tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Aug 20 19:01:58 2000
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
RE: [KLBC] Conditional
- From: Eric Andeen <[email protected]>
- Subject: RE: [KLBC] Conditional
- Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2000 19:01:24 -0700
Tremal-Naik:
> How could express conditional phrases in tlhIngan Hol?
English has some special grammar related to "could" and "should" that has no
equivalent in Klingon, so you have to think a bit about what they really
mean.
> I should kill him
>
> ???
"should", in this example, means that there is some reason for you to kill
him: your personal moral code, general social customs, a legal procedure,
etc. You don't need to specify the reason in English, and you don't need to
specify it in Klingon either. You can just say <vIHoH net pIH> - "one
expects me to kill him" - there's a general expectation that you will kill
him. To be a bit stronger you could also say <vIHoH net poQ> - "one requires
me to kill him".
Also consider <vIHoHnIS> - "I need to kill him". It's a related idea, and it
might work in some contexts.
> I could kill him
>
> vIHoHlaHlaw'
maj. This is good.
pagh
Beginners' Grammarian