Time, Space, and Quantity With a Tiny Toolkit

New Words and Phrases: Time, Space, and Quantity

Here are some core Toki Pona words to talk about place, movement, time, and approximate quantity. We will use them to say where things are, when things happen, and roughly how many there are.

Language Patterns: Time, Space, and Approximate Amount

1. Talking about place: lon, tawa, poka, insa

In Toki Pona, a few words cover many location and movement ideas.

1. lon = at / in / on / (to be) present

• Use lon to say where something is.
• Pattern: [subject] li lon [place].

Examples:

• "mi lon tomo."
• I am in the house.
• "telo li lon poka tomo."
• The water is beside the building.

1. tawa = to / toward / for / go

• tawa can be a verb (to go) or a preposition (to, toward, for).
• As a verb:
• "mi tawa tomo."
• I go (to) the house.
• As a preposition after another verb:
• "mi pana e moku tawa sina."
• I give food to you.

1. poka = side / next to / with

• Use poka to show something is beside or with something.

Examples:

• "sina lon poka mi."
• You are next to me.
• "jan pona mi li tawa poka mi."
• My friend walks with me.

1. insa = inside / inner part

• Use insa together with lon to say "inside".

Examples:

• "kasi li lon insa tomo."
• The plant is inside the house.
• "jan li lon insa kulupu."
• The person is inside the group.

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2. Talking about time: tenpo, pini, kama, ni

You already know ni = this. Combine it with tenpo:

• tenpo ni = this time, now
• "tenpo ni la sina moku."
• Now, you eat.

Use pini and kama with tenpo:

• tenpo pini = past time, earlier, before
• "tenpo pini la mi lon tomo."
• Before, I was in the house.
• tenpo kama = future time, later, upcoming
• "tenpo kama la mi tawa tomo."
• Later, I will go to the house.

The pattern "tenpo X la ..." works like "At time X, ...":

• tenpo ni la ... = Now, ...
• tenpo pini la ... = Before, ...
• tenpo kama la ... = Later, ...

You can also use pini and kama as verbs:

• "moku li pini." = The eating is finished.
• "moku li kama." = The eating is starting / coming.

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3. Minimal numbers and approximate quantity: mute

Toki Pona often avoids exact numbers. Instead, it uses approximate words.

• mute = many, much, a lot; also used for numbers more than two.

Common strategy:

• wan (one), tu (two), mute (many / three or more)

Examples:

• "mi jo e kili mute."
• I have many fruits. / I have several fruits.
• "jan mute li lon tomo."
• Many people are in the building.

You can also use mute to mean very when describing:

• "sina pona mute."
• You are very good.

Notice how one word mute covers:

• quantity: many apples, many people
• intensity: very good, very big

Toki Pona prefers this flexible, approximate style instead of exact counting.

Practice Dialogue: Meeting Friends at a Place and Time

In this dialogue, two friends arrange to meet somewhere, talk about when they will arrive, and mention how many people will be there. Pay attention to how they use lon, tawa, poka, insa, tenpo, pini, kama, and mute.

Check Your Understanding: Time and Place

Answer this question about a Toki Pona sentence using the new words. Choose the best English translation.