# A Manual of the Foochow Dialect In Twenty Lessons/Lesson I
## LESSON I.
### 我 nguāi

    I, me

### 奴 nù

    I, me

### 儂家 nè̤ng-gă

    I, me

### 汝 nṳ̄

    thou, thee

### 伊 ĭ

    he, she

### 其 gì

    possessive particle

### 紙 cāi

    paper

### 書 cṳ̆

    book

### 嚽 cuòi

    this

### 回 huòi

    that

### 是 sê

    the verb "to be"

### 錢 cièng

    money, cash

### 哥 gŏ̤

    elder brother

### 兄 hiăng

    elder brother

### 仔 giāng

    son, child

### 乇 nó̤h

    thing

### 弟 diê

    younger brother

### 兄弟 hiăng diê

    brothers

### 兵丁 bĭng-dĭng

    soldier

### 牧師 mŭk-sṳ̆

    pastor

### 伲仔 niê-giāng

    child

### 唐晡仔 dòng-buŏ-giāng

    son, boy

### 諸娘仔 cṳ̆-niòng-giāng

    daughter

### 筆 bék

    pencil, pen

### 硯 ngiéng

    inkslab

### 朋友 bèng-iū

    friend

### 自家 cê-gă, 本身 buōng-sĭng

    oneself, own (reflexive pronouns)

### 字典 cê-diēng

    dictionary

### 先生 sĭng-săng

    Sir, teacher

### 郞罷 nòng-mâ

    father

### 郞奶 nòng-nā̤

    mother

### 親戚 chĭng-chék

    relatives

### 唐晡𠆧 dòng-buŏ-nè̤ng

    man

### 諸娘𠆧 cṳ̆-niòng-nè̤ng

    woman
1. One of the principal distinctions between the Chinese language with its various dialects and European languages, is the absence in the former of such changes as take place in English to indicate the difference between the singular and plural numbers of Nouns, or the various moods and tenses of Verbs. The Chinese language unlike western languages, has in fact no real grammatical construction, although a few rules may be formulated to help the student. All that inflections and conjugations help to make clear in western languages is indicated in Chinese either by auxiliary words or the general context in which the word is found. The student may compare the English noun "sheep", which the context alone can show to be singular or plural; and the verb "burst", to find the mood or tense of which we must look at the auxiliary word used with it.
​2. The Possessive Case is formed by adding gì 其 to the noun or pronoun, as ĭ gì cāi 伊其紙, his paper; bĭng-dĭng gì giăng 兵丁其仔, the soldier's child. This particle is however frequently omitted when a pronoun is used in the Possessive Case, and especially so in the case of a double possessive. My elder brother's child, nè̤ng-gă gŏ̤ gì giāng 儂家哥其仔. Here gì 其 is only used once for the two possessives.
The words "my, mine, our, ours, your, yours, his, her, hers, its" etc. are commonly called pronouns in the Possessive Case, but as they also have a descriptive power, they partake of the character of adjectives, and have consequently been called possessive pronominal adjectives.
3. Chinese has no distinct word for "them" as applied to inanimate objects; it is either included in the verb, or the name of the article in question must be given.
4. Gaúk-nè̤ng 各𠆧, literally meaning "all men", indicates the personal plural. It is not used when a definite number of persons is to be expressed. We, nú-gáuk-nè̤ng 奴各𠆧 or nguāi-gáuk-nè̤ng 我各𠆧. You, nṳ̄-gáuk-nè̤ng 汝各𠆧. They, ĭ-gáuk-nè̤ng 伊各𠆧. Three men, săng ciáh nè̤ng 三隻𠆧, see Lesson III.
Nguāi 我, is the form of the First Personal Pronoun used in the Foochow colloquial New Testament, and in certain counties of the Prefecture of Foochow it is commonly used in the language of the people. It is very important however that the student should remember that in Foochow City and vicinity, the use of nguāi is considered very impolite indeed, and nè̤ng-gă or nù should be used instead. The best term for a missionary to use is nè̤ng-gă. Nù can be used when one wishes to be extra polite.
5. The word cê-gă 自家 or buōng sĭng 本身 may be added to Chinese pronouns in the same way in which "self" is added to English pronouns, and with the same force; either to impart emphasis, as "I myself", or ​to show that the action is turned back upon the agent, as "I hurt myself". Hence "Own" is indicated by the addition of gì to cê-gă.
6. Giāng 仔 is an expression used for the diminutive of persons or things; hence we have dòng-buŏ-giāng 唐晡仔 and cṳ̆-niòng-giāng 諸娘仔 literally "little man" and "little woman" meaning "boy" and "girl". Giāng 仔 by itself, means "child", and is generally used with the meaning of "son", though dòng-buŏ-giāng is the more accurate form. A Chinese generally only reckons his sons as his children, (girls not counting).
7. The name of a person generally precedes his title. Mr. Li, Lī Sĭng-săng 李先生. The last sounds are elided and pronounced sĭnăng.
8. There is nothing to indicate by the form of a noun itself, whether it is in the singular or plural. Thus nè̤ng-gă gì bék 儂家其筆 may mean either "my pencil or my pencils".
9. The verb "to be" is indicated by sê 是 but only by the context can we find whether the English equivalent should be "is", "was", or "were".
10. Nouns and pronouns have no inflexion to show number. Thus with the demonstrative pronouns cuòi 嚽 and huòi 回, cuòi sê nguāi gì cṳ̆ 嚽是我其書 may mean "this is my book" or "these are my books".
11. Cuòi and huòi are not used to indicate persons, but only inanimate objects. See Lesson II.

## EXERCISE I.
### 子果 gūi-cī

    fruit

### 甜 diĕng

    sweet

### 酸 sŏng

    sour

### 麫包 miêng-bău

    bread

### 便宜 bèng-ngìe

    cheap

### 寬容 kuăng-ṳ̀ng

    to overlook a fault

### 腹老空 bók-lō̤-kĕ̤ng

    hungry

### 罷奶 bâ-nā̤

    parents

### 耳聾 ngê-lè̤ng

    deaf

### 先生娘 Sĭng-săng-niòng

    Mistress

### 牛乳油 ngù-nèng-iù

    butter

### 利害 lê-hâi

    severe, hurtful
Translate into English;—
* Cuòi sê nè̤ng-gă gì nó̤h.
* Ĭ sê nèng-gă gì bèng-iū.
* Huòi sê Sĭng-săng gì cāi.
* Uòng Mŭk-sṳ̆ gì diê sê nè̤ng-gă gì bèng-iū.
* Huòi sê ĭ cê-gă gì cṳ̆.
* Lì Sĭng-săng sê ngūai bèng-iū gì nòng-mâ.
* Cuòi sê nè̤ng-gă nòng-nā̤ cê-gă gì nó̤h.
* Lì Sĭng-săng sê ngê-lè̤ng.
* Ĭ cē-gă gì cṳ̆.
* Cuòi sê nè̤ng-gă gì mièng-bău.
* Cuòi sê diĕng, huòi sê sŏng.
* Huòi sê ĭ gì cê-diēng.
* Lì Guăng-hŭng sê nè̤ng-gă gì diê.
* Cuòi sê î giāng gì cièng.
* Ĭ-gáuk-nè̤ng cê-gă gì cê-diēng.
Translate into Chinese;—
* This is our money.
* Bread is cheap.
* This is Pastor Lau's book.
* The children are hungry.
* Those are my pens.
* My fruit is sweet, yours is sour.
* This is my child's paper.
* Mr. Li is my relative.
* That is my father's money.
* That is the soldier's daughter.
* My mother is deaf.
* This is my pencil.
* My father is related to (is a relative of) Mrs. Diong.
* That is his book.
* She is my mother's friend.