The -ri Suffix

Kaltxì! And welcome to Lesson 9.

This lesson will hopefully better your understanding of the topical suffix -ri.

Topics

-ri: What is it?

Typical Use Cases

Examples

Note on -ri vs. fpi+

Vocabulary Used

-ri: What is it?

-ri introduces the topic of what you are about to say. It gives your sentence a theme, and this is often done in English by using "As for..." or simply "for".

The -ri in "ngeyä srungìri ngaru irayo si oe" lets us know that the theme is the "srung" - the help. It tells us that the reason that oe is thanking to nga is the srung... in other words, oe thanks nga for their srung. "I thank you for your help."
The topic (word with -ri) almost always comes first in the sentence.

Typical Use Cases

-ri is found most commonly in sentences with:

• irayo si (for the "thank for" meaning)
• tsap'alute si (for the "apologise for" meaning)
• pey (for the "wait for" meaning)
• kllfro' (for the "be responsible for" meaning)
• tìkangkem si (for the "work on" meaning)

Examples

Note on -ri vs. fpi+

Lastly, don't confuse -ri with fpi+. Fpi+ means "for" as in "for the sake/benefit of". With fpi, you are acting to benefit something. E.g., Oe 'ìyem ngafpi. "I will cook for (the sake of) you."

Eywa Ngahu!

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Vocabulary Used