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Everyone

Some moments aren't about one person — they're about the whole room. This is Amatu's word for all of it, everyone, every last one.

1 · Say this

ela nara (EH-la · NAH-ra) Everyone.

ela is all / every / everyone — the word that sweeps in the whole set. nara is people (Lesson 16). Put them together and ela nara is everyone — all the people, no one left out. One small word in front, and the group goes from "some" to "all."

2 · A closer look: ela

Amatu Says Means
ela "EH-la" all / every / everyone

ela sits in front of a noun and stretches it to cover the whole lot. On its own it can stand for everyone; in front of a word it means every one of those.

It's the opposite number of eka (alone / only, Lesson 55). eka narrows to one; ela opens to all:

Amatu Means
ela nara everyone
ela nara oli everyone is happy
mi sen ela nara I know everyone
ela wa every time / always

That last one is handy: pair ela with wa (time, Lesson 27) and you get every time — Amatu's way of saying always.

🌐 Two words, no plural ending English bolts an -s onto things to make them plural: people, times. Amatu never does. nara is already people; wa is already time or times. To say all of them, you don't change the word — you set ela in front and let it do the counting. ela nara, ela wa: the noun stays put, ela carries the all.

🗣️ Say it clean ela is two clean beats: "EH-la," the e like the e in "bed," the a like "ah." Don't let it slide toward the English "ella." And mind the gap with eka (alone) — ela has an l, eka has a k. One little sound is the whole difference between everyone and only one.

3 · Your turn

Out loud:

  1. Everyone → ela nara
  2. Everyone is happy → ela nara oli
  3. I know everyone → mi sen ela nara
  4. Every time / always → ela wa
  5. Picture a full room, and greet it: aiya, ela nara.

4 · Tonight's phrase

ela nara — everyone. Set ela in front of any noun to sweep in the whole set; pair it with wa for ela wa, every time.

30-second check

Cover the page. (1) Say everyone. (2) Say I know everyone. (3) Say always — every time. Three for three? Then you can take in the whole room at once — ela opens the doors, and eka is still there for when it's just you.

⬅️ Back: Lesson 56 — Recap · ➡️ Next: Lesson 58 — Making and finishing