tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jun 19 05:12:17 1996
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RE: Question
- From: [email protected] (Alan Anderson)
- Subject: RE: Question
- Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 07:16:05 -0500
Perry "peri vrulot" writes:
>>Could someone tell me how you use tense of verb in Klingon.
>
>As far as I can tell, you don't use tense. It is assumed that you just
>know what tense the verb should be in.
So far, so good. Actually, the knowledge of the appropriate tense isn't
quite "assumed", it's implied by context. If the context isn't sufficient,
the writer/speaker can explicitly state when the events did/do/will occur,
using words like {wa'Hu'} "yesterday" or {jar wejDIch} "third month".
>I am going to Earth. (ie: I will be going to Earth.)
>tera' jIjaH.
Or "I went to Earth" or "I will go to Earth."
>I went to Earth. (ie: I have been to Earth already.)
>tera' jIjaHta'.
"I have gone to Earth" or "I had gone to Earth" or "I will have gone to Earth."
>I am going to Earth. (ie: I am on my way to Earth.)
>tera' jIjaHlI'.
Or "I was going to Earth" or "I will be going to Earth."
>Perhaps I'm way off on this. Anyone got any comments?
The explanation you gave was right. Your examples are not. You started
out okay, but then you confused tense and aspect. The Type 7 verb suffixes
do not have anything to do with *when* the action takes place. They merely
indicate whether it is/was/will be complete, or whether it is/was/will be
ongoing, and/or whether it is/was/will be an intentional action or has a
definite goal. The idea of past/present/future is conveyed by other means.
-- ghunchu'wI' batlh Suvchugh vaj batlh SovchoH vaj