tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Apr 10 20:53:27 2002
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RE: to' nech
ja' "Sean M. Burke" <[email protected]>:
>I think the structure I'm aiming for here with those verbs and {-lu'} is
>like on TKD p39, {Soplu'} "someone/something eats it" [="it is/gets
>eaten"], where it's basically a passivizer. So {nejlu'pu'} => "It was
>sought for", {Samlu'pu'} => "It was found".
"passivizer"?
There's no such concept in Klingon grammar. The verb suffix {-lu'} means
"indefinite subject" and does NOT indicate "passive voice". Klingon does
not have active and passive voices.
A Klingon phrase with an indefinite subject can often be translated using
English passive voice. Sometimes that's definitely the right way to
translate it. But try not to get into the habit of thinking that a smooth
English translation mirrors the grammar of the Klingon.
-- ghunchu'wI'