Teruene

Classification
Terwene is an IAL (International Auxiliary Language) bases in part on Esperanto grammar (with Chinese influence), but with words which originate mainly from the world's five most spoken languages: Chinese (Mandarin), English, Spanish, Hindi and Arabic.

It is an a posteriori agglutinative language, although a bit more inclined to isolating languages than Esperanto.

Phonology
Terwene uses all the letters of the basic Latin alphabet.

The stress is always on the syllable before the last one.

Writing System
Words can end in vowels, semivowels, or the following consonants: d, f, h, l, m, n, r, s, x, z, j. Roots should not end in more than one consonant. Also difficult consonant clusters should be avoided (such as three consonants together or two semivowels in the same syllable), as well as voiced and unvoiced consonants too close in the same word.

Pronouns
In the third person there is no distinction of gender, but there is distinction of animate or inanimate things. This can be interpreted in many ways. Usually, one would use "hi" por humans and "so" for any other thing. But more generally "hi" can be used for anything that is capable of communicating, however it can be used for animals, plants or inanimate things for stylistic reasons, such as speaking to or about pets.

Plural pronouns are created adding the -men suffix.

Nouns
Normal nouns end in -e in singular form. The plural is formed adding -s. Apart from that, nouns don't change.

Verbs
Verbs end in -ar in infinitive, which is replaced by other endings according to tense or mood. Verbs have five suffixes which are used to create a lot of different verbs from just a few original verbs
 * -awr gives the verb more duration, if the verb means an instant action, then adding this suffix usually makes it mean the result of that action. Examples:
 * kahar = to say --> kahawrar = to talk/speak
 * habar = to have --> habawrar = to own
 * visar = to see --> visawrar = to watch/look at


 * -ek gives the verb a more instantaneous meaning or the beginning of the action
 * corar = to run --> corekar = to start running
 * xidar = to know --> xidekar = to learn (to start to know)
 * karar = to do --> karekar = to do suddenly
 * habar = to have --> habekar = to get/obtain
 * dormar = to sleep --> dormekar = to fall asleep/to start sleeping


 * -end gives it the meaning of the culmination of the action
 * canar = to go --> canendar = to arrive
 * dormar = to sleep --> dormendar = to wake up


 * -ojd makes the verb transitive if it wasn't, else it makes it "to cause someone do X-action"
 * dormekar = to fall sleep --> dormekojdar = to make someone sleep
 * dormendar = to wake up --> dormendojdar = to wake someone up
 * ekar = to begin --> ekojdar --> to (make something) start
 * folar = to fall --> folojdar --> to drop


 * -es is only used on transitive verbs to make them intransitive or reflexive.
 * teycar = to hold --> teycesar = to hold on to something
 * teycekar = to grab --> teycekesar = to grab on to something (to start to be holding on to something)

Adjectives
Adjectives end in -a. They can agree in number with nouns adding -s, but it is not mandatory and is only recommended when it can prevent serious misunderstanding, for example when the noun does not appear in the sentence.

Questions
Yes/No questions (or questions that give you a definite amount of answers) are created adding the particle das at the beginning of the sentence.

Tu swan womise = You are a woman

Das tu swan womise? = Are you a woman?

Das can olso be used at the end eith the meaning of ", right?" And the words for yes and no can be added too.

Tu swan womise, das? = You are a woman right? Tu no swan mabire, das ja? = You're not father, are you? Tu swan mabise, das ne? = You are mother, aren't you?

Other questions are made with xen- correlatives, unlike many languages but like Chinese, the order of the sentence does not change (although it is allowed) when asking questions, the xen- WordPress​ is in the place where the answer will be. For example: Tu manqan xene? = What are you eating? (You eat what?)