Remote Work

1. Ng ngar er ngii a coworking space er tiang?

   Is there a coworking space nearby?

   Usage

   Used to find a nearby coworking space

   Grammar Note

   coworking space borrowed from English. ngar er ngii = there is

2. Ng ngara a WiFi password?

   What is the WiFi password?

   Usage

   Used to ask for the WiFi password

   Grammar Note

   "What is ...?" is Ng ngara a ...? (Ng ngara a urerel a sensei? = "What is the job of a teacher?"; Ng ngara a kot el soam el suobel? = "What's your favorite subject?"). Tela is "how many / how much", not "what". "What" is ngara (ngarang is a variant of the same word).

3. Ng ungil a WiFi er a video call?

   Is the WiFi fast enough for video calls?

   Usage

   Used to ask if the internet is fast enough for video calls

   Grammar Note

   ungil = good/sufficient. video call borrowed from English

4. Ng ngar er ngii a delmerab el lmuk?

   Do you have a quiet area or private booth?

   Usage

   Used to ask for a quiet working space or booth

   Grammar Note

   delmerab is a variant of delemerab, n. "room" (Tia a delmerab er a Droteo me a Toki. = "This is Droteo and Toki's room."; Ngar er ngii a kleuang el delmerab er ngii. = "It has four rooms."). lmuk is v.i. "be silent" (Ng sebechem el kuk mo lmuk ...? = "Can you be quiet ...?"). Chelsel is n.poss.3s "the inside of", not a standalone "space" (chelsel a bail = undershirt, chelsel a skidas = inside the drawer).

5. Ng sebechek el oureor er tiang er a ta el sils?

   Can I work here all day?

   Usage

   Used to ask if you can work at a location all day

   Grammar Note

   The verb "to work" is oureor (v.i. "work"); ureor is the noun "work; job; task". "All day" is er a ta el sils (A rechad er a Ngiual a euid el omengur er a ta el sils. = "The inhabitants of Ngiual eat seven times throughout the day."). Permission uses Ng sebechek el + verb.

6. Ng kirek el ousbech a printer.

   I need to print a document.

   Usage

   Used to ask about printing services

   Grammar Note

   Necessity is expressed by the possessive paradigm of kirel (n.poss.3s); the first person is kirek (ng kirek el omad er tia el bduu... = "I need to heat up my boil"; Ng kirek el mo omechar a subelengek... = "I need to buy pants for school"). ousbech is v.t. "need; use" (Chedam/chedil, ak ousbech a udoud el mo er a daingak. = "Father/mother, I need money to go to university."). There is no verb for "print", so the card says "I need to use a printer". Ng kirek el mo er a printer. reads "I need to go to the printer" and says nothing about printing. kirir is the third-person plural possessive, "their obligation", and cannot carry a first-person meaning.

7. Ng ngar er ngii a outlet er tia el kingall?

   Is there a power outlet near this seat?

   Usage

   Used to ask if there is an electrical outlet nearby

   Grammar Note

   A seat or chair is kingall (n.a.s. "seat; chair; appointed position"; A John a dilengchokl er a kingall. = "John was sitting on the chair."; Ka molukl el mo er se el ta er a kingall. = "Please move into another chair."). Blil is the third-person possessive of blai "house" and means "his house / the building of" — there is a long series of blil a X phrases (blil a bulis "police station", blil a kas "gas station", blil a beab "jail"). It carries no "seat" sense.

8. Ng ngar er ngii a online meeting er a taem.

   I have an online meeting at [time].

   Usage

   Used to inform others about an upcoming online meeting

   Grammar Note

   "Online meeting" is an English loan phrase; taem is likewise borrowed from English "time". Klebesei means "night", not clock time

9. Ng tela a cheral er a day pass?

   What is the price for a day pass?

   Usage

   Used to ask about the day pass price at a coworking space

   Grammar Note

   Cheral is the third-person possessive of "price" (Ng tela a cheral a kelek? = "What is the cost of our food?"; cheral a blai, "the cost of the house"). Belkul is n.poss.3s "meaning; purpose" (belkul a tekoi, "the meaning of a word") and carries no price sense.

10. Ng ngar er ngii a standing desk?

    Is there a standing desk available?

    Usage

    Used to ask if a standing desk is available

    Grammar Note

    standing desk borrowed from English. ngar er ngii = there is

11. Ng ngar er ngii a locker?

    Is there a locker I can use?

    Usage

    Used to ask about locker availability

    Grammar Note

    locker borrowed from English. ngar er ngii = there is

12. A internet a kmal betimer — ng ngar er ngii a mo ungil?

    The internet is too slow — is there a faster connection?

    Usage

    Used when the internet is too slow and you need a faster connection

    Grammar Note

    Betimer (a variant of betimel) is v.s. "slow".

13. Ng soak el omechar a SIM card el ngar er ngii a data.

    I'd like to buy a SIM card with data for work.

    Usage

    Used to purchase a data SIM card for work purposes

    Grammar Note

    SIM card and data are English loans. omechar is v.t. "buy"; "Ng soak el ..." (the 1st-person possessive of sau plus the subject marker ng) takes an imperfective verb to mean "I would like to ..." (cf. Ng soak el melim a ralm. = "I want to drink water"). Melai means take/receive/obtain and carries no "buy" sense.

14. Ng diak a chad er tia el kingall?

    Is this seat available?

    Usage

    Used to ask if a seat is available

    Grammar Note

    Whether a seat is free is asked negatively — "is there nobody at this seat?". diak is v.s. "is/are not; does not exist", chad is n. "man; person", and kingall is n.a.s. "seat; chair" (A John a dilengchokl er a kingall. = "John was sitting on the chair."). Blil is the third-person possessive of blai "house" and is not "seat".

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