tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Aug 07 09:04:05 1997

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Re: KLBC: Time



[email protected] on behalf of Tony Pierce wrote:
> 	SuStel,
> 
> What do you think of this?
> 
> SoHvaD poH vIghajbe'
> 
> for
> 
> I have no time for you.
> 
> I believe that -vaD would work here because "you" is the beneficiary of me
> not having time. But I have a nagging feeling that poH doesn't belong where
> it is. What's your opinion?

Well, *literally* you are exactly right.  {SoHvaD poH vIghajbe'} does, in 
fact, mean "I don't have time for you."

However, I'm not so sure about Klingons "having" time.  English uses "have" 
over and over again in a dizzying variety of situations, but no so with 
Klingon.

Here's how I might phrase the sentence, off the top of my head.

qaQaHlaHbe'.  yapbe' poH.
I cannot help you.  There's not enough time.

Or, you could replace {QaH} with whatever appropriate verb you wanted.

Perhaps you could even return to your original form, but say

SoHvaD yapbe' poHwIj.

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97600.7


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