Part 9
Common errors
Every error in this system is an English habit asking Phi to hold its coat. The repairs are short, and each one teaches a rule worth keeping.
Error 1the unmarked past
Wrong: *mia sileta nila. intended as "I saw the sun."
An unmarked verb is present, always. A clause whose translation is past carries to on its own verb: mia sileta to nila. The particle is one syllable, and it is never optional; the timeline of every Phi sentence is exactly as marked.
Error 2to read as "finished"
Wrong for the meaning: treating mia to theo. as "I finished reading."
to gives direction, not closure. The neutral past leaves the view open, and completion is ki's work: mia to ki theo. for the reading that stood complete at the past moment. When the finish matters, say the finish.
Error 3the English perfect mapped onto to ki
Wrong for the meaning: mia to ki nila. intended as "I have seen."
"Have seen" completes at the present, and the present is unmarked, so the form is bare ki: mia ki nila. The rule is one line: tense sets the reference moment, ki completes at it. Bare ki, have done; to ki, had done; so ki, will have done. English's three constructions are one particle wearing three tenses.
Error 4si handed a habit
Wrong for the meaning: misheko si nulae. intended as "the cat sleeps, as cats do."
That sentence is grammatical and means the cat is sleeping right now, mid-nap. The standing pattern takes ro: misheko ro nulae. si looks inside one occasion; ro looks across many. Ask which claim is yours before the particle leaves your mouth.
Error 5two views stacked
Wrong: *lopia pa si wile. intended as "the child begins to be playing."
The aspect rank seats one particle per clause. Two views take two clauses, each one clean: lopia pa wile. lopia si wile. The beginning is one claim, the flow is another, and the sequence of sentences carries what the stack cannot.
Error 6aspect before tense
Wrong: *mia si to theo.
The Slot 1 order is fixed: tense, then aspect. mia to si theo. Point first, then focus. The order is the same in all ten combinations, which is why part 7's table can be drilled to reflex; nothing in it ever rearranges.
Error 7te read as ki
Wrong for the meaning: taking mia te theo. as "I finished the book."
te says the reading ceased; the book may lie open at its middle. Completion is a separate claim with its own particle. A day can honestly contain both, mia to te theo. at dusk and mia to ki theo. when the last page turned, and Phi keeps the two honest by keeping them apart.