Verb suffix -qu'

This suffix is used to intensify a verb or another verb suffix.

You have seen previously, in this course, that other verb suffixes have type numbers and must occur in a specific order following their type number. You have also learned how to use the -be' suffix, which is classified as a rover and can be placed in different locations to negate specific parts of the verb. This -qu' suffix is also a rover and can occur directly after the verb or after another suffix. When it occurs directly after the verb it is used to emphasize the action or state of the verb itself.

Most often, it's used on adjectival verbs to give a meaning like very … or really … or extremely …: For example, valqu' SuvwI' could be translated as, The warrior is very smart, and, yoHqu' SuvwI' valqu' could be translated as The very smart warrior is really brave.

Note that really is being used in these sentences to intensify the following word and not necessarily to imply the truthfulness of the statement (there are suffixes for that, but you'll learn them in another unit).

When the suffix -qu' occurs after another verb suffix, it tends to emphasize the meaning of that specific suffix, though officially it is emphasizing the meaning of the whole word before it. For instance:

nIQoylaH would mean, They can hear you,
nIQoyqu'laH would mean, They can really hear you, and
nIQoylaHqu' would mean, They are really able hear you.

As with -be', the suffix -qu' can be used multiple times in the same verb construction (to emphasize multiple different things). It is possible to say something like, nIQoyqu'laHqu' They are really able to really hear you.

Demonstratives

You have already learned how to use the noun type 4 suffixes -vam this and -vetlh that. In English we use something called demonstrative adjectives to accomplish this same thing. Similarly to how the Klingon suffixes attach to the ends of the nouns they are "demonstrating," these English demonstrative adjectives must be placed before the nouns that they are demonstrating:

tajvam this knife
tajvetlh that knife

English also has something called demonstrative pronouns which can demonstrate a noun by taking the place of the noun and not attaching to anything:

This is a knife.
That is sharp.

Klingon does not have anything like a demonstrative pronoun. There is no way to directly and literally translate such an English sentence. We must come up with similar Klingon sentences that have the same sort of idea, even though they are not exactly the same.

We are not going to go through all the possible methods here. We are just going to demonstrate one simple method. While the Klingon pronoun 'oH is a very close and direct translation of the English word it, you can use it where an English speaker might use a demonstrative pronoun.

An English speaker might hold out a knife in his hand and say, This is a knife. A Klingon holding out the knife and wanting to demonstrate what it is would say, taj 'oH. (Note that this sentence is using the pronoun 'oH as if it were a verb meaning it is or this is.)

An English speaker might point to the knife on the counter and say, That is sharp. A Klingon pointing to the knife and wanting to demonstrate that it is sharp could say, jej 'oH. (Note that jej is the verb to be sharp and 'oH is just acting as a simple pronoun here.)

Other third-person pronouns can be used in a similar method:

tajmey bIH. These are knives.
tlhIngan ghaH. That is a Klingon.
Humanpu' chaH. Those are Humans.

You will find some exercises in this unit which include English sentences that have demonstrative pronouns. We have included those sentences to give you a chance to practice using the regular Klingon third-person pronouns in place of the missing demonstrative pronouns.