tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jan 13 12:29:30 2004

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Re: time

Steven Boozer ([email protected]) [KLI Member] 

weQqul:
> > i think someone already told me that tlhIngan Hol doesn't have time
> > references in tense form, so how would you say "we will speak later" or
> > "we will talk later about this?"

marqoS:
>The Klingon equivalent of "we will speak later" would literally mean
>"we speak later" (although I don't know if we have a word for
>"later").  The time reference is enough to tell you that the action is taking
>place in the future; the verb doesn't need to change, too.  Similarly, the
>Klingon equivalent of "we spoke yesterday" is literally "we speak 
>yesterday".

Some examples:

   wa'Hu' maja'chuq.
   Yesterday we spoke (to each other).

   DaHjaj maja'chuq.
   Today we speak (to each other).

   DaH maja'chuq.
   Now we are speaking (to each other).

   wa'leS maja'chuq.
   Tomorrow we will speak (to each other).

Here's a bit from "Power Klingon" that shows this in a little context.  A 
Klingon is speaking conspiratorially to a visiting Terran at a dinner party:

   De' pegh vIghaj; lI' 'e' Datu'.  'uQ wISoppu'DI' maja'chuq.
   I have secret information; you will find it useful. We will talk after 
dinner.

Note how the last bit works:

   'uQ wISoppu'DI' maja'chuq.
   "When we have eaten dinner, we (will) confer."

The Type 9 verb suffixes {-DI'} "as soon as, when" and {-pa'} "before" are 
useful in establishing a sequence of events.



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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