Greetings & Farewells

Klingon Basic Conversation 1

Chapter 1 · Greetings & Farewells

👋 Greetings & Farewells — Qapla' je nuqneH

Welcome to your first Klingon conversation lesson. This is the shortest greetings chapter in the whole series, because Klingon has no word for "hello" and, on the whole, no word for "goodbye" either. A Klingon who arrives asks what you want, and a Klingon who leaves usually just leaves. By the end of this chapter you will know the handful of things Klingons really do say, how to thank someone (and why they will not answer), how to welcome a guest, praise a warrior, say yes and no, and admit that you do not understand. You already know the sounds and the grammar from Klingon Grammar 1, so the dialogs carry no pronunciation line; the tables show how to say each word.

① Meeting a Klingon — nuqneH

A: nuqneH. What do you want? (the Klingon "hello")

B: nuqneH. What do you want?

A: tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh'a'? Do you speak Klingon?

B: HIja', tlhIngan Hol vIjatlh. Yes, I speak Klingon.

② Success! — Qapla'

A: Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam! Today is a good day to die!

B: Qapla'! Success!

A: Qapla'! Success! (and that is the end of the conversation)

③ Praise and Thanks — majQa'

A: tlhIngan Hol vIjatlh. I speak Klingon.

B: majQa'! Well done!

A: qatlho'. Thank you.

B: … (B says nothing. There is no standard reply to thanks.)

④ I Don't Understand — jIyajbe'

A: tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh'a'? Do you speak Klingon?

B: HIja'. tlhIngan Hol vIjatlh. Yes. I speak Klingon.

A: jIyajbe'. I don't understand. (B speaks too fast for a beginner.)

⑤ Come In — yI'el

A: yI'el. Enter. (the nearest thing to "welcome")

B: qatlho'. Thank you.

A: 'ach nuqneH? But what do you want?

⑥ Good Night — maj ram

A: QaQ jajvam. This day is good.

B: HIja', QaQ jajvam. Yes, this day is good.

A: maj ram. Good night.

B: maj ram. Good night.

🗝️ Key Phrases — Gravaj Hol

Klingon has no formal and informal "you", so there is no formal column here. The table gives each phrase, how to say it, and a note on how it is really used. Klingon Grammar 1 showed you the sounds: q is a k made at the back of the throat, Q is the same sound with a rasping release, H is the rasp of Scots loch, and ' is a catch in the throat.

Situation	Klingon	Say it	Note
Hello (the nearest thing)	nuqneH	nuq-nekh	literally "what do you want?"; used to open a conversation
Success (greeting, send-off, cheer)	Qapla'	Qap-la'	wishes the other success; often the last word
Goodbye	(none; Qapla' or just leave)		Klingons rarely say farewell
Come in / welcome (to one person)	yI'el	yi'-el	literally "enter!"
Come in / welcome (to several)	pe'el	pe'-el	the plural command prefix pe-
Thank you	qatlho'	qa-tlho'	there is no reply; Klingon culture does not expect one
Well done	majQa'	maj-Qa'	praise for a deed
Yes	HIja'	Hi-ja'
No	ghobe'	gho-be'
I don't understand	jIyajbe'	ji-yaj-be'	jI- + yaj + -be'
Do you speak Klingon?	tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh'a'?	tlhi-ngan Hol Da-jatlh-'a'	object, verb, then the question suffix
Good night	maj ram	maj ram	an idiom, not a literal wish
Toast / battle cry	Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam!	Hegh-lu'-meH QaQ jaj-vam	"today is a good day to die"

There Is No "Hello" — and Why That Matters A Klingon who greets you with nuqneH is asking, bluntly, what do you want? Marc Okrand, who created the language, has said it is what you would say to a Klingon who comes up to you without saying why. It is often used as a general greeting by learners and by the community, which is fine, but remember its real flavour: you do not chat, you state your business. Qapla', "success", does most of the other work: it can greet, cheer or take leave. Compare Esperanto, which has a warm Saluton for every occasion (Esperanto Basic Conversation 1, Chapter 1).

Thanks Without a Reply qatlho' is how learners say "thank you", but Okrand has pointed out that Klingon culture has little tradition of thanking and none of replying. So you will not find a "you're welcome". If someone thanks you, a nod, a grunt or silence is exactly right. That is why the table above has no "you're welcome" row.

🔤 Three Verbs for Conversation — Verboj

From Klingon Grammar 1, Chapter 4: the verb carries its subject in a prefix, and the third person has none. These three verbs, with no object, show all six forms.

	jatlh (to speak)	yaj (to understand)	Sop (to eat)
jIH (I)	jIjatlh	jIyaj	jISop
SoH (you)	bIjatlh	bIyaj	bISop
ghaH (he / she)	jatlh	yaj	Sop
maH (we)	majatlh	mayaj	maSop
tlhIH (you, plural)	Sujatlh	Suyaj	SuSop
chaH (they)	jatlh	yaj	Sop

Build It — Compounds and Suffixes tlhIngan Hol "the Klingon language" is two nouns together, the first modifying the second. jajvam "this day" is jaj "day" plus -vam "this". Heghlu'meH is Hegh "die" + -lu' "one" + -meH "in order to". Chapter after chapter, the vocabulary stays small because the suffixes do the work.

📖 Vocabulary — Vortaro

20 key words. The Say it column shows the syllables.

#	Klingon	Say it	English	Type
1	nuqneH	nuq-nekh	what do you want? (greeting)	phrase
2	Qapla'	Qap-la'	success	phrase
3	majQa'	maj-Qa'	well done	phrase
4	qatlho'	qa-tlho'	thank you	phrase
5	HIja'	Hi-ja'	yes	phrase
6	ghobe'	gho-be'	no	phrase
7	yI'el	yi'-el	enter! (to one person)	verb
8	jatlh	jatlh	speak, say	verb
9	yaj	yaj	understand	verb
10	Sop	Sop	eat	verb
11	Hol	Hol	language	noun
12	tlhIngan	tlhi-ngan	Klingon	noun
13	jaj	jaj	day	noun
14	ram	ram	night	noun
15	QaQ	QaQ	be good	verb
16	jIH	jIH	I	pron
17	SoH	SoH	you	pron
18	maH	maH	we	pron
19	nuq	nuq	what	question
20	'ach	'ach	but	conj

Real Klingon Tip — A Sentence in Two Words tlhIngan maH ("we are Klingons") is a whole sentence in two words: the noun first, then the pronoun, with no verb "to be" (Klingon Grammar 1, Chapter 5). It is a proud, short thing to say, and it uses only words from this chapter. Sentences are short in Klingon: the language prefers action to politeness.

📜 Reading — LaD

A short text using only words you know.

tlhIngan maH. tlhIngan Hol majatlh. QaQ jajvam. Qapla'! We are Klingons. We speak the Klingon language. This day is good. Success!

True or false? (a) The speakers say they are Klingons. (b) The speakers do not speak Klingon. (c) The day is bad. (d) The text ends with a farewell.

Show answers

(a) True. (b) False: tlhIngan Hol majatlh. (c) False: QaQ jajvam "this day is good". (d) Roughly true: Qapla' "success" is the Klingon way to end.

✍️ Try It Yourself — Ekzercoj

Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.

1. A Klingon walks up to you. What is the standard greeting, and what does it mean literally?

Show answer

nuqneH. It means "what do you want?".

2. Ask someone whether they speak Klingon, then say that you do.

Show answer

tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh'a'? · tlhIngan Hol vIjatlh.

3. A friend does something impressive. What do you say? And what do you say if you did not follow what they said?

Show answer

majQa'! · jIyajbe'.

4. Someone thanks you. What is the Klingon reply?

Show answer

There is none. Say nothing, or just nod. (qatlho' is how you thank someone.)

5. Welcome a guest to your hall: first one person, then a group.

Show answer

yI'el. · pe'el.

6. Say "we speak Klingon" and "this day is good", using the verb table.

Show answer

tlhIngan Hol majatlh. · QaQ jajvam.

Coming Up in Chapter 2 Introducing yourself: saying who you are with … jIH ("I am …"), naming your species and your house, asking someone else's name, and your first questions with nuq and 'Iv.