Feelings
Five roots name the core feelings, and each one goes straight after ri: Eko ri kansa. ‘I'm tired.’ English needs am or feel in front of a feeling; Pikotika needs neither.
Feeling roots
| Pikotika | Meaning |
|---|---|
| konten | happy, glad, pleased |
| raye | angry, anger |
| timo | afraid, worried; fear, danger |
| sorpe | surprised, surprise |
| kansa | tired, weary |
| kusta | like, enjoy |
| senti | feel, sense; emotion |
‘Sad’ has no root of its own; it is nonkonten not-happy, written as one word. Spaced, non konten only says ‘not happy’ — see Negation.
| Pikotika | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Eko ri konten. | I'm happy. |
| Tisomo ri raye. | She's angry. |
| Nino ri timo. | The child is scared. |
| Ekomen ri sorpe! | We're surprised! |
| Eko ri nonkonten. | I'm sad. |
| Eko ri kusta a tis. | I like it. |
How much
The degree words go in front of the feeling, exactly as they do in front of any other quality.
| Pikotika | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Eko ri meka konten. | I'm very happy. |
| Eko ri piko kansa. | I'm a little tired. |
| Eko ri surmesur kansa. | I'm too tired. |
| Eko ri non timo. | I'm not afraid. |
| Eko ri mas konten in tistempo. | I'm happier now. |
Stronger and milder
The common shades of a feeling are standing compounds with piko and meka. They are a series: the root in the middle, the milder and stronger words either side.
| Pikotika | Literally | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pikoraye | small-anger | annoyance |
| raye | anger | anger |
| mekaraye | big-anger | rage |
| pikokonten | small-happy | relaxed, serene, at peace |
| konten | happy | happy |
| nonkonten | not-happy | sad |
| mekanonkonten | big-not-happy | grief |
| sorpe | surprise | surprise |
| mekasorpe | big-surprise | astonishment |
| kusta | like | like |
| mekakusta | big-like | love |
Spaced and solid say different things. piko raye is ‘slightly angry’, a degree of the feeling; pikoraye is annoyance, a feeling in its own right.
| Pikotika | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Eko ri mekakusta a mekaaku. | I love the sea. |
| Ekomen ri mekakusta a tu. | We love you. |
| In nemyan, eko ri pikokonten. | At night I'm at peace. |
What makes you feel it
Put the cause in the subject and the person who feels it after a. The feeling root then means ‘make happy’, ‘make angry’, and so on.
| Pikotika | Literally | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Tu ri konten a eko. | you RI happy A me | You make me happy. |
| Musi ri konten a nino. | music RI happy A child | The music makes the children happy. |
| Tis ri nonkonten a eko. | this RI not-happy A me | This makes me sad. |
| Tis oti ri raye a eko. | this sound RI anger A me | This noise makes me angry. |
| Ronka yan ri kansa a eko. | long day RI tired A me | Long days wear me out. |
| Kanis ri timo a eko. | dog RI fear A me | The dog frightens me. |
This holds for timo too, though English fear points the other way: Eko ri timo a tu is ‘I frighten you’, not ‘I fear you’.
kusta is different, because it's an action verb. It works the same way English like does: the person who likes is the subject, and the thing liked is the object. Eko ri kusta a tis is ‘I like this’, never ‘I please this’.
To say what a feeling is about, without making it the cause, use the preposition topi.
| Pikotika | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Eko ri timo topi tu. | I'm worried about you. |
| Eko ri timo topi kanis. | I'm afraid of the dog. |
| Eko ri konten topi tu nova opus. | I'm happy about your new job. |
| Tu ri raye topi ker? | What are you angry about? |
Happy to, sorry to
A feeling can sit in front of a verb, as a modifier, to say how you do it. This is where ‘happy to meet you’ and ‘sorry to hear it’ come from.
| Pikotika | Literally | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Eko ri konten sarve a tu. | I RI happy meet A you | Happy to meet you. |
| Eko ri perton oti a tis. | I RI sorry hear A this | I'm sorry to hear that. |
| Eko ri pikotimo tika a Pikotika. | I RI small-afraid speak A Pikotika | I'm nervous speaking Pikotika. |
Starting, stopping, changing
The aspect markers follow a feeling the way they follow anything else, and tiven ‘become’ says a feeling arrived.
| Pikotika | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Eko ri kansa apa. | I'm getting tired. |
| Tisomo ri tiven raye. | She got angry. |
| Eko ri nonkonten sista. | I'm still sad. |
| Raye ri vin. | The anger has passed. |
Showing it
| Pikotika | Literally | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kontenpuka | happy-mouth | a smile; to smile |
| mekakontenpuka | big-happy-mouth | a laugh; to laugh |
| viteaku | see-water | tears; to cry |
| sentipitur | feel-picture | facial expression, the look on someone's face |
| Pikotika | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tisomo ri kontenpuka. | She's smiling. |
| Nino ri viteaku. | The child is crying. |
| Tis ri mekakontenpuka a eko. | That makes me laugh. |
| Tu sentipitur ri tika a pan. | The look on your face says it all. |
Character and temperament
A feeling that lasts becomes a description of the person. Most of these words are both a quality and the noun for it: Tisomo ri sistakan is ‘she's patient’, and sistakan alone is ‘patience’.
| Pikotika | Literally | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ponasenti | good-feel | kind, good-hearted; kindness |
| nonraye | not-anger | calm |
| nontimo | not-fear | brave |
| sistakan | remain-can | patient; patience |
| pamsenti | please-feel | respect |
| ekoponasenti | I-good-feel | pride |
| ekomarumsenti | I-bad-feel | shame, embarrassment |
| nonyu | not-play | bored; boring |
nonyu faces both ways, as the subject decides: Eko ri nonyu. is ‘I'm bored’, and Tis ri nonyu. is ‘This is boring.’
| Pikotika | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Omo ri ponasenti. | The people are kind. |
| Pam nonraye. | Please stay calm. |
| Eko ri ekoponasenti topi tu. | I'm proud of you. |
Asking, and comforting
The everyday how are you is on Small talk. When something is plainly wrong:
| Pikotika | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tu ri pona, ker? | Are you all right? |
| Marumkosa ri ker? | What's wrong? |
| Tu ri nonkonten, non? | You're sad, aren't you? |
| Kerrason? | Why? |
| Pam non timo. | Please don't worry. |
| Pan ri pona. | It's all right. |
| Eko ri in tisroko. | I'm here. |
| Eko ri kan servi, ker? | Can I help? |
And when the news is good or bad, Eko ri konten oti a tis. and Eko ri perton oti a tis. — see Pleasantries and filler.
A whole conversation
Alice finds Bob sitting very quietly.
| Pikotika | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Aras: Popu, tu ri pona, ker? | Alice: Bob, are you all right? | |
| Popu: Non. Eko ri piko nonkonten. | Bob: No. I'm a bit down. | |
| Aras: Marumkosa ri ker? | Alice: What's wrong? | |
| Popu: Eko ri perti a eko vortotika in muromokaro. | Bob: I lost my phone on the bus. | |
| Popu: Eko ri meka raye topi eko. | Bob: I'm really angry at myself. | |
| Aras: Pam non timo. Eko ri tika ver tu vortotika. | Alice: Don't worry. I'll call your phone. | |
| Aras: … Tu ri oti a tis, ker? | Alice: … Do you hear that? | |
| Popu: Tis ri in eko irevaso! | Bob: It's in my bag! | |
| Aras: Tu sentipitur ri tika a pan! | Alice: The look on your face! | |
| Popu: Eko ri sorpe kum konten — kum piko ekomarumsenti. | Bob: I'm surprised and happy — and a little embarrassed. | |
| Aras: Pan ri pona. | Alice: It's all right. | |
| Popu: Meka mersi. Tu ri konten a eko. | Bob: Thanks so much. You've cheered me up. |