6.3

## 6.3.1 - Gender

The gendered third person pronouns, **poan** and **poe**, are used only when it will help to avoid ambiguity in discourse. Speakers of English and other Western European languages should take care to not use them too often.

## 6.3.2 - Number

The forms of the question pronoun **tupe** have a behavior that differs from the number agreement rules discussed in 6.2.1.4. Here, the pronoun may be marked for number even when the noun has been, too. Note the answers to these questions,

* **Tsaysamsiyu lu tupe?** *Who are those warriors?*
* **(Fo) lu ’eylan Tsu’teyä.** *They are Tsu’tey’s friends.*

* **Tsaysamsiyu lu supe?** *Who are those warriors?*
* **(Fo) lu Kamun, Ralu, Ìstaw, sì Ateyo.** *They’re Kamun, Ralu, Ìstaw, and Ateyo.*

The plural forms ask for the identity of individual members, while the singular asks about a group characteristic.

## 6.3.3 - Similarity

Pronouns may take the adverbial prefix **nì-**, producing a form like **nìnga** *like you*. These forms are used to indicate way of acting, **plltxe po nìayoeng** *she speaks like us or as we do*. For describing how someone is perceived, the the adpositions **na** or **pxel** are preferred.

## 6.3.4 - Fko

The indefinite pronoun **fko** is like the English pronoun “one” or the less formal “you” in the general sense, as in *one doesn’t say such things* vs. *you don’t say things like that*. **Tsat ke tsun fko yivom** *you can’t eat that*; **tsun fko sivar hänit fte payoangit stivä’nì** *one can use a net to catch a fish*.

**6.3.4.1** **Fko** is also used where English would use an unspecified “they” when making general statements, as in **plltxe fko san ngaru lu mowan Txilte ulte poru nga** *They say you like Txilte and vice versa*.

**6.3.4.2** **Fko** can be used for the English passive when the agent of the verb is animate (or **pum**), as in the idiom **oeru syaw fko Wìlyìm** *my name is William, I am called William*, **tsalì’uri fko pamrel si fyape?** *how is that word written, how does one write that word?*

## 6.3.5 - Sno

The reflexive pronoun **sno** refers to the subject or agent of the clause it occurs in. In the genitive (**sneyä**) it may be translated *his own, her own, their own*, etc. It is used to clear up situations found in a sentence like “he prepared his meal.” Without clarification, it may not be clear if “his” refers to the person preparing the dinner or someone else:

* **Pol ’olem peyä wutsot.** *He prepared his (someone else’s) meal.*
* **Pol ’olem sneyä wutsot.** *He prepared his own meal.*

**Sno** can refer back to a topical acting as the subject,

* **Skxawngìri zìmup ulte sneyä tsko kxakx.** *The idiot fell and broke his/her (own) bow.*

Note that the reflexive can anticipate the noun it refers to, as in **sìpawmìri sneyä aynumeyuä karyu ’eyng** *the teacher responds to his students’ questions*. Here **sneyä** is coming before **karyu** *teacher*.

**Sno** is for third person antecedents only.

## 6.3.6 - Lahe

The adjective **lahe** *other*, another can also be used alone as a pronoun, **fìpoti oel tspìyang, fte tìkenong liyevu aylaru** *I will kill this one as a lesson to the others* (see 3.2.3 for the form).

## 6.3.7 - PRO-Drop

A subject pronoun (either subjective or agentive) may be dropped if it is the same as the subject of the previous statement. Note the lack of a subject pronoun in the second sentence:

* **Fayupxaremì oe payängkxo teri horen lì’fyayä leNa’vi fpi sute a tsun srekrr tsat sivar. Ayngeyä sìpawmìri kop fmayi fìtsenge tivìng sì’eyngit.**
* *In these messages I will chat about the rules of the Na’vi language for people who can already use it. I will also try to give answers here concerning your questions.*

## 6.3.8 - Contrastive Demonstratives

Contrastive Demonstratives. To focus contrasting elements, forms of the prenouns **fì-** and **tsa-** are paired with forms of the independent demonstratives **fì’u** and **tsa’u** used with **alu**:

* **Fìfkxen alu FÌ’u lu ftxìlor; tsafkxen alu TSA’u ngati tspang.** *THIS vegetable is delicious; THAT one will kill you.*
* **Fìkaryu alu fìpo lu tsulfätu; tsakaryu alu tsapo lu skxawng.** *This teacher is a master; that teacher is a fool.*

There is also a vocal contrastive stress on the independent forms of **fì’u** and **tsa’u** in this construction.

## Open Questions

**6.3.5** - As of Dec 2020 there remain questions about how to resolve **sneyä**, etc., when a topical and subject are both in play, as well as whether or not **sneyä** can refer to things in an outer clause, *he thinks that his father*...