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  5. "naDev bIHtaH."

"naDev bIHtaH."

Translation:They are here.

December 22, 2018



Color me confused...why is 'bitah' a plural 'they'? Doesn't the prefix 'bi-' mean a singular 'you'?

Or is this just an unfortunate case of a word that starts with a syllable that looks like a prefix?


It's a false pattern. jI- matches with jIH and ma- matches with maH, but none of the other prefixes and pronouns match. "You" (singular) is bI-, but SoH. "They" (non-sapient) uses a null-prefix, but the pronoun bIH.


That's...just...weird. Okay. Klingon seems to have a fair amount of that going on. Like how 'be'' is both 'wrong' and 'woman' (though I'm guessing that's just Klingon sexism)...


These kinds of false patterns are very common in natural languages, but very unusual in constructed languages. Many of us find them to be part of the charm of Klingon.


Well, I've been at this almost two months, and I'm still having trouble learning that thrice-damned prefix chart; the LAST thing I need is words that seem related but which aren't, or which have shuffled the meanings around for no good reason.



It can be somewhat frustrating when your trying to learn it. But that's part of learning a new language. Keep fighting and when you have conquered it, you can be proud and you will be honored.

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