Short Interlingua grammar

and vocabulary
ARTICLES
The definite article (the) is always and only le, regardless of gender
(masculine/feminine/neuter) or number (singular/plural). When the
prepositions a and de precede the article, they fuse to become al and del
respectively. The indefinite article (a, an) is un, also regardless of gender:
le matre (the mother), le patre (the father), le infantes (the children), un
femina (a woman), un homine (a man), un animal (an animal).

NOUNS
Nouns ending in a vowel form their plural by adding -s, and nouns ending
in a consonant add -es. A final -c of the singular appears as -ch in the
plural: le lingua – le linguas (the language – the languages), un nation –
multe nationes (a nation – many nations), un choc – plure choches (a shock
– several shocks).

ADJECTIVES
As the adjective is invariable, it shows no agreement with the noun or
pronoun to which it refers. The adjective can precede or follow the noun it
describes: un bon femina (a good woman), un bon homine (a good man), le
bon infantes (the good children), le belle flor (the pretty flower), belle
flores (pretty flowers), un idea interessante (an interesting idea),
interessante ideas (interesting ideas).

ADVERBS
Adverbs are formed by adding -mente or, after a final -c, -amente: un
recente edition – recentemente editate (a recent edition – recently
published), un impossibilitate physic – physicamente impossibile (a
physical impossibility - physically impossible).

COMPARATIVE OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

The comparative of adjectives and adverbs (more -/-er) is formed with
plus preceding them and the superlative (most /-est) with le plus. “Less”
and “least” are expressed by minus and le minus respectively: forte – plus
forte (strong – stronger); ille es su amico le plus interessante (he is his/her
most interesting friend); London es un del plus grande citates del mundo
(London is one of the world's largest cities); le aquila vola plus
velocemente que le anate (the eagle flies faster than the duck); un kilometro
es minus longe que un millia (a kilometre is less long than a mile).

VERBS
Verbs have only 7 different forms:

1. Infinitive (to speak/see/hear) ending in -r

2. Present (am speaking/seeing/hearing,
do speak/see/hear, speak/see/hear)
Imperative (speak!/see!/hear!) ending in -
3. Simple past (spoke/saw/heard)
Imperfect (was speaking/seeing/hearing) ending in -va
4. Future (will speak/see/hear) ending in -ra
5. Conditional (would speak/see/hear) ending in -rea
6. Present participle (speaking/seeing/hearing) ending in -nte
7. Past participle (have spoken/seen/heard) ending in -te

to speak to see to hear

1. parlar vider audir

2. parla vide audi
3. parlava videva audiva
4. parlara videra audira
5. parlarea viderea audirea
6. parlante vidente audiente
7. parlate vidite audite

The forms of the various verbs are used for all persons both
singular (I, you, he, she, it, one) and plural (we, you, they). As verbs do not
have distinctive endings agreeing with their subject, the subject pronoun is
not omitted, except in the imperative and in certain impersonal expressions.
All verbs ending in -ar and -ir are conjugated as in the table. Verbs
ending in -er with their past participle in -ite are conjugated in the same
way. The verbs esser, haber and vader have a simplified present form: es,
ha and va. The present participle of some -er verbs ends in -iente like the
-ir verbs.
The -a of the future ending and the -e- of the conditional ending
are stressed, for example parlara, videra, audirea.
The perfect and pluperfect tenses are formed using the auxiliaries
ha and habeva with the past principle: io ha parlate (I have spoken), illes
habeva vidite (they have seen).
The future can also be formed using the auxiliary va with the
infinitive: nos va vider (we are going to see).
There is no subjunctive, except for esser, whose subjunctive sia is
also the imperative form.

PRONOUNCIATION
The pronunciation in general is “continental” (vowels are as in Spanish,
Italian and German; c before e, i, y is pronounced as s or ts, otherwise as k;
th is pronounced as t and ph as f, etc.). The stress is “natural”, falling most
often on the vowel before the last consonant.
Vocabulary: Interlingua-English

A insure certe certain

a to; at; in assi so, thus cessar to stop
ab from, since attender to wait for ci here
accender to light attinger to attain, reach cinque five
adjutar to help attraher to attract circa, circum about
ager to act, do audir to hear citate city, town
al = a le augmentar to increase clauder to close
alicubi anywhere, avante before cognoscer to know
somewhere comenciar to begin
alicun, alcun any, some B como as; how; like
alique anything, basse low comprar to buy
something bastante enough; quite comprender to
alora then batter to beat, hit understand
alsi also, as well, too belle beautiful con with
alte high ben well continer to contain
altere other ben que although convenir to suit
amar to like, love besonio need coperir to cover
ambe both biber to drink corde heart
amico friend billet ticket corpore body
an used to introduce a bon good cosa thing
question; if, whether breve short creder to believe
ancora still, yet crescer to grow
anglese English C cuje whose
anno year cader to fall currer to run
anque also, as well, too calide hot curte short
ante before cambiar to change
antea previously camera room D
aperir to open campo field dar to give
apparer to appear capace able, capable de from; of
appellar to call capite head deber to have to, must,
appertiner to belong car dear ought; duty
apportar to bring casa house dece ten
apprender to learn caso case del = de le
apud by, near cata each, every deman tomorrow
arder to burn causa cause demandar to ask
ascoltar to listen to a causa de because of depost afterwards, since
assatis rather celar to hide derecto right
assecurar to assure, cento hundred desde afterwards, since
cercar to look for detra behind
devenir to become fatigate tired illa she, her
dextere right favor, per - please illac there
dicer to say, tell felice happy illas they, them
die day femina woman ille he, him
difficile difficult filia daughter illes they, them
disparer to disappear filio son illo it; that
dolor pain fin end illos they, them
dono gift a fin de in order to imprimer to print
dormir to sleep a fin que in order that in in, into
dubita doubt in fin in short incontrar to meet
ducer to lead finir to finish infra below
dum while folio leaf inseniar to teach
dunque therefore foras, foris outside insimul together
duo two forsan perhaps integre whole
durante que while forte strong inter among, between
fortiar to force interea, interim,
E frigide cold intertanto meanwhile
e and fundar to found intra within
effortiar se to try fundo bottom inviar to send
era was, were, used to io I
be G ipse -self
es am, is, are ganiar to gain, win iste this, these (adj)
esque used to introduce gauder to be glad isto this (pron)
a question gaudio joy, happiness
esser to be grande big, great, large J
esseva was, were, used grate grateful ja already, at once
to be gratias thank you jacer to lie
estate summer jam already
estranie strange H jammais ever
estranier foreign ha has, have jectar to throw
etate age haber to have jocar to play
etiam also, as well, too heri yesterday junger to join
evenir to happen hiberno winter juvene young
ex from, out of hic here juxta next to
exprimer to express hodie today
extra besides, outside homine man L
hora hour; o'clock la her, it
F large broad, wide
facer to do, make I las them
facie face ibi there lassar to leave, let
facile easy il it; there latere side
facto deed, fact il ha there is, are lavar to wash
le the; him, it moneta coin, money P
leger to read monstrar to show pagar to pay
lente slow morir to die pais country
les them multe many, much parer to appear, seem
levar to lift multo very parlar to speak
leve left (adj) mundo world parola word
libere free partir to leave
libro book N parve small
lingua language; tongue nam because passato past (noun)
littera letter nascer to be born patre father
lo it nemo nobody pauc few
lo que what, which nette clean pauco a little
loco place ni neither, nor paupere poor
lontan distant, far nihil nothing pecia piece
lor their nimie too many, too pede foot
los them much pejo(r) worse
lumine light no no pena difficulty
nocte night a pena hardly,
M nomine name scarcely
ma but non not pensar to think
major greater nos we, us per by, through
mal bad, badly nostre our perder to lose
malgrado in spite of nove new; nine periculo danger
mancar to lack, be de nove, de novo pertiner to belong
missing again placer to please;
mangiar to eat novem nine pleasure
mano hand nulle no, none plen full
matino morning nunc now plure several
matre mother nunquam never plus more; plus
me me al plus at the most
medie half O de plus besides,
melio better (adv) o either, or moreover
melior better (adj) oblidar to forget in plus furthermore
mense month obra work poc(o) =pauc(o)
mesme same; -self obtener to obtain, to get poner to put
mesmo even octo eight populo people
mi my oculo eye porta door
minor smaller omne all, every portar to carry
minus less, minus on one, you, they, post after, behind
a minus que unless people postea afterwards
al minus at least ora now postmeridie afternoon
mitter to put poter to be able, can;
 power S tacer to be silent
povre poor salutar to say hello to tal such
precio price; prize salvo but for tamen however, yet
prender to take san healthy tante so many, so much
presso a near saper to know tanto as; so; so much;
presto immediately; satis enough; fairly, in tanto que inasmuch
quickly quite as
prime first scriber to write tarde late
pro for; in order to se her-, him-, it-, te you
probar to prove, test oneself, themselves tempore time; weather
promitter to promise secundo along; tener to hold, keep
proponer to suggest according to timer to be afraid of
proprie own secur secure; sure tirar to pull
proque because; why sed but tosto early, soon
proxime next seder to sit plus tosto rather
semper, sempre always tote all, every
Q sentir to feel totevia nevertheless
qual what, which septe seven toto all, everything
qualque some septimana week tractar to deal with
quando when sequer to follow traducer to translate
quante how many, how sera will be traher to drag, draw
much sex six trans across, beyond
quanto as much as; si yes; if; as; so travaliar to work
how much sia be; whether, or tres three
quanto a as for sin without troppo too, too much
quasi almost sinistre left trovar to find
quatro four sol alone, single, sole; tu you; your
que that; what; than; sun tum then
whom son are tunc then
qui who sortir to go out
sovente often U
R sperar to hope ubi where
ration reason star to stand ubique everywhere
re about su her, his, its, one's ulle any, some
reciper to receive sub under ultime last
regratiar to thank subite sudden ultra beyond; besides
reguardar to look at super above, on, over un a, an; one
remaner to remain, stay supponer to suppose unquam ever
responder to answer supra above usque as far as, until
restar to remain, stay utile useful
retro back; ago T V
tabula table va go(es), am/is/are
 going vespere evening viver to live
vacue empty vetere, vetule old voce voice
vader to go via away; road, way volar to fly
varie various vice time; turn voler to want, wish
vender to sell a vices at times vos you
venir to come vider to see vostre your
ver true vista sight, view
verso towards vita life Y
ya already, at once

Addresses:

British Interlingua Society Union Mundial pro Interlingua

F. P. Gopsill www.interlingua.com
B.A., M.Sc., Ph.D., F.I.L.
261 Teehey Lane Interlingua –
Bebington communication sin frontieras
Wirral, L63 2JG
England

Union Mundial pro Interlingua

Interlingua – communication sin frontieras
www.interlingua.com

© 2017 Union Mundial pro Interlingua

Edition anglese