strong
weka ona li wawa e jan mute
their absence empowers the people
jan li kama e moku
the person brings food
waso li pali e ilo toki
the bat is making a phone
jan li pali e ni · mi wile awen soweli
humans make me want to remain an animal
mi wile e ni · sina lukin e pipi pona
i wish that you see good bugs
i wanna learn toki pona
mi wile kama sona toki pona
i can't see that
mi ken ala lukin e ni
i am protecting you
mi awen e sina
i saw that you fixed our house
mi lukin e ni · sina pona e tomo mi
this tool strengthens the bugs
ilo ni li wawa e pipi
i'm trying to see my glasses
mi lukin lukin e ilo lukin mi
mi lukin pali e ilo pona
i try to build good tools
waso li awen lukin e sina
the bird keeps looking at you
ona li wile moku e pipi
they wanna eat bugs
jan li kama sona toki pona
people come to know how to speak well
people learn to speak toki pona
waso li sona waso
birds know how to be birds
soweli li ken moku e sina
animals can eat you
i teach lukin as a preverb that means "to try". it's extremely common to use alasa for this instead!
there's also some who use two additional preverbs, open and pini, meaning "to start" and "to finish".