Building Sentences: Particles, Subjects, and Objects

New Words and Phrases (in English)

In this step, you’ll meet some key structure words (particles) and a few useful verbs that let you build full Toki Pona sentences: subject, verb, and object.

Language Pattern (in English)

1. Basic Sentence Structure

The most common Toki Pona sentence pattern is:

Subject li Verb e Object

• Subject = who or what does the action
• li = links subject to verb (like a separator)
• Verb = action or description
• e = marks the direct object (what receives the action)

Examples:

• jan li moku. – “The person eats.”
• jan li moku e kili. – “The person eats fruit.”

Here:

• jan (person) = subject
• li = subject marker
• moku (to eat) = verb
• e kili (fruit) = direct object

2. Using li with Different Subjects

General rule:

• Use li after any subject except:
• mi (I, me) alone as subject
• sina (you) alone as subject

So:

• mi moku. – “I eat.” (no li)
• sina lape. – “You sleep.” (no li)
• jan li pali. – “The person works.” (needs li)
• soweli li lape. – “The animal sleeps.”

If the subject is mi or sina plus something else, you use li:

• mi en sina li pali. – “You and I work.”

3. Using e for Direct Objects

Use e before any direct object (the thing that receives the action of the verb).

Pattern:

• Subject li Verb e Object

Examples:

• mi moku e moku. – “I eat food.”
• sina pali e tomo. – “You build a house.” / “You work on the house.”

If there are two objects, repeat e each time:

• mi moku e kili e telo. – “I consume fruit and water.”

4. Using la for Context and Conditions

la connects a context phrase to the main sentence. The structure is:

[Context] la [Main sentence]

The context can be:

• time
• place
• condition
• topic situation

Examples:

• tenpo ni la mi pali. – “Right now, I work.”
• tenpo lape la jan li lape. – “At sleeping time, people sleep.”
• sina lon tomo la mi lape. – “If you are in the house, I sleep.” / “When you are in the house, I sleep.”

Notice that la is not translated word-for-word. Think of it as “in this situation,” “when,” or “if,” depending on context.

5. Putting It All Together

You can combine these patterns to make clear, flexible sentences:

• tenpo suno ni la mi moku e moku.

“Today, I eat food.”

• tenpo pimeja la jan li lape.

“At night, people sleep.”

• sina wile pali la mi pali e tomo.

“If you want to work, I work on the house.” / “When you want to work, I build the house.”

As you practice, focus on:

• putting li after most subjects
• putting e right before each direct object
• putting the context before la, then the main sentence after.

Practice Dialogue (in English)

In this conversation, two friends talk about what they are doing now and later. Notice how they use li, e, and la to show subjects, actions, objects, and context.

Check Your Understanding (in English)

Choose the best Toki Pona sentence to match the English meaning and correct use of li and e.