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The clause
How to read and write one Agazan clause (roughly, one simple sentence): who does what, how each word is shaped, and the default order.
On this page
Beginner
You already write a citation: root + ending (odogal, owogal, azawan). In a sentence, put a role letter in front. That first letter says what the word is doing (who acts, the action, and so on). The root and ending stay the ones you already chose; only the first letter changes.
Who acts and the action
/z/ marks the subject (who acts). /v/ marks the verb (the action). Write role letter + root + ending as one word (zodogal from the citation odogal).
A period ends the statement. With only a subject and a verb, the order is Subject – Verb.
zodogal vowogal.z-dog | v-walk
"A dog walks."
A name you already cite with -n (azawan) keeps -n in the sentence:
zazawan vowogal.z-Azawan | v-walk
"Azawan walks."
Direct object (/d/)
The direct object is who or what the action is done to. Mark it with /d/. The usual order is Subject – Direct Object – Verb.
Because the first letter already says each word’s role, you may move those three words without changing who did what or what the sentence means. Moving a word does not stress it either. The usual order is still the one to use, because listeners expect it.
zodogal dagadul vahahal.z-dog | d-cat | v-see
"A dog sees a cat."
Same meaning, object first:
dagadul zodogal vahahal.d-cat | z-dog | v-see
"A dog sees a cat."
Adjectives (/ɡ/)
An adjective names a property of a noun (blue). Mark it with /ɡ/ and put it right after the noun it describes. You can stack several adjectives after one noun.
zodogal gubuhel vowogal.[z-dog | g-blue] | v-walk
"A blue dog walks."
When the root names an event, the adjective says the noun is in the middle of it: gowogal after dog is a walking dog (in progress).
Extra detail on an adjective (/w/)
To say how strongly a property holds (very blue), add a word marked with /w/ immediately before the adjective. The /w/ word describes only the adjective right after it, not the noun.
zodogal welavam gubuhel vowogal.[z-dog | [w-very | g-blue]] | v-walk
"A very blue dog walks."
Adverbs (/h/)
An adverb says how, when, or where an action happens. Mark it with /h/. You may place it anywhere in the sentence, and several adverbs can sit next to each other (hadehum halahom hastily and quietly).
zodogal hadehum vowogal.z-dog | h-haste | v-walk
"A dog walks hastily."
Stance (/th/)
An adverb describes the action. A stance word describes how you, the speaker, stand toward the whole claim: how sure you are, how you know it, why it holds, or whether it is only imagined. Mark it with /th/. Like /h/, it may sit anywhere in the sentence. th counts as one letter (phonology).
zodogal thevegam vowogal.z-dog | th-doubt | v-walk
"I doubt a dog is walking."
The adverb describes the walking. The stance word describes your claim about it.
A stance is yours now, as you speak. To give a stance you held at another time (I was sure then), see stance as-of.
Extra nouns (/b/)
/b/ marks an extra noun: a person or thing beyond the subject and direct object. It has two jobs. You tell them apart by the word immediately before the /b/ word.
Hosted: completing a relation. Some words name a relation that needs a second person or thing (like …: like whom?). Put the relation word in /ɡ/, /h/, or /th/, then put the other noun in /b/ right after it. The relation word is then the /b/ word’s host. (cue: 🪞 mirror: the image is like the model.)
The listener goes by position, not meaning: a /b/ word right after any /ɡ/, /h/, or /th/ word completes that word, even a word that names no relation. It is never read as the recipient described below, so do not put a recipient there.
humum bazawan[h-like | b-Azawan]
"like Azawan"
A /w/ word still goes before the host, so the host and its /b/ stay side by side.
welavam humum bazawan[[w-very | h-like] | b-Azawan]
"very like Azawan"
zodogal vezebal humum bazawan.z-dog | v-sleep | [h-like | b-Azawan]
"A dog sleeps like Azawan."
Unhosted: who receives. A /b/ word anywhere else is the person who receives what the verb passes on: who gets the thing given, or who hears what is told. What is given or said is still /d/. A clause has at most one of these. Its usual place is right after the verb: Subject – Direct Object – Verb – Extra noun.
zazawan vezebel balahen.z-Azawan | v-tell | b-Alahen
"Azawan tells Alahen."
Compare with: humum balahen is like Alahen, because a /b/ right after /h/ completes it. The usual place after the verb keeps the person who receives clear of any /ɡ/, /h/, or /th/ word. If you move it elsewhere, make sure it does not come right after one: balahen hadehum, or after a finished pair (humum bazawan balahen).
Role letters
The role letters you have used so far:
| Agazan | Use | Cue |
|---|---|---|
/z/ | subject (who acts) | z ≈ star (who the sentence is about) |
/d/ | direct object (who is acted on) | d ≈ done to (sound of acted on) |
/b/ | extra noun: recipient of the verb, or the piece after a relation word | b ≈ bolted on (the extra piece) |
/v/ | verb (the action) | v ≈ verb (the English name for the job starts with it) |
/ɡ/ | adjective (a property of the noun) | ɡ ≈ grade (a rating of the noun) |
/w/ | extra detail on the next /ɡ/, /h/, or /th/ word | w ≈ with (stuck to that host) |
/h/ | adverb (how / when / where) | h starts how / when / where |
/th/ | stance (how sure, how known, why, as if) | th ≈ think (your stance on the claim) |
Practice
Short drills for Beginner. Try each item before opening Show answer.
Setting: a bank
The word bank has two tables. New words are introduced here: English is what you produce, and Agazan is its citation, or the word with its role letter when that letter is part of the English (pay is vamol, the money root as a verb). Then the Cue names the citation's sense (💰 from money). Review lists words from earlier checkpoints.
New words:
| English | Agazan | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| pay | vamol | 💰 from money |
| angry | anegel | 😠 |
| very | welavam | 🐘 from elephant: big, as a degree |
| haste | hadehum | 💨 from dash |
| doubt | thevegam | 🤔 from think |
| like | humum | 🪞 from mirror: the image is like the model |
Review:
| English | Agazan |
|---|---|
| Azawan | azawan |
| Alahen | alahen |
| Ahaben | ahaben |
| find | vamagal |
| pencil | ebeyol |
| book | ugul |
| bell | ebehul |
English → Agazan
1. Azawan pays Alahen.
Show answer
zazawan vamol balahen.
z-Azawan | v-pay | b-Alahen
Also correct: zazawan balahen vamol.
2. A very angry Alahen finds money.
Show answer
zalahen welavam ganegel damol vamagal.
[z-Alahen | [w-very | g-angry]] | d-money | v-find
Also correct: zalahen welavam ganegel vamagal damol.
3. Ahaben hastily finds a pencil.
Show answer
zahaben hadehum debeyol vamagal.
z-Ahaben | h-haste | d-pencil | v-find
Also correct: zahaben debeyol vamagal hadehum.
4. I doubt that Azawan pays Ahaben.
Show answer
zazawan thevegam vamol bahaben.
z-Azawan | th-doubt | v-pay | b-Ahaben
Also correct: zazawan bahaben thevegam vamol.
5. Ahaben finds Azawan.
Show answer
zahaben dazawan vamagal.
z-Ahaben | d-Azawan | v-find
Also correct: zahaben vamagal dazawan.
Agazan → English
1. dalahen zahaben vamagal.
Show answer
d-Alahen | z-Ahaben | v-find
Ahaben finds Alahen.
2. zahaben welavam hadehum vamol bazawan.
Show answer
z-Ahaben | [w-very | h-haste] | v-pay | b-Azawan
Ahaben pays Azawan very hastily.
3. zalahen debehul vamagal humum bazawan.
Show answer
z-Alahen | d-bell | v-find | [h-like | b-Azawan]
Alahen finds a bell, like Azawan.
4. zahaben thevegam dugul vamagal.
Show answer
z-Ahaben | th-doubt | d-book | v-find
I doubt that Ahaben finds a book.
5. bazawan zalahen ganegel vamol.
Show answer
b-Azawan | [z-Alahen | g-angry] | v-pay
An angry Alahen pays Azawan.
Pick one
1. Azawan finds Alahen. zazawan dalahen vamagal. or zalahen dazawan vamagal.
Show answer
zazawan dalahen vamagal.
z-Azawan | d-Alahen | v-find
The finder takes /z/ and the one found takes /d/; the other form has Alahen finding Azawan.
2. Alahen pays Azawan hastily. zalahen hadehum bazawan vamol. or zalahen hadehum vamol bazawan.
Show answer
zalahen hadehum vamol bazawan.
z-Alahen | h-haste | v-pay | b-Azawan
A /b/ word right after an /h/ word completes it, so the person paid goes after the verb, not right after hadehum.
Fix it
1. An angry Ahaben pays Alahen. zahaben ganegel balahen vamol.
Show answer
zahaben ganegel vamol balahen.
[z-Ahaben | g-angry] | v-pay | b-Alahen
Right after the /ɡ/ word, balahen completes angry instead of naming who is paid.
Intermediate
Reminder:
Intermediate sections assume you have read the beginner sections of every page.
Adjectives before the noun (gl-)
English puts the adjective before the noun (a blue dog). Agazan can too: add l as the second letter (/ɡ/ + l + root + ending), and that adjective describes the next noun instead of the one before it. This lets you choose the order for meter or emphasis, and it frees the spot after the noun for another adjective. (cue: l ≈ lean: the word leans toward the noun ahead.)
glubuhel zodogal.[gl-blue | z-dog]
"a blue dog"
A /b/ word still follows that adjective, and a /w/ word still sits immediately before it (welavam glubuhel zodogal = a very blue dog). This extra l goes only on adjectives (/ɡ/). A noun must come after it: with no noun to lean on, write a plain /ɡ/ adjective after the noun instead (zodogal gubuhel).
A family name is a /ɡ/ word too, so gl- puts it first, for a culture that names people family first. It leans on a call the same way.
glaluden zohun vowogal.[gl-Aluden | z-Ohun] | v-walk
"Aluden Ohun walks."
glaluden yohun.[gl-Aluden | y-Ohun]
"Aluden Ohun!" (calling Aluden Ohun)
Complex chaining
A relation adjective and its hosted /b/ (the same as Azawan: gugol + /b/) work as one unit after a noun. A /w/ word that grades the relation goes immediately before the /ɡ/ word, as usual. You can keep chaining: a plain adjective after that pair describes the extra noun, not the first noun. (cue: 🪙 coin: two faces of one thing.)
zodogal welavam gugol bazawan.z-dog | [[w-very | g-SAME] | b-Azawan]
"a dog the very same as Azawan"
zodogal gugol bazawan gubuhel.z-dog | [g-SAME | [b-Azawan | g-blue]]
"a dog the same as blue Azawan"
The same holds after an /h/ host: an adjective after its /b/ describes that extra noun.
zodogal vezebal humum bazawan gubuhel.z-dog | v-sleep | [h-like | [b-Azawan | g-blue]]
"A dog sleeps like blue Azawan."
Because a second relation after the pair would attach to the extra noun, you cannot put two relation adjectives after the same first noun. To keep both on that noun in one clause, put one before the noun with gl-; its /b/ still follows it. Otherwise use another sentence.
glugol bazawan zodogal gugol balahen.[[gl-SAME | b-Azawan] | z-dog] | [g-SAME | b-Alahen]
"a dog the same as Azawan, the same as Alahen"
A verb can take several /h/ or /th/ units. Each plain word counts as one unit, and so does a host with its /b/ (plus any /w/ before it).
Compare with: a hook followed by /b/ means in / at / for, not the person who receives.
How much: degree words on /w/
Beginner used welavam very before an adjective. The same /w/ slot takes a few stock degree words, and each one works before an adverb as well as an adjective.
| Agazan | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|
welavam | very | 🐘: big, as a degree |
wohahal | extremely / overwhelmingly | 🌊: an ocean of it |
wamazam | slightly / a bit | 🐁: small, as a degree |
wadeham | quite / fairly | 🔉: medium volume, not loud or soft |
wahahom | completely / totally / entirely / fully | 💯: a hundred is the whole |
zodogal welavam hadehum vowogal.z-dog | [w-very | h-haste] | v-walk
"A dog walks very hastily."
zodogal wohahal gubuhel vowogal.[z-dog | [w-ocean | g-blue]] | v-walk
"An extremely blue dog walks."
zodogal wamazam gubuhel vowogal.[z-dog | [w-small | g-blue]] | v-walk
"A slightly blue dog walks."
zodogal wadeham gubuhel vowogal.[z-dog | [w-quite | g-blue]] | v-walk
"A fairly blue dog walks."
The same words also go right before a reaction, to say how strongly it holds (describing a reaction).
Two stock words go in /h/ and describe the verb itself. Use habedem kind of / sort of to hedge the action, and herobem for again.
| Agazan | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|
habedem | kind of / sort of | 📈: some degree, not a full one |
herobem | again | 🔁: the same thing once more |
zazawan habedem vowogal.z-Azawan | h-kind-of | v-walk
"Azawan kind of walks."
zodogal herobem varahal.z-dog | h-again | v-run
"The dog runs again."
Leaving out who acts
English uses the passive (The cat was seen, Mistakes were made) to avoid naming who acted. Agazan simply leaves out the /z/ word. The verb and its object stay the same, and the sentence says nothing about who did it.
dazawan vahahal.d-Azawan | v-see
"Azawan was seen."
Compare with: zunan someone says that somebody did it, without saying who. With no subject at all, the sentence does not mention a doer. A missing subject never means the topic: to make the topic the doer, write zozan.
Practice
Short drills for Intermediate. Try each item before opening Show answer.
Setting: a waiting room
New words:
| English | Agazan | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| ticket | edegal | 🎫 |
| train | edehal | 🚆 |
| blue | ubuhel | 🔵 |
| stand | vazadol | 🧍 |
| again | herobem | 🔁 from repeat: the same thing once more |
Review:
| English | Agazan |
|---|---|
| Azawan | azawan |
| Alahen | alahen |
| Ahaben | ahaben |
| police | abazel |
| SAME | ugol |
| sleepy | ezebul |
| very | welavam |
| ocean | wohahal |
| haste | hadehum |
| umbrella | amebel |
| see | vahahal |
| find | vamagal |
| sit | vehahel |
English → Agazan
1. A sleepy Alahen stands. (adjective before the noun)
Show answer
glezebul zalahen vazadol.
[gl-sleepy | z-Alahen] | v-stand
2. The police officer the same as sleepy Azawan stands.
Show answer
zabazel gugol bazawan gezebul vazadol.
[z-police | [g-SAME | [b-Azawan | g-sleepy]]] | v-stand
3. Ahaben sees the train again.
Show answer
zahaben dedehal herobem vahahal.
z-Ahaben | d-train | h-again | v-see
Also correct: zahaben herobem dedehal vahahal.
4. A ticket was seen.
Show answer
dedegal vahahal.
d-ticket | v-see
5. Alahen stands extremely hastily.
Show answer
zalahen wohahal hadehum vazadol.
z-Alahen | [w-ocean | h-haste] | v-stand
6. Alahen sees a very blue train.
Show answer
zalahen dedehal welavam gubuhel vahahal.
z-Alahen | [d-train | [w-very | g-blue]] | v-see
Agazan → English
1. welavam glezebul zabazel vehahel.
Show answer
[[w-very | gl-sleepy] | z-police] | v-sit
A very sleepy police officer sits.
2. glugol bazawan zabazel gugol balahen.
Show answer
[[gl-SAME | b-Azawan] | z-police] | [g-SAME | b-Alahen]
A police officer the same as Azawan, the same as Alahen.
3. damebel vamagal.
Show answer
d-umbrella | v-find
An umbrella was found.
4. zazawan welavam hadehum vazadol.
Show answer
z-Azawan | [w-very | h-haste] | v-stand
Azawan stands very hastily.
5. zedehal herobem vazadol.
Show answer
z-train | h-again | v-stand
A train stands again.
6. zahaben dedegal gugol vahahal.
Show answer
z-Ahaben | [d-ticket | g-SAME] | v-see
Ahaben sees the same ticket (as before).
Pick one
1. Azawan sees a police officer the same as blue Ahaben. zazawan dabazel gugol bahaben gubuhel vahahal. or zazawan dabazel gubuhel gugol bahaben vahahal.
Show answer
zazawan dabazel gugol bahaben gubuhel vahahal.
z-Azawan | [d-police | [g-SAME | [b-Ahaben | g-blue]]] | v-see
After the gugol pair, a plain adjective describes the extra noun; before it, blue describes the police officer.
2. Alahen was seen. dalahen vahahal. or zalahen vahahal.
Show answer
dalahen vahahal.
d-Alahen | v-see
Leave out the subject and keep Alahen as the object; zalahen vahahal is Alahen sees.
Fix it
1. A blue train stands. (adjective before the noun) gubuhel zedehal vazadol.
Show answer
glubuhel zedehal vazadol.
[gl-blue | z-train] | v-stand
An adjective before its noun takes gl-; a plain /ɡ/ word describes the noun before it.
Advanced
English emphasis and clefts
English often moves or stresses a word to single it out: It's a cat that Azawan sees, It was Azawan who saw the cat, or a stressed Azawan saw the cat. Agazan word order carries no emphasis. A sentence's usual order is set by its speech act, and any other order means exactly the same. When you translate, ask what the English emphasis is doing.
If the English sets one person or thing against others (Azawan, not someone else), put the contrastive focus mark & on that word.
zazawan &dagadul vahahal.z-Azawan | &d-cat | v-see
"It's a cat that Azawan sees (not something else)."
If the English only puts the new part first, with no others to set it against (answering What does Azawan see? with It's a cat that Azawan sees), write the plain sentence. What came before already shows which part is new.
zazawan dagadul vahahal.z-Azawan | d-cat | v-see
"Azawan sees a cat."
Translating the other way, an Agazan sentence in an unusual order (a line fitted to a tune, say) becomes a plain English sentence.
| Agazan | Use | English |
|---|---|---|
zazawan dagadul vahahal. | plain | Azawan sees a cat. / It's a cat that Azawan sees. (answering what?) |
&zazawan dagadul vahahal. | subject contrasted | It was Azawan who saw the cat. |
zazawan &dagadul vahahal. | object contrasted | It's a cat (not something else) that Azawan sees. |
zazawan dagadul &vahahal. | act contrasted | Azawan sees the cat (rather than doing something else to it). |
Compare with: what the whole conversation is about is the topic, set only by an /x/ word.
Starting a sentence audibly
In writing, the period shows where one sentence ends and the next begins. In speech, a listener may miss that pause, especially in singing or with free word order. When that could happen, begin the next sentence with a word that can only start one: yes / no, the name of the person you address, or the statement word yal.
Practice
Short drills for Advanced. Try each item before opening Show answer.
Setting: a circus
New words:
| English | Agazan | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| balloon | abevul | 🎈 |
| drum | adavol | 🥁 |
| mask | amazol | 😷 |
| box | abegol | 📦 |
Review:
| English | Agazan |
|---|---|
| Azawan | azawan |
| Alahen | alahen |
| Ahaben | ahaben |
| trumpet | adawol |
| haste | hadehum |
| see | vahahal |
| punch | vabahel |
| sneak | vezevul |
English → Agazan
1. Hastily, Azawan sees a balloon.
Show answer
hadehum zazawan dabevul vahahal.
h-haste | z-Azawan | d-balloon | v-see
2. What does Alahen punch? It's a drum that Alahen punches.
Show answer
zalahen dadavol vabahel.
z-Alahen | d-drum | v-punch
Nothing is set against the drum, so the plain sentence is enough.
3. It's a drum, not a trumpet, that Alahen punches.
Show answer
zalahen &dadavol vabahel.
z-Alahen | &d-drum | v-punch
4. It was Ahaben, not someone else, who saw the mask.
Show answer
&zahaben damazol vahahal.
&z-Ahaben | d-mask | v-see
Agazan → English
1. dadawol zahaben vahahal.
Show answer
d-trumpet | z-Ahaben | v-see
Ahaben sees a trumpet.
2. zalahen &dabegol vabahel.
Show answer
z-Alahen | &d-box | v-punch
It's a box (not something else) that Alahen punches.
3. hadehum zalahen vezevul.
Show answer
h-haste | z-Alahen | v-sneak
Hastily, Alahen sneaks.
4. dabegol zahaben hadehum vahahal.
Show answer
d-box | z-Ahaben | h-haste | v-see
Ahaben hastily sees a box.
What changes
1. zazawan dabevul vahahal. / &zazawan dabevul vahahal.
Show answer
z-Azawan | d-balloon | v-see
&z-Azawan | d-balloon | v-see
The first is plain Azawan sees a balloon; the second stresses Azawan: it was Azawan, not someone else.
2. zahaben dadavol vahahal. / zahaben dadavol &vahahal.
Show answer
z-Ahaben | d-drum | v-see
z-Ahaben | d-drum | &v-see
The second contrasts the act: Ahaben sees the drum, as opposed to doing something else to it.