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Category: Intermediate Marshallese Grammar

  • Lesson 45: I want you to go, let me go (The subjunctive)

    In earlier lessons you learned that ‘j,’ ‘ar,’ ‘kar,’ and ‘naaj’ are markers that can be put on subject pronouns to get the present, past, and future tenses.  There is one more of these markers, ‘n.’  In other books it is translated as ‘should,’ but this is not the best way to think about it…

  • Lesson 44: Another coconut, the other coconut, the other coconuts

     In the last lesson you learned the word ‘bar’ and its many uses.  There is another use of the word ‘bar’ to mean ‘other’: bar juon                      = or juon bar                  = again/one one/again = another bar ruo/jilu/emān        = or ruo/jilu/emān bar    = again/two,three,four two,three,four/again = two/three/four other bar jet                         = or jet bar                     = again/some…

  • Lesson 43: Again, back, also, else

     There is an extremely useful word in Marshallese: ‘bar.’  The basic meaning is ‘again,’ and you put it before the verb: Ij bar kōṃṃane      = I-PRES/again/do-it = I am doing it again Iban bar kōṃṃane = I-will not/again/do-it = I won’t do it again – With some words, we would translate it instead as ‘back’: Bar…

  • Lesson 42: Comparatives and superlatives

    Saying sentences like ‘I am bigger,’ ‘I am bigger than you,’ ‘I am the biggest’ works very much like in English.  These are the words you need: -ḷọk* -er -tata -est jān than *Not to be confused with the ‘ḷọk’ that means ‘to him/her/it/them’ or ‘hurry up and.’ For example: kilep big limo fun kilepḷọk…

  • Lesson 41: Directionals

    Lesson 41: Directionals

    – To say ‘to me,’ ‘to you,’ etc. in Marshallese, you can sometimes just say ‘ñan ña,’ ‘ñan kwe,’ etc. like in English.  However, you can also use the following words: Directionals tok to me/us (towards where I am or where we are) wōj or waj to you (towards where you are) ḷọk to him/her/it/them…

  • Lesson 40: Conditionals in Marshallese

    Lesson 40: Conditionals in Marshallese

    Lesson 40: Conditionals in Marshallese.

  • Lesson 39: Which fish, what kind of fish, you and who else?

    Lesson 39: Which fish, what kind of fish, you and who else?

                There are even more ways to make questions in Marshallese. – To say ‘which ___’ or ‘what kind of ____’, use the following words after the noun: ta which? rot or rōt or tor what kind of? For example: Āne ta?   = island/which = Which island? Ek rōt?    = fish/what kind = What kind…

  • Lesson 38: More about questions

    Lesson 38: More about questions

    In Lesson 19 you learned some common questions words (‘who,’ ‘what,’ etc.) and learned that they can be put in many places in the sentence, not just at the beginning.  There are some exceptions to this.  For the words for ‘how,’ ‘how much,’ ‘how long,’ and a certain word for ‘why,’ you must put them…

  • Lesson 37: After, before

    Lesson 37: After, before

    You can use ‘my,’ ‘your,’ etc. in yet another way in Marshallese. To say ‘after you go,’ or ‘before you go,’ you say instead ‘after your go,’ ‘before your go’.

  • Lesson 36: Comparatives in Marshallese

    Lesson 36: Comparatives in Marshallese

                In the last lesson you learned how to make sentences like ‘I fish often’ by saying ‘it is often my fish.’  You can also do the same sort of thing with adjectives, to say things like ‘It is very good,’ ‘it is pretty good,’ etc.  Here are some words you can use this way:…

  • Lesson 35: Adverbs

    Lesson 35: Adverbs

    Practical Marshallese. In Marshallese, instead of saying ‘I walk fast’ you would say ‘it is fast my walk.’

  • Lesson 34: Perfect Past Questions

    Lesson 34: Perfect Past Questions

    Learn how to ask questions about events that may have been completed.

  • Lesson 33: Negative Perfect Past

    Lesson 33: Negative Perfect Past

    To express negative past perfect statements, you can use the word “jañin”.

  • Lesson 32: Perfect Past

    Lesson 32: Perfect Past

    In Marshallese the following are expressed in the same way: I am finished eating, I have eaten, I already ate, I have already eaten.

  • Lesson 31: Not yet and never

    Lesson 31: Not yet and never

    Marshallese has a word ‘jañin’ (or ‘jāñin’) that means ‘not yet.’ It goes before the verb or adjective.

  • Lesson 30: Do you have?

    Lesson 30: Do you have?

    To make questions with ‘have’ (like ‘do you have a pencil?’ or ‘does she have any sisters?’) just add ‘ke’ after ‘ewōr’ or ‘elōñ’.

  • Lesson 29: I have one, I have two, I have many

    Lesson 29: I have one, I have two, I have many

    In order to say ‘I have many___,’ ‘I have few___,’ ‘I have some ___,’ etc., use the words for ‘there are many,’ ‘there are few,’ ‘there are some’

  • Lesson 28: I have a pencil with me

    Lesson 28: I have a pencil with me

    In the last lesson you learned how to say ‘I have,’ ‘you have’ etc. There is another way to say these kinds of sentences. If you mean ‘I have a ___ with me’ or ‘I am carrying a ____’ (as opposed to ‘I own a ___’ or ‘There is a ___ that belongs to me’),…

  • Lesson 27: I have, you have, I don’t have, you don’t have

    Lesson 27: I have, you have, I don’t have, you don’t have

    The way to say ‘I have,’ ‘you have,’ etc. in Marshallese is very different from English. There is no word for ‘have.’ Instead of saying ‘I have a pencil,’ you say ‘there is my pencil.’ Instead of saying ‘I don’t have a pencil’ you say ‘there is no my pencil.’

  • Lesson 26: There is, there are, there are many

    Lesson 26: There is, there are, there are many

    To say a sentence like ‘there are sharks or ‘there is a lot of breadfruit’ in Marshallese, you use the equivalent of the phrases ‘there is,’ ‘there are,’ ‘there are many,’ etc. in English.

  • Glossary of Useful Words from Practical Marshallese

    Glossary of Useful Words from Practical Marshallese

    A glossary of about 1500 Marshallese words, in order of usefulness. Designed so you can sit down every day and learn a few new words.