Book 3 Lesson 9 ｜ manazang so yakan (Buying Vegetables)

The vegetable and meat vendor (Za) arrived in Iranmilek. Si nan Miaven (Ma) came to buy ingredients to prepare a feast for relatives returning home. She met Mivovo (Mi), who was also waiting for the vendor.

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Mi: ya na nimai o pananazangan so yakan a aleleh?
Is the vendor here?
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Ma: taon, mi ta pala citaen, ta ala ya na mian ang?
I'm not sure; let's go see — maybe he arrived already.
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Za: ikong mo sazangan?
What do you want to buy?
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Ma: ya mian so vayo a among?
Do you have fresh fish?
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Za: ji ngian, apira o apen mo?
Yes — how many?
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Ma: atlo (aka among).
Three fish.
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Za: manazang ka so viniay aka no manok?
Would you like pork or chicken?
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Za: ya asiam a poo o ikapat na ranaw.
Three hundred ninety.

Grammar ｜ manazang so yakan (Buy the Vegetables)

(1) sazang “buy”

This section introduces various verb forms derived from the root sazang “buy.” The verb manazang is formed by combining the intransitive prefix maN- with the root sazang “buy,” as shown in Example (1). Its complement so viniay a ka no manok “pork and chicken” is marked by the oblique case marker so.

The transitive form is sazang-an “to buy,” whose negative form is ji nazang-i “not buy,” as seen in Example (3). The perfective form is ni-sazang-an “bought,” as in Example (4). In Example (5), pananazangan “the place one often buys from” generally refers to a store; in this lesson, however, it refers to the aleleh “truck.” Thus, o pananazangan so yakan a aleleh literally means “the truck one often buys vegetables from.”

1. manazang ka so viniay aka no manok?
“Do you want to buy pork and chicken?”

2. íkong mo sazaongan?
“What do you want to buy?”

3. wo, kasingasíngat na? tosia, ji ko nazangi.
“Oh, so expensive? Never mind then — I won't buy it.”

4. ápira o kalovotan na no ko nisazangan a yakan?
“How much do my groceries cost?”

5. ya na nimai o pananazangan so yakan a aleleh?
“Is the vegetable truck here?”

(2) ji “really, definitely”

The auxiliary ji expresses certainty or affirmation, often countering doubt. In Example (6b), ji ngian “Yes, definitely” confirms the presence of fish. In Example (7b), ji apia-a “definitely good” and ji aganinam “definitely sweet” negate the possibility that the oranges might be sour.

6a. ya mian so vayo a among?
“Do you have fresh fish?”
6b. jí ngian, ápira o apen mo?
“Yes, we do — how many do you want?”

7a. ya mánlanget o vazacinok ya?
“Are these oranges sour?”
7b. ji apia-a, ji aganínam, ákan pala ya?
“They're good — very sweet. Try one.”

(3) Counting numbers, people/things, and money

In Book 1 Lesson 9, we learned how to count people, objects, time, and money. Here we review that system and add practice for larger numbers.

Counting cardinal numbers from one to ten in Yami:

Book 3 Lesson 9 Counting Numbers 1–10
Counting numbers 1–10

Numbers above ten follow the decimal system:

Book 3 Lesson 9 Decimal System Numbers
Decimal system numbers
“Eleven” means “one of the second ten,” and “twenty-two” means “two of the third ten.” Multiplication is used for tens, e.g., “sixty” = “six tens.”

When counting people or things, the conjunction a ka follows the counted noun. Numbers from two to ten use Ca-reduplication, e.g., lalima a ka tao “five people.” Tens are linked with the copula a, e.g., kakasiaman a tao “ninety people.”

In this lesson, Ca-reduplication is not used when counting things. Examples:

8. atlo (aka among).
“Three fish.”

9. pántan yaken so adoa aka opa no manok aka no apat a gagay a viniay.
“Give me two chicken legs and four slices of pork.”

For counting money, see Examples (10)–(11). Example (11) asiam a poo o ikapat na ranaw (“three hundred ninety dollars”) literally means “ninety of the fourth hundred.”

10. ananengan ko pala an, ya manao a asa a ranaw.
“Let me weigh it — one hundred dollars.”

11. ya asiam a poo o ikapat na ranaw.
“Three hundred ninety dollars.”