Pronoms

A pronoun is a word that replaces a longer noun phrase.

Grupos pronominals

• me – jo, es méu, me
• tu – tú, te, es séu, vostê, vos
• el – éll, élla, li, sa, eu
• lo – éll, élla, li, sa, eu
• nos – noltros, mos
• vos – voltros, voltras, vostês, es séus, sas sévas
• los – élls, éllas, lis, sas, ets, es séus, sas sévas

Tu ês es singulà y vos ês es plural en totas sas situassións, formals y informals.

El s’empleya per referirsê a personas y animals, còma mamíferos y animals de ploma. Pod essê aplicad metafòricament també a unas altras criaturas, a n’es robots, a sa lluna, a rebumbadas, etc.

Lo s’empleya per referirsê a sas còsas, criaturas ximples, idèas, concèttes, etc.

Los s’empleya còma plural d’el y lo.

S’elefen normalment no distinguêx êntre “éll” y “élla”. Sas fórmas elo (“éll”) y ela (“élla” )són raras, però se pòren empleyà per evità sa repetissió etsessiva d’es noms de sas personas cuand se xèrra d’un hòmo y una dòna en es matex contèste.

• Do es Joana? El es en la jardin. – ¿Von està na Juana? Élla està en es jardí.
• Do es mea come de matina? Lo es en la cosina. – ¿Von està es méu berenà? Està en sa cuyna.

Un pronom personal pod tení a continuassió una proposissió relativa. Si es sentid està cla, se pod suprimí es pronom, déxànd a n’es pronom relatíu una dóbble funsió:

• El recorda sempre la nomes de los ci el ia encontra. – Recorda sempre es noms de quíns va trobà.
• Me respeta tu, ci es tan saja. – Te respètte (a tú), qu’éts tan sabi.
• El ci osa, gania. – Te respètte (a tú), qu’éts tan sabi.
• Ci osa, gania. – Qui té, gana.

On ês per lo general un pronom indefinid. Sinnifica “sas personas en general” o “una persona colsevol” . A sovint, permêt evità s’us de sa veu passiva:

• On dise ce tu va parti. – Se díu que partiràs.
• On debe repete la verbo. – Se deu repetí es vèrbo. / Es vèrbo deu repetirsê.

Se ês es pronom refletsíu de sa terséra persona, tant d’es singulà com d’es plural. Indica es sutjètte d’es vèrbo, no essênd may es sutjètte:

• Lo limpi se. – Éll se renta.
• Los lava se. – Élls se rentan.

Es pronoms possessíus (“es méu”, “es téu” , etc.)són es determinàns possessíus (“es méu” , “es téu” , etc.), endevantads per la:

• Me ia trova mea libros, ma tu no ia trova la tuas. – Vatj trobà es méus llibres; però no trobares es téus.
• Lo es ance plu grande ca la mea. – També ês més gros qu’es méu.
• No toca acel jueta! Lo no es la tua. – ¡No toquis aquexa jugueta! No ês téua.

Pronoms determinàns

Axí com se pod empleyà un adjettíu còma sustantíu, se pod convertí sa majó part de determinàns en pronoms. Es pronoms esta, acel y otra fórman sempre es plural afagind -s. Colcúns altres pronoms també pòren afagí -s si axò clarifica es sinnificad:

• tota, totas – tot, tota, tots, totas
• ambos – totdós, es dos
• esta, estas – aquest, aquesta, aquests, aquestas
• acel, aceles – aquell, aquélla, aquells, aquéllas
• cualce, cualces – colsevol
• cada – cada un, cada una
• alga, algas – colca, colcúns, colcunas
• cual, cuales – quín, quíns, quê
• multe, multes – molt
• poca, pocas – poc
• plur, plures
• plu – més
• la plu – sa majoría, sa majó part
• min – ménos
• la min – sa minoría, sa menó part
• un/la otra, (la) otras – un altre, un’altra, uns altres, unas altras
• la mesma, la mesmas – es matex, sa matéxa, es matéxos, sas matéxas
• un tal, tales – un d’aquéxos, un d’ells, un axí

Etzemples:

• Estas aspeta bela! – These looks nice!
• Prende cualce. – Take any (from a selection).
• Me no vole judi, car me gusta egal cada. – I don’t want to judge, because I like each one equally.
• Me vole grasia cada de esta persones. – I want to thank each of these people.
• Alga(s) pensa ancora ce la mundo es plata. – Some (people) still think that the world is flat.
• Tu ia versa mal la vino. Alga es sur la table. – You’ve poured the wine badly. Some (of it) is on the table.
• Cual(es) tu va eleje? – Which (ones) will you choose?
• Multe(s) de nos es programores. – Many of us are programmers.
• Me no ia regarda multe(s) de acel filmas. – I haven’t watched many of those films.
• Me reconose poca(s) de la persones en la fola. – I recognize few of the people in the crowd.
• Plu va ariva pronto. – More will arrive soon.
• Alga parolas es clar, ma on no pote leje fasil la plu. – Some words are clear, but most can’t easily be read.
• Tu ave min ca me. – You have less than me.
• Me vole bonveni tota(s) de vos. – I want to welcome you all.
• Me ia compra sinco libros nova, ma me ia lasa tota(s) en la bus. – I bought five new books, but I left them all on the bus.
• Ambos de la enfantes jua felis. – Both of the children are playing happily.

The cardinal ([numbers|numbers]) can be used as pronouns denoting groups of a specified size. These pronouns do not normally take the plural -s and do not require determiners:

• Tre de mea amis va ariva a esta sera. – Three of my friends will arrive this evening.
• Cuanto pizas tu ia come? – How many pizzas have you eaten?
  • Cuatro! – Four!
• La cuatro de nos va come en junta. – The four of us will eat together.
• Un de mea gatos manca. – One of my cats is missing.
• La tre ia abita en la mesma aparte. – The three lived in the same flat.

To indicate indeterminate multiples of numbers such as sento, mil, or milion, the plural -s is added:

• On ia ave miles de persones a la conserta. – There were thousands of people at the concert.
• A cada anio, miliones migra a otra paises. – Every year, millions immigrate to other countries.
• On ia vacui miles de plu persones de locas inondada par la deluvias. – Thousands more people were evacuated from areas inundated by the floods.
• On pote fatura plu sentos per servi. – You can be charged additional hundreds for service.

La cannot be converted to a pronoun. El, lo, and los are used instead:

• La casa de mea padre es plu grande ca lo de mea frate. – My father’s house is larger than my brother’s.
• Lo es ance plu grande ca lo cual me intende compra. – It’s also larger than the one that I intend to buy.

No cannot be used as a pronoun, but it does form nun and no cosa. The number zero can also be used as a pronoun.

The idiomatic expression la un la otra (or lunlotra) means “one another” or “each other”. It has variants such as la un o la otra (one or the other), la un pos la otra (or pos lunlotra, one after another), and la un sur la otra (or sur lunlotra, one on top of the other):

• La xicos colpa la un la otra / lunlotra. – The boys are hitting each other.
• Me pila mea crepes la un sur la otra / sur lunlotra. – I stack my pancakes one on top of the other.

In some sentences, a pronoun is immediately followed by a ([verbs|verb]) and risks being misunderstood as a determiner followed by a ([verbs#verbs_as_nouns|a verb reused as a noun]). For example, out of context, one can’t be sure whether acel veni de Italia means “that action of coming from Italy” or “that comes from Italy”. In most cases, the context makes the meaning entirely obvious. But beginners in Elefen, and those who wish to avoid all risk of ambiguity, can add a simple noun – such as person or cosa – after the determiner instead of converting it to a pronoun:

• Acel cosa veni de Italia. – That thing comes from Italy.
• Recorda ce alga persones (o algas) abita en sua auto. – Remember that some people live in their cars.

In some cases, one wants to make it clear that the verbal noun is not a verb. With words like alga, multe, and poca, one can add de between the determiner and the noun; the determiner then becomes a pronoun, but the noun doesn’t become a verb. With other determiners, such as esta and acel, one can add la before the determiner:

• La profesor ia demanda alga de atende. – The professor asked for some attention.
• Multe de labora pote es evitada. – A lot of work can be avoided.
• La esta deside no es un bon resulta. – This decision is not a good outcome.

Interrogative pronouns

Elefen has three pronouns that are used to create direct ([questions]):

• cua? – what? (= cual cosa?)
• ci? – who, whom? (= cual person?)
• cual(es)? – which, which one?, which ones? (picking from a group of people or things)

Cua and ci are only used as pronouns and should not be used as determiners.

Cual is primarily a determiner, but it’s often also used as a pronoun.

Examples:

• Cua es en la caxa? – What’s in the box?
• Cua tu come? – What are you eating?
• Cua es estas? – What are these?
• De cua esta gaxa es composada? – What is the cake made of?
• La armario es plen de cua? – What is the cupboard full of?
• Cual tu ia gusta plu, la libro o la filma? – Which did you like more, the book or the film?
• Cual de la enfantes ia come la torta? – Which of the children ate the cake?
• Vos prefere cual(es), la rojas o la verdes? – Which do you prefer, the red(s) or the green(s)?
• Cual(es) entre vos vole come esta torta de xocolada? – Which of you want(s) to eat this chocolate cake?
• Ci vole es un milionor? – Who wants to be a millionaire?
• Tu vade a la sinema con ci? – Who are you going to the movies with?
• Ci los es? – Who are they?

Cua, ci and cual are also used in ([questions#reported_questions|reported questions]).

Pronoms relatíus

Cual and ci also serve as relative pronouns, introducing ([clauses#relative_clauses|relative clauses]):

• cual – that, which
• ci – who, whom (= la person cual…)

The relative pronoun for a person or animal is ci. The relative pronoun for other things is cual:

• Esta es la fem de ci me ia compra mea auto. – This is the woman from whom I bought my car.
• La fem de ci me ia oblida sua nom es denova a la porte. – The woman whose name I’ve forgotten is at the door again.
• A, vide la patetas ci segue sua madre! – Ah, look at the ducklings who are following their mother!
• La libro cual me leje es tro longa. – The book that I’m reading is too long.
• La casa en cual nos abita es tro peti. – The house in which we live is too small.
• La superstisios – me gusta esta parola! – cual me ia investiga es riable. – The superstitions – I like that word! – that I have investigated are ridiculous.
• El esperia un sonia cual el teme. – She experiences a dream of which she is afraid.
• Compare: El esperia un sonia ce el teme. – She experiences a dream (and the dream is) that she is afraid.

With some relative clauses, the main sentence omits the noun that the clause relates to. The relative pronoun itself appears in the place of that noun. In such cases, to avoid confusion, cual can be expanded to lo cual, and ci to el ci:

• Acel es lo cual me ia comprende. – That is what I understood.
• Me comprende lo sur cual on ia instrui me. – I understand the information I’ve been taught about.
• Me no recorda (el) ci me ia vide. – I don’t remember the person who I saw.
• Me no recorda (el) a ci me ia parla. – I don’t remember the person I spoke to.

Altres pronoms

There are four special pronouns that refer to people. They are only used in the singular:

• algun – somebody, someone (= alga un, alga person)
• cualcun – anybody, anyone, whoever (= cualce un, cualce person)
• cadun – everybody, everyone, each person (= cada un, cada person)
• nun – nobody, no one (= no un, no person)

Etzemples:

• Algun entre nos es la asasinor. – Someone among us is the murderer.
• Dise acel broma a cualcun, e el va rie. – Tell that joke to anybody, and they will laugh.
• Cadun debe reseta un premio. – Everyone must get a prize.
• Me senta en la atrio per un ora, e nun ia parla a me. – I’ve been sitting in the lobby for an hour, and nobody’s spoken to me.

The equivalents of algun, cualcun, cadun, and nun for things are alga cosa (something), cualce cosa (anything), cada cosa (everything), and no cosa (nothing).

Pronoun phrases

Pronouns are not normally modified by ([determiners|determiners]) or ([adjectives|adjectives]), but they can be modified by ([prepositions|prepositional phrases]):

• Nos en la sindicato esije plu diretos. – We in the union demand more rights.
• Tota de la lenio es danada. – All of the wood is damaged.
• La plu de esta linguas es difisil. – Most of these languages are difficult.