This unit is all about comparing.

rur

The first lesson uses the verb rur to say that something resembles or is similar to something else.

For example, we might say vavwI' rur torgh Torg resembles my father.

This verb is also used to ascribe qualities to someone by comparing them to someone or something else that has that quality.

For example, quv torgh; qeylIS rur literally means Torg is honored; he resembles Kahless but idiomatically means Torg is as honored as Kahless—the implied comparison is that Torg resembles Kahless in that quality we have just mentioned, namely being honored.

Bigger/smaller/cheaper/… than

The next few lessons use the X Q law' Y Q puS pattern, which needs a bit more explanation.

To say that one thing has a quality in a greater degree than another thing, English uses the -er ending (bigger, smaller, better, …) or the word more (more expensive, more interesting, more powerful) together with the word than.

Klingon does this quite differently.

To say something such as My father is stronger than your brother, Klingons say vavwI' HoS law' loDnI'lI' HoS puS.

This might be interpreted, somewhat literally though ungrammatically in English, as My father's strong is many; your brother's strong is few or My father has much strong, your brother has few strong.

The adjectival verb (here: HoS) has to be named twice—once with the law' many and once with the puS few. When used in this kind of construction, the adjectival verb never takes a prefix, and pronouns may be used for the nouns which are being compared, for example: jIH HoS law' SoH HoS puS for I am stronger than you.

In the hints for translating Klingon to English, combinations such as HoS law' are usually glossed as stronger and puS is glossed as than, but you can't just say vavwI' HoS law' puS loDnI'lI' for my father is stronger than your brother—remember to put the adjectives after the nouns, to use them twice, and to follow one by law' and the other by puS.

To negate such a comparison, negate both law' and puS, e.g. vavwI' HoS law'be' loDnI'lI' HoS puSbe' my father is not stronger than your brother.

As a side note, because "A Q law' B Q puS" structure is so distinctive, Klingons may use other pairs of antonyms than law'/puS such as HoS/puj, pIv/rop, Daj/qetlh, ghegh/Hab, Qatlh/ngeD. This course will only accept law'/puS, though.

Most

The comparative structure mentioned above can be turned into a superlative one (Torg is the bravest, etc.) by using Hoch everyone, everything as the second part of the comparison: torgh yoH law' Hoch yoH puS Torg is the bravest (more literally, Torg is braver than everyone).

If you want to specify the group from among whom Torg is the bravest, you can use the topic marker to do so: tlhInganpu"e' torgh yoH law' Hoch yoH puS As for Klingons: Torg is the bravest = Torg is the bravest Klingon, Torg is the bravest of the Klingons.