li

theories/analysis; sona nasa

'li' as 'is' misconception

in many toki pona courses and lessons, this meaning of 'li' is implied.

We've already looked at mi and sina sentences, which are the simplest sentences possible in Toki Pona. For sentences that don't use mi or sina as the subject, there is one small difference you'll need to learn. Look at how li is used: telo li pona. = Water is good suno li suli. = The sun is big. moku li pona. = Eating/food is good.

-jan Pije, Toki Pona Lesson 3

in jan Pije's examples, 'li' is almost directly translated as 'is'. since jan Pije is a huge influence in toki pona, especially in the early days, many jan sin were confused.

li "is"

-jan Misali, 12 Days of sona pi toki pona Day Two: Sentence Structure

in jan Misali's lessons, although spoken in the video as 'the predicate is separated from the subject with 'li'', he had written 'li "is "' in the description of the video, under vocabulary. in a documentary about toki pona, jan Misali was one of the biggest inspirations for others to learn toki pona - naturally, learners had this misconception in their mind.

extra references

• Toki Pona Lessons by jan Pije - 'li' as 'is' misconception

• 12 Days of sona pi toki pona by jan Misali - 'li' as 'is' misconception