Introducing Yourself

Klingon Basic Conversation 1

Chapter 2 · Introducing Yourself

🪪 Introducing Yourself — pongwIj

After the blunt greetings of Chapter 1, you can now say who you are. By the end of this chapter you will be able to ask someone's name and give your own, say what you are (Klingon, Earthling, warrior), introduce a third person, and name your house. There is no "I am" verb in Klingon: you say the noun first, then the pronoun, as in Klingon Grammar 1, Chapter 5. And there is still no formal "you": SoH works for a stranger and for a general alike.

① What Is Your Name? — nuq 'oH ponglIj'e'?

A: nuq 'oH ponglIj'e'? What is your name?

B: pongwIj 'oH Philip'e'. My name is Philip.

A: majQa'. Well done. (A Klingon's highest praise for a name.)

② Are You a Klingon? — tlhIngan SoH'a'?

A: tlhIngan SoH'a'? Are you a Klingon?

B: HIja', tlhIngan jIH. Yes, I am a Klingon.

A: Qapla'! Success!

③ An Earthling — tera'ngan jIH

A: tera'ngan SoH'a'? Are you an Earthling?

B: HIja', tera'ngan jIH. 'ach tlhIngan Hol vIjatlh. Yes, I am an Earthling. But I speak Klingon.

A: majQa'! Well done!

④ Officer or Warrior? — SuvwI' jIH

A: yaS SoH'a'? Are you an officer?

B: ghobe'. SuvwI' jIH. No. I am a warrior.

A: majQa'. Well done.

⑤ Who Is She? — 'Iv ghaH?

A: 'Iv ghaH? Who is she?

B: pongDaj 'oH Anna'e'. Her name is Anna.

A: tera'ngan ghaH'a'? Is she an Earthling?

B: HIja'. tera'ngan ghaH. Yes. She is an Earthling.

⑥ Two Klingons Meet — wo'rIv je Martaq

A: nuqneH. nuq 'oH ponglIj'e'? What do you want? What is your name?

B: pongwIj 'oH wo'rIv'e'. nuq 'oH ponglIj'e'? My name is Worf. What is your name?

A: pongwIj 'oH Martaq'e'. My name is Martok.

B: Qapla'. Success.

🗝️ Key Phrases — Gravaj Hol

Klingon has no formal and informal "you", so the table gives the full question and, where one exists, a shorter spoken form.

Situation	Klingon	Say it	Note
What is your name?	nuq 'oH ponglIj'e'?	nuq 'oH pong-lIj-'e'	a shorter form is ponglIj nuq?
My name is …	pongwIj 'oH … 'e'.	pong-wIj 'oH … 'e'	the name, then -'e' (topic marker)
Are you a Klingon?	tlhIngan SoH'a'?	tlhi-ngan SoH-'a'	noun, pronoun, then -'a'
I am a Klingon	tlhIngan jIH.	tlhi-ngan jIH	no verb "to be"
I am an Earthling	tera'ngan jIH.	te-ra'-ngan jIH
I am a warrior	SuvwI' jIH.	Suv-wI' jIH
Who is he / she?	'Iv ghaH?	'Iv ghaH	the question word takes the slot of the answer
His / her name is …	pongDaj 'oH … 'e'.	pong-Daj 'oH … 'e'	-Daj "his, her"
I am of the House of …	… tuq jIH.	… tuq jIH	house name first, as in Martaq tuq

Why the -'e'? — The Topic Marker In pongwIj 'oH Philip'e' the -'e' after the name marks the topic, the thing being identified (Klingon Grammar 1, Chapter 3, group 5 noun suffix). You can think of it as "the name is: Philip". It is normal in the full forms of these sentences and the sentence is not wrong without it in casual speech.

🔤 "To Be" for Three Nouns — Esti

There is no verb "to be". You say the noun and then the pronoun. Here are all six persons for three nouns:

	tlhIngan (a Klingon)	tera'ngan (an Earthling)	SuvwI' (a warrior)
I	tlhIngan jIH	tera'ngan jIH	SuvwI' jIH
you	tlhIngan SoH	tera'ngan SoH	SuvwI' SoH
he / she	tlhIngan ghaH	tera'ngan ghaH	SuvwI' ghaH
we	tlhIngan maH	tera'ngan maH	SuvwI' maH
you (plural)	tlhIngan tlhIH	tera'ngan tlhIH	SuvwI' tlhIH
they	tlhIngan chaH	tera'ngan chaH	SuvwI' chaH

Build It — Names and Possessives pong "name" takes the possessive suffixes you know from Klingon Grammar 1: pongwIj "my name", ponglIj "your name", pongDaj "his or her name". The plural of a being is -pu': tlhInganpu' "Klingons", tera'nganpu' "Earthlings", SuvwI'pu' "warriors".

📖 Vocabulary — Vortaro

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

#	Klingon	Say it	English	Type
1	pong	pong	name	noun
2	tuq	tuq	house, ancestral unit	noun
3	tlhIngan	tlhi-ngan	Klingon	noun
4	tera'ngan	te-ra'-ngan	Earthling, Terran	noun
5	loD	loD	man, male	noun
6	be'	be'	woman, female	noun
7	ghot	ghot	person	noun
8	SuvwI'	Suv-wI'	warrior	noun
9	yaS	yaS	officer	noun
10	puq	puq	child	noun
11	'Iv	'Iv	who	question
12	nuq	nuq	what	question
13	ghaH	ghaH	he, she	pron
14	chaH	chaH	they (beings)	pron
15	tlhIH	tlhIH	you (plural)	pron
16	-wIj	-wIj	my (suffix, for things)	suffix
17	-lIj	-lIj	your (suffix, for things)	suffix
18	-Daj	-Daj	his, her (suffix)	suffix
19	-'e'	-'e'	topic marker (suffix)	suffix
20	Qo'noS	Qo'-noS	Kronos, the Klingon homeworld	noun

Real Klingon Tip — Names Change Their Sounds Klingon has no f, so a name is adapted to the sounds of the language. The best-known example is wo'rIv for the Klingon officer Worf: the f became a v, and an apostrophe was added. By the same logic, Philip would be something like vIlIp. (That is a suggestion by analogy, not an official form.) Full names use the pattern "name, parent, house": wo'rIv mogh puqloD Martaq tuq "Worf, son of Mogh, of the House of Martok". The word puqloD is "son" (literally "child-male").

Houses and Honour A Klingon's house (tuq) is part of their name and their honour. Saying "I am of the House of …" is the Klingon equivalent of giving your surname and your address at once, and you would not give your house to a stranger lightly.

📜 Reading — LaD

A short text using only words you know.

pongwIj 'oH Philip'e'. tera'ngan jIH. 'ach tlhIngan Hol vIjatlh. SuvwI' jIH. My name is Philip. I am an Earthling. But I speak Klingon. I am a warrior.

True or false? (a) The speaker is called Philip. (b) The speaker is a Klingon. (c) The speaker speaks Klingon. (d) The speaker is an officer.

Show answers

(a) True. (b) False: tera'ngan jIH. (c) True: tlhIngan Hol vIjatlh. (d) False: SuvwI' jIH.

✍️ Try It Yourself — Ekzercoj

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

1. Ask someone their name, and give yours.

Show answer

nuq 'oH ponglIj'e'? · pongwIj 'oH … 'e'.

2. Say "I am a Klingon", "you are a warrior" and "we are Earthlings".

Show answer

tlhIngan jIH. · SuvwI' SoH. · tera'ngan maH.

3. Ask whether someone is an officer, and answer "no, I am a warrior".

Show answer

yaS SoH'a'? · ghobe'. SuvwI' jIH.

4. Ask "who is she?" and answer that her name is Anna and she is an Earthling.

Show answer

'Iv ghaH? · pongDaj 'oH Anna'e'. tera'ngan ghaH.

5. Make the plurals of tlhIngan, SuvwI' and tera'ngan.

Show answer

tlhInganpu' · SuvwI'pu' · tera'nganpu' (the suffix -pu' is for beings who use language).

6. Say "Martok's name is Martaq" the Klingon way, using pongDaj.

Show answer

pongDaj 'oH Martaq'e'.

Coming Up in Chapter 3 Numbers and counting: wa', cha', wej… up to ninety-nine and beyond, counting warriors and ships, giving your age, and the -maH multiplier in everyday use.