Ask Questions
This unit introduces the questions words of Klingon:
nuq? what?
'Iv? who? or whom?
nuqDaq? where?
ghorgh? when?
chay'? how?
qatlh? why?
Please note that even though you are asking a question, you do not use the interrogative verb suffix -'a' with these question words. The -'a' verb suffix is only used to turn a statement into a yes/no question and is not used with question words like these.
This unit also introduces the question tag qar'a'? This literally means, Is it accurate?, but it can also act as a general question tag—English translations might include doesn't he? aren't we? isn't that so? eh? innit? right? depending on the sentence it is attached to, the level of formality, and where you come from.
A few notes on the question pronouns nuq and 'Iv:
Just as the difference between ghaH and 'oH, 'Iv is used for all beings capable of using language (Klingons, humans, etc.) and can be translated as who or whom and nuq what is used for other things: animals, plants, inanimate objects, etc.
As pronouns, they can act like a noun and they would be placed in the same position as the answer would occur in the sentence:
Sop 'Iv? Who ate it?
nuq Sop? What did he eat?
Also like pronouns, they can act like a verb to form a to be question (the same way that 'oH, ghaH, etc. form to be sentences).
So you may see sentences like 'Iv ghaH tlhInganvetlh'e'? Who is that Klingon? or nuq 'oH ponglIj'e'? What is your name? with 'Iv and nuq acting like nouns, and you may also see sentences like tlhInganvetlh 'Iv? or ponglIj nuq? with 'Iv and nuq acting like verbs.