title_body: What things can `la` mark in Toki Pona? I was under the impression, until recently, the la in Toki Pona is a topic marker of sorts similar to the Japanese topic marker wa but used less frequently since Toki Pona is not topic-prominent.
  In particular, I thought that la
  
  Requires the noun phrase it marks to appear at the beginning of the clause.
  Does not give the noun phrase it marks a particular semantic role.
  
  However, a section about it on Wikibooks suggests that its usage is much more limited.
  
  Time-Manner-Place Schema
  Time comes first in a la fragment, manner is a modifier to the main verb, and place is always last in a lon prepositional phrase.
  Time la S li V Manner lon Place
  
  What is la in Toki Pona? What are the limits on the noun phrases la can mark and the roles they can have in the clause?
upvoted_answer: The particle la in Toki Pona is used mainly for two scenarios.
  The first scenario is for the If/when something, then that condition. The la particle is placed in the second half of a sentence. Some examples:
  
  mi lape lili, la mi pilin ike (If I sleep a little, then I feel bad
  or When I sleep a little, I feel bad)
  sina moku e telo mute, la sina anpa e telo mute lon tenpo lili (If
  you drink much water/liquid, you are going to pee much in a short time)
  
  The second scenario is for the context, like time, possibilities, or even non yes/no questions. The la particle is placed in the first half of a sentence. Some examples:
  
  tenpo pimeja ni la, mi lukin e lipu sin (I am going to read the new book tonight)
  tenpo suno pini lili la, mi kute mute e kalama musi (Yesterday I listened to much music)
  ken la, pilin pi meli lili li pilin ike (Maybe the girl's sad —literally, &quot;Maybe the heart of the girl feels bad&quot;)
  tan seme la, kulupu pi jan lili sona li tawa ala tomo sona? (Why are the scholars not going to the school?)
  
  Hope this helps!