lesson 18: feelings
Let’s learn how to be more expressive in Toki Pona!
to feel, to experience; heart
dirty, disgusting, rotten
scary thing, fear
to break, to harm
pilin
To talk about how they feel, people often use the verb pilin with an adjective:
to feel good
to feel powerful
mi pilin nasa.
I feel strange.
sina pilin seme?
How are you feeling?
mi pilin monsuta tan soweli.
I am scared of animals.
You can also talk about something affecting pilin sina, your sensations:
sina pona e pilin mi.
You make me feel better.
kon li jaki tawa pilin.
The air feels foul to me.
Interjections
Interjections are short phrases that can occur on their own, without a full sentence. They can serve as greetings, expressions of emotion, or work as responses in conversation.
Let’s look at a few common Toki Pona interjections:
Hello! Let's talk!
Good!
I see. Understood. Got it.
Incredible! Amazing!
That's true.
Welcome!
But it’s not a complete list! In the right context, almost anything could be an interjection:
(Aaah!) A bug!
One special interjection, however, is a:
ah, huh, oh
It’s less of a word, and more of a stand-in for any sorts of sounds of excitement, hesitation, joy we might make. It often goes with other interjections, or in full sentences:
How sweet!
Ah, perhaps.
hahaha!
When used in full sentences, it emphasises whatever it comes after:
mi sona ala a e ni!
I do not know that!