Emoji Language Beginner Lessons

This lesson is part of a series that teaches the basics of the Emoji Language.

Lesson Five: In the kitchen

Meet new grammatical structures while cooking.

Text

Bob: ❔👀⬅️ 👇 👆🥑

Ann: ✳ 👉 📥🧺

Bob: 🙏

Ann: 💪🐕‍🦺 👆 👇

Bob: 💁✂ 👇 🍅🍅

Ann: ⛓✂ 👆👆 ❔🔢🍅

Bob: 🤤😋 👆 2️⃣🍅🍅

Interlinear Translation

Bob:

❔👀⬅️

INT-see-PST

👇

2SG[NOM]

👆🥑

1SG[POSS]-avocado[ACC]

Did you see my avocado?

Ann:

✳

be[PRS]

👉

3SG[NOM]

📥🧺

inside-basket

It's in the basket.

Bob:

🙏

thanks!

Thanks!

Ann:

💪🐕‍🦺

ABIL-help[PRS]

👆

1SG[NOM]

👇

2SG[ACC]

I can help you.

Bob:

💁✂

PERM-cut[PRS]

👇

2SG[NOM]

🍅🍅

tomato-PL[NOM]

You may cut the tomatoes.

Ann:

⛓✂

OBLI-cut[PRS]

👆👆

1PL[NOM]

❔🔢🍅

what-number-tomato[ACC]

How many tomatoes do we have to cut?

Bob:

🤤😋

DESI-eat[PRS]

👆

1SG[NOM]

2️⃣🍅🍅

two-tomato-PL[ACC]

I want to eat two tomatoes.

New Vocabulary

🥑	n.	avocado
✳	v.	to be
📥	pref.	inside, into
🧺	n.	basket (also: laundry)
🙏	interj.	thanks! (also: please!, to pray)
🐕‍🦺	v.	to help so.
🍅	n.	tomato
🔢	n.	number (also: to count sth.)
😋	v.	to eat sth., to swallow sth.
2️⃣	num.	two (numeral)
💪	pref.	abilitive mood prefix
💁	pref.	permissive mood prefix (also: to give sth., to put sth.)
⛓	pref.	obligative mood prefix (also: chain, to punish so.)
🤤	pref.	desiderative mood prefix (also: to want sth., to hunger for sth.)

Explanation

To indicate possession, nouns can be prefixed with possessive prefixes. Possessive prefixes look identical to personal pronouns, but are placed directly before nouns, without spacing. (See sections 4.1.3 and 4.2.2 of the grammar about demonstrative pronouns, which work the same way.)

Aside from questions and commands (interrogative and imperative mood), verbs can be modified with one of four mood prefixes to indicate what the subject can do (abilitive), what whe subject is allowed to do (permissive), what the subject is obligated to do (obligative), or what subject wants to do (desiderative).

Before nouns, a numeral may appear, indicating the number of a noun. By default, nouns are in singular form: Writing "🍅" (tomato) is the same as writing "1️⃣🍅" (one tomato). When the number is greater than one, the noun must be in plural form, for example "4️⃣2️⃣🍅🍅" (twenty-four tomatoes). To ask for the number of a noun, you literally ask "what number" (❔🔢) directly before the noun. In this case, the noun is always in singular form.

Exercise

Tell your partner that you had to buy their tomatoes at the store yesterday.
Ask your partner how many avocados they can eat.
Tell your partner that you want to go to the store again tomorrow.
Tell your partner that they are allowed to put their three wraps into the basket. (Hint: Read the "New Vocabulary" section of this lesson carefully.)

View the solutions to the exercises or continue with the ⏩ next lesson.