Lingua Franca Nova

LFN

Note:  Words ending in a vowel lose that vowel when followed by a suffix that begins with a vowel.  E.g. flora, flower, becomes floros, flowery, florin, flower-like, flori, to blossom, floreta, florette, floror or floriste, florist, floreria, florist's store.

Verbs

• -a -- from nouns: to use a tool or device, e.g. telefona, to telephone.
• -i -- from nouns or adjectives: to become..., e.g. flori, to blossom.
also, to cause or make something become..., e.g. umidi, to humidify.
Takes the place of endings such as -ify and -ize.

• -able -- from verbs: capable of being... -ed, worthy of being... -ed, e.g. amable, lovable.

• -in -- from nouns: similar to, like..., e.g. serpentin, serpentine, snake-like.
• -os -- from nouns: full of..., e.g. sucaros, sugary.
• -al -- from nouns: pertaining to, relating to..., e.g. nasional, national.
• -an -- from nouns: pertaining to some area or nation, e.g. american. (see note with -an under Nouns, below.)

• -nte -- nouns and adjectives from verbs: characterized by doing..., one who..., e.g. amante, loving, loving one, lover.
• -da -- nouns and adjectives from verbs: characterized by being... -ed,  one who is... -ed, e.g. amada, loved, loved one, beloved.

• -or -- from adjectives, nouns, or verbs: a person who, as part of his or her role or job, makes or renders (adj.), does... (verb), or works with... (noun), e.g. dirijor, director, carnor, butcher.
• -ador -- from adjectives, nouns, or verbs: a tool, instrument, device, or machine which renders or makes things (adj.), does... (verb), or works with... (noun), e.g. lavador, washing machine, umidador, humidifier, frescador, air conditioner.
• -eria -- from adjectives, nouns, or verbs: the place of work, a shop, or office... e.g. carneria, butcher shop.

• -eta -- from nouns: diminutive, miniature version, young of some creature, inner clothing..., e.g. floreta, little flower, florette.
• -on -- from nouns: augmentive, outsized version, outer clothing..., e.g. senton, sofa.

• -o -- from nouns, male relatives, e.g. tio, uncle.
also: trees, e.g. pero, pear tree.
• -a -- from nouns, female relatives, e.g. tia, aunt.
also: the fruit or nut of a tree, e.g. pera, pear.

• -ia -- from nouns or adjectives: abstract nouns, e.g. madria, motherhood, jelosia, jealousy...
also, a profession or field of study, e.g. psicolojia, psychology.
Takes the place of a variety of suffixes, such as -ity, -ship, and -hood.

• -r -- from verbs: the infinitive or abstract, e.g. amar, to love, Love, finir, to finish...
May be followed by an adverb or an object or both, e.g. Amar vere la enfantes es bon.


• -isme -- from nouns: a religion or philosophy or other system of belief, e.g. budisme.
• -iste -- from nouns: one who adheres to a belief, e.g. budiste. (see -isme)
also, one who practices a profession, e.g. psicolojiste. (see -ia)
• -an -- from nouns, a native or, or dweller in, some area or nation, e.g. american (see adjectives).
also: the language of some area, nation, or people, e.g. italian, italian*

*A Note on nationalities or peoples:  The name, the language, and the adjective form of a word referring to a nationality or a people are identical, and should not stray too far from how the people refer to themselves, with -an used if possible, e.g. american, italian... , but other endings, such as -es, -ica, or none at all, used as needed, e.g. engles, franses... slavica, elenica... deutx, latina....

Numbers

• -i -- fractions, e.g. desi, one tenth.
• -uple -- multiples or a group, e.g. duple, double, duet, couple

Prefixes

• des- -- verbs: to undo... e.g. desinfeta, disinfect.
• re- -- verbs: to do over, again, or in reverse, e.g. relua, rehire; redona, give back.
  

• non- -- adjectives: not, the opposite of..., e.g. nonjustesa, unjust

Derivatives requiring no change

• nouns from adjectives: something or someone so characterized, e.g. la belas, the beauties.

• nouns from verbs: a specific instance of an act, the process of an act, or the immediate consequences of an act, e.g. la dansa, the dance, la condui, the conduct, la corti, the cut... Takes the place of a number of endings, such as -ment (as in experiment) and -tion (as in creation).