Travel and directions

Most travel terms come from two roots: ire is go, move, travel, and veni is come, arrive. A trip is veniire come-go — the going and the coming back, in one word.

Coming and going

Pikotika	Literally	Meaning
ire	go	go, move, travel
veni	come	come, arrive
veniire	come-go	a trip, a journey
eksire	out-go	leave, depart, set off
retsire	back-go	go back
retseveni	back-come	come back, get back
kampaire	foot-go	walk, go on foot
karoire	vehicle-go	drive
karoseta	vehicle-sit	ride, go by vehicle
surire	up-go	go up, climb, ascend
ronveniire	far-come-go	a long journey, a voyage
opusveniire	work-come-go	a business trip
irevaso	go-box	luggage, a suitcase

Pikotika	Meaning
Eko ri ire ver kase.	I'm going home.
Ekomen ri eksire.	We're leaving.
Yantar, eko ri karoire rets.	I'll drive back tomorrow.
Pos tu ri kansa, tisrason ekomen ri kan retsire.	If you're tired, we can go back.
Ri perti a eko irevaso.	My luggage has been lost.

Where are you going?

ver to marks the destination and vons from marks where you started. Ask with kerroko what-place, sitting in the slot the answer will fill.

Pikotika	Meaning
Tu ri ire ver kerroko?	Where are you going?
Rinekaroroko ri kerroko?	Where is the train station?
Toreta ri kerroko?	Where is the bathroom?
Eko ri ire ver sitas Rispan.	I'm going to Lisbon.
Eko ri veni vons eksenasyon.	I've come from abroad.
Tu ri viva in tis sitas, ker?	Do you live here in the city?

The other place words are ordinary prepositions:

Pikotika	Meaning	Pikotika	Meaning
in	in, at	sur	above, on, up
ver	to, toward	tun	below, under, down
vons	from	nir	near, next to
mets	between, among	eks	outside

The station is between the shop and the river.

Karoroko ri mets komparroko kum ronkaaku.

The place where we ate is near the river.

Ekomen ri komi rite roko ri nir ronkaaku.

How you are going

A means of travel is in … moto in … way — the same frame as any other method or route.

Pikotika	Literally	Meaning
in akukaro moto	in water-vehicle way	by ship
in metarrinekaro moto	in metal-line-vehicle way	by train
in Rispan moto	in Lisbon way	via Lisbon
in kermoto	in what-way	how, by what means

Did you ever travel abroad by ship?

Tu ri veniire ver eksenasyon in akukaro moto vin, ker?

Walking and driving have their own verbs, so Eko ri kampaire is the natural way to say ‘I'm going on foot’ — no moto phrase needed.

The vehicles

karo is any vehicle at all; everything else is a compound naming what kind.

Pikotika	Literally	Meaning
karo	vehicle	a vehicle, a car
rinekaro	line-vehicle	public transit — a bus or a train
metarrinekaro	metal-line-vehicle	a train
muromokaro	many-person-vehicle	a bus
ventokaro	air-vehicle	an airplane
akukaro	water-vehicle	a ship, a boat
kampakaro	leg-vehicle	a bicycle
karopeste	vehicle-animal	a horse, a mount

Add roko place and you have the place it leaves from:

Pikotika	Literally	Meaning
karoroko	vehicle-place	a station, depot, or parking lot/garage
rinekaroroko	line-vehicle-place	a transit station or stop
ventokaroroko	air-vehicle-place	an airport
setaroko	sit-place	a seat
moniporta	money-door	a turnstile, a ticket gate

Also note karosanaroko, "auto repair shop."

A ticket is just karta card — the same root as a page, a card, or any other printed slip.

Giving directions

Four words do nearly all the work: sini left, rem right, reto straight, and kurva turn. Directions are commands, so they start with the verb — with pam in front to be polite.

Pikotika	Meaning
Pam reto ire.	Go straight.
Pam kurva ver sini.	Turn left.
Pam kurva ver rem in tarorten kurvaroko.	Turn right at the next corner.
Pam reto ire ver nontis meka arpo, tar pam kurva ver sini.	Go straight to that big tree, then turn left.
Sini in arpo.	Left at the tree.
Pam 5 parte turan kampaire.	Walk five minutes.
Kamar 12, sur in surmoto, in rem.	Room twelve, up the stairs, on the right.
Tu ri vite a tis.	You'll see it.

Landmarks along the way:

Pikotika	Literally	Meaning
moto	road	a road, a way, a route
kurvaroko	bend-place	a corner, a turn in the road
motoyunta	road-join	an intersection, a crossroads
irekamar	go-room	a hallway, a corridor
surmoto	up-road	stairs, a ramp — any way up
vortosurmoto	electric-up-road	an escalator
surtunkamar	up-down-room	an elevator, a lift
porta	door	a door, a gate
motomapa	road-map	a road map
servimapa	help-map	a you-are-here map, a directory

Near, far, and how long

Pikotika	Meaning
Karoroko ri nir, non?	The station is near, isn't it?
Tis ri ronka moto.	That's a long way.
Tis ri meka ron.	It's very far.
Nir.	Almost. (nearly there)
In 20 kirumitar.	About twenty kilometers.
Eko ri viva in pits ora turan ver sur.	I live about two hours north.
Si, sets kampaire ri mas veros.	Yes, but walking is faster.

turan interval marks a span, and it is a time word — it belongs after a unit that could otherwise be read as a point or a portion. ora is both ‘hour’ and ‘o’clock’, and parte is both ‘part’ and ‘minute’, so 5 parte turan is five minutes. A unit of measure has no such rival reading, so a distance takes the bare number: 20 kirumitar. The metric units — mitar, ritar, kuram — are sanctioned loanwords.

The compass

All four are mapa map plus the direction you'd move on a page.

Pikotika	Literally	Meaning
mapasur	map-up	north
mapatun	map-down	south
maparem	map-right	east
mapasini	map-left	west

mapasur

mapasini

maparem

mapatun

The city is north of the river.

Sitas ri ver mapasur vons ronkaaku.

Places you may be headed

Pikotika	Literally	Meaning
sitas	city	a city, a town
nasyon	country	a country
eksenasyon	out-country	abroad, overseas
nasyonrante	country-edge	a border
sitasrante	city-edge	the outskirts
tormikase	sleep-home	a hotel
mekaakurante	big-water-edge	the beach
surtera	up-earth	a mountain
verteroko	green-place	a park
artikase	art-home	a museum
panroko	every-place	everywhere
arroko	other-place	somewhere else
nemroko	no-place	nowhere

Catching it, and missing it

Pikotika	Meaning
Metarrinekaro ri eksire in kerora?	What time does the train leave?
Ri ire ver ventokaroroko rite metarrinekaro ri eksire in 9 ora.	The train that goes to the airport leaves at nine.
Pos metarrinekaro ri tar, tisrason pam tika ver eko.	If the train is late, please tell me.
Pam eksire in tistempo, sive tu ri perti a metarrinekaro.	Leave now, or you'll miss the train.
Moto ri vin.	The road is closed.
Pam sista a karo.	Please stop the car.
Eko ri kan karoseta a karopeste in tisroko, ker?	Can I ride a horse here?

Other useful phrases

Pikotika	Meaning
Pona ire.	Safe travels. Take care.
Kontenveni.	Welcome.
Eko ri perti.	I'm lost.
Pam servi a eko.	Please help me.
Eko ri veni son por yumen.	I came just for the party.
Tu ri tormi in tis sitas, ker?	Are you staying the night?
Eko ri retseveni in kerora, pam sista retover tis.	Please wait until I get back.
In wotempo yuveniire, tu ri ire ver kerroko?	Where are you going for summer vacation?

A whole conversation

Alice stops someone on the street.

	Pikotika	English
	Aras: Pam servi. Rinekaroroko ri kerroko?	Alice: Excuse me. Where is the train station?
	Rokoomo: Pam reto ire ver nontis meka arpo, tar pam kurva ver sini.	Local: Go straight to that big tree, then turn left.
	Rokoomo: Pam 5 parte turan kampaire. Tu ri vite a tis.	Local: Walk five minutes. You'll see it.
	Aras: Sini in arpo. Mersi.	Alice: Left at the tree. Thank you.
	Aras: Ri kum muromokaro in tis moto, ker?	Alice: Is there a bus too?
	Rokoomo: Si, sets kampaire ri mas veros.	Local: Yes, but walking is faster.
	Aras: Wun mas kertika: metarrinekaro ver ventokaroroko ri eksire in kerora?	Alice: One more question — do you know when the train to the airport leaves?
	Rokoomo: Eko ri non sape. Pam voritika in karoroko.	Local: I don't know. Ask inside the station.
	Aras: Meka mersi!	Alice: Thank you very much!
	Rokoomo: Ponapos! Pona ire!	Local: Good luck! Safe travels!

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