bridi

Bridi is the central predication unit in Lojban, a predicate-argument structure that expresses a relation between one or more sumti (arguments) through a selbri (the predicate). Each bridi consists of a selbri and the sumti that fill the bridi’s places. The selbri defines the relation and the number of required sumti; different brivla provide different place structures, from one to several. Sumti can be simple pronouns such as mi (I) and do (you), noun phrases, or more complex phrases built from brivla and tanru.

In use, a bridi presents a specific relation among its participants. For example, mi tavla do means “I talk to you.” Here tavla is a two-place brivla, with place 1 filled by mi (the speaker) and place 2 by do (the listener). Another example is mi klama le zarci, meaning “I go to the store,” with klama as the two-place brivla and le zarci as the destination. More complex predications can use tanru as the selbri to form longer or more specific predicates.

Tanru and bridi complexity: A selbri can be a single brivla or a tanru, which is a compound predicate formed by combining brivla (and sometimes other elements) to create a more specific relation. When used as the bridi’s selbri, the resulting predicate determines the needed places, and the sumti fill those places accordingly. Bridi thus provide the basic mechanism for expressing statements, questions, and other predications in Lojban, serving as the backbone of its logical and discourse structure.