tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Feb 12 03:51:01 2003
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Re: KLBC:{ben}
- From: Quvar valer <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: KLBC:{ben}
- Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2003 09:51:48 +0100
ghIthl ngabwI':
>cha'maH chorgh ben, jIbogh.
>cha'maH chorgh ben jIH.
>Which one is correct for "I am 28 years old"?
Marc Okrand said:
{loSmaH ben jIboghpu'.}
"I was born 40 years ago"
What you said, {cha'maH chorgh ben, jIbogh} means literally "I *am* born...". With the {-pu'}, it means that you have
"finished being born", so you are born already. So, if you say {wa' ben jIboghpu'}, then it's also correct: Last year, you
were born already.
Every living being can say {jIboghpu'} "I was born", because it's a fact. When one adds a time, like {loSmaH ben} "40
years ago", it says *when* the {jIboghpu'} happened.
{jIbogh}
"I'm born"
("I'm being born")
{jIboghpu'}
"I have been born"
("the action of being born is completed")
{loSmaH ben jIboghpu'.}
"I was born 40 years ago"
("it was 40 years ago that I have been born")
Quvar
Beginners' Grammarian
ghojwI'pu'wI' vISaH