Family and House
Klingon Basic Conversation 1
Chapter 5 · Family & House
🏰 Family & House — mogh
For a Klingon, family is not a private matter: it is the root of honour. By the end of this chapter you will be able to name your relatives, say "my father" and "your mother", ask how many children someone has, and talk about your house. The grammar is the possessive you learned in Klingon Grammar 1, Chapter 3: people who use language take -wI' "my" and -lI' "your", while things take -wIj and -lIj.
① Who Is Your Father? — 'Iv vavlI'?
② Brothers and Sisters — loDnI'wI'
③ Children — puq 'ar Daghaj?
④ Your House — nuq tuqlIj?
⑤ Mother — SoSwI'
⑥ Husband and Wife — loDnalwI'
🗝️ Key Phrases — Gravaj Hol
Klingon has no formal and informal "you", so the table shows one form.
| Situation | Klingon | Say it | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is your father? | 'Iv vavlI'? | 'Iv vav-lI' | |
| My father is … | vavwI' 'oH … 'e'. | vav-wI' 'oH … 'e' | |
| Do you have a brother? | loDnI' Daghaj'a'? | loD-nI' Da-ghaj-'a' | |
| I have two children | cha' puq vIghaj. | cha' puq vi-ghaj | number before noun (Chapter 3) |
| I have no sister | be'nI' vIghajbe'. | be'-nI' vi-ghaj-be' | -be' "not" goes right after the verb root |
| What is your house? | nuq tuqlIj? | nuq tuq-lIj | a house takes -wIj and -lIj |
| an old mother | SoS qan | SoS qan | the describing verb follows the noun |
🔤 The Family — mogh
Take a root and add a possessive:
| Relative | Klingon | my … | your … |
|---|---|---|---|
| father | vav | vavwI' | vavlI' |
| mother | SoS | SoSwI' | SoSlI' |
| brother | loDnI' | loDnI'wI' | loDnI'lI' |
| sister | be'nI' | be'nI'wI' | be'nI'lI' |
| son | puqloD | puqloDwI' | puqloDlI' |
| daughter | puqbe' | puqbe'wI' | puqbe'lI' |
📖 Vocabulary — Vortaro
20 key words. The Say it column shows the syllables.
| # | Klingon | Say it | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | mogh | mogh | family, clan | noun |
| 2 | tuq | tuq | house, ancestral unit | noun |
| 3 | vav | vav | father | noun |
| 4 | SoS | SoS | mother | noun |
| 5 | loDnI' | loD-nI' | brother | noun |
| 6 | be'nI' | be'-nI' | sister | noun |
| 7 | puq | puq | child | noun |
| 8 | puqloD | puq-loD | son | noun |
| 9 | puqbe' | puq-be' | daughter | noun |
| 10 | loDnal | loD-nal | husband | noun |
| 11 | be'nal | be'-nal | wife | noun |
| 12 | -wI' | -wI' | my (for people) | suffix |
| 13 | -lI' | -lI' | your (for people) | suffix |
| 14 | -Daj | -Daj | his, her | suffix |
| 15 | -chaj | -chaj | their | suffix |
| 16 | ghaj | ghaj | have | verb |
| 17 | -be' | -be' | not (verb suffix) | suffix |
| 18 | QaQ | QaQ | be good | adj |
| 19 | qan | qan | be old | verb |
| 20 | 'Iv | 'Iv | who | question |
📜 Reading — LaD
A short text using only words you know.
True or false? (a) The father is called Mogh. (b) The mother is young. (c) The speaker has two brothers. (d) The speaker has three children.
Show answers
(a) True. (b) False: SoSwI' qan. (c) True. (d) False: wa' puq is one child.
✍️ Try It Yourself — Ekzercoj
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Say "my father", "my mother" and "your brother".
Show answer
vavwI' · SoSwI' · loDnI'lI'
2. Ask "who is your mother?" and answer that she is a warrior.
Show answer
'Iv SoSlI'? · SuvwI' ghaH.
3. Ask how many children someone has, and say you have four.
Show answer
puq 'ar Daghaj? · loS puq vIghaj.
4. Say "I have no daughter".
Show answer
puqbe' vIghajbe'.
5. Say "my house is the House of Martok" and "his father".
Show answer
tuqwIj 'oH Martaq tuq'e'. · vavDaj
6. Make the words for "husband" and "wife" from loD, be' and nal.
Show answer
loDnal · be'nal