tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Dec 30 15:25:10 1997

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Translation of English Past and Present Perfect Tenses in Klingon

James Coupe said:

>valqu'ba' loDnI'lIj. All this is fine with one little comment.
>{-pu'} does not mean past tense. It means perfective aspect.
>Your English translation says, "...my brother gave me...".
>That's simple past tense. Klingon doesn't have tense, so past
>tense is simply figured out from context. You set the time
>context with {DaHjaj} and considering how well you've done up to
>this point, we'd have to assume it was earlier today that you
>got your TKD.

On this list I have seen this idea expressed many times, namely that �pu�
should only be translated by an English perfect tense, not an English past
tense, and that an English past tense should not have �pu� but should be
figured out from context.  This, however, does not seem to agree with the
usage in all of Marc Okrand�s published books on Klingon.

First a look at relevant passages from TKD.

�The absence of a Type 7 suffix usually means that the action is not
completed and is not continuous (that is, it is not one of the things
indicated by the Type 7 suffixes).  Verbs with no Type 7 suffix are
translated by the English simple present tense.� (TKD p. 40)

Note that verbs with no Type 7 suffix are to be translated by English
present tense.  No mention is made of past tense.

�When the context is appropriate, verbs without a Type 7 suffix may be
translated by the English future tense.� (TKD p. 40)

Thus an English future tense is appropriate if context implies it.

�-pu� perfective  This suffix indicates that an action is completed.  It is
often translated by the English present perfect (have done something).
Daleghpu� you have seen it (legh see)
vIneHpu� I wanted them (neH want)
qaja�pu� I told you (ja� tell)�
(TKD, p. 41)

Note that of the three examples given, two are English past tense (I wanted,
I told), not perfect.

For the �ta� suffix, TKD says:

�-ta� accomplished, done

This suffix is similar to -pu�, but it is used when an activity was
deliberately undertake, the implication being that someone set out to do
something and in fact did it.  English translations seldom reveal the
distinction.
VISuqta� - I have acquired it.
luHoHta� - They have killed him/her. (TKD p. 41)

Thus �pu� and �ta� indicate a completed action, which according to the
examples can be translated by either an English past or an English present
perfect tense.  This is common in many languages.  In Latin for example
�vidi� can mean either �I saw� or �I have seen.�  So too in German, �Ich
habe ihn gesehen� can be translated either �I saw him� or �I have seen him�
depending on context.

I have collected all the examples I could find of Klingon sentences
translated by an English simple past or present perfect tense found in TKD,
TKW, and KGT.  They are:

-pu� translated as a simple past: (30 examples)

yaS vImojpu� - I became an officer (TKD p. 22)
yaS Dimojpu� - We became officers (TKD p. 22)
De��e� vItlhanpnISpu� - I needed to get the INFORMATION (TKD p. 29)
De� vItlhanISpu� - I needed to get the information
vIneHpu� I wanted them (neH want) (TKD p. 41)
qaja�pu� I told you (ja� tell) (TKD p. 41)
Qaw��eghpu� - he/she destroyed himself/herself (TKD p.45 )
vItlhapnISpu� - I needed to take him/her (TKD p. 45)
HeghqangmoHlu�pu� - it made him/her willing to die (TKD p. 45 )
qaleghpu� je - I also saw you, I saw you too. (TKD p. 55)
bong yaS vIHoHpu� - I accidentally killed the officer (TKD p. 56)
qama� vIqIppu� neH - I merely hit the prisoner. (TKD p. 56)
pa�Daq yas vIleghpu� - I saw the officer in the room. (TKD p. 60)
SutlhtaHvIS chaH DIHIvpu� or DIHIvpu� SutlhtaHvIS chaH - While they were
negotiating we attacked them. (TKD p. 63)
qIppu�bogh yaS - officer who hit him/her (TKD p. 63)
yaS qIppu�bogh - officer whom he/she hit (TKD p. 63)
qIppu�bogh yaS vIlegh - I see the officer who hit him/her (TKD p. 64)
mulegh qIppu�bogh yaS - The officer who hit him/her sees me. (TKD p. 64)
yaS qIppu� �e� vIlegh - I saw him/her hit the officers. (TKD p. 66)
 �Note that the verb in the second sentence, vIlegh - I see it, is neutral
as to time.  The past tense of the translation (I saw . . .) comes from the
verb in the first sentence, qIppu� he/she hit him/her (-pu� perfective).
(TKD p. 66)

qaja�pu� HIqaghQo� or HIqaghQo� qaja�pu� - I told you not to interrupt me.
�This is literally I told you, �Dont� Interrupt me!� or �Don�t interrupt me!
� I told you. . . . An aspect marker (her, -pu� perfective) may always be
attached to the verb of saying, regardless of whether it is the first of the
second verb. (TKD p. 67)

ghorgh Haw�pu� yaS - When did the officer flee? (TKD p. 70)
qatlh Haw�pu� yaS - Why did the officer flee? (TKD p. 70)
chay� Haw�pu� yaS - How did the officer flee? (TKD p. 70)
Haw�pu� yaS �ar - How many officers fled? (TKD p. 70)
vIta�pu�be� - I didn�t do it. (TKD p. 172)
pa� jiHpu�be� - I wasn�t there. (TKD p. 172)
Heghpu�mo� yaS - because the officer died. (TKD p. 175)
DaHjaj nom Soppu� - Today they ate quickly (TKD p. 179)
yaSvaD taj nobpu� qama� - The prisoner gave the officer the knife. (TKD p.
180)
QI�tomerDaq Heghpu� Hoch. - No one survived Khitomer. (literally �Everyone
died at Khitomer.) (TKW, p. 99)

-pu� translated as present perfect: (20 examples)

lujpu� jIH�e� - It is I who has failed (TKD p. 29)
lujpu� jiH - I have failed (TKD p. 29) (How is this different from vIlujpu�
?)
Daleghpu� you have seen it (legh see) (TKD p. 41)
luHoHpu� - they have killed him/her. (TKD p. 41)
nuHotlhpu��a� - have they scanned us? (TKD p. 44)
vaj Daleghpu� - Then you have seen it. (TKD p. 56)
tlhaqwIj chu�Ha�lu�pu� - My chronometer has stopped (TKD p. 170)
not vIleghpu� - I�ve never seen him before (TKD p. 172)
mIch �elpu� jay� - They�ve entered the #$%@ sector! (TKD p. 178)
bIHeghvIpchugh bIHeghpu� - If you are afraid to die, you have already died.
(TKW, p. 72)
qarDaSnganpu� HIvpu� tlhInganpu� qar�a�?  The Klingons have attacked the
Cardassians, right? (KGT, p. 34)
Duj So�lu�pu�.  The ship is cloaked. (Literally, �Someone has cloaked the
ship.�) (KGT, p. 55)
Soj vutlu�pu�bogh.  Food that someone has prepared. (KGT, p. 84)
Soj raghmoHlu�pu�.  Someone has caused the food to decay. (KGT, p. 84)
Hoch jaghpu�Daj HoHpu�.  He has killed all his enemies. (KGT, p. 107)
jIbachHa�pu�.  I have made a mistake. (Literally, �I have mis-shot.) (KGT,
p. 145)
jIQaghpu�.  I have made a mistake. (KGT, p. 145)
Heghpu� SuvwI�.  The warrior has died. (KGT, p. 163)
bIvonlu�pu�.  You have failed utterly. (Literally, �You have been trapped.�)
(KGT, p. 166-67)
vIlajpu�.  I have accepted it. (KGT, p. 184)

-pu� translated as a past participle: (2 examples)

raghpu�bogh Soj.  Decayed food.  (Food that has decayed.) (KGT, p. 91)
pIpyuS pach HaHlu�pu�bogh.  Marinated pipius claw.  (Pipius claw which has
been marinated.) (KGT, p. 94)

-ta� translated as present perfect: (3 examples)

VISuqta� - I have acquired it. (TKD p. 41)
luHoHta� - They have killed him/her. (TKD p. 41)
qama�pu� vIjonta� vIneH - I wanted to capture prisoners. . . . Note once
again that the aspect marker (in this case, -ta� accomplished) goes with the
first verb only; the second verb, vIneH I want it, is neutral as to time.
The past tense of the translation (I wanted . . .) comes from the aspect
marker on the first verb. (TKD p. 67)

rIntaH translated as present perfect: (2 examples)

luHoH rIntaH - They have killed him/her. (TKD p. 41)
vIje� rIntaH - I have purchased it. (TKD p. 41)

No aspect marker translated as present perfect:

nuQaw�qu�be - they have not finished us off. (TKD p. 48) (literally �they do
not DESTROY us.�)
narghbe�chugh SuvwI� qa� TaH may� - If a warrior�s spirit has not escaped,
the battle is still going on. (TKW, p. 147) (literally �If a warrior�s
spirit does not escape, the battle continues.�)

Both of these examples really refer to the present and not the past as the
literal translation shows.

There is thus not a single example of a verb without �pu� or �ta� translated
as an English past tense, and there are at least 30 examples of �pu�
translated with the English simple past.

It seems clear to me that Marc Okrand intended that although the Klingon
verb uses aspect rather than tense, for all practical purposes, the �pu�
and �ta� aspect markers can in nearly every case be translated into English
as either a simple past or present perfect, as his own translation clearly
show.  And conversely, when translating an English past tense into Klingon,
the �pu� or �ta� aspect marker should be used.  There is no justification in
the published books on Klingon for translating an English past tense into
Klingon without using �pu� or �ta�.

I welcome comments,

mIHayl

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