tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jan 29 11:58:37 1998

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Re: KLBC: RB Illusions



edy wrote:

>>More sentences to practice. Check carefully to avoid making the 
>>same mistakes over again:

>bIQDaq Qam loD / bIQDaq Dum loD
>>The man lay in the water.

maj.

>>If you want to eat in the kitchen then bring a chair.
>vutpa'Daq bISop DaneHchugh vaj quS Daqem 

One problem.  The last verb should be imperative, an order.  The 
sentence you have translates to "If you want to eat in the kitchen 
then you <will bring a chair/brought a chair/bring a chair>."

Use instead the imperative {quS yIqem}.

>>We are enjoying life on Kronos.
>Qo'noSDaq yIn wItIvtaH

maj.

>>The first student is free.
>tlhab ghojwI' wa'DIch 

maj.

>>Free the second student!
>ghojwI' cha'DIch yItlhab

{tlhab} means "is free."  In this sentence "free" means "make free" 
or "cause to be free."  You need to use the type 4 verb suffix to 
express this.  {ghojwI' cha'DIch yItlhabmoH}

>>I'm not sure if the guards arrested the protesters.
>morghwI'pu' qop 'avwI' 'e' vISovbejbe'

majQa'.

>>The presentation is finished.
>rIn much

maj.

>>Tomorrow they will have finished arguing.
>wa'leS ghoH lurInpu' (I had problems here)

Remember, {rIn} means "be finished."  Its subject is the thing that 
is finished, it does not seem to take an object.

And you know that the only verb that can take another verb as its 
object is {neH}.

{wa'leS ghoHta' chaH} You could add {rIntaH} if there was some reason 
to be truly definite about the completion, and if you like to watch 
charghwI' wince. :)

>>They finished the espionage.
>lInDab lurInta'

The subject of {rIn} is the thing that is finished.  Not the object.  
This sentence is translated "They caused the espionage to be 
finished."  {lInDab lurInmoH}

>>They finished the gakh (serpent worms as food).
>gagh luSopchu'

majQa'.  Thinking your way around the meaning. Oops, but you 
misspelled {qagh}.

More to work on (some are ambiguous: any Klingon sentence that could 
reasonably be translated to give the English is fine):

He finished five soldiers with one torpedo.
He finished five courses in the old restaurant.
He finished five new robots for the expedition.
He finished five antique tables and fixed the noisy chair.
He finished at five and was ready for dinner.
This module turns red when the ammunition is ready to explode.
Yesterday the scientist had finished analyzing the dark solution.
If we finish the experiment, immediately isolate the organism.
This dangerous mineral will fascinate the Vulcan.
These trivial minerals will frighten the Ferengi.


Robyn Stewart                     [email protected]
NLK Technical Library  ph. (604) 689-0344 fax (604) 443-1000
NLK Consultants Inc. 855 Homer Street, Vancouver BC  V6B 5S2


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