14·no ponu tapu

Three particles help a household say what is requested, possible, or necessary. no at the front makes the clause a directive, which may be a request or a command. po before the verb says may or can; na says must. With ma, the two combinations differ: po ma means cannot, while na ma means must not. The rules of the house:

SceneI

no ponu tapu.no ponu phae.no shua. no nuola.

Close the door; open the door; come, eat. These no sentences leave the subject unspoken because the listener supplies it. A subject may still be named when it matters, though around here the listener is usually the dog.

SceneII

thia ponu po phae.lopia mua thepalu po wile.lohau mua thepalu po wile.lopia na nulae.lohau mua womu na nulae.

You may open the door; the child and the dog may play in the garden; the child must sleep (it is that hour), and the dog must sleep indoors, a rule the dog regards as a personal triumph.

SceneIII

misheko mua wonepa po thalo.phaono mua wonepa ma thalo.lohau nekuma po pilu.phaono nekuma ma pilu.lopia mua luphore na ma sonu wishe.

The cat can walk on the table; the parent directs it not to. The dog can take the meat; the parent says not to. Ability and permission are separate facts. The final line uses na ma: swimming alone must not occur. Calling all three situations "cannot" would hide the very distinction this chapter needs.

SceneIV

lopiapi wa mia mua luphore po wishe.That first little word is politeness itself; chapter sixteen makes it formal. The child is already using it, because the child wants something.phaolia. lo mia kau luphore wepu. thia po wishe.lopiamea.lo mia kau luphore wepu.lopia wishe. lohau wishe.misheko mua womu nulae. misheko theula ruela sano.The cat knows every rule. That is different from following them.

May I swim? Yes, we go to the river together, and you may. kau places the destination before the river, with arrival there as the intended end of the journey.