More Verb Suffixes
Klingon Grammar 1
Course 1 · Chapter 7 · More Verb Suffixes
Chapter 6 covered the suffixes of groups 1 to 7. This chapter finishes the system: the indefinite-subject suffix -lu' (group 5), the honorific (group 8), the eleven group 9 suffixes that turn a verb into a noun or a clause, and the rover suffixes, including the negative -be', which do not have a fixed place. With these you can take apart every word of the phrases from Chapter 1.
The Whole Order at a Glance
| Group | Idea | Suffixes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | reflexive, reciprocal | -'egh, -chuq |
| 2 | need, will, readiness | -nIS, -qang, -rup, -beH, -vIp |
| 3 | change, resumption | -choH, -qa' |
| 4 | cause | -moH |
| 5 | indefinite subject, ability | -lu', -laH |
| 6 | certainty | -chu', -bej, -ba', -law' |
| 7 | aspect | -pu', -ta', -taH, -lI' |
| 8 | honorific | -neS |
| 9 | syntax | -wI', -ghach, -'a', -jaj, -pa', -vIS, -DI', -chugh, -mo', -bogh, -meH |
| rovers | no fixed place | -be' (not), -Qo' (negative command), -qu' (emphatic), -Ha' (reverse, wrongly) |
Because a verb takes no more than one suffix from a group, -lu' and -laH (both group 5) can't be used together on one verb.
No Stated Subject: -lu'
The suffix -lu' means that the subject is unspecified, like English "one" or "someone". With a third-person object, the verb needs no prefix:
-lu' is not a passive: the object stays an object, and the subject is simply left unspecified. If the object is a first or second person, the prefix that appears is the one that would otherwise mark that person as the subject, which is an oddity you can look up when you need it. This is the first half of the phrase Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam, analysed at the end of the chapter.
Rovers: -be' and Friends
Klingon says "not" with a suffix on the verb, not with a separate word like English not or Hungarian nem. You have already met it in jIyajbe' "I don't understand" and ghobe' "no". Because -be' is a rover, it can follow the root or any suffix (but not a group 9 suffix), and it negates what comes before it. Moving it changes the meaning:
English needs extra words to separate these meanings; Klingon carries the difference in the order of the suffixes. The other rovers work the same way: -Qo' negates a command (Chapter 8), -qu' makes the verb emphatic, and -Ha' reverses the action or does it wrongly.
Respect: -neS
Group 8 has a single suffix, the honorific -neS, which shows respect for the person addressed or spoken about. It sits after the aspect suffixes and before any group 9 suffix. It is the nearest Klingon comes to the formal address systems of Chapter 7 of Introduction to Linguistics (German Sie, Hungarian Ön), and unlike them it is optional and attached to the verb.
Group 9: Nouns and Clauses
The eleven group 9 suffixes say what role the verb plays in the sentence. They come last, and no rover can follow them.
| Job | Suffixes |
|---|---|
| makes a noun | -wI' "one who does it"; -ghach "the act or ability of doing it" |
| sentence type | -'a' yes/no question (Chapter 8); -jaj wish ("may …") |
| makes a clause | -meH purpose; -bogh relative clause; -chugh "if"; -pa' "before"; -vIS "while"; -DI' "as soon as"; -mo' "because" |
Verb to Noun: -wI'
Adding -wI' to a verb gives "one who does it". It also explains a word you have used since Chapter 3:
| Verb | + -wI' | Hungarian | Esperanto |
|---|---|---|---|
| suv fight | SuvwI' one who fights, warrior | harcos (from harc) | batalanto |
| legh see | leghwI' one who sees, observer | látó (lát-ó) | vidanto |
| jatlh speak | jatlhwI' one who speaks, speaker | beszélő (beszél-ő) | parolanto |
Hungarian and Esperanto make doer nouns with a suffix too (-ó/-ő and -anto), as in the word-building of Introduction to Linguistics 4. A noun made this way takes the usual noun suffixes of Chapter 3, so SuvwI'pu' is "warriors". Chapter 3 treated SuvwI' as a root; it is in fact a built word, so a noun can hide a verb inside it.
Purpose: -meH
The suffix -meH turns a verb into a purpose clause, "in order to …". The clause comes before the main sentence. The rest of the clause suffixes (-bogh, -chugh and so on) are the subject of Chapter 9.
The sentence has a purpose clause, then the verb QaQ "is good", then its subject jajvam: the verb-then-subject end of the object–verb–subject pattern of Chapter 5. It is a short, complete grammar lesson in one line.
Hands-On Exercises
Using vIlegh "I see it" and the suffix -laH "can", write the Klingon for: (a) "I do not see it"; (b) "I can see it"; (c) "I cannot see it"; (d) "I am able not to see it"; (e) "I am not able not to see it". Say what moves, and what stays the same, between (c) and (d).
📄 View solutionUsing -wI', make the Klingon noun for "one who eats" (Sop), "one who finds" (Sam) and "one who understands" (yaj). Then make the plural of each, using the right plural suffix from Chapter 3, and give the Esperanto equivalent of "one who eats".
📄 View solutionTake apart Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam word by word, giving the group number of every suffix. Then explain why Hegh-meH-lu' and Heghlu'meHbe' would not be allowed.
📄 View solutionChapter 7 Quick Reference
- At most one suffix from each group, in group order 1 to 9
- Group 5: -lu' indefinite subject (not a passive), -laH can
- Group 8: -neS honorific · Group 9: -wI' doer noun, -ghach, -'a', -jaj, -meH purpose, -bogh, -chugh, -pa', -vIS, -DI', -mo'
- Rovers: -be' not, -Qo' negative command, -qu' emphatic, -Ha' reverse; after the root or any suffix, never after group 9; they negate what precedes them
- -laHbe' "cannot" against -be'laH "able not to"
- Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam = Hegh-lu'-meH (groups 5, 9) + QaQ + jaj-vam