This unit teaches you some more verbs which can be used adjectivally. Remember that, though these are adjectives in English, there is no such thing as an adjective in Klingon and these are really verbs which can be used in a manner resembling an adjective.

These verbs can be used both in a manner similar to an attributive adjective describing a noun (in which case they come after the noun) or as a predicate adjective (like … is blue/old/brave/…) in which case they are normal verbs and come before the subject without any connecting words (unlike English which uses the connecting verb is/are/be).

Old, new, and young

A pair of adjectives to pay special attention to is ngo' and qan, as these both translate to old in English.

ngo' old is the opposite of chu' new, while qan old is the opposite of Qup young.

So a book or a house can be ngo' but a person will be qan.

Colors

Klingon has very few basic color names, so each color covers quite a broad part of the spectrum of visible light.

Most straightforward are chIS white and qIj black.

Doq covers colors in the red-orange-brown part of the spectrum. It might be helpful to think of Doq as meaning warm colored, though for translating purposes we ask you to pick a specific color in the range.

SuD covers colors in the yellow-green-blue part of the spectrum. It might be helpful to think of SuD as meaning cool colored, though for translating purposes, we, again, ask you to pick a specific color in the range.

There isn't really a word for purple or violet in Klingon, perhaps because Klingon eyes can't perceive that color, though this is a controversial assertion. Some non-Klingons use Doq 'ej SuD blue and red.

Further color distinctions can be made either with additional adjectives such as wov light and Hurgh dark; with the suffix -qu' very, really; or by using similes. (For example, brown things are sometimes describes as Qaj wuS rur resembles kradge lips, in reference to the kradge, an animal with—you guessed it—brown lips.)

Placement of adjectives and suffixes

Remember that, in Klingon, verbs acting adjectivally to modify nouns come after the nouns they modify, as in tlhIngan woch a tall Klingon. In contrast, when a noun is used to modify another noun, it comes before the noun it is modifying, as in tlhIngan Hol the Klingon language.

When using a noun phrase made up of two nouns as a location or as the topic of a pronoun as to be sentence, the suffixes -Daq in/at/on/by/to, -vo' from, or -'e' topic go at the end of the phrase, which is the main noun: tlhIngan DujmeyDaq jIQuch I am happy on Klingon ships.

When using a noun phrase that is made up of a noun + adjectival verb as a location or topic, such suffixes still go at the end of the phrase, which makes them appear to attach to the verb: Dujmey chu'Daq jIQuch I am happy on new ships.

Compare those two sentences to make sure you see the difference between using a noun to modify another noun and using a verb to modify a noun:

tlhIngan DujmeyDaq jIQuch. I am happy on Klingon ships.
Dujmey chu'Daq jIQuch. I am happy on new ships.

When using both kinds of modifiers, these type 5 noun suffixes will still go at the end of the whole phrase, again appearing to attach to the verb: tlhIngan Dujmey chu'Daq jIQuch I am happy on new Klingon ships.