tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jun 12 18:40:43 1997
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RE: KLBC: Monopoly translation
- From: "David Trimboli" <[email protected]>
- Subject: RE: KLBC: Monopoly translation
- Date: Fri, 13 Jun 97 00:35:54 UT
jatlh Voqrel:
> Would there be an exception if you wanted to use past tense? (I'm still
> a beginner, so this might not be right, but...) something like, in
> English, "while you passed..." (although I can't right now think of
> a phrase I would use that in).
Klingon doesn't have tense indicated in its grammar. The only way to tell
when something happens is by explicit reference. For example, "I pass you" is
{qajuS}. If you wanted to say this in reference to the past, you'd have to
tell me exactly when I passed you. {wa'Hu' qajuS} "I passed you yesterday."
Or in the future: {wa'leS qajuS} "I will pass you tomorrow."
Note that you can also use aspect when you do this. {qajuSpu'} means "I have
passed you; the act of passing is complete." I could say {wa'Hu' qajuSpu'}
"As of yesterday, I had completed passing you"; {DaHjaj qajuSpu'} "As of
today, I have completed passing you"; {wa'leS qajuSpu'} "As of tomorrow, I
will have completed passing you."
> I guess a full example in English would be something like, "While he
> read the book, I ate."
If you don't tell me a specific time this happened, then to Klingon it doesn't
matter.
paq laDtaHvIS ghaH, jISop.
While he read the book, I ate.
While he reads the book, I eat.
While he will be reading the book, I will eat.
They're all correct translations of this sentence without a time marker.
--
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97448.4