Common Kai Reference Grammar v0.4
Status: draft standard
This reference defines the practical grammar of Common Kai. It is written for learners, dictionary editors, corpus writers, and translators who need stable sentence formation.
1. Registers
Common Kai is the default for clear communication. Sacred Kai may compress or bend grammar, but Common Kai examples should be recoverable by a learner.
Use Common Kai for:
- daily conversation.
- teaching.
- ordinary letters and dialogue.
- technical, medical, legal, and safety instructions.
- dictionary and corpus examples.
Use Sacred Kai for:
- vows.
- chants.
- ritual address.
- mythic formulas.
- seals and poetic compression.
2. Parts of Speech
Kai roots are flexible, but Common Kai requires each dictionary entry to name its normal behavior:
| Role | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| particle | grammar marker | el, li, sha |
| pronoun | speech participant | mi, ti, si, nai |
| noun | presence, thing, field, concept | noa, namo, lumo |
| predicate | action/process | name, yare, lune |
| quality | descriptive state | niva, miri, lumo |
| connector | joins clauses or phrases | ri, vai, te |
| question | content question word | yano, yava |
| number | quantity | a, la, ve |
3. Basic Clause Shape
Default order:
[topic] [subject] [state/aspect/modal] [predicate] [object/complement] [relation phrases] [time/place/discourse] [question]
Examples:
Mi e eli.= I am a being/consciousness.Ti el name namo.= You are eating food.Nai an yare li noa rinan.= We will go home later.Si or vae teno li mi.= They gave the object to me.
4. Topics
A topic may appear first, followed by a comma in learning texts.
Pattern:
[topic], [clause]
Examples:
Rinum, mi um yare li noa.= In the past, I went home.Tio, mi sha e miri.= As for this, I do not understand.Na yano, ti sha el yare?= Because of what are you not going?
Do not overuse topic fronting in beginner Common Kai.
5. Pronouns and People
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| mi | I, me |
| ti | you |
| si | they, that one, he/she when gender is irrelevant |
| nai | we here, all present |
| eli | being, consciousness |
| elin | beings, people |
| elen | person, embodied being |
Common Kai does not require gendered pronouns. If gender, kinship, or identity matters, use a noun or name.
Examples:
Maria e elen.= Maria is a person.Si e aeli.= They are an elder.Nai e nain.= We here are a community.
6. Identity, Quality, and Location
Use e for identity, class, and quality.
Mi e eli.= I am a being.Noa e niva.= The home is safe.Tio e namo.= This is food.
Use zero-copula relation phrases for location and possession-like relations.
Mi en noa.= I am home/at the place.Teno te mi.= The object is with me; I have the object.Lumo na kai.= Light from Kai.
Avoid Mi e en noa. in Common Kai.
7. Aspect and Time
Common Kai marks aspect before the predicate.
| Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| an | future, intended, about to | Mi an yare. = I will go. |
| el | current process | Mi el yare. = I am going. |
| or | completed, manifest | Mi or yare. = I went / I have gone. |
| um | remembered past, dream, recollection | Mi um yare. = I remember going / I went in memory. |
| ra | timeless or archetypal | Kai ra e vayai. = Kai is beyond realms. |
Time words clarify tense:
rine= now.rinum= before, past time.rinan= later, future time.rino= date, hour, visible time point.rinai= eternity, time beyond.
Examples:
Mi el name namo rine.= I am eating food now.Mi or name namo rinum.= I ate food before.Mi an name namo rinan.= I will eat food later.
8. Habitual Action
Use ra only for timeless truths, not ordinary habits. For habits, use rinve (regular time, every cycle) or a frequency phrase.
Recommended v0.4 forms:
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| rinve | regular time, every cycle |
| rina | first time, beginning of a period |
| rinno | day/date point when exactness matters |
Patterns:
Mi el kame rinve.= I work regularly / every day in context.Ti el some rinve ya?= Do you sleep regularly?Nai el venlune rinve.= We meet/discuss regularly.
If exact calendar meaning matters, use a loan or technical phrase until the time lexicon is expanded.
9. Objects and Complements
Direct objects follow the predicate.
Mi el name namo.= I am eating food.Ti or mire lumo.= You saw the light.Si an ore noa.= They will build a home.
Relation phrases follow direct objects.
Mi el vae teno li ti.= I am giving the object to you.Ti or lune nelo te nai.= You spoke a true statement with us.
10. Relation Phrases
| Particle | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| li | to, toward, for, wanting | Mi yare li noa. |
| na | of, from, because of | Noa na mi. |
| en | in, at, within, among | Mi en noa. |
| al | through, by, using | Mi ore al alo. |
| te | with, and | Mi te ti el yare. |
| ra | beyond | Yair ra noa. |
Multiple relation phrases are allowed if ordered from core relation to wider context:
Mi el vae teno li ti en noa rine.= I am giving the object to you at home now.
11. Negation
Place sha before the unit being negated.
Mi sha el yare.= I am not going.Mi e sha miri.= I am not aware / I do not understand.Mi el yare sha li noa.= I am going, but not homeward.Sha, mi sha li namo.= No, I do not want food.
For prohibition, use ma sha.
Ma sha vae vao.= Do not open the door.
12. Questions
Yes-no questions put ya at the end.
Ti el name ya?= Are you eating?Mi en noa ya?= Am I at home?
Content question words:
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yael | who | Yael en noa? |
| yano | what | Ti el vae yano? |
| yava | where | Ti el yare li yava? |
| yari | when | Nai an yare yari? |
| yana | why | Ti sha el yare yana? |
| yaal | how | Mi el ore yaal? |
| yave | how many | Yave elin en noa? |
Question words normally stand where the answer would stand. Yael may appear first when it is the subject.
13. Commands, Requests, and Permission
Use ma for requests, blessings, and commands.
Ma yare li noa.= Go home.Ma sile mi.= Listen to me.Ma luma li ti.= May light move toward you.
Use ma vari for explicit permission.
Ma vari va mi el yare ya?= May I go?Sai, ti vari el yare.= Yes, you may go.
Use ma sha for prohibition.
Ma sha hune huno.= Do not drink the water.
14. Modality
v0.4 separates ability, permission, obligation, advice, possibility, desire, and need.
| Meaning | Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| want | li |
subject li noun/action |
Mi li huno. = I want water. |
| need | nive |
subject el/e nive object/action |
Mi el nive huno. = I need water. |
| can, able | kiri |
subject e kiri li action |
Mi e kiri li yare. = I can go. |
| may, permitted | vari |
subject e vari li action |
Ti e vari li yare. = You may go. |
| must | lano li |
lano li subject action |
Lano li mi yare. = I must go / rule requires me to go. |
| should | sai li |
sai li subject action |
Sai li ti some. = You should sleep. |
| might, possible | an-vai |
subject an-vai action |
Mi an-vai yare. = I might go. |
These forms are draft v0.4 standards. Add them to the dictionary before using them heavily in corpus files.
15. Ability vs Permission vs Possibility
Do not use one word for all English "can."
- Ability:
Mi e kiri li yare.= I am able to go. - Permission:
Mi e vari li yare.= I am allowed to go. - Possibility:
Mi an-vai yare.= I might go / it is possible I go.
Questions:
Ti e kiri li ore ya?= Can you make it? Are you able?Mi e vari li yare ya?= May I go? Am I allowed?Ti an-vai yare ya?= Might you go?
16. Comparison
v0.4 comparison uses rali for measured/more quality and sharali for less. Use te for the comparison standard.
Draft forms:
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| rali | more, greater degree |
| sharali | less, lower degree |
| saini | same, equal in relevant quality |
| viri | different, distinct |
Patterns:
Noa tio e rali lumo te noa sio.= This home is brighter than that home.Teno tio e sharali kiro te teno sio.= This object is less heavy than that object.Mi te ti e saini kiri.= You and I are equally strong/able.Tio e viri na sio.= This is different from that.
Until comparison words are fully lexicalized, technical texts may use explicit measurement.
17. Quantifiers
Recommended v0.4 quantifier forms:
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| nai | all present, all here | Nai el yare. |
| elin-ve | all people in a known group | Elin-ve en noa. |
| somen | some, several | Somen elin en noa. |
| ralin | many | Ralin elin en noa. |
| shalin | few | Shalin elin en noa. |
| a-a | each, every one | A-a elen el lune. |
| shan | none, no group | Shan elin en noa. |
| only | soli |
Soli mi el yare. = Only I go. |
These forms must be added to the dictionary before broad corpus use.
18. Relative Clauses
Use va after the head noun to introduce a relative clause. The relative clause keeps normal word order. If the head is the missing argument, leave a gap.
Pattern:
[head noun] va [clause about head]
Examples:
Elen va el lune en noa e teeli na mi.= The person who is speaking at home is my friend.Alo va mi or ale e niva.= The tool that I used is safe.Noa va nai an ore e lumo.= The home that we will build is bright.
When ambiguity is possible, repeat the head with a pronoun:
Elen va si el lune en noa e teeli na mi.= The person, who is speaking at home, is my friend.
19. Clause Gate and Indirect Speech
Use va for that/whether clauses.
Mi e miri va ti en noa.= I understand that you are at home.Mi el yale va ti an yare ya.= I ask whether you will go.Si or lune va kai en nai.= They said that Kai is within us.
For reported questions, keep ya inside the embedded clause.
Mi or yale va ti li huno ya.= I asked whether you wanted water.
20. Direct Quoted Speech
Use lune: before direct quotation in Roman learning text.
Ti or lune: "Mi en noa."= You said, "I am at home."Mi or sailune: "Sai."= I answered, "Yes."
If punctuation is not available, use va as a clause gate instead.
21. Cause, Reason, and Purpose
Use na for cause/source.
Mi sha yare na mi e sanu.= I do not go because I am ill.Ti el hene na heni en ti.= You laugh because joy is in you.
Use li for purpose.
Mi el ore noa li ela en niva.= I build a home so that the child is safe.Nai el venlune li miri.= We discuss in order to understand.
22. Conditions
Use an va for "if/when the condition is seeded."
An va ti el yare, mi te ti el yare.= If you go, I go with you.An va huno en noa, ma hune huno.= If water is at home, drink water.
For counterfactual or unreal conditions, add um in the condition and an-vai in the result until a dedicated counterfactual marker is accepted.
An va mi um e kiri, mi an-vai yare.= If I had been able, I might have gone.
23. Before, After, While, Until, Since
Use time-gate phrases with rin.
Recommended v0.4 forms:
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| rinum va | before/when remembered before |
| rinor va | after/when manifest after |
| rinel va | while/during unfolding |
| rinsha va | until/not before |
| rinna va | since/from the time that |
Examples:
Rinum va ti or yare, mi el name.= Before you went, I was eating.Rinor va mi or name, mi or yare.= After I ate, I went.Rinel va nai el kame, si el sile.= While we worked, they listened.Mi sha yare rinsha va ti en noa.= I will not go until you are home.Rinna va mi or mire ti, mi e miri.= Since I saw you, I understand.
These should be added to the dictionary and corpus.
24. Passive-Like Meaning
Common Kai prefers active clauses. If the actor is unknown or irrelevant, put the affected noun as subject and use or plus predicate.
Vao or vae.= The door was opened / the door became open.Noa or ore.= The home was built.Luno or kale.= The text was written/marked.
If the actor matters, add na or al depending on meaning:
Vao or vae na ti.= The door was opened by you/from your action.Luno or kale al kalo.= The text was written with a marker.
25. Causative Meaning
Use ore va for "make/cause that."
Mi or ore va ti el lune.= I made you speak / I caused that you spoke.Sano or ore va mi e niva.= The medicine made me safe.
For gentle enabling rather than forcing, use vae va.
Ti or vae va mi el lune.= You allowed/opened the way for me to speak.
26. Reflexives
Use self-field compounds with the pronoun plus miri when self-reference matters.
Recommended v0.4 forms:
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| mimiri | myself |
| timiri | yourself |
| simiri | themself |
| naimiri | ourselves |
Examples:
Mi el mire mimiri.= I see myself.Ti sha el nive timiri.= You are not supporting yourself.Nai el yele naimiri.= We teach ourselves.
27. Emphasis and Focus
Recommended v0.4 focus forms:
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| sai... | indeed, truly, aligned emphasis |
| soli | only |
| tei | also, too |
| rin-te | again |
| ai | even, beyond expectation |
Examples:
Sai mi el yare.= I really am going.Soli mi el yare.= Only I am going.Ti tei el yare.= You are also going.Mi el yare rin-te.= I go again.Ai ti el yare.= Even you are going.
28. Discourse Words
Discourse words guide conversation. These are draft v0.4 forms.
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ri | but, however | Mi li yare, ri mi e sanu. |
| liri | therefore, so | Huno en noa; liri mi el hune. |
| anvai | maybe, perhaps | Anvai mi an yare. |
| sainel | actually, truly | Sainel, mi e miri. |
| rin-te | again | Ma lune rin-te. |
| lumri | anyway, returning to clarity | Lumri, nai an yare. |
Add these to dictionary data before broad teaching use.
29. Repair Phrases
Learners need repair phrases early.
| English | Common Kai |
|---|---|
| I do not understand. | Mi sha e miri. |
| Please say it again. | Ma lune rin-te. |
| Speak slowly, please. | Ma lune al rin shal. |
| What does this mean? | Tio e yano luni? |
| I mean... | Mi li lune va... |
| How do you say this in Kai? | Tio e yaal en kailun? |
| Please correct me. | Ma sailune li mi al nel. |
rin shal means slow time and should be lexicalized before broad corpus use.
30. Numbers
Kai uses base six.
| Decimal | Kai |
|---|---|
| 1 | a |
| 2 | la |
| 3 | sa |
| 4 | no |
| 5 | ri |
| 6 | ve |
| 7 | ve a / vea |
| 8 | ve la / vela |
| 9 | ve sa / vesa |
| 10 | ve no / veno |
| 11 | ve ri / veri |
| 12 | la ve / lave |
| 36 | ve ve / veve |
Use spaced forms in teaching. Joined forms are accepted for common numbers.
31. Articles and Definiteness
Common Kai has no required articles. Context decides whether noa means "a home," "the home," or "home."
Use a only when the number one matters.
Noa en nara.= A/the home is on the ground.A noa en nara.= One home is on the ground.
Use tio for this and sio for that.
32. Plural and Groups
The ending -n marks a field/group when plurality matters.
eli= being/person in type.elin= beings/people as a group.la eli= two beings.la elin= two groups of beings.
Do not mark plural mechanically when a number already makes quantity clear.
33. Modifiers
Common modifier patterns:
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
head quality |
attributive modifier | noa niva = safe home |
head e quality |
predicate quality | Noa e niva. = The home is safe. |
head na source |
source/material/belonging | lumo na kai = light from Kai |
| compound | stable lexical concept | namnoa = kitchen |
When precision matters, prefer predicate quality or source phrase over compact modifier.
34. Compounds
Compound order:
[source/root/domain] + [form/field/head]
Examples:
luntelo= speech-device, phone.namnoa= food-place, kitchen.sannoa= healing-place, clinic.mirtelo= seeing-device, camera.
If a compound is hard to pronounce, add a vowel or choose a clearer phrase.
35. Loanwords
Borrow when identity or exact technical reference matters.
Use Kai compounds for transparent everyday objects:
- phone =
luntelo - clinic =
sannoa - camera =
mirtelo
Borrow for:
- personal names.
- place names.
- brands.
- programming languages.
- exact scientific terms.
- units and symbols.
Mark loans as loan or technical.
36. Punctuation
Roman learning text uses ordinary punctuation:
- period for statements.
- question mark with final
yaor content question. - comma after fronted topic or condition.
- colon before direct quotation.
Examples:
An va ti en noa, ma hune huno.Mi or lune: "Kai en nai."
37. Common Kai Test
A sentence is valid Common Kai if:
- The main clause has a recoverable subject or accepted zero-copula relation.
- Aspect/modal markers appear before the predicate they govern.
- Direct objects follow predicates.
- Relation phrases are marked.
- Questions are marked by final
yaor content question word. - Sacred compression is not required to understand the grammar.
If a sentence is beautiful but not recoverable, mark it Sacred or Poetic Kai, not Common Kai.