tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jan 15 07:04:49 2003
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Re: KLBC
> Okay, i'm just trying to translate basic everyday phrases that I use
> into english and am having trouble with How are you? I've decided i
> could use How is your health, but can't find health. Could i use "pIv"
> (healthy) for this or is there some other way of asking How are you?
Of course, there is no official or correct way to ask this question, since
klingons just don't care about that. They meet, one says {nuqneH}, the other
starts talking.
But on the other and, as we are learning and studying the language, there
certainly is a way to ask "how are you?"
This definitely needs to be recast, because even in english this phrase
makes no sense:
"how are you?" = "you are how?" = "how is it that you are?"
???
A klingon would not understand this phrase, he'd look up the words and then
wonder why you ask him about why he is existing or so... :-)
"How are you" is an idiomatic expression which can be used
1. to say hello
2. to ask about someone's physical condition
Yes, for the latter you can use {pIv}, just asking "Are you healthy?"
I think that in klingon, one would not say such a general question like "How
are you?", the Klingon language is more direct and context related.
My suggestions for "How are you" are: are you healthy? are you sick? are you
sad? are you..., does everything work? ...
Actually, these are all questions that can be answered with yes/no, so the
conversation won't dure a long time.
The other possibility would be a command, telling the partner to describe
"how he is": Describe your mind's status! ... your body's status!
Or, if you really want to do small-talk, and just need a phrase to start a
conversation, just say "anything": "tell me something", "what have you done
lately" "where have you been lately..."
hope this helps!
Quvar
Beginners' Grammarian
ghojwI'pu'lI' tISaH
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