Goal

Learn several useful formal Mini-ma patterns for commands, passive clauses, change of state, vocatives, and topics.

New Grammar

• Formal commands keep i even when the subject is omitted.
• Passive clauses use de-i before the main verb.
• vira is a lexical verb for “become, turn into”.
• voka marks a direct address.
• tema marks the topic of the sentence.

Core Vocabulary

Mini-ma	English
favo	please, favorable
lenta	slow, slowly
note	write
make	make, do
ante	before, earlier
resi	sleep, rest
vira	become, turn into
voka	call, call out
tema	topic, subject
ise	ice, freeze
fatiga	tired
oda	that, those

Model Examples

i resi
Sleep.

favo i pale lenta
Please speak slowly.

di buku i de-i note de mi
This book is written by me.

di manja i de-i make ante
The food was made earlier.

akua i vira a ise
Water turns into ice.

si i vira e fatiga
He or she becomes tired.

voka amigo, tu i pale ke?
Friend, are you speaking?

tema oda buku, mi i no vole a si
As for that book, I do not want it.

Guided Notes

• Formal Mini-ma keeps i in commands instead of dropping it.
• de-i can describe a noun inside a phrase, but here it builds a full passive clause.
• vira is a normal lexical verb, not a helper. It uses a for a noun result and e for an adjective result.
• voka introduces the person you are addressing.
• tema sets the topic before a full clause.
• You do not need these patterns all the time, but they are useful in formal explanations.

Practice

1. Translate into Mini-ma: “Please speak slowly.”
2. Translate into English: i resi
3. Translate into English: di buku i de-i note de mi
4. Translate into Mini-ma: “The food was made earlier.”
5. Translate into Mini-ma: “Water turns into ice.”
6. Translate into Mini-ma: “He or she becomes tired.”
7. Translate into English: tema oda buku, mi i no vole a si

Mini Recap

These patterns are more formal, but they stay regular and easy to recognize.