In this lesson, we add a little more color to our sentences by describing our objects. We’ll learn how to say “I drank the hot coffee” instead of just “I drank the coffee.” In this post we will review how to make basic descriptions with the linking article na and learn how to use them in our basic action sentences that use transitive verbs.

Contents
Introduction to Adding More Detail to Objects The Article “na” Example Sentences: “I drank the hot coffee” Wrapping Up: Keep Practicing on Quizlet! Keep Learning! Continue to the Next Lesson

Introduction to Adding More Detail to Objects

When we want to add more detail to the objects in our sentences, this can look like saying sentences like “I drank the hot coffee“, “You bought the expensive t-shirt“, or “I smelled the sweet dessert.”

In these notes, we will be making past tense sentences like these, where we can be more descriptive about the objects in our sentences. To do this, we will use the following concepts in our transitive sentences:

• The Linker “Na”

Let’s start by reviewing and practicing with the Article Na.

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The Article “na”

To add more detail to objects, we will be using na to describe a noun with an adjective, so we can make phrases like “cold water” or “hot coffee.” We make these phrases by placing the na in-between the adjective and the noun. We will use this structure to make these descriptions:

Adjective + Na + Noun

Now let’s practice with some examples in the table below:

manengheng na hånom	cold water
triste na mubi	sad movie
taininangga na taotao	impatient person
pika na kå’do	spicy soup
yayas na på’le	tired priest

What we can do is use these phrases as the objects in our sentences. We will practice doing this in the next section.

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Example Sentences: “I drank the hot coffee”

Now we will practice making complete sentences. We will follow the same structure from the previous section, which was Hu Type Pronoun + Transitive Verb + i + Object. The only difference is that we will be using phrases like “hot coffee” or “cold water” as our object. We will follow this structure:

Hu Pronoun + Transitive Verb + i + [Adjective + na + Noun]

Now let’s practice with example sentences in the table below:

Hu gimen i maipe na kafe.	I drank the hot coffee.
Hu fåhan i fresko na kåtne.	I bought the fresh meat.
Hu yamak i apa’ka na plåtu.	I broke the white plate.
Hu fa’gåsi i dangkolo’ na tenidot.	I washed the big fork.
Un chule’ i gagas na båsu.	You took the clean cup.
Un sodda’ i dikike’ na kuchåla.	You found the small spoon.
Un guåsa’ i fodda’ na se’se’.	You sharpened the dull knife.
Ha båtte i chukulåti na binatte.	He beat the chocolate batter.
Ha nå’ye i ma’aksom na chugo’.	She added the sour juice.
Ha taña i pika na kå’do.	She tasted the spicy soup.
En hatsa i makkat na lamasa.	You all lifted the heavy table.
En na’gasgas i applacha na kusina.	You all cleaned the dirty kitchen.
En nginge’ i paopao na frutas.	You all smelled the fragrant fruit.
Ta na’atok i guaguan na setbesa.	We hid the expensive beer. (inclusive)
Ta na’lå’la’ i nuebu na foggon.	We turned on the new stove. (inclusive)
Ta chuda’ i manengheng na hånom.	We poured out the cold water. (inclusive)
Ma fa’tinas i taisabot na månnok.	They prepared the bland chicken.
Ma tife’ i masa na bilembinas.	They picked the ripe starfruit.
Ma huchom i tinake’ na kahon ais.	They closed the rusted refrigerator.
In figo’ i fetgon na tu’åya.	We wrung out the wet towel. (exclusive)
In chachak i betde na gollai.	We chopped the green vegetable. (exclusive)
In tinu i dangkolo’ na guihan.	We barbequed the big fish. (exclusive)

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Wrapping Up: Keep Practicing on Quizlet!

In this lesson, we learned how to add more detail the objects in our past tense sentences. We used the na linker to describe our objects with adjectives, and used those phrases in our past tense sentences.

If you want more practice with the example sentences in this lesson, use this Quizlet Flashcard deck as a supplementary study tool.

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Keep Learning! Continue to the Next Lesson

That concludes this lesson! When you are ready, click the link below to continue to the next lesson, where you will learn how to make sentences in the present tense:

Lesson 12: Talking in Present Tense – “I am drinking the coffee.”