Lesson 3 – introducing verb suffix -be'
The man does not climb the mountain”
Beginners, welcome!
In today's lesson we are going to see how to make a negative statement in Klingon.
First, let's take a look at an affirmative sentence:
HuD toS loD = the man climbs the mountain
HuD = mountain
toS = climb
loD = man
Now, let's turn it into a negative statement:
HuD toSbe' loD = the man does not climb the mountain
As you can see, all I did was add the suffix {-be'} after the verb, and this is enough to negate the sentence.
In Klingon, verbs can take a number of suffixes.
Each suffix modifies the meaning of the verb and/or sentence in a different way.
With the negative verb suffix {-be'}, we have the basic negative structure:
Y (prefix-)(verb)-be' X => X do/does not (verb) Y
For instance:
tlhIngan Hol jatlhbe' yaS = the officer does not speak Klingon
HuD vItoSbe' (jIH) = I do not climb the mountain (*)
*Note: remember that the verb prefix {vI-} must be used when the subject is “I” and the object is “it/him/her”, as we saw in lesson 2 on {vI-}. Use of the pronoun {jIH} is also optional.
Now it is time for you to practice making your own negative statements and post your sentences on the Learn Klingon group:
Here are a few additional words for inspiration:
HuD = mountain | toS = climb | loD = man |
qach = building, structure | bej = watch (v) | HoD = Captain |
quS = chair | Qaw' = destroy | tlhIngan = Klingon (person) |
Qapla'!
Prepared by Aurélie Demonchaux (ghItlhjaj)