Na’vi Language Quick Start Guide

Short and Simple Basics for Getting Started

By Tirea Aean
version 1.2.0-beta (23 Sep 2018)

Contents

Intro 1

Chapter 1: Sounds 2

Chapter 2: Nouns 3

Chapter 3: Verbs 6

Chapter 4: Describing Stuff 10

Chapter 5: Other 12

Chapter 6: Common Mistakes to Avoid 17

Outro 19

Intro

The Na’vi language was created by Dr. Paul Frommer (a.k.a Karyu Pawl) for the tall blue people
(the Na’vi) in James Cameron’s 2009 hit film AVATAR.

This guide aims to be the shortest and simplest ever for getting started and learning basic
grammar. For a more complete understanding with building sentences in Na'vi, check out Na'vi
Sentence-building Adventures (NSA).

The Na’vi language, like any language, has grammar rules and a decent size vocab. It’s still
growing today, being developed by the Learn Na’vi community and Dr. Frommer.

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 Chapter 1: Sounds

The Na’vi language has a unique sound: sometimes smooth and silky, sometimes a bit jagged
with stops and pops. There are 20 consonants, 7 vowels and 2 pseudo-vowels (consonants
used like vowels), and 4 diphthongs (vowels that glide from one to the other)

1.1 Alphabet Letters

These are the letters of the alphabet used for transcribing the Na’vi language:

‘, a, aw, ay, ä, e, ew, ey, f, h, i, ì, k, kx, l, ll, m, n, ng, o, p, px, r, rr, s, t, ts, tx, u, v, w, y, z

1.2 Alphabet Letter Names

These are the names of the sounds (The alphabet, spelled out):

tìFtang, A, AW, AY, Ä, E, EW, EY, Fä, Hä, I, Ì, KeK, KxeKx, LeL, ’Ll, MeM, NeN, NgeNg, O,
PeP, PxePx, ReR, ’Rr, Sä, TeT, TxeTx, Tsä, U, Vä, Wä, Yä, Zä

1.3 Pronunciation

For audio samples of the sounds, see http://tirea.learnnavi.org/?p=sounds

1.4 How to Read the Learn Na’vi Dictionary

Stress marker - where the emphasis in the word is, when pronouncing it.
Infix dot - where an infix (see Ch 4.2) goes
Syllable separator - breaks the word into parts called syllables
Source information - where the word comes from; JC = James Cameron, PF = Paul Frommer
Part of speech - usage category of the word: noun, verb, etc.; vtr = verb transitive (see Ch. 4.1)

Note: When learning new words, learn the stress. It’s important for pronouncing words correctly!

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 Chapter 2: Nouns (n.)

Nouns are persons, places, or things. Na’vi nouns have no grammatical gender or articles such
as “the” or “a”. This way, you can learn the word and just use it straight from a dictionary (though
often with some modifications as necessary).

2.1 Plural

To express more than one of something, on the beginning of a noun or pronoun, put:
● me+ to mean two of that thing
● pxe+ for three
● ay+ four or more, or unknown plural number

Note: + sign means change may occur to the first letter of the word you add this to.
Note: if ay+ is added to a word and a change occurs, ay+ is optional. e.g., ay + po = ayfo; ayfo = fo

2.2 Sound Changes

Words & prefixes marked with a + sign in the dictionary cause the first letter/sound of the next
word (or for prefixes: the word it’s attached to) to change (aka Lenition). Here are the changes:

‘ → (goes away)

kx, px, tx → k, p, t (lose the x)

k, p, t → h, f, s

ts → s

Words starting with sounds/letters other than these are not affected.

po → mefo, pxefo, ayfo

kilvan → mì hilvan

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2.3 Pronouns (pn.)

Pronouns are words like I, you, he, she, it, they, etc. Na'vi pronouns are specific but logical.

Person Singular (1) Dual (2) Trial (3) Plural (many)

1st Exclusive (I/we, not you) oe moe pxoe ayoe

1st Inclusive (I/we, and you) — oeng pxoeng ayoeng / awnga

2nd (you) nga menga pxenga aynga

3rd Animate (he/she/they) po mefo pxefo ayfo / fo

3rd Inanimate (it/that/they) tsa’u/tsaw mesa’u pxesa’u aysa’u / sa’u

Note: Pronouns poe (she) and poan (he) also exist but po (gender-neutral) seems to be preferred.
There's also sno, which means self. poe, poan, and sno have no plural forms.

2.4 Cases

They’re little endings for nouns/pronouns that are important to the meaning of a sentence and
keep it making sense because word order is flexible. The cases are -l, -t, -r, -ä, -ri:

2.4.1 -l / -ìl

aka Agentive. The noun or pronoun it’s attached to is doing the action, and that action is marked
as “vtr.” in the dictionary. (see Ch. 4.1) Use -l after vowels and -ìl after consonants.

Oel ngati kame. / Ngati oel kame. / Kame oel ngati. / Kame ngati oel.
I See you.

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2.4.2 -ti / -t / -it

aka Patientive. The noun or pronoun it’s attached to is directly affected by the action, and that
action is marked as “vtr.” in the dictionary. (see Ch. 4.1) Choose whichever of -ti / -t / -it is
easiest to say, just don’t put -t after a consonant. When in doubt, -ti always works.

Oel ngati kame. / Ngati oel kame. / etc...

I See you.

indirect object
2.4.3 -ru / -r / -ur endings / 3 rd part
y
aka Dative.The noun or pronoun it’s attached to is the one to/for whom the action is done.
Choose whichever of -ru / -r / -ur is easiest to say, just don’t put -r after a consonant. Usually
-ur comes after consonants, and the other two after vowels.

Oe ngaru srung si.

I do help to you.

Oel Neytiriru tìng swizawit.

I give an arrow to Neytiri.

2.4.4 -yä / -ä

aka Genitive. This is like the -‘s ending or possessive “of” in English. It also turns pronouns like
I, you, they into the possessive forms like my, your, their, etc. Use -ä after o, u, and consonants;
use -yä after anything else.

Tsko oeyä lu fwel.

My bow is broken.

Krrä tì'i'a
The end of time

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2.4.5 -ri / -ìri

aka Topic/Topical. The noun or pronoun it’s attached to is the theme and context of what comes
next. Choose whichever of -ri / -ìri is easiest to say. Nouns with this ending are the first word in
a clause or sentence.

Oeri ta peyä fahew akewong ontu teya lu.

As for me, from his alien smell, the nose is full.
My nose is full from his alien smell.

Lì'fyari leNa'vi oe nume.

As for the Na’vi language, I learn.
I learn the Na’vi language.

Chapter 3: Verbs

Verbs are actions. In Na’vi they’re simple, only changing for stuff like tense. The cool part is
changes happen in the middle of the word!

3.1 vin. and vtr.

Verb Intransitive (vin.): An action that involves only one party, i.e., the one doing the action.
e.g., sleep, laugh, fall, exist, etc. Marked as vin. in the dictionary.

Verb Transitive (vtr.): An action that involves more than one party, i.e., the one doing the
action, the one directly affected by the action, and sometimes, a third party to/for whom the
action is done.
e.g., eat, hunt, give, teach, etc. Marked as vtr. in the dictionary.

Using a vin. is very easy; just say the noun and the verb straight from the dictionary in either
order and you’re done.

Ayfo hahaw.
They sleep.

Using a vtr. is simple as well, with just a couple more little steps:

1. Start with the verb and two nouns in whatever order

2. On the end of the noun who’s doing the action, put -l or -ìl

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 3. On the end of the noun who’s receiving the action, put -t, -it, or -ti
4. If there is a third party involved, add that noun somewhere and on the end of it add -r,
-ur, or -ru

Note: Every “__ si” verb (e.g., srung si, irayo si, etc.) is vin., not vtr. !

Oel ngati kame.

dative direct object, patientive
I See you.
verb
Ngal oeru tskoti tìng.
You give to me a bow.

agentive 3.2 Commands

Just use the verb or phrase without saying who’s doing it. Works just like in English.

Ma frapo, kä ne na’rìng!
Everyone, go to the forest!

Mefoti yìm.
Bind them.

Note: when addressing a person or group of people directly by name or title, use ma just before the
name or title. When simply talking about someone, even by name or title, ma is not used.

3.3 Not and Negatives

3.3.1 Negative Statements

To negate a verb, put the word ke just before the verb; for “__ si” verbs, just before the si part.

Oe ke lu skxawng.
I am not a moron.

Po tìkangkem ke si fìtrr.
She does not work today.

Note: If you use a negative noun like kawtu (nobody) or ke’u (nothing), then you still need to put ke
before the verb.
Note: kea is not required when using ke, but ke is required when using kea.
Ke tok kawtul fìtsengit.

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No one is here.

Po kekem ke si.
He’s doing nothing.

Ke lu oeru kea tsmuke.

I have no sister.

3.3.2 Negative Commands

Negative commands have the word rä’ä just before the verb; for “__ si” verbs, just before si

Txopu rä’ä si!

Do not fear!

If you use a negative noun like kawtu (nobody) or ke’u (nothing), then you still need to put rä’ä
before the verb.

Ke’uti rä’ä ‘ampi!

Do not touch anything!

3.4 Infixes

In Na’vi, changes to verbs almost always add something inside the word, instead of the
beginning or end.

3.4.1 Where to put infixes

Only put infixes inside verbs. Look for raised dots in the IPA guide in the LearnNavi dictionary
(See Ch. 1.4). In verbs like irayo si and srung si, put all infixes inside the “si” part only.

3.2.2 Tenses

These infixes describe when an action is done and go in the 1st dot.

Past Recent Past Present Near Future Future

<am> <ìm> <> (Nothing) <ìy> <ay>

Note: There are also <ìsy> and <asy>, which are <ìy> and <ay> plus speaker’s intention to make the

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situation happen.

Oe tamaron. I hunted.

Oe tìmaron. I just hunted.

Oe taron. I hunt.

Oe tìyaron. I am about to hunt.

Oe tayaron. I will hunt.

3.4.3 Other Common Infixes

Infix Meaning position Example

<ol> action completed (progression of action) 1st dot Po nolume. He learned.

<er> action ongoing (progression of action) 1st dot Oe perlltxe. I am talking.

<arm> <am> and <er> combined 1st dot Nga harmahaw.

You were sleeping.

<ei> speaker has positive feeling about situation 2nd dot Prrnen haheiaw.
The baby sleeps. :)

<äng> speaker has negative feeling about situation 2nd dot Tsal oeti srängätx.
That annoys me. >:-/

<ats> speaker is unsure / assuming about situation 2nd dot Ngal natsew fì’ut.
You might want this.

3.4.4 <äp>

<äp> means someone is doing something to themselves. It also therefore turns a vtr. into a vin.

Oe yäpur.
I wash myself.

3.4.5 <eyk>

<eyk> means someone is causing/making someone else do an action.

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 ● if the verb was vin. it becomes a vtr. with <eyk>
● if the verb was already vtr., then the normal vtr. rules apply, but the person being made
to do the action gets added and takes on the -ru/-ur/-r ending.

Tsal oeti heykangham.

That makes me laugh.

Neytiril oeru teylut yeykom.

Neytiri makes me eat teylu.

3.4.6 <iv>

<iv> changes the feel of the sentence from hard fact to hypothetical or wishful. However,
sometimes it’s just required by grammar (See Ch. 5.4).

Oeru txoa livu.

To me forgiveness may there be.

Chapter 4: Describing Stuff

4.1 Adjectives (adj.)

They describe nouns. Two ways to use:

1. say something IS the adjective using lu

2. describe a thing while saying something else about it

1st way is the easiest; just drop the words in place straight out of the dictionary.
Reminder: Na’vi has flexible word order. Feel free to mix it up a bit.

Lu taronyu tstunwi.
The hunter is kind.

2nd way has 2 rules:

1. put the adj. directly before or after the noun
2. add -a- onto the adjective so that the -a- points to the noun it’s talking about

Taronyu atstunwi plltxe. / Tstunwia taronyu plltxe.

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The kind hunter speaks.

Po lu kanua eyktan. / Po lu eyktan akanu.

She is a smart leader.

4.2 “a”

To use a verb or phrase or entire sentence to describe a noun, just put the word a in between
just like using an adj. the 2nd way above. a is often translated as that or which or which is.

Oel tse’a ioangit a tul nìwin. / tul nìwin a ioangit oel tse’a.
I see the animal that runs fast.

4.3 Adverbs (adv.)

They describe how an action is done. (e.g. quickly, easily) Sometimes they’re tiny comments by
the speaker about the situation. (e.g. apparently, strangely)

Using an adverb is simple: Drop it in the sentence wherever it makes sense.

Note: When in doubt, put adv. near the verb it describes. If it’s a comment about the situation, put it first.
Note: You can create new adverbs that aren’t listed by adding nì onto the beginning of an adjective.

To use a verb, phrase or entire sentence to describe how a verb is done, use nìfya'o a and put
that description after the a.

po plltxe nìfya'o a hek

He speaks in a way that’s strange.

4.4 Adpositions (adp.)

They typically describe where an action is done or otherwise add detail to the sentence. These
only work paired with a noun. Examples include mì+(in, on), ro+ (at), io (above), and many
more.

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Two ways to use adp.:
1. put it separately before the noun
a. adp. with + cause that sound change (see Ch. 2.2) on eligible words
2. or attach it to the end of the noun
a. this avoids the sound change.

Ayoel ro helku yom teylut.

We eat teylu at home.

Kxamtrr fkol ke tse’a sanhìt a tawmì.

Mid-day, One does not see the stars (that are) in the sky.

Chapter 5: Other

5.1 Lu
The Na’vi verb lu has three functions: Equivalence, Ownership, and Existence.

5.1.1 Equivalence

To say that a noun is another noun, or a noun is some adjcetive, use lu with any noun/pronoun,
and any other noun/pronoun or adjective:

Peyral lu taronyu.
Peyral is a hunter.

Teylu lu ftxìlor.
Beetle larva is delicious.

5.1.2 Ownership

This is how we say “have” in Na’vi since there is no verb that means to have or possess. The
noun/pronoun possessing gets the -ru / -ur / -r ending, the possessed noun is unchanged and
just add lu:

Oeru lu payoang.
I have a fish.

Lu ngaru tsko.
You have a bow.

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5.1.3 Existence

This is how we say “There is a ____” in Na’vi. Just use lu alongside any noun:

Lu txep.
There is a fire.

5.2 Questions
5.2.1 srak / srake

To turn a statement into a yes/no question, add srak to the end or srake to the beginning.

5.2.2 -pe+

-pe+ is either a prefix or suffix for any noun that means “what __”. Using it turns a statement into
a question. Certain nouns are very commonly used with the -pe+ prefix/suffix, forming the
following basic question words:

pesu / tupe who (what person)

peu / ‘upe what (what thing)
peseng / tsengpe where (what place)
pelun / lumpe why (what reason)
pehrr / krrpe when (what time)
pefya / fyape how (what way)
pehem / kempe what (what action)

To ask a question using one of these, put it in the sentence somewhere.

Note: These are still just nouns, so don’t forget to still apply case endings where necessary. (See Ch. 2.4)
Note: -pe+ when used as a prefix causes a sound change (lenition). (See Ch. 2.2)

Fìswiräti ngal pelun molunge fìtseng?

Why have you brought this creature here?

Pesengit tok Neytiril?

Where is Neytiri?

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5.3 Modal Verbs (vim. and vtrm.)

Modal verbs are actions like want, can, begin, refuse, try, etc. Here are all the ones in Na’vi so
far:

vim. vtrm.

ftang to stop fmi to try; to attempt

sngä'i to start; to begin kan to aim; to intend

tsun can; to be able to may' to try; to sample; to

evaluate
var to continue
new to want
zene must; to have to
nulnew.... to prefer
zenke mustn't; must not
sto to refuse

When you use one of these verbs, the second verb must come after it somewhere, and that
second verb must contain the <iv> infix. The noun doing the action does not get an ending.

Oe new kivä.
I want to go.

Nga tsun nìltsan pivlltxe.

You’re able to speak well.

Sto yivom oe utumauti.

I refuse to eat the banana fruit.

Note: The person doing the modal verb never gets the -l ending, even if the second verb is a vtr. that has
a noun with -ti.

5.4 F-words

The F-words are fwa, fula, futa and furia. They all literally mean “this thing: …”. They’re often
translated as “that”.

5.4.1 Fwa

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Fwa is short for fì’u a and it makes the sentence or phrase or verb that comes after it into the
thing that does a vin. action like sunu, etc.

Sunu oeru fwa ikranti makto.

I like this thing: ride banshee. (I like to ride banshee)

Oeyä txintìn lu fwa stä’nì fayoangit.

My central societal occupation is this: to catch fish.

5.4.2 Fula

Fula is short for fì’u-l a and it makes the sentence or phrase or verb that comes after it into the
thing that does a vtr. action like vingkap, etc. It has the -l ending baked in. (See Ch. 2.4.1)

Vìmingkap oeti fula poe zaya’u

It just occurred to me that she will come.

5.4.3 Futa

Futa is short for fì’u-t a and it makes the sentence or phrase or verb that comes after it into the
thing that receives a vtr. action like omum, fpìl, etc. It has the -t ending baked in. (See Ch 2.4.2)

Oel fpìl futa sevin lu poe nìtxan.

I think that she is very pretty.

Omum oel futa tìfyawìntxuri oeyä perey aynga nìwotx.

I know that you all are waiting for my guidance.

5.4.4 Furia

Furia is short for fì’uri a and it makes the sentence or phrase or verb that comes after it into the
topic or theme of the sentence. It has the -ri ending baked in. (See Ch 2.4.5)

Furia po ke zaya’u oe sngum si.

I’m worried that he won’t come.

Furia sneyä tskoti ngop po kanfpìl.

He's concentrating on making his bow.

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5.5 Reported/Quoted Speech

Speech in Na’vi is always directly quoted from the mouth of who said it, which means the quote
doesn’t change to be in the perspective of who is repeating it. There are two main ways to
quote.

5.5.1 san...sìk

san and sìk come after some form of plltxe (speak, say), pllngay (admit), pawm (ask), pamrel
si (write) and the quote goes between them.

Poltxe po san oe new kivä sìk.

He said, “I want to go.” / He said he wanted to go.

Po ke tsun pivllngay san oeru tìkxey.

He can’t admit he’s wrong.

5.5.2 fayluta, fmawnta, teyngta

fayluta means “these words: ...”

fmawnta means “the news that …”
teyngta means “the answer to …”

Poltxe pol fayluta oe ke tsun ziva’u.

He said these words: I can’t come. / He said he can’t come.

Oel stawm fmawnta fo new hivum.

I heard the news: they want to leave. / I heard they want to leave.

Oel ke omum teyngta pesengit tok Neytiril.

I don’t know the answer to: where is Neytiri? / I don’t know where Neytiri is.

5.6 tsnì

Yet another word that typically means “that”. It’s only really used with a small set of verbs:
ätxäle si (request), sìlpey (hope), rangal (wish), mowar si (advise), srefey (expect), srefpìl
(assume)

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Sìlpey oe tsnì Tsyeyk livu sìltsana eyktan.
I hope that Jake will be a good leader.

Ätxäle si palulukanur tsnì smarit livonu.

Request to thanator that [it] release [its] prey.
Ask a thanator to release its prey. (Expression of a futile gesture)

Chapter 6: Common Mistakes to Avoid

6.1 Translating the Words Instead of Meaning

Most common mistake. Replacing each and every word in the original sentence with their Na’vi
“equivalents”. This doesn’t work because the Na’vi grammar is unique. Instead, seek out idioms
or phrases that convey your intended meaning even if they might have completely different
words.

*Si tsakem na ye’rìn na tsunslu. ⇒ Tsakem si sre fwa sngap zize’.

Do that as soon as possible. (⇒ Do that before the hellfire wasp stings.)

6.2 Lu <Verb>

Avoid the urge to use lu with another verb. Especially with verbs whose definitions already
include the word “be”.

*Oe lu yerom. ⇒ Oe yerom.

I am eating.

*Oe lu sti. ⇒ Oe sti.

I am angry.

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6.3 Disregarding Part of Speech

Use nouns only as nouns, verbs only as verbs, etc. Pay attention to the type of each word you
look up or learn and use words according to their type to make sure your sentences make
grammatical sense.

*Oel am’a tsat. ⇒ Tsari lu oeru am’a.

I doubt that.

*Po rol ramunong ⇒ Po rol nìltsan.

She sings well.

6.4 Using Word Order In Place of Cases

Word order in Na’vi carries no meaning whatsoever about which noun has which role in the
action, which is the very reason why we have case endings like -l, -t, etc. Use them
appropriately, otherwise, it’s never clear which one of the 2 or 3 nouns is is doing or receiving
the action.

*Oe tse’a Neytiri ⇒ Oel tse’a Neytirit

I see Neytiri.

*Oe yom syuve ⇒ Oel yom syuveti.

I eat food.

6.5 Using vin. as vtr.

Not every vtr. In English is vtr. In Na’vi and vice versa. Also, -l and -t cases cannot be used with
“__ si” verbs because they are all vin. Even if they sound like they should be vtr.

*Ngal srung si oeti. ⇒ Nga srung si oeru.

You help me.

*Oel nume lì’fyati leNa’vi. ⇒ Lì’fyari leNa’vi oe nume.

I learn the Na’vi language.

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 Outro

Hopefully this doc has been helpful to get you started. After knowing the things presented here,
you have the ability to create a whole lot of legit Na’vi sentences! This is not the end though.
There is more to learn and more to play around with. I recommend checking out the Resources
channel of the Learn Na'vi Discord. https://discord.gg/LearnNavi

Kìyevame ulte Eywa ngahu!

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