History: Common beginner mistakes

Bare pro-sumti as possessives

E.g. *"mi karce cu xunre" instead of "le mi karce cu xunre" or "le karce pe mi xunre".

Trying to use "cu" as an abstractor

E.g. *"mi djica cu tavla fo la .lojban." instead of "mi djica lo nu tavla fo la .lojban." for "I want to speak lojban." Jay Kominek suggests that this is caused largely by not knowing about NU, so they just kludge what they want into what they've got.

Unconstrained borrowing into Lojban

E.g. *"mi tcidu la Hamlet" instead of "mi tcidu la xamlet."

Dropping of "la" and "zo"

E.g. *"mi cmene John" instead of "zo .djan. cmene mi".

Trying to create names from acronyms with "la"

E.g. *"mi kelci la dy. dy. ry."

Relatives attached to selbri instead of sumti

E.g. *"ti karce pe mi" instead of "mi ponse ti noi karce"

Vocatives accidentally swallowing following sumti

E.g. *"ki'e mi jimpe" instead of "ki'e do'u mi jimpe" or "ki'e do mi jimpe"

Omitting abstrators

E.g. *"mi djica lo citka" instead of "mi djica lo nu citka"

Accidental tanru

E.g. *"lo nanmu bajra" instead of "lo nanmu ku bajra" or "lo nanmu cu bajra" or *"lo mamta be do tavla mi" instead of "lo mamta be do cu tavla mi" or "lo mamta be do ku tavla mi" - even be'o doesn't do the job here.