tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Nov 08 04:03:58 2002

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Re: KLBC: Worst-Case Scenarios



ghItlh maQ:

>These useful traveler's questions are taken from the back of the Worst-Case 
>Scenario Guide for travel.  
Funny. I once made somthing similar from a travelguide which included everything, like "where can I 
wash my car", "I need a doctor" til "the bill please". I think it's on my website, but so far only 
in German. I need to update this one day...

>Help!
>HIQaH!
or just {QaH!}

>Run!
>peqet!
This is said to more than one person.
To one person, you say {yIqet}.
And, depending on the situation - when there is no time to think about prefixes - one can use the 
clipped Klingon {qet}

>Stop, thief!
>yImev nIHwI'!
maj.

>Is there a doctor/pilot in the building?
>qachDaq ghaH'a' 'e' Qel?
>qachDaq ghaH'a' 'e' 'orwI'?
{'e'} as a pronoun is only used between sentences. Maybe you wanted to use it as a suffix: {Qel'e'}. 
   {qachDaq ghaH'a' Qel'e'}
   "is he in the building, the doctor?"
This sounds like you know that there is a doctor somewhere, and you'd like to know if he is in the 
building or not.
If you like a more general question, just know if there *is* a doctor, the well-known construction 
{tu'lu'} is used:
   {qachDaq Qel tu'lu''a'}
   "Is there a doctor in the building?

A klingon'a answer to this will probably just be {HISlaH} or {ghobe'}, since that what you asked 
for. If it's urgent, use an imperative form:
   {Qel'e' DaH yISam} 
   "Find the doctor now"

>I have been seriously wounded.
>jIrIQqu'pu'.
leave off the {-pu'}, if you are injured now.

>Would you please take me to a clean hospital?
>ropyaH Say'Daq HIlup!
nice.

>Is this safe to eat?
>SopmeH mujochbe'?
yes/no-questions always end with the type9 suffix {-'a'}
And verbs describing a quality ("be...") cannot have an object, which you do here using prefix 
{mu-}.
{joch} is "be harmful", now the question comes up, "what is harmful?" Answer: "the food is."
Now it's your turn: put it together!

>Why is this water green/brown/black?
>qatlh SuD bIQ?
>qatlh qIj bIQ?
>qatlh Doq 'ej wovbe' bIQ?
Some people might prefer to say {qatlh Doq bIQ 'ej wovbe'?}, but that's the same.

>Please do not injure me.
>HIrIQmoHQo'.
Good.

>I am sorry--I did not mean to offend you.
>qamawta' vInehbe'.
capital H.
you didn't translate the "sorry"-part.

>Do not make me angry.
>HIQeHmoHbe'.
This a command to not do something, so you need the same suffix you have used correctly in "do not 
injure me":
   {HIQeHmoHQo'}

>I do not wish to hurt you.
>qarIQmoH vInehbe'.
This is "I do not want to injure you", the verb for "hurt (someone)" is {'oy'moH}
And you have this typo *again*! neH! ;-)

>Where is the nearest embassy?
>Where is the nearest hospital?
>nuqDaq ghaH 'e' naDev qachvaD 'oSwI'?
>nuqDaq ghaH 'e' naDev Say'?
I believe you need to re-read TKD section 6.3. about "To Be sentences".
I can't explain it all now, but I give you a hint. One of the first phrases every klingonist learns 
is the following:
   {nuqDaq 'oH puchpa''e'}
   "where is the bathroom?"
Memorize it!
And when you have a similar question, just adapt it.

I think you confused yourself with the "hospital"-part. {Say'} is "be clean", you used it correctly 
in your sentence above, {ropyaH Say'} "clean infirmary".

>I don't have a word for "near"
{Sum} v. "be nearby"
--> {ropyaH Sum} "nearby infirmary"

>I translated "embassy" as "building for emissaries".
Okay, but if it's "for the emissaries", the {-vaD} must stick to the "emissaries":
   {'oSwI'vaD qach}
You can also make a noun-noun construction, meaning "emissary-building":
   {'oSwI' qach}
Or you just look up "embassy" in TKD, and find {rIvSo'}

Also consider {Duy} n. "agent, emissary", and {Duy'a'} n. "ambassador"

>I'm not going to tell you.
>qaja'Qo'.
"I refuse to tell you". okay.

>How fast can this ship travel?
>Do 'ar lo' Duj?
no, this won't work. I'll leave this open for discussion (if noone answers, ask again)
I would suggest 
   "identify the ships' velocity"
   {Duj Do yIngu'}

>whether it would express the metaphorical idea of traveling "at a speed".)
You're right, {-Daq} is a location, and you cannot be "at a speed", or "in a speed".

>How quickly can you leave?
>ghorgh majaHlaH?
Correct, if it means "When can we go?"
1. This "go" means "to proceed along", not "leave" like "I gotta go". For "leave" use {mej}.
2. You used the plural-prefix {ma-}
On CK there's an example for the use of {ghorgh}, which can work here:
   {ghorgh mamej}
   "when do we leave?"

>Do you know a place where I can hide?
>nuqDaq jISo'laH?
Good. "where can I hide?"

>How far is it to the border?
>nuqDaq ghaH 'e' veH?
Where is the bathroom?
Where is the border?
---> nuqDaq 'oH ...

>(I may need to add something else or use a different word for "national" or 
>"territorial boundary".)
like ghunchu'wI' said, there is {yergho} "territorial wall, wall that encircles a city", and {pIn 
tlhoy'} "territorial wall", {chevwI' tlhoy'} "territorial wall" (I'm not sure about the last one, I 
lost my notes for the walls; maybe Voragh can help *hint* ;-)

>You will never make me talk.
>not qajatlhQo'!
No. This is "I will never refuse to talk to you"
"make me talk" is "cause me to talk". This suffix is explained in section 4.2.4. (Type 4: Cause)
But now I'm not sure, because there have been *many* discussions about wether you can use this 
suffix in this case or not (please don't restart).
To be safe, just say

   {not jIjatlh}
   "I will never speak"

Quvar
Beginners' Grammarian
  ghojwI'pu'wI' vISaH












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