Give and take

Two words that mirror each other — handing something over, and receiving it.

---

1 · Say this

dona ni (DOH-na · nee) Give this.

ni is this (Lesson 6). The new word is dona — give. With the "you" left off, it's a request, exactly like yuva mi (Lesson 7): just the action and what it lands on.

---

2 · A closer look: dona out, tika in

Amatu	Says	Means
dona	"DOH-na"	give
tika	"TEE-ka"	take / receive

They're a matched pair — one hands over, the other accepts. And both behave like every verb you've met:

mi dona ni — I give this. (state it, with mi back in front)

mi tika ni — I take this. / I'll have this.

So a whole little exchange works already:

— dona ni. (Give this.) — okei — mi tika. (Okay — I'll take it.)

And the two ends of that exchange can be two different people. nara is person (Lesson 16), so the pair lines up neatly:

mi dona, nara tika — I give, a person takes.

You can even name the partner with we — with (Lesson 14):

mi dona we la — I give, with her.

---

🌏 You already know this dona is the give-word hiding in donate, donor, pardon ("give through"). If a word has ever been given to you in English by way of Latin, this root was already in your mouth.

---

⚠️ Watch out Keep dona clear of dana from Lesson 9. dana (DAH-na) is thanks; dona (DOH-na) is give. Same shape, one different vowel — and Amatu never blurs that vowel, so the two stay cleanly apart.

---

3 · Your turn

Out loud:

1. Give this → dona ni
2. I'll take this → mi tika ni
3. I give, a person takes → mi dona, nara tika
4. Run the exchange: offer it (dona ni), then accept it (mi tika).

---

4 · Tonight's phrase

dona ni — give this — answered by mi tika — I'll take it.

---

30-second check

Cover the page. (1) Ask someone to give this. (2) Say you'll take it. (3) Say which word is give and which is take. Three for three? You can now run the smallest complete transaction there is — one person offers, the other accepts.

⬅️ Back: Lesson 16 — Someone, anyone · ➡️ Next: Lesson 18 — Please