tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri May 11 23:28:43 2001
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Re: Exercises for beginners
- From: Qov <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Exercises for beginners
- Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 23:30:48 -0700
lab Maddy:
> It seems I have more problems with English than Klingon, but I tried
> anyway...
Hi Maddy. I see a couple of places where English tripped you up, but let's
have a look.
> The Lieutenant eats food : Soj Sop Sogh
> The prisoner escapes : nargh qama'
> A targ attacks the child : puq HIv targh
> The ambassador hailed the embassy : rIvSo' rI' Duy'a'
> The Romulan stole a communicator : QumwI' nIH romuluSngan
No problems with basic O-V-S word order, nor with looking up those words.
> I am hungry : jIghung
> You have food and you are not hungry : Soj boghaj 'ej boghungbe'
You need the no-object prefix: Sughungbe'.
> I will serve you if you are willing to feed me : tuje'qangchugh Satoy'
> Slaves offend me : mumaw toy'wI''a'pu'
> I kill slaves : toy'wI''a'pu' vIHoH
> Those Ferengi insulted you : nItIch verenganpu'vetlh
maj.
> You should retaliate : (I don't understand how to translate it)
> You should start collecting ears : (idem)
This is a problem with *my* English. If I say "must" instead of "should"
does that help? The tool I am thinking of is -nIS, and "should" is a poor
translation of that concept. That was lazy of me.
> Did you guys adjust the viewscreens? Ther flatter you! : jIHmey bolIS'a'
> lIbeQ
Correct prefixes, but an English problem. The word "flatter" doesn't have
anythign to do with flatness. If a person flatters you, he tells you you
are more beautiful, (or skilled or smart, etc.) than you are. If an object
(clothing, lighting, a photograph, etc.) flatters you, it makes you look
better than usual. I was expecting lI'IHchoHmoH.
> You honour us : chequvmoH
> I remember you. Do you like chocolate : qaqaw yuch DaparHa''a'
maj.
> You visited me when the child was sick. You helped us. : rop puq choSuchDI'.
> juQaH
You are correct that you need a type-9 verb suffix here, but you need to
pick the right one, and put it on the right verb. choSuchDI' means "as
soon as you you visited us" and you want "when the child was sick". It's
true that -DI' can be translated "when" but that's for the meaning "as soon
as." For when meaning "while" -vIS is the tool you need, and -vIS requires
-taH.
roptaHvIS puq choSuch - you visited me when the child was sick
> We are angry. We hate him. He makes us blow our tops : maQeH. wImuS. (I
> don't know the rest)
"blow one's top" is an idiom that actually sounds stupid in the plural, but
I knew people could look it up and find the verb Qay'. It means something
like, 'get very angry and lose control.' nuQay'moH - he/she/it/they
cause(s) us to blow our tops.
> He kicked me and he arrest you : mupup 'ej Duqop
> Does he make you guys if he attacks you : lIHIvchugh reQaH
The English got scrambled there, but the Klingon is a correct sentence.
> My mother and father mag me. My brother likes them : muboj SoSwI' vavwI' je.
> parHa' loDnI'wI'
maj. You might have to add chaH in there, chaH parHa', to make it clear,
because the null prefix could represent him/her/it/them.
> They are cold. They shut the door. They put on jackets : bIr. lojmIt SoQmoH.
> wep tuQmoH
lojmIt luSoQmoH - multiple them, one door.
I've always seen tuQmoH as dressing someone else, e.g. a child, so I would
say wep tuQ'eghmoH, to make it clear that they put them on themselves.
I'd also say wepmey in this case. Yes, the plural is optional, but
multiple jackets makes it clearer that the subject is plural.
> We respect you, but we don't respect them : pIvuv 'ach DIvuvbe'
maj.
Qov