Are you guys excited? We’ll start learning some vocabulary this month!
Important note: There is audio in this lesson. If you see a link in this lesson, it is linked to an audio file with the pronunciation of the words.
If you have troubles with the audio, let me know on the forums!
Affirmatives and Negatives
Let’s start with a simple concept: Yes and No. Chances are you’ll be asking our snakes a yes or no question at some point in time. Unless it’s necessary, they may respond with a simple Yes or No.
| Yes - Sa No - ʃe Maybe - Ha Pronunciation |
Demonstrative Pronouns
The only demonstrative pronouns used are This and That. But they’re used in almost every sentence, so you’d better get used to them quickly!
| This - Tasi That - Fasi Pronunciation |
Interrogative Pronouns
You’ll be asking our class snakes a lot of questions, so its a good idea to get acquainted with how to form questions. Parseltongue uses the same Interrogative Pronouns as usual, however the word order is different. They would be placed at the end of a sentence in order to form a question. They are very similar to each other, and care must be taken to differentiate them.
| Who - Haʃ What - Teʃ When - Fiʃ Why - Vuʃ Where - Doʃ How - Baʃ Pronunciation |
So, for example, the question “Who is that?” Would simply become “That Who?” or “Fasi Haʃ”
Distinguishing Adjectives and Adverbs
Well, you know the difference between adjectives and adverbs by now, I hope. Just in case: an adjective modifies a noun, and an adverb modifies a word that is not a noun. That aside, how do we distinguish these words from the other parts of speech? Parseltongue parts of speech are easy to distinguish by their ending. If you notice in the previous sections, all the Interrogative Pronouns end in ‘ʃ’. Likewise, the demonstrative pronouns end in ‘si.’
The same can be said for adjectives and adverbs. There are a few exceptions, of course, but the majority of adjectives end in ‘na,’ and most adverbs end in ‘ne.’
Here are some examples:
| Adjectives: Hot - Firna Cold - Bana Large - ʃena Small - Tina Fat - Gorna Thin - Peina Wet - Asuna Dry - Sarna Pronunciation |
| Adverbs: Slowly - Derne Quickly - ʃine On - Sobne Under – Athne Away - Sine Towards - Harne Quietly - ʃane Loudly - Kuine Pronunciation |
Since we haven’t learned any other parts of speech, our examples will be simplistic.
“Why is this wet?” would become “This wet why?” or “Tasi asuna vuʃ?”
In this sentence, using this or that really depends on what you’re talking about.
If you’re asking how quickly you should stir a cauldron when you’ve already got your hands on the ladle, you would use ‘this.’ However, if you’re asking how quickly you should make your way to your next class to avoid being late, you might use ‘that.’ Remember, everything is based on context.
Colors
I of course mentioned there would be exceptions to the rules of ‘na’ and ‘ne’ describing adjectives and adverbs.
The most important exceptions that should be noted are colors. While they typically serve as adjectives, they do not follow the usual patterns. The good news is, they do follow another pattern, and are not completely random.
The most important exceptions that should be noted are colors. While they typically serve as adjectives, they do not follow the usual patterns. The good news is, they do follow another pattern, and are not completely random.
| Red - Ara Orange - Sora Yellow - Bira Green - Tira Blue - Vera Purple - Pura Black - Kura White - ʃira Brown - Gara Color - Slehara |