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Léyoní

Léyoní — Lesson 1: Being, Feeling, Asking

Goal: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to introduce yourself, say where you are, describe basic feelings, and ask simple yes/no questions in Léyoní.

1) Personal Pronouns

<table>
 <tr>
 <th>Personal pronouns</th>
 <th>Meaning / use</th>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>mi</td>
 <td>I / me</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>é</td>
 <td>you (neutral)</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>éi</td>
 <td>you (intimate)</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>ó</td>
 <td>they / he / she</td>
 </tr>
</table>

Professor tip: If you are unsure which “you” to use, use é. Use éi only for closeness (romantic, deep trust, intimacy).

2) “To be / exist” — ilé

In Léyoní, ilé means to be / to exist. It does not mean “to be here” by itself. To express location (“here/there”), you add a locative word.

Pattern: pronoun + ilé

<ol>
 <li>Mi ilé. — I am / I exist.</li>
 <li>Ó ilé. — They are / they exist.</li>
</ol>

3) Location / presence — ilé + há / tå

Léyoní expresses “I’m here / I’m there” by combining existence with a locative.

<table>
 <tr>
 <th>Word</th>
 <th>Meaning</th>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>há</td>
 <td>here</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>tå</td>
 <td>there</td>
 </tr>
</table>

Pattern: pronoun + ilé + locative

<ol>
 <li>Mi ilé há. — I’m here. (literally: I exist here.)</li>
 <li>Mi ilé tå. — I’m there.</li>
 <li>É ilé há? — Are you here?</li>
 <li>É ilé tå? — Are you there?</li>
</ol>

4) Feelings and basic states (no ilé)

In Léyoní, feelings and basic states are said directly. You do not use ilé for “I’m happy / I’m tired / I’m calm.”

<table>
 <tr>
 <th>State word</th>
 <th>Meaning</th>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>sáya</td>
 <td>happy</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>såni</td>
 <td>tired</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>yåmi</td>
 <td>calm / resting</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>kåmi</td>
 <td>sad</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>måra</td>
 <td>comfortable / safe</td>
 </tr>
</table>

Pattern: pronoun + state

<ul>
 <li>Mi sáya. — I’m happy.</li>
 <li>Mi såni. — I’m tired.</li>
 <li>Mi yåmi. — I’m calm / I’m resting.</li>
 <li>Mi kåmi. — I’m sad.</li>
 <li>Mi måra. — I’m comfortable / I feel safe.</li>
</ul>

Common mistake to avoid:
<ul>
 <li>Mi ilé sáya. — Incorrect</li>
 <li>Mi sáya. — Correct</li>
</ul>

5) Asking yes/no questions

Léyoní does not change word order to form yes/no questions. You ask a question by using question intonation in speech and a question mark in writing.

<ol>
 <li>É yåmi. — You are calm.</li>
 <li>É yåmi? — Are you calm?</li>
 <li>Eh… é yåmi? — Um… are you calm? (softened)</li>
</ol>

6) Saying “yes” and “no”

no means “not / no.” Léyoní does not use a single word that equals English “yes.” Instead, you answer by repeating the verb or the state in a full response.

<table>
 <tr>
 <th>Question</th>
 <th>Natural Léyoní answer (“yes”)</th>
 <th>Natural Léyoní answer (“no”)</th>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>É yåmi?</td>
 <td>Mi yåmi.</td>
 <td>Mi no yåmi.</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>É ilé há?</td>
 <td>Mi ilé há.</td>
 <td>Mi no ilé há.</td>
 </tr>
</table>

Note: mạ̊ is an acknowledgment (“okay / I hear you”), not “yes.” You can say Må after an answer, but it does not replace answering.

7) Mini dialogue (practice)

A: Eh… é ilé há?
B: Mi ilé há.
A: É såni?
B: Mi såni.
A: Mọ́.

8) Practice: respond in Léyoní

Write your answers in Léyoní. Try to avoid translating word-for-word from English; focus on using Léyoní patterns.

<ol>
 <li>Say: “I exist.”</li>
 <li>Say: “I’m here.”</li>
 <li>Ask (neutral): “Are you tired?”</li>
 <li>Ask (intimate): “Are you calm?”</li>
 <li>Answer: “Yes, I’m calm.”</li>
 <li>Answer: “No, I’m not here.”</li>
</ol>

Lesson 1 summary

<ul>
 <li>ilé = to be / exist</li>
 <li>Location = ilé + há (here) or tå (there)</li>
 <li>Feelings/states do not use ilé</li>
 <li>Yes/no questions keep the same word order</li>
 <li>No direct “yes” word: repeat the verb/state to confirm</li>
</ul>

Next lesson: Lesson 2 will introduce core action verbs (go, arrive, stay, want, need) and how to speak in short, natural sentences.

Foundations of Speech

Question	Answer
to be / to exist	ilé
here	há
tired	såni
calm / resting	yåmi
sad	kåmi
I'm here.	Mi ilé há. Mi ilé. Mi há ilé.
I'm tired.	Mi såni. Mi ilé há. Mi ilé såni.
Are you calm? (neutral)	É yåmi? Éi ilé yåmi? Mi yåmi?
Are you here?	É ilé há? Éi há? É ilé?
Are you tired? (intimate)	Éi såni? É såni? Éi ilé såni?
I exist	Mi ilé
I'm here	Mi ilé há
Are you tired? (neutral)	É såni?
Are you calm? (intimate)	Éi yåmi?
Yes, I'm calm	Mi yåmi
No, I'm not here	No, mi no ilé há Mi no ilé há