How would you sing "Happy Birthday" in Na'vi?
 

Kaltxì, ma ayeylan. I want to ask you something. Looking the archive "Na'vi in a Nutshell" from Na'viteri, I discovered the sentence "Happy Birthday!" translated into Na'vi as "Ftxozäri aylrrtok ngaru!". It's other thing I've learned easily. Well, you know, some of my friends wanted me to sing them Happy Birthday song in Na'vi, when were their birthdays. While thinking in the song the way it is sung in my country, I was searching the meaning in Na'vi of almost every word, and I supposedly composed the entire song translated in Na'vi. And then, I sung it to my friends. This is what I made:

Ftxozäri aylrrtok ngaru
Ftxozäri aylrrtok ngaru
Ayoengati frapo rangal (We all wish to you; translated in Spanish: Te deseamos todos)
Ftxozäri aylrrtok ngaru

But for my need to practice and speak better the Na'vi language or for the way my country sings the Happy Birthday song, I think there could be more ways to sing it in Na'vi. So this is my question. How would you sing Happy Birthday song in Na'vi?

Sounds like you have some interesting friends

Yeah, I have some friends which are very interested in my Avatar geek side.

Nice attempt! Strangely enough, this is the first time in all my time I have seen anyone try to translate the Happy Birthday song. :D

That third line is only a tiny bit sketchy. Mainly because rangal cannot take objects in the -ti case, and the meaning you have by using it isn't exactly what you wanted. Plus, ayoeng includes you. Inclusinve form of we doesnt make much sense when you say "we wish you...". I think what you want to say based on the English translation of that line is,

Rangal ayoe ngaru
or
Rangal frapo ngaru

EDIT: dammit Txonä, ninja'd. ;p

DOUBLE EDIT: To make it more singable, may I propose a new version which matches the syllables of the (English)original without losing total meaning,

Ftxozäri aylrrtok
Ftxozäri aylrrtok
Ngar ayoe rangal
Ftxozäri aylrrtok

Ok. I got it.

Ok. I'm glad you like the idea, and it's good the way you've composed the song. :)

I think I can make my song composition in a much better way, using more often and clearly the pronouns "we" and "you". The result is this:

Ftxozäri aylrrtok ngaru
Ftxozäri aylrrtok ngaru
Ayoeng ngati frapo rangal
Ftxozäri aylrrtok ngaru

Except "ayoeng ngati frapo rangal" is not grammatical.

First, as I have said before, rangal is not transitive so it doesn't support having a direct object. (Cannot have "ngati")

Second, who is the subject? Both Ayoeng and frapo are nouns in the proper case for being a subject of this verb.

Basically, as simply as I can put it,

Someone rangal.
but this is not grammatically correct:
Someone-l rangal something-ti

Rangal is like sleep and die. You can sleep and you can die. But you cannot sleep something or die something. Nor can you "rangal something" at least not in the same way you see something or eat something.

And also, is it ayoeng or frapo who rangal?

Also also, As I said before, ayoeng = ay+oe+nga (many and me and you) so it seems a bit strange to see it in the context of wishing something to you. "Many and me and you wish you happy birthday" the solution is use ayoe. This form excludes you. So "Many and me wish you happy birthday"

Grammatically, this is best:

It's evident you know Na'vi language much better than me. I should to learn from you, and practice more Na'vi language.

Sincerely, I made this composition quickly almost without thinking cause the birthday of the first friend who demanded me to sing her (that friend I'm talking about is a girl) Happy Birthday in Na'vi was too close from the day she did that. I found nothing about Happy Birthday song translated in Na'vi, so I thought I could compose it myself and basing in some words and techniques I looked in some places in Internet, I looked for words to translate and that's how I composed the song.

But as I said, it's evident that there are better ways and better forms to talk in Na'vi and compose that song and that you know Na'vi much better than me. :P

Sure. :)

And like I said before, your original attempt was really good and close. Especially for needing to come up with it instantly like you did. :) For a beginner with no time to think, it was really good, to be honest.

Eywa ngahu ma tsmukan

Ok, I think I've really got it, and got it fine. I've looked more about Na'vi language words, structures, techniques, etc. for the correct use of the words, especially in this song, and I've understood it more or less, but I made another composition that should be better than the last compositions I've made.

For your country, the song is like this:
Ftxozäri aylrrtok ngaru
Ftxozäri aylrrtok ngaru
Ftxozäri aylrrtok ma (name of person)
Ftxozäri aylrrtok ngaru

For my country, it is like this:
Ftxozäri aylrrtok ngaru
Ftxozäri aylrrtok ngaru
Ayoe rangal ngaru nìwotx ("Te deseamos todos"; it is translated in English as "We wish you all")
Ftxozäri aylrrtok ngaru

If that's not correct, I will give up and stop to making compositions, I will practice more Na'vi and I will think again of this topic of Happy Birthday sung in Na'vi later.

Perfect. :D

Are you serious? Greaaaaat!! :D Thank you very much!! :)

Cool stuff. Either way, I wouldn't pronounce any of the words correctly.

Thank you so much, my friend. I just wasn't talking about giving up generally, but I will follow your advice. I'm glad Tirea and you like that idea. If I find another thing like this to be translated in Na'vi, I will do the same I've done. I'm glad too you help me to learn Na'vi. :)