Shipibo Foundations · Module 4: Verbs and Real Conversation · Lesson 2 of 6

I apple eat: word order

By the end you can put a Shipibo sentence in the right order.

0 new words · about 4 minutes

Jaweki min akai? What are you doing? — Nonón is with you for Module 4.

English says subject–verb–object: I eat an apple. Shipibo says subject–object–verb: I apple eat. The verb comes last. Once your ear expects the verb at the end, everything falls into place.
Culture note. 'I apple eat' — the simplest doorway into how the language thinks. And a test you'll use forever: say the verb, then put somebody after it. 'I wash… the leaves' works — transitive. 'I sleep… the cat' doesn't — intransitive. The cat just sleeps.
✓ sourced Chat 1-3 00:33–00:34 · nothing invented

In a sentence

Try translating each line yourself before you tap.

Jatonra paranta piai.
tap to translate
They plantain eat — they eat plantain.
Janra pei chokai.
tap to translate
She leaves washes — she washes leaves.
Try it. Translate mentally into 'Shipibo order': I coffee drink. She book reads. We house clean.

Check yourself

In Shipibo, the verb comes…
'They eat plantain' in Shipibo order is…
Nonón
✓

Lesson complete

Nonón approves — Jakonshaman!

You can now put a Shipibo sentence in the right order.

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