i Tamàra- Ma xolǎnǒn, avilǒm… ¿Las drom akana?
i Bibi- Beś panʒ minùte te keras o plàno. O biav uć nane but dur, pal-o kurko, aj o ćhave nane khonʒ: nanaj len gada, nanaj len tiraxa. Si te kinav i daj lenqe.
i Tamàra- Avav vi me te kamlǎn… Kaj te ʒas angleder?
i Bibi- Akava si. Tu, kana manges te ròdes te amalinǎ?
i Tamàra- Mi amalin akate si, na naśel. Luine ʒav palem te ròdav la k-i buti.
i Bibi- Laćhes. Te dikhas akana so si te kinas thaj angleder kon ta kon avel k-o biav, so kinen o avera manuśa, kon so anel kaj te ʒanas so anas amen o paśutne.
i Tamàra- Kames te kines bakres ?
i Bibi- Ma phen dilimàta, ćaćes sar paśutne ka sinam, perel sas amenqe angleder te anas bakres, ama mo phral kerel biav and-o restorànto. O xulaj si lesqo amal. Pakǎv so si te lel sàma but, kaj te ovel sa śukar, jekh biav te na bistren les o manuśa...
i Tamàra- Bute manuśen akhardǎs o kàko, naj te aresel jekh bakro.
i Bibi- Kòrkorro ʒanel o manuś, śaj te ćhinel 2 ja 3 bakren.
i Tamàra- Sine laćhe bakre k-o gav so dikhlǒm katar-o cird, aj vi tikne bakrićhe, pherdo.
i Bibi- Akana, amen o paśutne kinas butum kherutne butǎ: kućǎ laćhe, porćelàna, ćare kaj si ćiterde grasta opre, laćhe – jekh komplèto.
Today's topic 1 >>
the categories of the Rromani noun
All Rromani nouns (and related words like adjectives, pronouns and articles) are inflected (change their ending) according to three possible categories:
a) number: there are two numbers in Rromani, namely singular and plural
b) gender: there are two genders in Rromani, namely masculine and feminine
c) accidences: there are two accidences (forms of grammatical cases) in Rromani, which will the subject of topic 2.
There is one more category, namely definiteness, which is expressed by means of the definite article before the noun (or related word) as explained in padmad 5 topic 2.
Today's topic 2 >>
the two accidences (forms of grammatical cases) of the Rromani noun
click and you will see all nouns denoting human beings or other mammals (disregard things like drom or restorànto):
in purple in the absolute accidence (usually refered to as A-ćham – A-cheek) in red in the connected accidence (usually refered to as B-ćham – B-cheek – yes, a Rromani word has two cheeks, like you and me)
In the text there are 11 such words in both singular and plural as well as A- and B-ćham.
ZU Now try the game involving them and available through a click here >>
More >>
Now back to the text: note the function they fulfill according to the color:
- purple is the colour for people or animals who DO things; they are the subject of the clause and they appear as A-ćham.
- red is the colour for people who UNDERGO the actions done by somebody else; they are the object of the clause and they appear as B-ćham.
Note that in Rromani not only the third person of the verb may have an expressed subject, like in all other languages, but also the first person as well: Si te kinav i daj lenqe I have to buy, [me] the mother, for them – the subject is then as a rule a term of kinship and the sentence refers to children; this structure conveys a dimension of affection and loving care.
