Klingon grammar
The grammar of the Klingon language was created by Marc Okrand for the Star Trek franchise. He first described it in his book The Klingon Dictionary. It is a nominative–accusative, primarily suffixing agglutinative language, and has an object–verb–subject word order. The Klingon language has a number of unusual grammatical features, as it was designed to sound and seem alien, but it has an extremely regular morphology.
Word order
Klingon follows an object–verb–subject word order.[1] Adverbs usually go at the beginning of the sentence[2] and prepositional phrases go before the object.[3]
Doʼ DujDaq ghoqwIʼ Sam laʼ
Doʼ | Duj | - | Daq | ghoqwIʼ | Sam | laʼ |
fortunately | ship | + | locative | spy | find | commander |
- Fortunately, the commander found the spy aboard the ship
Sentences can be treated as objects, and the word ʼeʼ
is placed after the sentence. ʼeʼ
is treated as the object of the next sentence.[4] The adverbs, indirect objects and locatives of the latter sentence go after the subject, but before the ʼeʼ
[5]
bIpIv ʼeʼ vItuʼ
bI | - | pIv | ʼeʼ | vI | - | tuʼ | ||
you-Ø | + | be healthy | that | I-it | + | observe |
- I observe that you are healthy
- I see that you're healthy
Nouns
Klingon has three noun classes. The first one is living beings with an innate capacity to use language. The second one is body parts (not the body itself) and the third is all other nouns.[6] Klingon has no articles, so the word raS
table can mean a table or the table. The difference between the two is inferred from context. The suffixes are ordered based on type number; a type 2 suffix goes before a type 3 suffix, but after a type 1 suffix.[7]
vengHommeyqoqchajDaq
veng | - | Hom | - | mey | - | qoq | - | chaj | - | Daq |
city | + | (1) diminutive | + | (2) plural | + | (3) dubitative | + | (4) their | + | (5) locative |
- in their so-called villages
Suffixes
There are five types of noun suffixes. A word cannot have two suffixes of the same type.[8]
Type 1 (size, affection)
This type has three suffixes:
- The augmentative suffix
-ʼaʼ
,
ghom
group →ghomʼaʼ
crowd
- The diminutive suffix
-Hom
,[8]
yuQ
planet →yuQHom
planetoid
- and the endearment suffix
-oy
.
vav
father →vavoy
daddy- If the noun to which the endearment suffix is added ends with a vowel, a glottal stop is inserted between them:[9]
ghu
baby →ghuʼoy
dear baby
Type 2 (plurals)
This type of suffix forms plurals. There are three suffixes, one for each noun class.
- The suffix
-puʼ
is for beings capable of using language.[6]
qetwIʼ
runner →qetwIʼpuʼ
runners
- The suffix
-Duʼ
is for body parts,
ghop
hand →ghopDuʼ
hands
- The suffix
-mey
is used for all other nouns.
quS
chair →quSmey
chairs- When
-mey
is used for nouns that would normally take-puʼ
or-Duʼ
, it carries the connotation of being all over the place.
ghot
person →ghotmey
people all over the place
- When
A noun does not require a plural suffix if a pronoun or pronominal prefix serves to indicate that it is plural,[10] or if it is being used in conjunction with a number.[11]
Duypuʼ chaH
orDuy chaH
- They are emissaries.
raSmey DIghor
orraS DIghor
- We broke the tables.
Type 3 (accuracy)
This type of suffix indicates the speaker's opinion of the applicability of the noun. There are three suffixes:
- The suffix
-qoq
indicates that the speaker thinks what they are referencing is not actually represented by the noun.
QaH
the help →QaHqoq
the so-called help
- The dubitative suffix
-Hey
indicates the speaker is not entirely sure if the object they are referencing is represented by the noun.[12]
choH
change →choHHey
apparent change
- The suffix
-naʼ
indicates that the speaker is entirely sure that the object is represented accurately by the noun.[13]
jup
friend →jupnaʼ
true friend
Type 4 (possession, determiners)
This type of suffix indicates possession or specifies which object is referred to. It contains twelve suffixes.
There are ten possession suffixes, indicating who is the possessor of the object, which may be a person. For first- and second-person possessors, there are different forms depending on whether the "object" is a being capable of using language.
Possessives[13] | 1st-person singular | 2nd-person singular | 3rd-person singular | 1st-person plural | 2nd-person plural | 3rd-person plural |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Not capable of using language | -wIj |
-lIj |
-Daj |
-maj |
-raj |
-chaj |
Capable of using language | -wIʼ |
-lIʼ |
-maʼ |
-raʼ |
There are also two determiner suffixes:[14]
-vam
this indicates an object that is nearby or that is being discussed-vetlh
that indicates an object that is not nearby or that had previously been discussed
Examples:
- Non-language-user possessives:
nav
paper →navwIj
my paper - Language-user possessives:
qeSwIʼpuʼ
advisors →qeSwIʼpuʼlIʼ
your advisors - Determiners:
Soj
food →Sojvam
this food
Type 5 (syntactic role)
This type of suffix serves a syntactic role in the sentence. It contains five suffixes.
- The locative suffix
-Daq
indicates the action of the sentence is taking place in, at or on the noun.[15] With certain verbs, it indicates motion towards the noun.
juHmaj
our home →juHmajDaq
in our home
- The ablative suffix
-voʼ
indicates that the action is taking place away from the noun. Again, with certain verbs, it indicates motion away from the noun.
qoj
cliff →qojvoʼ
away from the cliff
- The causal suffix
-moʼ
indicates that the action is occurring because of the noun.
ghuʼ
situation →ghuʼmoʼ
because of the situation
- The dative/benefactive suffix
-vaD
indicates the indirect object, and/or the noun for which the action has been done.[15]
jeʼwIʼ
buyer →jeʼwIʼvaD
to/for the buyer
- The topicalizing suffix
-ʼeʼ
indicates the topic of the sentence or emphasises the noun in the phrase, and also marks the head noun of a relative clause.[16]
Verbs
Klingon verbs mark for aspect but not for tense, which is indicated where necessary by context and by time adverbs. Prefixes mark subject and object. There are ten types of suffix, and as with nouns, a verb can have no more than one suffix of any type. (The tenth type, called rovers, are an exception.) Again as with nouns, the types of suffix must appear in a strict order, indicated by their type number: a type 2 suffix goes before a type 3 suffix, but after a type 1 suffix. A rover suffix can go between any of them.[17]
Unlike English, there is no infinitive.[18] The presentation of the verb stem as an infinitive in this article's example sentences is just to show the individual morphemes.
Prefixes
Klingon verb prefixes mark both the subject and the object.
Verb prefixes[18] | Object | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No object | 1st person singular | 2nd person singular | 3rd person singular | 1st person plural | 2nd person plural | 3rd person plural | ||
Subject | 1st person singular | jI- | — | qa- | vI- | — | Sa- | vI- |
2nd person singular | bI- | cho- | — | Da- | ju- | — | Da- | |
3rd person singular | Ø- | mu- | Du- | Ø- | nu- | lI- | Ø- | |
1st person plural | ma- | — | pI- | wI- | — | re- | DI- | |
2nd person plural | Su- | tu- | — | bo- | che- | — | bo- | |
3rd person plural | Ø- | mu- | nI- | lu- | nu- | lI- | Ø- | |
unspecified* | Ø- | vI- | Da- | Ø- | wI- | bo- | lu- |
* Expressed with the type-5 verb suffix -luʼ
Legend | Meaning |
---|---|
— | Not represented |
Ø- | Null prefix |
Imperative-mood prefixes[18] | Object | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No object | 1st person singular | 3rd person singular | 1st person plural | 3rd person plural | ||
Subject | 2nd person singular | yI- |
HI- |
yI- |
gho- |
tI- |
2nd person plural | pe- |
Prefixes must be present even if the nouns or pronouns they reference are declared explicitly.[19] In certain cases with a third person object, a first or second person indirect object can be omitted by using the first and second person object prefixes instead. This is known as the prefix trick.[20]
Examples:
- No object:
Qong
sleep →jIQong
I sleep - Subject and object:
nob
give →Dunob
It gives (to) you - Imperative:
laD
read →yIlaD
Read it
Suffixes
Type 1 (reflexive/reciprocal)
This type of suffix forms reflexive verbs. There are two suffixes.
- The reflexive suffix
-ʼegh
indicates that the individual subject(s) does/do the action to her/him/itself/themselves.[21]
jIlegh
I see →jIleghʼegh
I see myselfmaʼang
We reveal →maʼangʼegh
We reveal ourselves (individually)
- The reciprocal suffix
-chuq
indicates that the individual subjects do the action to each other.[22] Intransitive verbs cannot take this suffix.
Sulegh
You(pl) see →Suleghchuq
You(pl) see each other
Type 2 (volition/necessity)
This type of suffix deals with the subject's volition. There are five suffixes.
- The suffix
-nIS
indicates that the subject is required to or has the necessity to complete the action.
chojaʼ
You tell me →chojaʼnIS
You need to tell me
- The suffix
-qang
indicates that the subject is willing to perform the action.
lungev
They sell it →lungevqang
They are willing to sell it
- The suffix
-rup
indicates the subject is prepared to complete the action.
ghuʼ poj
He/She analyzes the situation →ghuʼ pojrup
He/She is ready to analyze the situation
- The suffix
-beH
indicates that the subject has been set up to complete the action.-beH
is used with devices, whereas-rup
is used with beings.[22]
ghoghlIj qon
It records your voice →ghoghlIj qonbeH
It is ready to record your voice
- The suffix
-vIp
indicates that the subject is afraid to do the action.[23]
bImej
You leave →bImejvIp
You are afraid to leave
Type 3 (inceptive/inchoative)
This type of suffix describes the action of the verb. There are two suffixes.
- The suffix
-choH
indicates a change of state to that indicated by the verb:
yIt
He/she/it walks →yItchoH
He/she/it starts walkingDoq
It is red →DoqchoH
It becomes red
- The suffix
-qaʼ
indicates the action had been stopped, but is now resuming, or that the action is being performed again.[23]
yIQong
Sleep! →yIQongqaʼ
Go back to sleep!
Type 4 (causative)
There is only one suffix in this category, the causative suffix -moH
. This suffix indicates that the subject is causing the object to do something. If the verb to which it is added is transitive, the object becomes the indirect object. Many Klingon words are derived this way. For example, the verb clean (SayʼmoH
) is derived from the verb be clean (Sayʼ
).[24]
Intransitive verb:
poS lojmIt.
poS | lojmIt | |
be open | door |
- The door is open.
- Causative form:
lojmIt poSmoH ghot.
lojmIt | poS | - | moH | ghot | ||
door | be open | + | causative | person |
- The person caused the door to be open.
- The person opened the door.
Transitive verb:
paq Danej.
paq | Da | - | nej | |
book | you-it | + | look for |
- You look for the book.
- You look/are looking for the book.
- Causative form:
paq qanejmoH
paq | qa | - | nej | - | moH | |
book | I-you | + | look for | + | causative |
- I caused you to look for the book.
- I made you look for the book.
Type 5 (undefined subject; capability)
There are two unrelated suffixes in this group. The suffix -luʼ
indicates an undefined subject.[24] The verb prefixes that are normally used for first or second person subject with third person singular object are used to indicate first or second person object. The suffix -laH
indicates that the subject is capable of performing the action of the verb.[24]
Examples:
-luʼ
without prefix:
much bejluʼ
much | bej | - | luʼ | |
presentation | watch | + | indefinite subject |
- the presentation is watched, someone watches the presentation [Note 1]
much bej
- He/she watches the presentation
-luʼ
with prefix:
vItlhaʼluʼ
vI | - | tlhaʼ | - | luʼ |
I-it | + | chase | + | indefinite subject |
- I am chased, someone chases me
vItlhaʼ
- I chase it
-laH
:
vIbomlaH
vI | - | bom | - | laH |
I-it | + | sing | + | able to |
- I can sing it
Type 6 (perfection; uncertainty)
This type indicates the speaker's opinion of the action of the verb. There are four suffixes.
- The suffix
-chuʼ
indicates that the speaker considers the action is done in the best possible manner.
pIQoy
we hear you →pIQoychuʼ
we hear you clearly
- The suffix
-bej
indicates that the speaker is completely sure the action is occurring.
SuQeH
you (plural) are angry →SuQeHbej
you are definitely angry
- The dubitative suffix
-lawʼ
indicates that the speaker thinks the action is occurring, but is not sure.[25]
luyaj
they understand it →luyajlawʼ
they seem to understand it
- The suffix
-baʼ
indicates that the speaker thinks that it is obvious that the action is occurring.[26]
lupar
they dislike it →luparbaʼ
they obviously dislike it
Type 7 (aspect)
This type indicates the verb's aspect. There are four Type 7 suffixes.
Note that aspect is different from tense and independent of it. A "completed" event (perfective aspect, -puʼ
or -taʼ
) can just as easily be set before, during, or after the time of description (past, present, or future tense), or unspecified for tense. For simplicity, this section says "is completed", not "was, is, or will be completed." (Do not confusive perfective aspect with "perfectly done".)
- The perfective suffix
-puʼ
indicates that, in the time context of the sentence, the action is completed.
qaS
It occurs →qaSpuʼ
It has occurredvIghor
I break it →vIghorpuʼ
I broke it
- The suffix
-taʼ
also indicates that the action is completed, and further specifies that it was done on purpose.[27]
Qu' QIj
She explains the mission →Qu' QIjtaʼ
She has explained the missionvIghor
I break it →vIghortaʼ
I broke it (on purpose)
- The suffix
-taH
indicate that the verb is occurring continuously.
jItlhuH
I breathe →jItlhuHtaH
I keep breathing
- The suffix
-lIʼ
indicate that the verb is occurring continuously, but that it has a definite ending point.[28]
megh vIvut
I prepare lunch →megh vIvutlIʼ
I am preparing lunch
The perfective aspect can also be indicated by the use of the verb form rIntaH
after the main verb. This carries the connotation of irreversibility.[28]
ghorluʼ rIntaH
It has been broken (and it cannot be mended)
Type 8 (honorific)
There is only one suffix in this group, the honorific suffix -neS
. It is used when addressing any type of superior, be it social, political, or military, and only when being very polite or having high regard for that person. It is never required.[29]
-neS
:qaqIH
I meet you →qaqIHneS
I am honoured to meet you
Type 9 (syntactic)
Eleven suffixes specify syntactic roles in the sentence.
Nominalizers
Two suffixes form specific types of noun from a verb.
- The suffix
-wIʼ
is used to form words for persons and things that do something, much as English nouns of the form X-er can mean either "person who does X" (listener, baker) or "thing that does X" (screwdriver, sprinkler).[17]
ʼIj
listen →ʼIjwIʼ
listenerwoch
be tall →wochwIʼ
tall person or tall thing
- The suffix
-ghach
is used as a nominalizer for verbs ending in suffixes, which otherwise are unable to be nominalized. This suffix is usually used with other suffixes and is rarely found alone with the verb stem.[30][31]
QallaH
be able to swim →QallaHghach
the ability to swimpIvchoH
become healthy →pIvchoHghach
becoming healthy
Modals
These two suffixes inflect the verb in specific grammatical moods.
- The interrogative suffix
-ʼaʼ
is used to form yes–no questions.[17]
DIboQnIS
We need to assist them →DIboQnISʼaʼ?
Do we need to assist them?
bIQap
You succeed →bIQapjaj
May you succeed
Subordinators
The following seven suffixes are used to form subordinate clauses. A subordinate clause may go after or before the clause it modifies.[32]
Time
- The suffix
-paʼ
indicates that the event described in the main clause occurs chronologically before the event of this clause.
jItlheDpaʼ, HIboQ
Before I depart, assist me- (
jItlheD
I depart,HIboQ
assist me)
- The suffix
-vIS
indicates that the main clause is occurring at the same time as this clause. It is always used in conjunction with the type-7 suffix continuous suffix-taH
.
lumtaHvIS, pagh taʼ
He accomplishes nothing while he procrastinates- (
lum
procrastinate,taʼ
accomplish,pagh
nothing)
- The suffix
-DIʼ
indicates that the event of the main clause occurs immediately after the event of this clause is completed.
jImej chocholDIʼ
As soon as you approach me, I leave- (
jImej
I leave,chochol
you approach me)
Cause and effect
- The suffix
-chugh
is used to form conditionals.[29]
DaSamlaHchugh, DaSuqlaH
If you can find it, you can take it- (
DaSamlaH
you can find it,DaSuqlaH
you can acquire (take) it)
- The suffix
-moʼ
indicates the main clause is occurring because of this clause.[26]
bIʼIlmoʼ, qavoq
Because you are sincere, I trust you- (
bIʼIl
you are sincere,qavoq
I trust you)
(Relative and purpose clauses)
- The suffix
-bogh
is used in relative clauses. Their usage is covered in the relative clauses section. - The suffix
-meH
is used in purpose clauses.[17] Their usage is covered in the purpose clauses section.
Rovers
This type of suffix is known as a lengwIʼ
in Klingon, which is translated as rover (leng
wander + wIʼ
). There are four rovers. These suffixes have no defined position, and can go after the verb stem or after any suffix – even another rover – except after a type-9 suffix or where the result would be meaningless. They modify whatever directly precedes them.
wInaD
We praise it →wInaDbeʼ
We do not praise itboʼollaH
You are able to verify it →boʼollaHbeʼ
You are not able to verify it
- The rover suffix
-Qoʼ
negates what precedes it in the imperative mood. In the indicative mood it indicates refusal by the subject. It can only be used between verb suffixes of Type 8 and Type 9.[34]
yIQIp
Be stupid →yIQIpQoʼ
don't be stupidvIlon
I abandon it →vIlonQoʼ
I refuse to abandon it
- The rover suffix
-quʼ
emphasises what precedes it.[35]
narghqang
He is willing to escape →narghqangquʼ
He is really willing to escape
- The rover suffix
-Haʼ
reverses what precedes it; that is, it indicates that the opposite of what precedes it is being done, or that the action is being undone.[34] If used on a verb that cannot be undone and has no meaningful opposite, it means to perform the action wrongly, not in the proper way, somewhat like the English prefix mis- in misspeak, mistype, misspell, etc. Unlike the other rovers, it can be placed only just after the stem; its classification in the rover category is attributed to the insistence of fictional Klingon grammarians.[36]
yIchuʼ
Activate it →yIchuʼHaʼ
De-activate itboloʼ
you (plural) use it →boloʼHaʼ
you (pl.) misuse itbIQuch
You are happy →bIQuchHaʼ
You are unhappy
The position of the rover suffixes affects the meaning of the word. Contrast
luSoplaH
They are able to eat itluSoplaHbeʼ
They are not able to eat itluSopbeʼlaH
They are able to not eat it- (In context, possibly equivalent to They can refuse to eat it)
luSopbeʼlaHbeʼ
They are not able to not eat it- (In context, possibly equivalent to They cannot refuse to eat it)
Pronouns and copula
Klingon has no verb that corresponds to the verb to be; the concept is expressed using a different grammatical construction. Pronouns can be used as verbs that act as the pronoun plus the verb to be. The pronoun can take verb suffixes, which then modify the pronoun like any other verb. A third-person subject that is not a pronoun must go after the pronoun-verb and carry the type-5 noun suffix -ʼeʼ
[37]
Pronouns[38] | 1st-person singular | 2nd-person singular | 3rd-person singular | 1st-person plural | 2nd-person plural | 3rd-person plural |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Capable of using language | jIH |
SoH |
ghaH |
maH |
tlhIH |
chaH |
Not capable of using language | ʼoH |
bIH |
Examples:
qonwI' tlhIH
You are composersghojwIʼ ghaH HaDwIʼʼeʼ
A studier is a learner
Adjectives
Klingon does not have adjectives as a distinct part of speech. Instead, many intransitive verbs can be used as adjectives, in which case they follow the noun they modify.
Contrast (wep
coat, and yIQ
be wet)
wep yIQ
- the wet coat
with
yIQ wep.
- The coat is wet.
In this construction, the only verbal suffixes allowed are rover suffixes such as -quʼ
and -Haʼ
.[39]
Type-5 noun suffixes that would normally be attached to the noun are instead attached to the adjectival verb:[40]
paʼDaq
- in the room
paʼ tInDaq
- in the big room (
tIn
big)
Adverbs
Adverbs are usually placed at the beginning of the sentence,[2] but time adverbs go before other adverbs.[41]
wa'leS ghaytan nujatlh.
wa'les | ghaytan | nu | - | jatlh |
tomorrow | likely | they-us | + | speak |
- They will probably speak to us tomorrow.
Adverbs can take the rover suffix -Haʼ
to denote the opposite adverbial.[42]
Doʼ
- fortunately
DoʼHaʼ
- unfortunately
Conjunctions
Klingon has seven conjunctions, and they are different for nouns and for sentences. The noun conjunctions are je
for a logical conjunction, joq
for a logical disjunction and ghap
for an exclusive disjunction. Noun conjunctions go after the nouns they connect. Sentence conjunctions are ʼej
for a logical conjunction, qoj
for a logical disjunction and pagh
for an exclusive disjunction. ʼach
(or ʼa
) but is used to contrast sentences.[11]
Clauses
Relative clauses
In a relative clause, the verb has the type-9 verb suffix -bogh
added to it.[43] The order of the words in relative clauses remains the same as in regular clauses, but the head noun may optionally get the type-5 suffix -ʼeʼ
added.[44]
chuS Saj ngevbogh ghotʼeʼ.
chuS | Saj | ngev | - | bogh | ghot | - | -ʼeʼ | |||
to be noisy | pet | sell | + | relative | person | + | focus |
- The person who sells the pet is noisy
chuS Sajʼeʼ ngevbogh ghot.
chuS | Saj | + | -ʼeʼ | ngev | - | bogh | ghot | |||
be noisy | pet | + | focus | sell | relative | person |
- The pet which the person sells is noisy
Since there is already a type-5 noun suffix marking the head noun, nothing other than the subject or the object can be marked as head noun. Two sentences are formed instead to form the same idea. Relative clauses can have nouns with type 5 suffixes as modifiers, but it can be ambiguous as they can be misinterpreted as being part of the main sentence.[44]
Purpose clauses
A purpose clause expresses the reason or goal of the action of the main clause. If it is modifying a noun it states the purpose of the noun. A purpose clause always goes before the clause or noun it modifies.[43] This is the cause of some grammatical ambiguity in Klingon, as a -meH
modifying a noun at the beginning of a sentence can be misinterpreted as modifying the entire sentence. This can be resolved in writing with punctuation.[44]
-meH
with sentence:jumISmoHmeH, jutoj
ju | - | mIS | - | moH | - | meH, | ju | - | toj | |
you-us | + | be confused | + | causative | - | purpose | you-us | + | trick |
- You tricked us in order to confuse us.
-meH
with nouns:QaQ vIDubmeH qechlIj
QaQ | vI | - | Dub | - | meH | qech | - | lIj | ||
be good | I-it | + | improve | + | purpose | idea | + | your |
- Your idea [for I improve it] is good
- Your idea on how I should improve it is good/Your idea for improving it is good.
Comparatives
In this section, noun phrases are indicated by the abbreviation NP, and adjectives by A.
Klingon comparatives mainly rely on adjectives like lawʼ
(to be many), puS
(to be few), rap
(to be the same), and rur
(to resemble, to be like) to contrast the nouns. However, many (but not all) of the comparatives have unusual word orders that don't parse as regular Klingon sentences.
- The main Klingon comparative structure is NP1 A
lawʼ
NP2 ApuS
.
The general meaning of this construction is "NP1 is more A than NP2".
qachvam chuʼ lawʼ juHlIj chu' puS.
This building is newer than your home.- (
chuʼ
be new,qachvam
this building,juHlIj
your home) - literally: this-building new many – home-your new few
- The structure NP1 A
lawʼ Hoch
ApuS
is used to form superlatives, i.e.
"NP1 has the most of quality A (= has more of quality A than anything/one else has)".
(Hoch
= all, everyone, everything)
qIDvetlh tlhaQ law' Hoch tlhaQ puS.
That joke is the funniest.- (
tlhaQ
be funny,qIDvetlh
that joke) - literally: joke-that funny many – everything funny few
- The inverse structure,
Hoch
Alawʼ
NP1 ApuS
is used to indicate
"NP1 has the least of quality A".[43]
Hoch quv lawʼ verengnan quv puS.
Ferengi are the least honorable.- (
quv
be honorable,verengnan
Ferengi) - literally: everyone honorable many – Ferengi honorable few
- The structure A NP1; NP2
rur
is used to form similes:
"NP1 is A; he/she/it resembles NP2".
ʼIQ rav rur.
He is as sad as a floor.[45]- (
ʼIQ
be sad; he is sad,rav
floor,rur
to resemble; he resembles) - literally: he is sad; he is like a floor
Questions
A yes–no question in Klingon can be formed by adding the suffix -ʼaʼ
to the regular form. The word for yes is HISlaH
or HIjaʼ
and the word for no is ghobeʼ
.[37] Interrogative pronouns go where the answer would normally go, and don't reorder the sentence. Interrogative adverbs go at the beginning of the sentence.[46]
Numbers
Klingon uses a base-10 system to count numbers. To form a multiple of 10, 100, 1 000, 1 000 000, the word for the multiple of ten is suffixed to the digit. For example, chorghmaH
eighty is a combination of the word chorgh
eight and the number forming suffix -maH
ten.
Larger powers go before smaller powers: chorghmaH Soch
is eight-ten seven. The number suffix -DIch
is used to form ordinal numbers, and the number suffix -logh
indicates how many times an action has been repeated: loSDIch
fourth, waʼmaH chaʼlogh
twelve times.[47]
10 | -maH | |
---|---|---|
100 | -vatlh | |
1 000 | -SaD |
-SanID |
10 000 | -netlh | |
100 000 | -bIp | |
1 000 000 | -ʼuyʼ |
0 | pagh |
5 | vagh |
---|---|---|---|
1 | waʼ |
6 | jav |
2 | chaʼ |
7 | Soch |
3 | wej |
8 | chorgh |
4 | loS |
9 | Hut |
Notes
-
-luʼ
is not the same thing as the passive voice.-luʼ
makes the subject indefinite, and keeps the object where it would be if it had a subject. Unlike the passive voice, it does not make the subject the patient of the verb, except when using the verb prefixes
Sources
- Okrand, Marc (1992). The Klingon Dictionary, 2nd Edition. Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0671745592.
- Okrand, Marc. paq'batlh. uitgeverij. 2011.
References
- Okrand 1992, p.59
- Okrand 1992, p.56. Note exception
neH
only, merely from p.56 andjayʼ
(swear word) from p.177. - Okrand 1992, p.180
- Okrand 1992, p.66. Note exception
neH
want - Okrand 2011
- Okrand 1992, p.22
- Okrand 1992, p.29
- Okrand 1992, p.21
- Okrand 1992, p.174
- Okrand 1992, p.23
- Okrand 1992, p.55
- Okrand 1992, p.24
- Okrand 1992, p.25
- Okrand 1992, p.26
- Okrand 1992, p.27
- Okrand 1992, p.28
- Okrand 1992, p.44
- Okrand 1992, p.33
- Okrand 1992, p.52
- Okrand, Marc; Schermerhorn, Neal (29 June 1997). "Re: Some quick questions..." Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- Okrand 1992, p.35
- Okrand 1992, p.36
- Okrand 1992, p.37
- Okrand 1992, p.38
- Okrand 1992, p.40
- Okrand 1992, p.175
- Okrand 1992, p.41
- Okrand 1992, p.42
- Okrand 1992, p.43
- Okrand, Marc; Schoen, Lawrence M. (September 1994). "Interview: Okrand on
-ghach
". HolQeD. Flourtown, Pennsylvania: Klingon Language Institute. 3 (3): 10–13. - Okrand 1992, p.176
- Okrand 1992, p.62
- Okrand 1992, p.46
- Okrand 1992, p.47
- Okrand 1992, p.48
- Okrand 1992, p.49
- Okrand 1992, p.68
- Okrand 1992, p.51
- Okrand 1992, p.49, says only
-quʼ
, but later canon examples expand the set, for examplengaDHaʼ
in Okrand 1997, p.150 - Okrand 1992, p.50
- Okrand 1992, p.179
- Okrand, Marc (December 1995). "More from Maltz". HolQeD. Flourtown, Pennsylvania: Klingon Language Institute. 4 (4): 11.
- Okrand 1992, p.64
- Okrand, Marc; Schoen, Lawrence M. (June 1995). "Interview: Okrand on
-bogh
and more". HolQeD. Flourtown, Pennsylvania: Klingon Language Institute. 4 (2): 5–6. - Native Klingon Simile from Okrand, Marc. Klingon for the Galactic Traveller. Pocket Books. p. 134. ISBN 978-0671009953.
- Okrand 1992, p.69
- Okrand 1992, p.53-55