kai

unit 2 / lesson 4

Questions, Short Answers, and Repair

Learn how to ask yes-no questions, use the main question words, answer briefly, and repair communication when you do not understand.

spaced review

grammar return practice

9 patterns due

Start here before the new lesson work. These earlier patterns are deliberately returning in a later lesson.

third later lesson / from unit 1 / lesson 1

Sounds, Spelling, and First Words

Mix this pattern with the current lesson's main form so retrieval happens in a new context.

  • first-syllable stress
  • no hidden English spelling rules
  • phonemic spelling
  • pure vowels
next lesson / from unit 2 / lesson 3

Wanting, Needing, and Having

Before new material, explain the older pattern aloud and write one fresh Kai sentence with it.

  • li for wanting and direction
  • nive for need
  • possession as relation
  • safety vocabulary
  • te for with/having

beginner vocabulary load

cumulative vocabulary limit

within limit
new terms
22
cumulative
58
limit
60
remaining
2

The Beginner course keeps a running vocabulary cap so learners can practice the sentence engine without uncontrolled word growth.

new in this lesson

  • ya
  • sai
  • sha
  • anvai
  • yael
  • yano
  • yava
  • yari
  • yana
  • yaal
  • yave
  • ma
  • lune
  • rin-te
  • rine
  • shal
  • tio
  • luni
  • kailun
  • yale
  • sailune
  • neli

vocabulary

lesson vocabulary

27 items
  • ya
  • sai
  • sha
  • anvai
  • yael
  • yano
  • yava
  • yari
  • yana
  • yaal
  • yave
  • ma
  • lune
  • rin-te
  • rine
  • shal
  • miri
  • tio
  • luni
  • kailun
  • yale
  • sailune
  • neli
  • niva
  • huno
  • namo
  • noa

grammar

lesson patterns

5 patterns
  • final ya for yes-no questions
  • content question words
  • question-word placement
  • short answers
  • repair phrases

pronunciation

pronunciation practice

8 cues

say these words

  1. ya yah /ˈja/
  2. sai seye /ˈsai̯/
  3. sha shah /ˈʃa/
  4. anvai ahn-veye /ˈan.ʋai̯/
  5. yael yah-ehl /ˈjae̯l/
  6. yano yah-noh /ˈja.no/
  7. yava yah-vah /ˈja.ʋa/
  8. yari yah-ree /ˈja.ɾi/

speaking routine

  1. Say each form once slowly, keeping every written vowel audible.
  2. Repeat the list at normal speed without changing the vowel quality.
  3. Use two words in a short sentence and keep first-syllable stress stable.

translation

translation drill

8 prompts
  1. Translate Ti e niva ya?
  2. Translate Ti li huno ya?
  3. Translate Huno te ti ya?
  4. Translate Ti el nive namo ya?
  5. Translate Sai. Mi e niva.
  6. Translate Sha. Mi sha li namo.
  7. Translate Anvai.
  8. Translate Ti li yano?

dialogue

dialogue practice

1 model / 1 audio model

Mini-Dialogue

  1. Ti e niva ya? Are you safe?
  2. Sai. Mi e niva. Yes. I am safe.
  3. Ti li yano? What do you want?
  4. Mi li huno. I want water.
  5. Ti e miri ya? Do you understand?
  6. Sha. Ma lune rin-te. No. Please say it again.

+3 more turns in the lesson

dialogue audio model

Short call-and-response exchanges for first-course listening practice.

source text beginner dialogue

listening

listening practice

1 audio source

Beginner dialogue audio

Short call-and-response exchanges for first-course listening practice.

source text beginner dialogue
  1. Listen once without the source text and follow the speaker turns.
  2. Replay and shadow three short Kai lines aloud.
  3. Write two lines from dictation, then check the source text.

listening comprehension

  1. 01
    In BD001, what does speaker A ask after the greeting? catch the first yes-no question
    answer

    Ti en noa ya?

  2. 02
    What answer confirms that speaker B is in noa? recognize a positive identity answer
    answer

    Sai. Mi en noa.

  3. 03
    What question about huno repeats in every beginner dialogue? hear a repeated desire question
    answer

    Ti li huno ya?

  4. 04
    How does speaker B answer when they want huno? hear a positive want statement
    answer

    Sai, mi li huno.

  5. 05
    Across BD001-BD005, which five words follow en in speaker A's first question? track the changing keyword
    answer

    noa, namnoa, lunnoa, kamnoa, sannoa.

answers

structured answer key

1 section / 25 answers
Answer Key 25 answers
  • 1 Are you safe?
  • 2 Do you want water?
  • 3 Do you have water? Literal: Is water with you?
  • 4 Do you need food?
  • 5 Yes. I am safe.
  • 6 No. I do not want food.
  • 7 Maybe.
  • 8 What do you want?
  • 9 Where am I?
  • 10 Who is in the place / at home?
  • 11 ya
  • 12 Sai. Mi e niva.
  • 13 yano
  • 14 yava
  • 15 rin-te
  • 16 Ti e niva ya?
  • 17 Ti li huno ya?
  • 18 Ti el nive yano?
  • 19 Noa en yava?
  • 20 Mi sha e miri.
  • 21 Ma lune al rin shal.
  • 22 Tio e yano luni?
  • 23 Ti li yano? is better because yano stands where the wanted thing would stand.
  • 24 Ti e niva ya? is better because ya belongs at the end of a yes-no question.
  • 25 Model answer: Ti e niva ya? / Sai. Mi e niva. / Ti li yano? / Mi sha e miri. Ma lune rin-te.

Objectives

  • Turn a statement into a yes-no question with final ya.
  • Answer briefly with sai, sha, and anvai.
  • Use the main content question words: yael, yano, yava, yari, yana, yaal, and yave.
  • Put question words where the missing answer would normally stand.
  • Use repair phrases when you do not understand, need repetition, or want correction.

Core Idea

Common Kai questions are direct and regular. For yes-no questions, keep the sentence order and add ya at the end.

Ti e niva. = You are safe.

Ti e niva ya? = Are you safe?

For content questions, use a question word in the place where the answer would go.

Ti li huno. = You want water.

Ti li yano? = What do you want?

This makes questions easier to build because you do not need to move the whole sentence around.

Vocabulary

Kai Meaning Use
ya question marker yes-no questions
sai yes, aligned short positive answer
sha no, not short negative answer or negation
anvai maybe uncertain short answer
ma please, command/request marker polite requests and commands
lune speak, say repair phrases
rin-te again ask for repetition
rine now confirm new understanding
shal slow, gentle pace ask for slower speech
miri aware, understanding comprehension
tio this asking about a word or phrase
luni meaning asking what something means
kailun the language of Kai translation help
yale learn, teach learning context
sailune answer asking for correction or response
neli honesty correction and truthfulness

The word sha has two beginner uses:

Use Kai English
short answer Sha. No.
negation Mi sha e miri. I do not understand.

Yes-No Questions with Final ya

To ask whether a sentence is true, put ya at the end. The statement stays intact.

Statement Question English Question
Ti e niva. Ti e niva ya? Are you safe?
Mi e miri. Ti e miri ya? Do you understand?
Ti li huno. Ti li huno ya? Do you want water?
Huno te ti. Huno te ti ya? Do you have water?
Ti el nive namo. Ti el nive namo ya? Do you need food?
Mi en noa. Mi en noa ya? Am I at home / in the place?

Notice that English changes word order: "you are" becomes "are you." Kai does not do that in these beginner examples. It simply adds ya.

Short Answers

Begin with the shortest useful answers.

Kai English Use
Sai. Yes. aligned / true
Sha. No. not aligned / false
Anvai. Maybe. possible, uncertain

You can stop there when the context is clear.

Question Short Answer Fuller Answer
Ti e niva ya? Sai. Sai. Mi e niva.
Ti li namo ya? Sha. Sha. Mi sha li namo.
Ti el nive huno ya? Anvai. Anvai. Mi el nive huno.

In real speech, a short answer plus a full sentence is often clearest for learners.

Content Question Words

Use content question words when you are not asking yes or no.

Kai Meaning Example English
yael who Yael en noa? Who is at home / in the place?
yano what Ti li yano? What do you want?
yava where Ti el yare li yava? Where are you going?
yari when Nai an yare yari? When will we go?
yana why Ti sha el yare yana? Why are you not going?
yaal how Mi el ore yaal? How do I make it?
yave how many Yave elin en noa? How many people are in the place?

You do not need all of these to speak today. Learn yano, yava, and yael first, then keep the full set nearby.

Question-Word Placement

The main rule is simple: put the question word where the missing answer would go.

Answer Sentence Question What changed
Ti li huno. Ti li yano? huno became yano
Ti el nive namo. Ti el nive yano? namo became yano
Mi en noa. Mi en yava? noa became yava
Nai an yare rine. Nai an yare yari? rine became yari

For "who" as the subject, yael can come first.

Question English
Yael en noa? Who is in the place?
Yael e teeli na ti? Who is your friend?

Do not add final ya to content questions. Use ya for yes-no questions. Use yano, yava, and the other question words for content questions.

Repair Phrases

Repair phrases keep conversation alive when you miss something. These are high-value beginner phrases.

Common Kai English When to use it
Mi sha e miri. I do not understand. You missed the meaning.
Ma lune rin-te. Please say it again. You need repetition.
Ma lune al rin shal. Please speak slowly. The speed is too high.
Tio e yano luni? What does this mean? You point to a word or phrase.
Tio e yaal en kailun? How do you say this in Kai? You need a Kai expression.
Ma sailune li mi al neli. Please correct me honestly. You want correction.
Mi e miri rine. I understand now. You have understood after help.

These phrases are not failure phrases. They are part of fluent conversation. A good learner repairs quickly instead of pretending.

Watch Out

English habit Better Kai habit
Moving the verb to ask a yes-no question Keep the sentence and add final ya.
Adding ya to every question Use ya only for yes-no questions.
Placing every question word at the front Put the question word where the missing answer would go.
Answering only with English habits Use Sai., Sha., or Anvai. first, then add a full sentence if needed.
Staying silent when confused Use a repair phrase.

Guided Practice

Turn each statement into a yes-no question.

  1. Ti e niva.
  2. Ti li huno.
  3. Ti el nive namo.
  4. Huno te ti.
  5. Mi e miri.

Now choose the right question word.

  1. Ti li __? = What do you want?
  2. Mi en __? = Where am I?
  3. __ en noa? = Who is in the place?
  4. Nai an yare __? = When will we go?
  5. Ti sha el yare __? = Why are you not going?

Mini-Dialogue

Kai English
Ti e niva ya? Are you safe?
Sai. Mi e niva. Yes. I am safe.
Ti li yano? What do you want?
Mi li huno. I want water.
Ti e miri ya? Do you understand?
Sha. Ma lune rin-te. No. Please say it again.
Tio e yano luni? What does this mean?
Tio e huno. This is water.
Sai. Mi e miri rine. Yes. I understand now.

Practice

  1. Translate: Ti e niva ya?
  2. Translate: Ti li huno ya?
  3. Translate: Huno te ti ya?
  4. Translate: Ti el nive namo ya?
  5. Translate: Sai. Mi e niva.
  6. Translate: Sha. Mi sha li namo.
  7. Translate: Anvai.
  8. Translate: Ti li yano?
  9. Translate: Mi en yava?
  10. Translate: Yael en noa?
  11. Fill the blank: Ti e miri ___? = Do you understand?
  12. Fill the blank: ___ e niva. = Yes. I am safe.
  13. Fill the blank: Ti li ___? = What do you want?
  14. Fill the blank: Mi en ___? = Where am I?
  15. Fill the blank: Ma lune ___. = Please say it again.
  16. Write in Kai: Are you safe?
  17. Write in Kai: Do you want water?
  18. Write in Kai: What do you need?
  19. Write in Kai: Where is home / the place?
  20. Write in Kai: I do not understand.
  21. Write in Kai: Please speak slowly.
  22. Write in Kai: What does this mean?
  23. Choose the better Kai question for "What do you want?": Ya ti li huno? or Ti li yano?
  24. Choose the better Kai question for "Are you safe?": Ti e niva ya? or Ti e ya niva?
  25. Write a four-line mini-dialogue that includes one yes-no question, one content question, one short answer, and one repair phrase.

Answer Key

  1. Are you safe?
  2. Do you want water?
  3. Do you have water? Literal: Is water with you?
  4. Do you need food?
  5. Yes. I am safe.
  6. No. I do not want food.
  7. Maybe.
  8. What do you want?
  9. Where am I?
  10. Who is in the place / at home?
  11. ya
  12. Sai. Mi e niva.
  13. yano
  14. yava
  15. rin-te
  16. Ti e niva ya?
  17. Ti li huno ya?
  18. Ti el nive yano?
  19. Noa en yava?
  20. Mi sha e miri.
  21. Ma lune al rin shal.
  22. Tio e yano luni?
  23. Ti li yano? is better because yano stands where the wanted thing would stand.
  24. Ti e niva ya? is better because ya belongs at the end of a yes-no question.
  25. Model answer: Ti e niva ya? / Sai. Mi e niva. / Ti li yano? / Mi sha e miri. Ma lune rin-te.

Next Step

Next you will learn place and direction more deeply: li, na, en, al, and te.