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Gilo Lessons
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Gilo Level 1 is aimed at achieving a basic understanding of the Gilo language. It will include simple vocabulary and grammar. Level 1 will be taught over about 10, one hour lessons (with 5-10 hours homework) and will bring the student up to the equivalent of the UK 'GCSE' standard (i.e. age 16).
A Level 1 student should be capable of reading most text at sight and of understanding most spoken Gilo and only be limited by lack of vocabulary. Written and spoken Gilo will be of intermediate level.
Gilo Level 2 builds on the Level 1 knowledge and adds to the vocabulary and completes the grammar. Level 2 will be taught over another 10, one hour lessons (with additional homework) and will bring the student up to the equivalent of UK 'Advanced Level' standard (i.e. age 18, pre-university).
A Level 2 student will be reasonably fluent in reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Gilo Level 3 is aimed at achieving fluency with full knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. Lessons are aimed at translating complicated and subtle extracts from native languages.
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1.1 Griti, nam mea bez Alan
[Hello, my name is Alan]
|
Griti |
|
|
= |
hello, greetings | |
nam |
|
|
= |
name | |
mea |
= |
me + a |
= |
I/me + adjective suffix = my, of me, mine (Note that qualifiers e.g. adjectives & adverbs generally follow the words that they qualify) | |
bez |
= |
b + ez |
= |
'to be' + present tense = am/is/are | |
Alan |
|
|
= |
Alan (All names in Gilo remain unchanged but are spelt phonetically. A name such as ‘James’ would be spelt ‘Jaims’) |
1.2 K bez nam yua
[What is your name?]
|
K (say 'ke' as in kettle) |
= |
What/Which/Question word. This usually comes at the beginning of a question sentence and also serves as a question mark '?'. | |
yua |
= |
yu + a |
= |
you + adjective suffix = your |
1.3 K ti bez xe. Xe (ti) bez buk ovme
[What thing is this? This is my book]
If the meaning of the question is obvious, then 'ti' may be omitted.
|
ti |
(say 'tee’) |
= |
thing | |
xe |
(say 'she' as in shed) |
= |
this | |
buk | | |
= |
book Note: There are no definite or indefinite articles in Gilo (i.e. the words 'the' & 'a'). If there is a need for such words then 'xe' or 'ce' (this or that) or 'an' (one) can be used. When translating from Gilo to English use 'the' or 'a' as appropriate. | |
ov | | |
= |
of Possession prefix (same meaning as the suffix 's in English, John's book, Ann's car, the dog's bone etc) | |
ovme |
= |
ov + me |
= |
of me = my/mine (possessive). 'ovme' counts as a qualifier and therefore follows 'buk'. ('mea' should be used for things permanently associated with you, e.g. name, body parts, relations etc.) |
1.4 Me vez buk reda
[I have a red book]
|
vez |
= |
v + ez |
= |
'to have/possess' + present tense = have/has | |
reda |
= |
red + a |
= |
red + adjective suffix |
1.5 K kol bez buk ovyu
[What colour is your book?]
|
kol |
|
|
= |
colour | |
ovyu |
= |
ov + yu |
= |
of + you = your (possessive). |
1.6 K ce bez buk ov An. Ye, ce bez buk ovAn
[Is that Ann's book? Yes, that is Ann's book.]
|
ce |
(pronounced 'che' as in cheddar) |
= |
that | |
ovAn |
= |
ov An | |
Gilo is flexible and 'ov' can be used as a prefix or a separate word, so long as it always precedes the noun that it applies to. | |
ye |
(as in 'yet') |
= |
yes | |
Note alternative form of question here, by putting question word ‘k’ in front of a statement. |
1.7 El vez buk grina
[She has a green book]
|
el |
|
|
= |
she/her | |
grina |
= |
grin + a |
= |
green + adjective suffix |
1.8 Ce bez buk fi
An lăkez
[That is the book which Ann likes]
|
fi (as in 'fee') |
= |
Which/that (conjunction). Note: The meaning & use is different to 'ce'. | |
lăkez |
= |
lăk + ez |
= |
'to like' + present tense = likes |
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H1.1 Vowel pronunciation. 15 minutes
Gilo has 7 vowels. Vowel pronunciations in English vary enormously due to different accents. I hope that I have chosen examples that are pronounced the same way, regardless of accent!
The vowel names are the same as their pronunciations.
|
a |
as in: fat, cat, bat, sat, clarify, classical, Patrick | |
e |
as in: bed, fed, get, bet, met, better | |
i |
as in: feet, meet, beat, sheep, cheap, Fiji | |
o |
as in: modify, occupy, Sharon, | |
u |
as in: tool, fool, pool, cool, who, root | |
ă |
as in: car, far, bar, star, mark | |
ř |
as in: order, fort, cord, porter, broad, |
Now go and read out loud lessons 1.1 to 1.8.
H1.2 Learn your numbers! 15 minutes.
|
0 |
za |
zero | |
1 |
an |
pronounced as the name 'Ann' | |
2 |
du |
pronounced 'doo' | |
3 |
tri |
pronounced 'tree' | |
4 |
fřr |
pronounced 'for' | |
5 |
fiv |
pronounced 'feev' as in fever | |
6 |
sis |
pronounced 'seess' | |
7 |
sev |
pronounced 'sev' as in 'seven' | |
8 |
ok |
pronounced as in 'October' | |
9 |
ni |
pronounced 'nee' | |
10 |
ax |
pronounced 'ash' as in 'cash' |
Now look around your room and count out loud the things there – books, windows, lights etc.
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2.1 K je buki bez he.
[How many books are here?]
|
je (as in 'jet') |
= |
quantity/amount | |
K je |
= |
question quantity/amount = How many? | |
buki |
= |
buk + i |
= |
book + plural suffix = books.
Note the plural suffix 'i' is optional if the plural meaning is clear.
E.g. When a number precedes the noun then 'i' can be omitted.
du buk = du buki = two books
cei buk = cei buki = those books |
2.2 He bez du buki/Du buki bez he.
[Here are two books/Two books are here]
This can also be translated as:- [There are two books here]
2.3 K ovpe bez ce buk. K kol bez ol
[Whose is that book?/Whose book is that? What colour is it?]
|
pe |
|
|
= |
person | |
K ovpe |
= |
K ov + pe |
= |
question possession person = whose? | |
ol |
|
|
= |
it |
2.4 K Jon vez buki reda.
[Does John have red books?]
2.5 No, ezdi Jon vez du buki blua
[No, today John has two blue books]
|
no (as in 'not') |
= |
no | |
ezdi |
= |
ez + di |
= |
present time prefix/present tense suffix + day = today | |
du |
|
|
= |
two |
2.6 Me soz buki ovil. Buki ovil adsoz me
[I saw his books. His books were seen by me.]
|
soz |
= |
s + oz |
= |
'to see' + past tense suffix = saw | |
ovil |
= |
ov + il |
= |
his | |
adsoz |
= |
ad + soz |
= |
by + seen = 'seen by'. Putting 'ad' in front of the verb immediately shows that the subject of the sentence is passive and did not carry out the action of the verb.
If no other word follows the verb e.g. ‘Buki adsoz’ then the sentence is considered intransitive and translated as ‘The books were seen.’ |
2.7 Xei bez buki ovJon
[These are Johns books]
|
xei |
= |
xe + i |
= |
this + plural suffix = these
'buki' is preferable here instead of 'buk' since it does not directly follow the plural word 'xei'. |
2.8 Ozdi, Jon voz an buk blua
[Yesterday, John had one blue book]
|
ozdi |
= |
oz + di |
= |
past time prefix/past tense suffix + day = yesterday | |
voz |
= |
v + oz |
= |
to have/possess + past tense suffix = had | |
an |
|
|
= |
one |
2.9 Uzdi il vuz tri buk, an reda w du blua
[Tomorrow he will have three books, one red and two blue]
|
uzdi |
= |
uz + di |
= |
future time prefix/future tense suffix + day = tomorrow | |
il |
|
|
= |
he/him | |
vuz |
= |
v + uz |
= |
'to have/possess' + future tense suffix = will have | |
tri |
|
|
= |
three | |
w (as in 'wet') |
= |
and |
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H2.1 Questions & Answers
You will also need to look at Lesson 1 to answer these questions
About 10 minutes
1. K pei vez buki
2. K pe vez buki blua
3. K kol buk advez An
4. K je buki advuz Jon uzdi
5. K je buki advoz Jon ozdi
6. K je pei vez buki
7. K bez nami peia fi vez buki
8. K adsoz me
Answer all questions in writing and then read out loud all of the questions and answers
H2.2 Days of the Week
Practice saying them out loud. Then say what you do on each day but substitute the Gilo name for the day E.g. ‘Dian I go to school. Disis I go bowling, Disev I go to church etc.’ 10 minutes.
|
di |
day | |
Dian |
Monday | |
Didu |
Tuesday | |
Ditri |
Wednesday | |
Difřr |
Thursday | |
Difiv |
Friday | |
Disis |
Saturday | |
Disev |
Sunday |
H2.3 Months of the Year
Practice saying them out loud. Then say what happens in each month but substitute the Gilo name for the Month E.g. ‘Monan it snows, Monsis I go on holiday, Monok I have my birthday etc.’ 10 minutes.
|
mon |
month | |
Monan |
January | |
Mondu |
February | |
Montri |
March | |
Monfřr |
April | |
Monfiv |
May | |
Monsis |
June | |
Monsev |
July | |
Monok |
August | |
Monni |
September | |
Monax |
October | |
Monaxan |
November | |
Monaxdu |
December |
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3.1 K ti adduz yu uzwikend. K yu juz u London ya trin
[What will you do next weekend? Will you go to London by Train?]
|
duz |
= |
d + uz |
= |
do + future tense = will do | |
uzwikend |
= |
uz + wik + end |
= |
future time + week + end = next weekend
The time markers 'oz, uz & ez ' as well as being used as tense suffixes, are also used as prefixes to both nouns and verbs.
oz = Previous/Ex/last ozwik = last week
ez = Presently ezdi = today
uz = Future/Intended uzyir = next year
uznupel = fiancée (future wife)
Note also: wikend uza = a future/following weekend | |
juz |
= |
j + uz |
= |
journey/going + future tense = will go | |
u |
|
|
= |
to | |
ya |
|
|
= |
using/utilising (this may be translated as ‘by’ or ‘with’ depending on the context.)
Taken from the root word 'y' [to use]
me yuz sosřr [I will use scissors] | |
trin |
|
|
= |
train | |
Note the two question forms
The first 'K ti ...' asks 'what thing will be done by you', hence 'adduz yu'
The second is 'K' followed by a statement. This sort of question normally has a yes or no answer |
3.2 Ye, me trinuz u London. K yu.
[Yes, I will ‘train’ to London. And you?]
|
trinuz |
= |
trin + uz |
= |
train + future tense = ‘train’ i.e. go by train
This is an alternative and simpler form than that used in 3.1.
Gilo permits most nouns to be ‘verbalised’ by adding a tense ending. The verb form means to ‘use’ the root noun in whatever way is most logical, in the context.
This can apply to a wide variety of words e.g.:
Tabez pleti = Table the plates! (Put the plates on the table)
El hatoz bab = she 'hatted' the baby (she put a hat on the baby)
Mi wřlpapuz bedrum mea = we will wallpaper my bedroom | |
k yu |
|
|
= |
question you = And you?
This is a simplified question where the meaning is perfectly clear. The full question might be ‘We k ti adduz yu’ [And what will you do?] |
3.3 Mi bikuz u făm. Mi wixez siz ovisjui
[We will cycle to the farm. We want to see the lambs]
|
mi |
|
|
= |
we (not including you) i.e. plural of 'me' [I/me] | |
bikuz |
= |
bik + uz |
= |
bicycle + future tense = will cycle
Same format as ‘trinuz’ in 3.2 | |
făm |
|
|
= |
farm | |
wixez |
= |
wix + ez |
= |
wish/want + present tense = want to | |
siz |
= |
s + iz |
= |
seeing + infinitive suffix = to see/seeing
Hence 'wixez siz' = want to/would like to see.
However, see 3.4 below. | |
ovisjui |
= |
ovis + ju + i |
= |
sheep + young + plural suffix = lambs
Animal (and plant) names in Gilo are generally the standard Latin genus names. |
3.4 K re yi wixsez ovisjui. K je adajez oli
[Why do you want to see the lambs? How old are they]
|
k re |
= |
k + re |
= |
question + reason = why? | |
yi |
|
|
= |
you (plural of 'yu') | |
wixsez |
= |
wix + s + ez |
= |
wish/want + seeing + present tense = want to see
This is a compound verb and an alternative simpler form to that used in 3.3.
The two root words are combined and the appropriate tense ending applied (i.e. past, present, future or infinitive), thus creating a compound verb.
There are many words that can be used in this way e.g.
obsez ob + sez [is obliged to see] (present)
nidjuz nid + juz [will need to go] (future)
řtritoz řt + ritoz [ought to have written] (past)
lăkhiz
lăk + hiz [like to hear] (infinitive)
lăkhoz lăk + hoz [liked hearing] (past)
ozlăkhoz oz
lăk hoz [had liked hearing] (past perfect)
lăkhez
lăk + hez [likes hearing] (present)
lăkhuz
lăk + huz [will like hearing] (future) | |
oli |
|
ol + i |
= |
it + plural = they | |
adajez |
|
ad + aj + ez |
= |
passive prefix + age + present tense = to be aged/old
Lit. 'What quantity aged they' i.e. How old are they?
Gilo allows a variety of ways of asking this question:
K je adyirez li = How many years old are they?
K adyirez li = How old are they?
K je aj lia = What age are they?/ How old are they
K aj lia = How old are they? (Lit. Question, their age)
Gilo has the flexibility to allow for a fully ‘Grammatically Correct’ question or an informal/conversational question. |
3.5 Li monez tri. Mi abhiz li e găd miva
[They are three months old. We can hear them in our garden]
|
li |
= |
|
= |
they, shortened form of oli [they (none-people)]
eli [they (female)]
ili [they (male)]
uli [they (people)]. | |
monez tri |
= |
mon + ez + tri |
= |
month + present tense + three= 'month three'
i.e. They are three months old
Another example of the simplified verb form used in 3.2 | |
abhiz |
= |
ab + h + iz |
= |
able to/can + hearing + infinitive tense = able to hear
Another example of a two part compound verb used in 3.4
Note: ab ad hiz = able to be heard | |
e |
|
|
= |
at (but may be translated sometimes as 'in')
Gilo uses words in a much more logical and literal sense than English. Hence you would say
e xo [at home]
e fis [at office]
e găd [at garden] but translated as 'in the garden'
in cec [in church]
in boks [in a box]
in rum [in a room]
i.e. only say 'in' [in] when you literally mean 'inside' something, otherwise say 'e' [at]. | |
găd |
|
|
= |
garden | |
meva |
= |
me + va |
= |
my (me + possession suffix). Exactly the same as ovme |
3.6 Ovisjui setbez luda. K dis o xo u făm
[The lambs certainly are loud. What distance/how far is it from home to the farm?]
|
setbez |
= |
set + bez |
= |
certainty + are = certainly are
This is a compound verb as in 3.4. It could also be expressed as bez seta luda [are certainly loud] but the double adverb makes this rather awkward. | |
luda |
= |
lud + a |
= |
loudness + adverb suffix = loud
Adverbs are formed by adding suffix 'a' to the root word.
Adverbs are qualifiers and follow the verb.
Il rănoz spidoma. [He ran fast]
El xatoz luda. [She shouted loudly]
Note that the same word may be used in Gilo both as an adverb and an adjective e.g.
Il pentoz bela peel bela
[He painted beautifully a beautiful woman.] | |
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