Emoji Language Beginner Lessons

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

Lesson Six: Going for a walk

While going for a walk, we'll discover subordinate clauses.

Text

Ann: 😩 👆🤰

Bob: ❔🤤🚶 👇 ↪️🧑‍⚕️ ➰ 💪👀 👉 ➰

Ann: 🔮❌😋⬅️ 👆 🌶🥘 ▶️ 🔮❌😩 👆🤰

Bob: 🤔 👆 🔳 🔮🚶 👆👆 📤 🔳

Ann: ✳ 👈 👍💡

Narrator: 🚶⬅️ 👉👉 ↪️🌲🌳

Bob: 🪞✳ 🌲🌳

Bob: ❤ 👇 ❔

Ann: 👍🔼❤ 👆 🙋⌚

Ann: 😃 👆 ☀️🔦

Interlinear Translation

Ann:

😩

hurt[PRS]

👆🤰

1SG[POSS]-belly[NOM]

My belly hurts.

Bob:

❔🤤🚶

INT-DESI-go[PRS]

👇

2SG[NOM]

↪️🧑‍⚕️

to-doctor

➰

REL

💪👀

ABIL-see[PRS]

👉

3SG[ACC]

➰

REL

Do you want to go to a doctor who can look at it?

Ann:

🔮❌😋⬅️

SBJV-NEG-eat-PST

👆

1SG[NOM]

🌶🥘

spicy-meal[ACC]

▶️

then

🔮❌😩

SBJV-NEG-hurt[PRS]

👆🤰

1SG[POSS]-belly[NOM]

If I had not eaten the spicy food, then my belly wouldn't hurt.

Bob:

🤔

think[PRS]

👆

1SG[NOM]

🔳

SUB[ACC]

🔮🚶

SBJV-walk[PRS]

👆👆

1PL[NOM]

📤

outside

🔳

SUB[ACC]

I think that we could go for a walk outside.

Ann:

✳

be[PRS]

👈

DIST

👍💡

good-idea

That's a good idea.

Narrator:

🚶⬅️

go-PST

👉👉

3PL[NOM]

↪️🌲🌳

to-forest

They went to the forest.

Bob:

🪞✳

beautiful-be[PRS]

🌲🌳

forest[NOM]

The forest is beautiful.

Bob:

❤

feel[PRS]

👇

2SG[NOM]

❔

what[ACC]

How do you feel?

Ann:

👍🔼❤

good-more-feel[PRS]

👆

1SG[NOM]

🙋⌚

now

I'm feeling better now.

Ann:

😃

enjoy[PRS]

👆

1SG[NOM]

☀️🔦

sun-light[ACC]

I enjoy the sunshine.

New Vocabulary

😩	v.	to hurt (also: pain)
🤰	n.	belly (also: to be pregnant)
🧑‍⚕️	n.	doctor
🌶	adj.	spicy (also: chili pepper)
🥘	n.	meal, dish
▶️	conj.	then (conjunction)
🤔	v.	to think about sth.
📤	pref.	outside
👍	adj.	good (also: yes!)
💡	n.	idea (also: lamp, light bulb)
🌲🌳	n.	forest
❤	v.	to feel sth.
🔼	suff.	more (comparative)
🙋⌚	adv.	now
😃	v.	to enjoy sth., to be very happy about sth. (also: joy, happiness)
☀️	n.	sun
🔦	n.	light, flashlight

Explanation

The relative pronoun ➰ introduces relative clauses which allow you to give more details about a noun without starting a new sentence. Relative clauses refer to the noun immediately preceding them. One thing to watch out for: Relative clauses always end with the same relative pronoun. The second pronoun doesn't really have any meaning, it rather serves the purpose of punctuation, to clarify where the relative clause ends. (See section 5.6.1 of the grammar for more details about relative clauses and the accusative relative pronoun ➿.)

Sentences can be joined together using conjunctions, such as the conjunction ▶️ ("then"), which implies causality between both sentences: If the first sentence is true, then the second sentence will be true as well. This can be combined with the subjunctive mood to indicate that a condition and result are of hypothetical nature. In our example dialogue, a hypothetical past (not having eaten the food) would have led to a different hypothetical present (not being in pain).

Another way of combining sentences are content clauses beginning with 🔳, which are subordinate clauses embedded in the main clause. Content clauses can appear in places where we would usually find just a noun. In the example, the content clause describes what exactly Bob is thinking about. In this case, it is also combined with the subjunctive mood, because going for a walk is not yet decided. As with relative clauses, content clauses must end with the same emoji to clarify where they end.

Finally, the comparative is new in this lesson. The comparative (and also the superlative) can appear in several places where things are being compared. In this case, Ann does not only feel good, she feels more good – better – than before going for a walk. Note that the comparative (and superlative) emoji come after the emoji that they relate to. (See grammar section 4.6 for more ways how things can be compared.)

Exercise

Tell your partner that you've eaten a meal that was more spicy.
Tell your partner that you enjoyed eating together (you enjoyed that you were eating a meal).
Tell your partner that you'll be happy if you both go for a walk in the forest.

View the solutions to the exercises.