Return-Path: Received: from kantti.helsinki.fi by xiron.pc.helsinki.fi with smtp (Linux Smail3.1.28.1 #1) id m0rKApv-00007DC; Tue, 20 Dec 94 22:07 EET Received: from fiport.funet.fi (fiport.funet.fi [128.214.109.150]) by kantti.helsinki.fi (8.6.9/8.6.5) with ESMTP id WAA13352 for ; Tue, 20 Dec 1994 22:07:05 +0200 Received: from SEARN.SUNET.SE (MAILER@SEARN) by FIPORT.FUNET.FI (PMDF V4.3-13 #2494) id <01HKVNDK7M680001BX@FIPORT.FUNET.FI>; Tue, 20 Dec 1994 20:06:06 +0200 (EET) Received: from SEARN.SUNET.SE (NJE origin LISTSERV@SEARN) by SEARN.SUNET.SE (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 0992; Tue, 20 Dec 1994 21:03:40 +0100 Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 15:07:49 -0500 (EST) From: jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU Subject: Re: Suggestions? Sender: Lojban list To: Veijo Vilva Reply-to: jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU Message-id: <01HKVNDM30D60001BX@FIPORT.FUNET.FI> X-Envelope-to: veion@XIRON.PC.HELSINKI.FI Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT X-To: lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 531 Lines: 19 la kris cusku di'e > 1) How do you say "seven years ago"? I like {puza lei ze nanca}. (Or puzi, or puzu, depending whether seven years is a short time or a long one in the context.) As you say, {pu lei ze nanca} takes seven years as a reference, and sends you to the past of that, the seven years are not taken as a length of time, but as a starting point. On the other hand, the complement of {puza} is a specification of the length {za}. {pu} sends you a length {za} towards the past, starting from the here and now. Jorge