Do you speak Amatu?

Ask whether someone speaks Amatu — and answer that you do. Two sentences that turn a stranger into a fellow learner.

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1 · Say this

tu vo Amatu? (too · voh · ah-MAH-too) Do you speak Amatu?

tu is you (Lesson 1). The new word is vo — speak / say. Add the name of the language, lift your voice at the end, and that's the question.

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2 · A closer look: vo, and answering

Amatu	Says	Means
vo	"voh"	speak / say

It's the same you–verb–thing shape you've used since Lesson 1 — tu (you), vo (speak), Amatu (the thing spoken). To answer about yourself, just swap tu for mi:

mi vo Amatu (mee · voh · ah-MAH-too) I speak Amatu. (a little!)

And if you don't, you already know how to say so — reach back to the flip-word no from Lesson 3:

mi no vo Amatu — I don't speak Amatu.

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⚠️ Watch out vo starts with a real v — top teeth on bottom lip, a buzzing "vvv," like very. Amatu also has a separate w (the "w" of wet). They are two different sounds here, never swapped. vo is "voh," not "woh."

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🎯 Pro tip Notice the question and the answer differ by one word: tu vo Amatu? → mi vo Amatu. Swapping tu and mi to turn a question back into a statement about yourself is a move you'll make constantly. You've now done it with pai, with ama, and with vo.

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3 · Your turn

Out loud:

1. Do you speak Amatu? → tu vo Amatu?
2. I speak Amatu → mi vo Amatu
3. I don't speak Amatu → mi no vo Amatu

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4 · Tonight's phrase

mi vo Amatu — I speak Amatu. (You do. That's the point.)

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30-second check

Cover the page. (1) Ask someone if they speak Amatu. (2) Answer that you do. (3) Answer that you don't. Three for three? You can now open a conversation in the very language you're learning — which is, itself, a small thrill.

⬅️ Back: Lesson 10 — Recap · ➡️ Next: Lesson 12 — What's your name?