Klingon 1 v0.3 (Vialingo)

Klingon 1
Vialingo
Contents
Introduction to The Course.........................................................................................................................3
Introduction to Klingon Pronunciation.................................................................................................7
Lesson 1...........................................................................................................................................................18
Lesson 2...........................................................................................................................................................42
Lesson 3...........................................................................................................................................................61
Lesson 4...........................................................................................................................................................80
Lesson 5...........................................................................................................................................................98
Practice Section 1.......................................................................................................................................117
Lesson 6.........................................................................................................................................................130
Lesson 7.........................................................................................................................................................149
Lesson 8.........................................................................................................................................................169
Lesson 9.........................................................................................................................................................190
Lesson 10......................................................................................................................................................211
Lesson 11......................................................................................................................................................246
Lesson 12......................................................................................................................................................264
Lesson 13......................................................................................................................................................287
Lesson 14......................................................................................................................................................305
Lesson 15......................................................................................................................................................324
2
Introduction to The Course
About this course
This course is somewhat different to a "traditional" language course.
The course is divided into thirty lessons and five practice sections, each of which will
take about forty minutes to complete.
When you have finished the course, you will have a vocabulary of about eight
hundred??? Klingon words. You will also know enough about the Klingon language to
translate sentences like this...
I have learned it. Are you buying it for me?

Put down that phaser! Beam the tribbles aboard!
When did you eat dinner? Where did you stay?
Defend yourselves! I can't repair the shields.
Due to your so-called emissaries the captain is unwilling to sign the peace treaty
today.
...into sentences like this...
vIghojta'. jIHvaD Daje''a'.

pu'vetlh yIroQ. yIHmey tIjol.
ghorgh 'uQ DaSoppu'. nuqDaq bIratlhpu'.
peloSegh. botjan vItI'laHbe'.
DaHjaj Duypu'qoqlI'mo' rojmab qI'qangbe' HoD.
...without ever reaching for a dictionary or a grammar book.
You will not become a fluent speaker of Klingon - this is a course for absolute beginners
- but when you have completed the lessons, you will be able to take part in a real
Klingon conversation confidently and effectively.
About the Klingon Language
Klingon is the official language not only of the Klingon home world, Kronos, but of
many dozens of worlds throughout the Klingon Empire.
During their trek through the stars, many human travellers are now taking the
opportunity to visit systems where Klingon is spoken. Those who come properly
prepared - the fortunate few who can talk to the natives in their own language - will
enjoy a truly unique cultural experience.
For native English speakers, learning Klingon poses an unusual challenge. It is, to our
ears at least, a truly alien language. Klingon is full of exotic sounds and bizarre back-
to-front sentences. Despite these features, it is not actually a difficult language - once
you get used to it.
How to study the course

The course is self-explanatory.
First read the "Introduction to Klingon Pronunciation" - this will introduce you to the
sounds of spoken Klingon. You don't need to memorise this section - just make sure
that you understand it.
Next, start reading the first lesson. Follow the simple instructions that you'll be given.
If English is not your first language

This course was designed for native-English speakers. You can still use the course to
learn Klingon, but you will need to make a few adjustments.
The course uses a visualisation technique to teach new vocabulary. The suggested
images assume that English is your first language. Either create your own images or, if
you prefer, use some other method to learn new Klingon words.
The course doesn't always explain aspects of Klingon grammar that are obvious to
native English speakers - but you will need to take account of them.
4
Introduction to Klingon Pronunciation
How to speak Klingon
It is impossible to learn to speak Klingon by reading a book. You must be able to hear
spoken Klingon so you can pronounce the language correctly and with a good accent.
This course would be most effective if you were to have either a Klingon teacher or a
Klingon-speaking friend who could act as your teacher. They would be able to teach
you the pronunciation of the words and sentences you are learning, give you extra
practice on areas of Klingon that you find difficult and answer any questions you may
have.
For those of you who are studying alone, there is a video recording of the course
available from our 'Vialingo' YouTube channel. It's virtually identical to this text, so you
can use whichever version suits you better.
Imitated pronunciation
Whenever a new word is introduced you will be given an imitated pronunciation (in
brackets). For example, these are the pronunciations of some Klingon words whose
meanings should be obvious. You don't need to memorise these words now.
Human (hhoo-MAHN)
tlhIngan (tling-AHN)
vulqan (vool-KAHN)
It is not recommended that you rely on the imitated pronunciation too much. At best, it
will show you how not to pronounce the word. There are a number of sounds in the
Klingon language that don't exist in English, so even with this guide, your
pronunciation will still be flawed.
The imitated pronunciation is based on English as it is spoken by educated people in
southern England. There can be wide variations in pronunciation between this
language and the many varieties of English spoken all around the world. You will need
to take these variations into account if you use the imitated pronunciation.
The Klingon alphabet
You may already know that Klingons use an alphabet which is completely different to
the one used in English. This alphabet is called pIqaD.
In fact, there is more than one version of the alphabet. Worse still, some of these
scripts seem to have been designed with the express intention of being impenetrable to
non-Klingons. For these reasons, this course (in common with most of the Klingon
literature available to humans) does not use pIqaD at all.
Features of spoken Klingon

Phonetic languages are spelled exactly as they are spoken.
English is not a phonetic language, so it's impossible for English learners to guess the
pronunciation of words like cough, through and though.
Klingon is a phonetic language. Each sound can be written in only one way, and you
can always tell how a Klingon word is pronounced from the way it is written.
Stress
In both Klingon and English, words have stress. For example, the English word
"disgusting" has three syllables - dis-GUST-ing - and it is the second syllable which is
stressed.
In English, the stress can appear almost anywhere, but in Klingon, there are some
obvious patterns. Many words are only one syllable long and the stress falls on that
syllable. Some words are longer, and in that case, the stress falls on the last syllable.
However, that is not the whole story. Most Klingon words can be extended by adding
things to the beginning or to the end of the word. Sometimes this causes the stress to
change. You won't be making a serious mistake if you stick to the rule above - the stress
falls on the last (or only) syllable of the basic word, before anything has been added to
it.
6
In the imitated pronunciation, the stressed syllable is shown in capital letters (except in
single-syllable words).
ghoj (rhohj)
tengchaH (teng-CHAHK)
qarDaSngan (kahr-dahsh-NGAHN)
The sounds of Klingon
There are twenty-six distinct sounds in the Klingon language. Each sound can be
written with only one letter or one group of letters.
Some sounds are always written as capital letters, and others are always written as
lower-case letters. For example, the letter D is always written as a capital letter.
Some letters can represent more than one sound, depending on the capitalisation. For
instance, the sound written as Q is very different to the sound written as q.
Some sounds are written as a group of letters. For example, ch represents a sound that
is written the same way in both English and Klingon. However, tlh represents a sound
that doesn't exist in English. In Klingon, the sounds ch, tlh, gh and ng and are each
treated as a single letter.
Here is the Klingon alphabet as we humans normally write it. There are twenty
consonants, five vowels and one special sound written as an apostrophe and treated as
a letter in its own right.
a b ch D e gh H I j l m n ng o p q Q r S t tlh u v w y '
In an English sentence, the first letter is always a capital letter, but this isn't the case in
Klingon.
Klingon consonants
Consonants generally sound the same in Klingon and English, but there are some
important differences. You don't need to memorise this list, but you should make sure
that you understand the imitated pronunciation for each sound.
First we'll talk about the sounds that are easy to pronounce, and then we'll discuss the
sounds which are a little more tricky.
The letters b, ch, j, l, m, n, ng, p, t, v, w and y are pronounced as in English.
ch sounds like the "ch" in "change" (imitated pronunciation: ch)

j sounds like the j in "justice" (imitated pronunciation: j)
ng sounds like the ng in "song" (imitated pronunciation: ng)
y sounds like the "y" in "young" (imitated pronunciation: y)
The letter D is almost like the English letter d, which is pronounced by touching the
tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth, just behind the teeth. When sounding the
Klingon D, the tongue touches the roof of the mouth a little further back (imitated
pronunciation: d).
The letter r is slightly rolled, just as it is in Italian (imitated pronunciation: r).
The letter S is somewhere between the sounds at the start of the English words "super"
and "sheep". To remind you that the sound is not quite like the English s, the imitated
pronunciation will be sh.
8
Now we come to the trickier sounds. Let's talk about q and Q. These sounds are
similar, but Q is much stronger.
q is a little like the c in "castle", but is sounded at the back of the mouth, near the
throat (imitated pronunciation: k).
Q is almost the same, but it is spoken very forcefully. To get the sound right, you are
almost forced to spray saliva over anything (or anyone) in front of you (imitated
pronunciation: kkh).
Neither q nor Q are ever pronounced like the "qu" in "quick".
H is something like the ch in the Scottish word loch and the German word "Bach. It
is also like the Spanish j in "viejo". It should sound almost like you are trying to clear
your throat (imitated pronunciation: kh).
gh is also sounded near the throat, but this time your vocal cords should vibrate as if
you were humming at the back of your throat (imitated pronunciation: rh).
tlh is a little like the ll in the Welsh word "Llanelli". The tip of the tongue touches the
roof of the mouth again, but this time air is forced through the gap between the teeth
and the tongue (imitated pronunciation: tl).
The sound written as an apostrophe actually exists in English, too. It is the slight gap
between sounds in uh-oh (imitated pronunciation: ' ).
Linguists call this sound a glottal stop. When a Klingon word ends with a glottal stop, it
stops abruptly - there is a clear difference in length between the words cha (normal
length) and cha' (abruptly short).
Klingon vowels
There are five vowel sounds and although they are easy to pronounce, they are also
easy to mispronounce.
For example, it would be a mistake to pronounce a like the a in "cat". (Don't forget
that the imitated pronunciation is based on British English.)
a sounds like the a in "calm" (imitated pronunciation: ah)

e sounds like the "e" in "berry" (imitated pronunciation: e)
I sounds like the i in "middle" (imitated pronunciation: i)
o sounds like the o in "home" (imitated pronunciation: oh)
u sounds like the "u" in "lunar" (imitated pronunciation: oo)
Klingon diphthongs
Sometimes two vowel sounds combine to make a new sound. This new sound is called
a diphthong, and we have several of them in English. For example, the sound "oy" in
"boy" is a combination of the sounds "oh-ee", spoken very quickly.
aw sounds like the "ow" in "cow" (imitated pronunciation: ow)

ay sounds like the "y" in "why" (imitated pronunciation: ai)
ey sounds like the ay" in "stay" (imitated pronunciation: eh)
Iy sounds like the "ey" in "key" (imitated pronunciation: ee)
oy sounds like the "oy" in "boy" (imitated pronunciation: oy)
The sound uy is like the English sounds oo-ee" spoken quickly (imitated pronunciation:
ooee).
The sound ew is like the English sounds eh-oo" spoken quickly (imitated
pronunciation: ehoo).
Finally, the sound Iw is like the English sounds "ee-oo" spoken quickly (imitated
pronunciation: eeoo).
10
Lesson 1
This is a list of the new words introduced in this lesson. You don't need to memorise
the list. You can go straight to the next page now.
man loD
woman be'
friend jup
enemy jagh
child puq
pet Saj
captain HoD
officer yaS
goes jaH
comes ghoS
eats Sop
drinks tlhutlh
speaks jatlh
understands yaj
reads laD
writes ghItlh
and (joins sentences) 'ej

but (joins sentences) 'ach
alien nov
tribble yiH
doctor Qel
patient SID
family qorDu'
baby ghu
human Human
Klingon tlhIngan
don't, doesn't (verb suffix) -be'

This course uses a simple visualisation technique to help you learn new vocabulary.
The technique works by associating something new with something already known.
Whenever you are given a new Klingon word, you will also be given an image to
visualise in your mind's eye. The image suggests the sound of the Klingon word in a
memorable way.
For example,
man is loD (pronounced lohd)

imagine a man carrying a heavy load of equipment on his back
Now, whenever you need to remember the Klingon word for "man", you will remember
a man who is struggling to carry a heavy load of phaser pistols, or perhaps a sack full
of stem bolts. He is sweating profusely, his knees are trembling and he's muttering
under his breath.
It is important to make the image as vivid, unusual, funny and colourful as possible. Use
all five of your senses. Don't just see the man in your mind - smell his sweat, listen to
his muttering and feel the uneven road beneath his feet.
!!! If you don't want to use visualisation, you will find a list of new words at the beginning of
every lesson. We suggest that you learn these words, using your preferred method, before
reading the rest of the lesson.
12
Here are some more Klingon words. Concentrate on each image for several seconds
before moving on to the next one.
woman is be' (be')

imagine a woman being chased by a ferocious bear!
friend is jup (joop)
imagine your best friend is so hungry, that they are going to chew up a plate
enemy is jagh (jahrh)
imagine that you've captured your enemy in a large glass jar
child is puq (pook)
imagine a small child who is puking non-stop!
pet is Saj (shahj)
imagine visiting a Klingon pet shop. You've never seen such terrifying animals!
captain is HoD (khohd)
imagine that two Klingon guards are holding the starship captain by each arm
officer is yaS (yahsh)
imagine that the officer fires a phaser, turning you into a pile of ash!
After learning new words, you will always be given the opportunity to test yourself.
This will help to fix the words in your memory.
What is the English for yaS

What is the English for HoD
What is the English for Saj
What is the English for puq
What is the English for jagh
What is the English for jup
What is the English for be'
What is the English for loD
In Klingon, some sounds are cut very short. For example, in the word be' "woman", the
final letter -e is cut short.
Written Klingon uses an apostrophe to show this cutting-short sound.
!!! This course doesn't use a lot of long words that only trained linguists will recognise.
On the other hand, it would be unfair to make those of you who are linguists wade
through material that you already understand.
!!! If you don't recognise the terms in these notes???, you can safely ignore them.
!!! Our first 'experienced linguist' note is this: in written Klingon, the apostrophe
represents a glottal stop.
It wouldn't be easy to incorporate this sound directly into an image. For that reason,
we will use something with the same shape - a stick - to symbolise the apostrophe.
Whenever you have an image which involves a stick, you will be reminded that the
word has a sound which is cut short, and that the word is spelled with an apostrophe.
So, woman is be'

imagine a woman being chased by a ferocious bear. Eventually she fights it off with
a large stick
14
Now you can test yourself again.
How do you say, in Klingon, officer

How do you say, in Klingon, captain
How do you say, in Klingon, pet
How do you say, in Klingon, child
How do you say, in Klingon, enemy
How do you say, in Klingon, friend
How do you say, in Klingon, woman
How do you say, in Klingon, man
Don't worry if you made one or two mistakes. Perfect recall is not expected, and
anyway, you will use these words several more times in this lesson.
If you got more than a couple wrong, go back a page and go through the images again,
making them more vivid, more unusual, more funny and more colourful. Use all five of
your senses.
If you can think of a better image yourself, by all means use it. The images given here
are only suggestions.
In Klingon, there are no words for "the", "a" or an.
So, loD can mean "man", "the man" or "a man".
How do you say...

The man.
The woman.
A friend.
An enemy.
The answers are...

loD.
be'.
jup.
jagh.
16
Now let's learn some action words. These words are called verbs.
goes is jaH (jahkh)

imagine that Jack goes up the hill and then down again
comes is ghoS (rhohsh)
imagine lots of people coming towards you in a rush
eats is Sop (shohp)
imagine eating everything in the shop. It's totally empty now!
drinks is tlhutlh (tlootl)
imagine a musician who drinks wine using the lute as a cup
speaks is jatlh (jahtl)
imagine a chart (map) that can speak. The chart will always tell you where to go
understands is yaj (yahj)
imagine that no-one understands the inscription written on your arch
reads is laD (lahd)
imagine reading an 800-page book called "How to make lard"
writes is ghItlh (rhitl)
imagine burying all your money and then writing a riddle that describes where to
find it
What is the English for ghItlh
What is the English for laD
What is the English for yaj
What is the English for jatlh
What is the English for tlhutlh
What is the English for Sop
What is the English for ghoS
What is the English for jaH
How do you say, in Klingon, writes

How do you say, in Klingon, reads
How do you say, in Klingon, understands
How do you say, in Klingon, speaks
How do you say, in Klingon, drinks
How do you say, in Klingon, eats
How do you say, in Klingon, comes
How do you say, in Klingon, goes
18
The word order in an English sentence is important. If you change the order of the
words, you get a very different meaning.
The dog bites the man.

The man bites the dog.
The word order in a Klingon sentence is also very important. It is usually quite
different to the word order used in an English sentence.
!!! Klingon is an "object-verb-subject" (OVS) language.
If you want to say "the man eats" or "the man drinks", in Klingon you reverse the order
and say "eats - the man" or "drinks - the man".
Sop loD The man eats (literally, eats - the man)

tlhutlh loD The man drinks (literally, drinks - the man)
How do you say...

The man eats (lit. eats - the man).
The man drinks.
The woman eats.
The woman drinks.
The answers are...

Sop loD.
tlhutlh loD.
Sop be'.
tlhutlh be'.
This back-to-front word order applies to many Klingon sentences.
laD HoD The captain reads (literally, reads - the captain)
Now you're ready to make some real Klingon sentences. Since this is a conversational
course, please say your answers out loud. (Klingons do not take kindly to off-worlders
who speak their language timidly.)
It is very important to take your time and think carefully about the sentences. Think
before you speak. Do not say the first thing that comes into your head.
How do you say...

The friend goes. The enemy comes.
A child speaks. A pet understands.
The captain reads. The officer writes.
The answers are...

jaH jup. ghoS jagh.
jatlh puq. yaj Saj.
laD HoD. ghItlh yaS.
20
Here are the words for "and" and "but".
and is 'ej (' ej)

imagine that you and your friend are trying to reach a stick that's hanging over the
edge of a steep cliff
but is 'ach ('ahch)
imagine that the front door is locked, but it might be possible to use a stick to prise
open the hatch
What is the English for 'ach

What is the English for 'ej
How do you say, in Klingon, but

How do you say, in Klingon, and
Look at these two sentences.
jatlh loD The man speaks

yaj be' The woman understands
The words "and" and "but" can be used to join such sentences together.
jatlh loD 'ej yaj be' The man speaks and the woman understands
jatlh loD 'ach yaj be' The man speaks but the woman understands
You might find it useful to work out the two sentences separately before you try to join
them.
How do you say...

The captain speaks. The officer understands.
The captain speaks and the officer understands.
A friend reads. An enemy writes.
A friend reads but an enemy writes.
The man eats and the woman drinks.
The child comes but the pet goes.
The answers are...

jatlh HoD. yaj yaS.
jatlh HoD 'ej yaj yaS.
laD jup. ghItlh jagh.
laD jup 'ach ghItlh jagh.
Sop loD 'ej tlhutlh be'.
ghoS puq 'ach jaH Saj.
22
Here are some more words to learn. If you didn't already know, a tribble is a small,
furry animal
with a voracious appetite.
alien is nov (nohv)

imagine aliens trying to escape a star system that has suddenly gone nova
tribble is yIH (yikh)
imagine a Klingon shouting "yeeek!" when waking to find himself sharing a bed with
dozens of tribbles
doctor is Qel (kkhel)
imagine a doctor who couldn't care less about your health. (North Americans should
imagine a doctor who could care less about your health.)
patient is SID (shid)
imagine a patient who refuses to let the nurses change the sheets
family is qorDu' (kor-DOO')
imagine tying your family together with a cord, to stop them from hitting each other
with sticks
baby is ghu (rhoo)
imagine giving up your baby to a kangaroo. The baby grows up inside the
kangaroo's pouch!
The words for star systems, planets and the people who live on them are often the
same in both English and Klingon. You won't need images to remember these two
words.
human is Human (khoo-MAHN)

Klingon is tlhIngan (tli-NGAHN)
What is the English for tlhIngan
What is the English for Human
What is the English for ghu
What is the English for qorDu'
What is the English for SID
What is the English for Qel
What is the English for yIH
What is the English for nov
In Klingon, the words Qam and qam sound similar, but are spelled differently and
have very different meanings. The same applies to the words QIp and qIp, and the
words nuQ and nuq. (We won't try to learn these words yet.)
It would be easy to confuse q and Q in your images. For that reason, we'll use the
symbol of the Queen to represent the capital letter Q.
Whenever you recall an image that involves the Queen, you will know that this word is
spelled with Q, and not with q.
So, doctor is Qel

imagine that the Queen's personal doctor couldn't care less about her health
How do you say, in Klingon, Klingon

How do you say, in Klingon, human
How do you say, in Klingon, baby
How do you say, in Klingon, family
How do you say, in Klingon, patient
How do you say, in Klingon, doctor
How do you say, in Klingon, tribble
How do you say, in Klingon, alien
24
How do you say...
The alien goes. The tribble comes.
The doctor writes. The patient reads.
The family eats and the baby drinks.
The Klingon speaks but the human understands.
The answers are...

jaH nov. ghoS yIH.
ghItlh Qel. laD SID.
Sop qorDu' 'ej tlhutlh ghu.
jatlh tlhIngan 'ach yaj Human.
Klingon is a language which likes to make a new word by adding something to an

existing one.
!!! Klingon is an agglutinative language.
Something that is added to the end of a word is called a suffix. There are many
suffixes in Klingon.
The first suffix we'll learn is -be', which means "don't" or "doesn't". When you add -be' to
a word, the meaning of the word changes.
jatlh speaks
jatlhbe' doesn't speak
yaj understands
yajbe' doesn't understand
In Klingon, "doesn't speak" is translated by a single word, and so is "doesn't understand".

How do you say...
speaks, doesn't speak
understands, doesn't understand
The answers are...

jatlh, jatlhbe'
yaj, yajbe'
Now, because the word order is different in Klingon, if you want to say "the human
doesn't speak" you literally say "doesn't speak - the human".
jatlh Human The human speaks

jatlhbe' Human The human doesn't speak
How do you say...

The human speaks. The human doesn't speak.
The Klingon understands. The Klingon doesn't understand.
The answers are...

jatlh Human. jatlhbe' Human.
yaj tlhIngan. yajbe' tlhIngan.
You already know that be' means "woman" when it is a separate word.
When it means "don't" or "doesn't", -be' is never a separate word. It is always added to
the end of some other word.
26
How do you say...
The family eats. The family doesn't eat.
The baby drinks. The baby doesn't drink.
The alien doesn't come. The tribble doesn't go.
The doctor speaks. The patient understands.
The doctor speaks and the patient understands.
The doctor speaks but the patient doesn't understand.
The answers are...

Sop qorDu'. Sopbe' qorDu'.
tlhutlh ghu. tlhutlhbe' ghu.
ghoSbe' nov. jaHbe' yIH.
jatlh Qel. yaj SID.
jatlh Qel 'ej yaj SID.
jatlh Qel 'ach yajbe' SID.

That's the end of the first lesson. Here are some hints to help you get the most out of
the remaining lessons.
Firstly, don't rush! The lessons are designed to last about forty minutes, but you
should complete them at your own pace. Take as much time as you need!
If you are doing all of the exercises, you won't need to make notes.
It doesn't matter if you sometimes make mistakes. If you understand why you
made the mistake, you don't need to repeat the section.
It doesn't matter if you sometimes forget a word.
Try to read at least one lesson every day. if possible. If you read more than one
lesson at a time, take breaks in between lessons (even if you don't feel tired).
Many language courses claim that they are "literally unforgettable". They are
not telling you the truth. There is a practice section at the end of every five lessons; you
can read it from time to time to refresh your memory (which is much quicker than re-
reading the lessons). A good plan for most people is to read the practice section after a
week, then again after a month, and then again after three months.
28
Lesson 2
sees legh
hears Qoy
has ghaj
wants neH
helps QaH
obeys lob
learns ghoj
teaches ghojmoH
(plural noun suffix for beings) -pu'
Earth, Terra tera'

Vulcan (planet) vulqan
Romulus romuluS
Cardassia qarDaS
Terran tera'ngan
Vulcan (person) vulqangan
Romulan romuluSngan
Cardassian qarDaSngan
and (used in a list) je
believes Har
doubts Hon
tells the truth vIt
lies, fibs nep
walks yIt
runs, jogs qet
chats jaw
celebrates lop
I (do something) (verb prefix) jI-

you (do something) (verb prefix) bI-
Let's start by learning some more verbs.
sees is legh (lerh)

imagine seeing the lair of some dangerous animals in the far distance
hears is Qoy (kkhoy)
imagine that the Queen puts her head into the pond so she can hear the koi carp
has is ghaj (rhahj)
imagine a Klingon who has several ranches in Texas
wants is neH (nekh)
imagine a thirsty vampire who wants to find a nice, juicy neck!
helps is QaH (kkhahkh)
imagine the Queen helping some hunters to cut up the carcass of a dead animal
obeys is lob (lohb)
imagine a Ferengi businessman who will obey anyone who massages his earlobe
learns is ghoj (rhohj)
imagine a classroom full of cockroaches, all of them busily learning Klingon
Sometimes, but not always, a pair of words like "learns" and "teaches" have a similar
sound in Klingon.
teaches is ghojmoH (rhohj-MOHKH)

imagine the roaches in the classroom mocking their human teacher
30
What is the English for ghojmoH
What is the English for ghoj
What is the English for lob
What is the English for QaH
What is the English for neH
What is the English for ghaj
What is the English for Qoy
What is the English for legh
How do you say, in Klingon, teaches

How do you say, in Klingon, learns
How do you say, in Klingon, obeys
How do you say, in Klingon, helps
How do you say, in Klingon, wants
How do you say, in Klingon, has
How do you say, in Klingon, hears
How do you say, in Klingon, sees
In the previous lesson, you learned that Klingon sentences and English sentences often
have the opposite word order.
For example, whereas in English you say "the pet obeys the human", in Klingon you
literally say "the human - obeys - the pet". In both languages, it is absolutely clear that
the pet is the one doing the obeying.
Human lob Saj The pet obeys the human
How do you say...

The doctor helps the patient.
The family wants a baby.
The alien eats a tribble.
The human sees a Klingon.
The officer obeys the captain.
The answers are...

SID QaH Qel.
ghu neH qorDu'.
yIH Sop nov.
tlhIngan legh Human.
HoD lob yaS.
You have also learned that the suffix -be' "don't" or "doesn't" can be added to almost any
verb.
Human lob Saj The pet obeys the human

Human lobbe' Saj The pet doesn't obey the human
In Klingon, you are literally saying "the human - doesn't obey - the pet". Once again, it is
clear that the pet is the one who is disobeying.
32
How do you say...
The man hears the woman. The man doesn't hear the woman.
The pet obeys the child. The pet doesn't obey the child.
The friend has an enemy. The Klingon doesn't understand the human.
The alien teaches the human. The human learns.
The answers are...

be' Qoy loD. be' Qoybe' loD.
puq lob Saj. puq lobbe' Saj.
jagh ghaj jup. Human yajbe' tlhIngan.
Human ghojmoH nov. ghoj Human.
In English, to talk about more than one thing you usually add the letter -s", for
example "humans", "aliens" and "friends".
To talk about more than one thing in Klingon, you often add the suffix -pu' (poo').
Humanpu' humans
novpu' aliens
juppu' friends
How do you say...

Humans. Humans go.
Klingons. Klingons come.
The child has a friend. The child has friends.
The officer helps the captain. The officers help the captain.
The doctors want patients.
The answers are...

Humanpu'. jaH Humanpu'.
tlhInganpu'. ghoS tlhInganpu'.
jup ghaj puq. juppu' ghaj puq.
HoD QaH yaS. HoD QaH yaSpu'.
SIDpu' neH Qelpu'.
-pu' can be used with any being which is capable of language. We'll talk about how to
say "pets", "tribbles" and "fingers" later.
Here are the names of some planets. Since they are similar in both languages, you
won't need to use images to remember them.
Earth, Terra is tera' (te-RAH')

Vulcan is vulqan (vool-KAHN)
Romulus is romuluS (roh-moo-LOOSH)
Cardassia is qarDaS (kahr-DAHSH)
34
What is the English for qarDaS
What is the English for romuluS
What is the English for vulqan
What is the English for tera'
How do you say, in Klingon, Cardassia

How do you say, in Klingon, Romulus
How do you say, in Klingon, Vulcan (planet)
How do you say, in Klingon, Earth, Terra
You can often add -ngan to the name of a planet to get the being who lives there.
tera' Earth, Terra tera'ngan a Terran

vulqan the planet Vulcan vulqangan a Vulcan
romuluS the planet Romulus romuluSngan a Romulan
qarDaS the planet Cardassia qarDaSngan a Cardassian
(pronounced te-RAH'-ngahn, vool-KAH-ngahn, roh-moo-LOOSH-ngahn,

kahr-DAHSH-ngahn)
-ngan is analogous to the "-ian" in the English words "Parisian", "Canadian" and
"Californian".
What is the English for qarDaSngan
What is the English for romuluSngan
What is the English for vulqangan
What is the English for tera'ngan
How do you say, in Klingon, Cardassian

How do you say, in Klingon, Romulan
How do you say, in Klingon, Vulcan (person)
How do you say, in Klingon, Terran
36
You already know that 'ej means "and". It is used to join two sentences together.
However, when you want to make a list (for example "a Vulcan and a Terran" or "a
Romulan and a Cardassian"), there is a different word for "and" - je (pronounced je).
je comes at the end of the list.
tera'ngan vulqangan je A Terran and a Vulcan
You are literally saying "a Terran, a Vulcan, and".
How do you say...

Terra and Vulcan.
A Terran and a Vulcan.
Romulus and Cardassia.
Romulans and Cardassians.
Men and women.
The answers are...

tera' vulqan je.
tera'ngan vulqangan je.
romuluS qarDaS je.
romuluSnganpu' qarDaSnganpu' je.
loDpu' be'pu' je.
You have to be careful when two people are doing something together.
Sop Human A human eats

Sop Human tlhIngan je A human and a Klingon eat
In the first sentence you are literally saying "eats - a human", but in the second you are
saying "eat - a human and a Klingon"; or, quite literally, "eat - a human, a Klingon, and".
How do you say...

A captain eats. A captain and an officer eat.
A Terran drinks. A Terran and a Vulcan drink.
The answers are...

Sop HoD. Sop HoD yaS je.
tlhutlh tera'ngan. tlhutlh tera'ngan vulqangan je.
38
Here are a few more verbs to learn.
believes is Har (khahr)

imagine someone who believes that the Gods will bless this new harbour
doubts is Hon (khohn)
imagine doubting that this 300-year-old jar of honey is still edible
In Klingon, "tells the truth" is a single word.
tells the truth is vIt (vit)

imagine that your feet are telling you the truth
lies, fibs is nep (nep)
imagine that someone promises you a trip to the planet Neptune - but they're lying!
walks is yIt (yit)
imagine that you must walk another hundred miles before you eat
runs, jogs is qet (ket)
imagine asking Kate out on a date - she runs away as fast as she can!
chats is jaw (jow)
imagine two jousting knights who stop halfway through a contest to have a nice chat
celebrates is lop (lohp)
imagine a young couple who elope to Las Vegas to celebrate their 18th birthdays!
What is the English for lop
What is the English for jaw
What is the English for qet
What is the English for yIt
What is the English for nep
What is the English for vIt
What is the English for Hon
What is the English for Har
How do you say, in Klingon, celebrates

How do you say, in Klingon, chats
How do you say, in Klingon, runs, jogs
How do you say, in Klingon, walks
How do you say, in Klingon, lies, fibs
How do you say, in Klingon, tells the truth
How do you say, in Klingon, doubts
How do you say, in Klingon, believes
40
Here is how to say "I see".
As well as having many suffixes (which go at the end of the word), Klingon has a
number of prefixes (which go at the beginning of the word).
The prefix jI- means "I".
legh sees
jIlegh I see
Qoy hears
jIQoy I hear
(pronounced lerh, ji-LERH, kkhoy, ji-KKHOY)
In Klingon, "I see" is a single word, and so is "I hear". For that reason there are many
Klingon sentences which are only one word long.
How do you say...

I walk. I run.
I chat. I celebrate.
The answers are...

jIyIt. jIqet.
jIjaw. jIlop.
Sometimes a verb has both a prefix and a suffix.
jIlegh I see
jIleghbe' I don't see
In Klingon, "I see" and "I don't see" are both single words. Sentences with only one
word are easy because you don't have to think about the word order.
How do you say...
I believe. I don't doubt.
I speak. I tell the truth.
I don't lie.
The answers are...

jIHar. jIHonbe'.
jIjatlh. jIvIt.
jInepbe'.
The prefix bI- means "you".
bIlegh you see

bIQoy you hear
(pronounced bi-LERH, bi-KKHOY)
Once again, "you see" and "you hear" are both single words in Klingon.
How do you say...

You learn. You don't learn.
You teach. You don't teach.
I read. I don't write.
The answers are...

bIghoj. bIghojbe'.
bIghojmoH. bIghojmoHbe'.
jIlaD. jIghItlhbe'.
42
In this lesson you've learned two prefixes, but there are about thirty in total. To
remember them all we're going to use a handful of simple images.
We'll use a single image to remember "I" and "you" (and some more words, later on).
This image begins with a hermit. The hermit symbolises the fact that "I" do something
or "you" do something, and no-one else is involved.
!!! For the linguists among you, jI- and bI- are prefixes used with intransitive verbs; the
hermit symbolises the lack of an object.
So, imagine a lonely hermit living in a damp cave. The hermit lets out a loud cheer (jI- "I")
when a bee flies into the cave (bI- "you")
Let's try a few more sentences.
How do you say...

I see. You hear.
I don't see and you don't hear.
I walk but you run.
The Romulan doubts the Cardassian.
The Cardassian lies but the Romulan tells the truth.
(The planet) Vulcan doesn't believe Earth.

Romulus and Cardassia celebrate.
The Klingon and the human don't chat.
The answers are...

jIlegh. bIQoy.
jIleghbe' 'ej bIQoybe'.
jIyIt 'ach bIqet.
qarDaSngan Hon romuluSngan.
nep qarDaSngan 'ach vIt romuluSngan.
tera' Harbe' vulqan.

lop romuluS qarDaS je.
jawbe' tlhIngan Human je.
44
Lesson 3
star (sun) Hov
planet yuQ
moon maS
ship Duj
tricorder Hoqra'
weapon nuH
phaser, disruptor pu'
bat'leth (Klingon sword) betleH
asks tlhob
answers jang
uses lo'
sends ngeH
receives Hev
buys je'
sells ngev
becomes moj
I (do something to) you (verb prefix) qa-

I (do something to) it (verb prefix) vI-
father vav
mother SoS
grandfather vavnI'
grandmother SoSnI'
Lord, Lady (head of house) joH
neighbour jIl
prisoner qama'
Ferengi verengan
greeting (what do you want?) nuqneH

farewell (success!) Qapla'
Here are some more useful words. If you didn't already know, a tricorder is a
scanning device small enough to hold in one hand.
star, sun is Hov (khohv)

imagine a star orbited by billions of horse's hooves
planet is yuQ (yookkh)
imagine a backward planet whose residents are being entertained by the Queen on
her ukulele
moon is maS (mahsh)
imagine that the Earth's moon is now covered in marshland
ship is Duj (dooj)
imagine a ship crewed exclusively by Dutch people, all of them wearing clogs
tricorder is Hoqra' (khohk-RAH')
imagine using your tricorder to analyse an antique hockey stick that's incredibly rare
weapon is nuH (nookh)
imagine that a nuke is the only weapon you need!
You already know that -pu' means "more than one" when it is a suffix. When it is a
separate word, it is used for the weapon which humans call a "phaser" but which
Klingons and Romulans call a "disruptor".
phaser, disruptor is pu' (poo')

imagine using an enormous phaser to blast away at a rock face, hoping to reach the
pure dilithium crystal below. It's much easier than digging with sticks!
bat'leth (Klingon sword) is betleH (bet-LEKH)
imagine making a large bet that you will find a Klingon sword at the bottom of the
lake
46
What is the English for betleH
What is the English for pu'
What is the English for nuH
What is the English for Hoqra'
What is the English for Duj
What is the English for maS
What is the English for yuQ
What is the English for Hov
How do you say, in Klingon, bat'leth (Klingon sword)

How do you say, in Klingon, phaser, disruptor
How do you say, in Klingon, weapon
How do you say, in Klingon, tricorder
How do you say, in Klingon, ship
How do you say, in Klingon, moon
How do you say, in Klingon, planet
How do you say, in Klingon, star, sun
How do you say...
The Terran sees a planet. The Vulcan sees a star.
The human doesn't see the moon. The Klingon has a bat'leth.
The Romulan has a tricorder. The Cardassian doesn't have a ship.
The captain hears the weapon. The officer wants the phaser.
The doctor and the patient. The doctor and the patient celebrate.
The answers are...

yuQ legh tera'ngan. Hov legh vulqangan.
maS leghbe' Human. betleH ghaj tlhIngan.
Hoqra' ghaj romuluSngan. Duj ghajbe' qarDaSngan.
nuH Qoy HoD. pu' neH yaS.
Qel SID je. lop Qel SID je.
48
Here are some more useful verbs.
asks is tlhob (tlohb)

imagine a Ferengi who always asks the lobe before making an important business
decision
answers is jang (jahng)
imagine that when someone wants to know if you are rich, you answer by jangling
the loose coins in your pockets
uses is lo' (loh')
imagine someone who uses the law to punish his enemies, rather than using a stick
sends is ngeH (ng-ekh)
imagine sending some card and cake to your best friend
receives is Hev (khev)
imagine that you have received inspiration from the heavens!
buys is je' (je')
imagine that you buy a charming chair made entirely from sticks and twigs
sells is ngev (ng-ev)
imagine that you sell something and give all the money to your friends
becomes is moj (mohj)
imagine that your company is becoming bigger and bigger by merging with all its
rivals, one by one
What is the English for moj
What is the English for ngev
What is the English for je'
What is the English for Hev
What is the English for ngeH
What is the English for lo'
What is the English for jang
What is the English for tlhob
How do you say, in Klingon, becomes

How do you say, in Klingon, sells
How do you say, in Klingon, buys
How do you say, in Klingon, receives
How do you say, in Klingon, sends
How do you say, in Klingon, uses
How do you say, in Klingon, answers
How do you say, in Klingon, asks
50
How do you say...
I buy. I sell.
I buy and I sell.
You ask. You don't answer.
You ask but you don't answer.
The answers are...

jIje'. jIngev.
jIje' 'ej jIngev.
bItlhob. bIjangbe'.
bItlhob 'ach bIjangbe'.
Now look at these sentences.
jIlegh I see
qalegh I see you
Whenever I" am doing something to you, such as "seeing you" or "understanding you",
you use the prefix qa- (kah).
qa- means "I am doing something to you". Once again, the whole English sentence is
translated by just a single Klingon word.
However, when I am doing something, and no-one else is involved, you must still use
the prefix jI-.
How do you say...
I ask. I ask you.
I answer. I answer you.
I help you. I obey you.
I don't ask. I don't ask you.
I don't answer. I don't answer you.
The answers are...

jItlhob. qatlhob.
jIjang. qajang.
qaQaH. qalob.
jItlhobbe'. qatlhobbe'.
jIjangbe'. qajangbe'.
Now look at these sentences.
jIje' I buy
vIje' I buy it
Whenever "I" am doing something to "it", such as "buying it" or "selling it", you must use
the prefix vI- (vi). vI- means "I am doing something do it".
How do you say...

I buy. I buy it.
I sell. I sell it.
I send it. I receive it.
I don't use it. I believe you.
You tell the truth. You don't lie.
The answers are...

jIje'. vIje'.
jIngev. vIngev.
vIngeH. vIHev.
vIlo'be'. qaHar.
bIvIt. bInepbe'.
Here's a summary of the verb prefixes you have learned so far.
I (do something) jI-

you (do something) bI-
I (do something to) you qa-

I (do something to) it vI-
52
When books about languages list the words "I", "you", "it" and so on, they traditionally
list them in a certain order. The first word on the list is always "I", the second is always
"you" and after that comes "it".
This order is easy to remember, because "I" am usually the most important person in
the conversation, and "you" are the most important person after that. Everything else -
like "it" - is usually less important.
When we use images to remember the Klingon prefixes, we will always use the order
"I - you - it". That's why, in our earlier hermit image, jI- I comes before bI- "you".
Let's use another image to remember the prefixes qa- and vI-.
They both mean that "I" am doing something, so this image will start with something
that symbolises yourself - your own home.
So, imagine arriving home from work in your car (qa- "I am doing something to you").
Outrageously, someone wants to charge you a large fee for parking outside your own home!
(vI- "I am doing something to it")
Let's practise the prefixes now.
How do you say...

I ask. I ask you.
I answer. I answer you.
I buy. I buy it.
I sell. I sell it.
You walk and I run.
I send it but I don't receive it.
The answers are...

jItlhob. qatlhob.
jIjang. qajang.
jIje'. vIje'.
jIngev. vIngev.
bIyIt 'ej jIqet.
vIngeH 'ach vIHevbe'.
In some situations we don't use prefixes at all. None of the following sentences involve
"I" doing something or "you" doing something, so there are no prefixes to think about.
How do you say...

The Klingon uses the weapon. The Earth has a moon.
The planet has a sun. The captain buys a ship.
The officer becomes a captain. The officers become captains.
The answers are...

nuH lo' tlhIngan. maS ghaj tera'.
Hov ghaj yuQ. Duj je' HoD.
HoD moj yaS. HoDpu' moj yaSpu'.
54
Here are some more people words.
father is vav (vahv)

imagine that you have five fathers!
mother is SoS (shohsh)
imagine a mother telling her noisy children to be quiet - "Shhh!"
Now, vav means "father", but vavnI' (vahv-NI') means "grandfather".
Similarly, SoS means "mother", but SoSnI' (shohsh-NI') means "grandmother".
To remember the -nI' part, you could imagine moving home to live near your
grandparents.
The head of a Klingon house is called joH (johkh). In English, this would be translated
as "Lord" or "Lady". So, imagine that the Lord and the Lady of the house love to go for an
early-morning jog around their vast estate
neighbour is jIl (jil)

imagine that all your neighbours are called Jill
prisoner is qama' (kah-MAH')
imagine becoming a prisoner in a cage made of sticks because you have very bad
karma!
You probably won't need an image to remember that the word for "Ferengi" is verengan
(ve-RE-ngahn).
What is the English for verengan
What is the English for qama'
What is the English for jIl
What is the English for joH
What is the English for SoSnI'
What is the English for vavnI'
What is the English for SoS
What is the English for vav
How do you say, in Klingon, Ferengi

How do you say, in Klingon, prisoner
How do you say, in Klingon, neighbour
How do you say, in Klingon, Lord, Lady
How do you say, in Klingon, grandmother
How do you say, in Klingon, grandfather
How do you say, in Klingon, mother
How do you say, in Klingon, father
56
How do you say...
The prisoner has a mother. The prisoner doesn't have a father.
The doctor helps the grandfather. The child obeys the grandmother.
The father and the mother. The father and the mother send the phaser.
The Lord doesn't want a neighbour. The Ladies chat.
The Ferengi uses a bat'leth.
The answers are...

SoS ghaj qama'. vav ghajbe' qama'.
vavnI' QaH Qel. SoSnI' lob puq.
vav SoS je. pu' ngeH vav SoS je.
jIl neHbe' joH. jaw joHpu'.
betleH lo' verengan.
Klingon has no words to translate "hello" and "goodbye", or to translate "please" and
"thank you". When you start a Klingon conversation, you usually just start talking
about the matter at hand ("Where is the Terran planet?" perhaps, or "How much is the
dilithium crystal?").
However, a Klingon conversation will often begin with "What do you want?". This
phrase is heard so frequently that English speakers can use it in place of pleasantries
like "hello", "good morning" and "how are you?"
A good way to end a conversation - especially with someone who is setting off to battle
- is to say "Success!"
Let's learn those phrases now.
What do you want? is nuqneH (nook-NEKH)

nuq means "what", and you already know that neH means "want". To remember the
whole phrase, imagine knocking on someone's door (with a knock-knock). Someone opens
the door and demands, angrily, "What do you want?"
Success! is Qapla' (kkahp-LAH')
imagine that a married couple are wishing each other success, before setting off for
battle
What is the English for Qapla'
What is the English for nuqneH
How do you say, in Klingon, Success!

How do you say, in Klingon, What do you want?
How do you say...

The grandfather teaches the neighbour. Success!
The grandmother doubts the tricorder.
The prisoner doesn't believe the Ferengi.
The woman becomes a Lady. The man becomes a Lord.
I eat. I eat it.
I ask. I ask you.

You teach but you don't learn. What do you want?
Romulus, Cardassia and Vulcan.
The answers are...

jIl ghojmoH vavnI'. Qapla'.
Hoqra' Hon SoSnI'.
verengan Harbe' qama'.
joH moj be'. joH moj loD.
jISop. vISop.
jItlhob. qatlhob.
bIghojmoH 'ach bIghojbe'. nuqneH.
romuluS qarDaS vulqan je.
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Lesson 4
looks for nej
finds tu'
travels leng
visits Such
trusts voq
dislikes par
hits qIp
hurts 'oy'
you (do something to) me (verb prefix) cho-

you (do something to) it (verb prefix) Da-
allows, permits chaw'

forbids tuch
arrests qop
interrogates yu'
respects vuv
insults tIch
hurries moD
relaxes, rests leS
looks for is nej (nej)

imagine following a nature trail, looking for a rare species of butterfly
finds is tu' (too')
imagine finding not one, but two things you thought you had lost
travels is leng (leng)
imagine that you want to travel the whole length of the country
visits is Such (shooch)
imagine someone who visits their relatives and then shoots them all!
trusts is voq (vohk)
imagine that the countryside folk don't trust you!
dislikes is par (pahr)
imagine that you enjoy playing golf, but you really dislike the difficult par five holes
hits is qIp (kip)
imagine two boxers who keep hitting each other until they both collapse from
exhaustion
hurts is 'oy' ('oy')
imagine sneaking up behind someone and poking them with two sticks. They shout
back, Oy, that hurts!"
60
What is the English for 'oy'
What is the English for qIp
What is the English for par
What is the English for voq
What is the English for Such
What is the English for leng
What is the English for tu'
What is the English for nej
How do you say, in Klingon, hurts

How do you say, in Klingon, hits
How do you say, in Klingon, dislikes
How do you say, in Klingon, trusts
How do you say, in Klingon, visits
How do you say, in Klingon, travels
How do you say, in Klingon, finds
How do you say, in Klingon, looks for
How do you say...
The Ferengi travels. The captain visits the planet.
The Lord hits the prisoner. The Lady dislikes the prisoner.
The patient trusts the doctor. The doctor doesn't hurt the patient.
I speak. You speak.
I look for you. I look for it.
I look for it but I don't find it.
The answers are...

leng verengan. yuQ Such HoD.
qama' qIp joH. qama' par joH.
Qel voq SID. SID 'oy'be' Qel.
jIjatlh. bIjatlh.
qanej. vInej.
vInej 'ach vItu'be'.
If you want to talk about "you" doing something to "me", then you must use the prefix
cho- (choh).
bIlegh you see

cholegh you see me
How do you say...

You understand. You understand me.
You ask me. You answer me.
The answers are...

bIyaj. choyaj.
chotlhob. chojang.
62
However, if you want to talk about "you" doing something to "it", then you must use the
prefix Da- (dah).
bIlegh you see

Dalegh you see it
How do you say...

You read. You read it.
You buy it. You don't sell it.
The answers are...

bIlaD. DalaD.
Daje'. Dangevbe'.
To remember cho- and Da-, we'll use another image. In the last lesson, you used your
own home to symbolise I". Let's use your neighbour's home to symbolise "you".
So, imagine your neighbour chops down their front door with a large axe (cho- "you
are doing something to me") and then uses the splinters to play a game of darts (Da- "you
are doing something to it").
How do you say...

You trust me. You don't trust me.
You dislike it. You don't dislike it.
You look for me. You find it.
I eat. You drink.
I visit you. I use it.
The answers are...

chovoq. chovoqbe'.
Dapar. Daparbe'.
chonej. Datu'.
jISop. bItlhutlh.
qaSuch. vIlo'.
Here is a summary of the six prefixes you now know.
I (do something alone) jI- (image starts with a hermit)

you (do something alone) bI- " "
I (do something to) you qa- (image starts with your own home)
I (do something to) it vI- " "
you (do something to) me cho- (image starts with your neighbour's
home)
you (do something to) it Da- " "
You will practise these prefixes again and again until they become second nature. In
the meantime, when you translate a sentence into Klingon, don't forget to take your
time and think carefully about your answer.
Let's practise them all once more.
How do you say...

I travel. You don't go.
I hit you. I send it.
You hurt me. You receive it.
The answers are...

jIleng. bIjaHbe'.
qaqIp. vIngeH.
cho'oy'. DaHev.
64
Here is another useful set of verbs.
allows, permits is chaw' (chow')

imagine finally being allowed to chow down on your lunch - which consists of a
selection of delicious twigs and sticks
forbids is tuch (tooch)
imagine the teacher forbids you from touching the blackboard
arrests is qop (kohp)
imagine that the cops have come to arrest you!
interrogates is yu' (room)
imagine that the cops are interrogating you with big, sharp sticks
respects is vuv (voov)
imagine that you have a great respect for the fourth one
insults is tIch (tich)
imagine that the teacher teaches you how to insult your friends - in Klingon!
hurries is moD (mohd)
imagine hurrying to the commode
relaxes, rests is leS (lesh)
imagine using your leisure time to relax
What is the English for leS
What is the English for moD
What is the English for tIch
What is the English for vuv
What is the English for yu'
What is the English for qop
What is the English for tuch
What is the English for chaw'
How do you say, in Klingon, relaxes, rests

How do you say, in Klingon, hurries
How do you say, in Klingon, insults
How do you say, in Klingon, respects
How do you say, in Klingon, interrogates
How do you say, in Klingon, arrests
How do you say, in Klingon, forbids
How do you say, in Klingon, allows, permits
66
Now it's time for some good news. The prefix vI- means "I do something to it", but it also
means "I do something to him, to her or to them.
vIlegh I see it
vIlegh I see him
vIlegh I see her
vIlegh I see them
How do you say...

I find it. I find him.
I find her. I find them.
I forbid it. I arrest him.
I interrogate her. I respect them.
The answers are...

vItu'. vItu'.
vItu'. vItu'.
vItuch. vIqop.
vIyu'. vIvuv.
The same rule applies to Da-, which means "you do something to it". It also means "you
do something to him, to her or to them".
Dalegh You see it

Dalegh You see him
Dalegh You see her
Dalegh You see them
How do you say...
You allow it. You insult him.
You respect her. You don't trust them.
I hurry but you relax.
The answers are...

Dachaw'. DatIch.
Davuv. Davoqbe'.
jImoD 'ach bIleS.
Throughout the Klingon language, "he/him", "she/her", "it" and "they/them" all share the
same prefixes. (There is one exception, which we'll learn about much later.)
Now take a look at this sentence.
vItu' I find it
You might ask, what is being found? You can be more precise and say that "the alien" is
being found, without changing the underlying meaning of the sentence.
vItu' I find it
nov vItu' I find the alien
You are literally saying "the alien, I find it".
68
How do you say...
I see it. I see the star.
I hear it. I hear the ship.
I arrest the man. I don't arrest him.
I interrogate the woman. I don't interrogate her.
I don't trust them. I don't trust Klingons.
The answers are...

vIlegh. Hov vIlegh.
vIQoy. Duj vIQoy.
loD vIqop. vIqopbe'.
be' vIyu'. vIyu'be'.
vIvoqbe'. tlhInganpu' vIvoqbe'.
Now look at this sentence.
Datu' You find it
Once again, you can be more precise and say that "the alien" is being found, without
changing the underlying meaning of the sentence.
Datu' You find it

nov Datu' You find the alien
You are literally saying "the alien, you find it".
How do you say...

You see it. You see the moon.
You hear it. You hear the weapon.
You want the tricorder. You don't want the phaser.
The answers are...

Dalegh. maS Dalegh.
DaQoy. nuH DaQoy.
Hoqra' DaneH. pu' DaneHbe'.
You have had plenty of practice translating sentences like this.
HoD legh yaS The officer sees the captain
Whenever "he", "she" or "it" is doing something to "him", "her", "it" or "them", you don't
use a prefix at all. The verb stands alone.
legh He sees him

HoD legh He sees the captain
HoD legh yaS The officer sees the captain
Here's another way to think about it: when "I" am doing something or when "you" are
doing something, you must use a prefix. Otherwise, you don't use one.
That isn't the complete rule, but it's good enough for the moment. (You will find a full
table of Klingon prefixes in Appendix ???, if you want it.)
How do you say...

He uses it. He uses the bat'leth.
The Klingon uses the bat'leth.
She finds him. She finds the enemy.
The neighbour finds the enemy.
The answers are...

lo'. betleH lo'.
betleH lo' tlhIngan.
tu'. jagh tu'.
jagh tu' jIl.
70
It might seem strange that the word tu' could translate "he finds it", as well as "she finds
them" and "it finds her". In conversational Klingon, the context usually clarifies who is
being discussed. In later lessons you will learn how to make the meaning more
precise, when you need to.
How do you say...

I hurry. You relax.
I look for you. I look for it.
I look for the alien. I don't find them.
I don't find the humans. You visit me.
You insult him. You don't insult the Klingon.
I allow it but you forbid it. Success!

The father becomes a grandfather. The mother becomes a grandmother.
What do you want?
The answers are...

jImoD. bIleS.
qanej. vInej.
nov vInej. vItu'be'.
Humanpu' vItu'be'. choSuch.
DatIch. tlhIngan DatIchbe'.
vIchaw' 'ach Datuch. Qapla'.

vavnI' moj vav. SoSnI' moj SoS.
nuqneH.
Lesson 5
soldier mang
army mangghom
battle may'
starship (a Federation ship) 'ejDo'
Bird-of-Prey (a Klingon ship) toQDuj
space station tengchaH
torpedo peng
target DoS
(plural noun suffix for objects) -mey
sleeps Qong
wakes up vem
waits, waits for loS
salutes van
attacks HIv
defends Hub
kills HoH
fires (a torpedo) baH
torpedoes cha
targets ray'
soldiers negh
can (verb suffix) -laH

can't (verb suffix) -laHbe'
(verb suffix for questions) -'a'
yes HIja'
no ghobe'
72
Here are some battle words.
soldier is mang (mahng)

imagine looking across a battlefield, where all that can be seen is the mangled
remains of a soldier
army is mangghom (mahng-RHOHM)
this word literally means "soldier-group". To remember the -ghom part, imagine that
a vast army is already at the gates of Rome
battle is may' (mai')
imagine that I use a stick to demonstrate my role in the battle
starship (a Federation ship) is 'ejDo' ('ej-DOH')
imagine a starship which is edging ever closer to the border with the Klingons. The
border has been marked out with sticks
Bird-of-Prey (a Klingon ship) is toQDuj (tohkkh-DOOJ)
you will remember that Duj means "ship". To remember the toQ part, imagine a
daring thief who took a Bird-of-Prey from under the noses of some Klingon guards
space station is tengchaH (teng-CHAHKH)
imagine a secretive space station where ten copies of Jack have been cloned
torpedo is peng (peng)
imagine converting an ordinary pen into a deadly torpedo!
target is DoS (dohsh)
imagine painting a target (in the form of a bullseye) on each of your doors
What is the English for DoS
What is the English for peng
What is the English for tengchaH
What is the English for toQDuj
What is the English for 'ejDo'
What is the English for may'
What is the English for mangghom
What is the English for mang
How do you say, in Klingon, target

How do you say, in Klingon, torpedo
How do you say, in Klingon, space station
How do you say, in Klingon, Bird-of-Prey (a Klingon ship)
How do you say, in Klingon, starship (a Federation ship)
How do you say, in Klingon, battle
How do you say, in Klingon, army
How do you say, in Klingon, soldier
74
How do you say...
The soldier sees the target. The army wants a battle.
The ship looks for the Bird-of-Prey. The ship finds a space station.
The captain dislikes the torpedo. The officer visits the starship.
The answers are...

DoS legh mang. may' neH mangghom.
toQDuj nej Duj. tengchaH tu' Duj.
peng par HoD. 'ejDo' Such yaS.
In the previous lesson, you learned a lot more about prefixes.
How do you say...

I travel. You travel.
I trust you. I forbid it.
I see him. I don't see her.
I arrest them. You interrogate me.
You allow it. You insult him.
You respect her. You don't trust them.

I hit him. I hit the enemy.
You hurt her. You hurt the prisoner.
The answers are...

jIleng. bIleng.
qavoq. vItuch.
vIlegh. vIleghbe'.
vIqop. choyu'.
Dachaw'. DatIch.
Davuv. Davoqbe'.
vIqIp. jagh vIqIp.
Da'oy'. qama' Da'oy'.
You already know how to talk about more than one living being.
Human human
Humanpu' humans
However, for everything else, you usually add the suffix -mey (meh).
nuH weapon
nuHmey weapons
(There are some exceptions to this rule, which we'll discuss later.)
How do you say...

The Klingons. The ships.
The stars and the planets. The planet has moons.
I visit them. I visit the space stations.
The answers are...

tlhInganpu'. Dujmey.
Hovmey yuQmey je. maSmey ghaj yuQ.
vISuch. tengchaHmey vISuch.
Actually, -pu' is only used with living beings that are capable of language. With other
creatures, such as "tribbles", you must use -mey.
Humanpu' humans
yIHmey tribbles
How do you say...

I find the Klingons. I find the tribbles.
I look for the weapons. I look for the space stations.
The answers are...

tlhInganpu' vItu'. yIHmey vItu'.
nuHmey vInej. tengchaHmey vInej.
76
sleeps is Qong (kkhohng)

imagine that King Kong is fast asleep. His snoring is so incredibly loud, that even the
Queen is complaining!
wakes up is vem (vem)
imagine waking someone up to tell them that they've achieved fame overnight
waits is loS (lohsh)
imagine impatiently waiting for the lotion to take effect
salutes is van (vahn)
imagine saluting your superior officers as they drive past in a rusty old van
attacks is HIv (khiv)
imagine that the soldiers attack the castle by heaving a huge cannon into position,
and then firing it
defends is Hub (khoob)
imagine asking the soldiers, "Who better to defend this position than us?"
kills is HoH (khohkh)
imagine a pirate killing someone with a sharp hook
fires (a torpedo) is baH (bahkh)
imagine firing the torpedo at a dog who's been barking all night
What is the English for baH
What is the English for HoH
What is the English for Hub
What is the English for HIv
What is the English for van
What is the English for loS
What is the English for vem
What is the English for Qong
How do you say, in Klingon, fires (a torpedo)

How do you say, in Klingon, kills
How do you say, in Klingon, defends
How do you say, in Klingon, attacks
How do you say, in Klingon, salutes
How do you say, in Klingon, waits
How do you say, in Klingon, wakes up
How do you say, in Klingon, sleeps
78
There are a few words which can't add the suffixes -pu' and -mey.
The first one is peng "torpedo". The word for "torpedoes" is not pengmey but cha.
peng vIbaH I fire the torpedo

cha vIbaH I fire the torpedoes
If you want to talk about more than one "target" or more than one "soldier", again you
must use a different word.
DoS, ray' target, targets

mang, negh soldier, soldiers
Let's revise the images for "torpedo", "target" and "soldier" to incorporate these new
words.
torpedo is peng, but torpedoes is cha (chah)

imagine converting an ordinary pen into a deadly torpedo. You charge up its battery
with a normal phone charger!
target is DoS, but targets is ray' (rai')
imagine painting a target on each of your doors. You fire a futuristic ray-gun at them
all, reducing your beautiful home to a pile of smouldering sticks
soldier is mang, but soldiers is negh (nerh)
imagine looking across a battlefield, where all that can be seen is the mangled
remains of a soldier. The other soldiers have run away and are hiding nearby
What is the English for peng
What is the English for cha
What is the English for DoS
What is the English for ray'
What is the English for mang
What is the English for negh
How do you say, in Klingon, torpedo

How do you say, in Klingon, torpedoes
How do you say, in Klingon, target
How do you say, in Klingon, targets
How do you say, in Klingon, soldier
How do you say, in Klingon, soldiers
80
How do you say...
I kill the soldier. I kill the soldiers.
I don't see a target. I don't see the targets.
The human fires the torpedo. The human fires the torpedoes.
The child sleeps. The children wake up.
I attack the Birds-of-Prey. I defend the starships.
The answers are...

mang vIHoH. negh vIHoH.
DoS vIleghbe'. ray' vIleghbe'.
peng baH Human. cha baH Human.
Qong puq. vem puqpu'.
toQDujmey vIHIv. 'ejDo'mey vIHub.
Here is how to say "can". Take a look at these two sentences.
vIlegh I see it
vIleghlaH I can see it
You can add the suffix -laH (lahkh) to almost any verb. It turns "I see it" into "I can see
it", "I hear it" into "I can hear it" and "I sleep" into "I can sleep".
How do you say...

I wait. I can wait.
I hurry. I can hurry.
I attack it. I can attack it.
I kill the soldier. I can kill the soldier.
The answers are...

jIloS. jIloSlaH.
jImoD. jImoDlaH.
vIHIv. vIHIvlaH.
mang vIHoH. mang vIHoHlaH.
If -laH means "can", then -laHbe' must mean "can't"!
vIlegh I see it
vIleghlaH I can see it
vIleghlaHbe' I can't see it
You can add -laHbe' to almost any verb. It turns "I see it" into "I can't see it" and "I sleep"
into "I can't sleep".
How do you say...

I eat it. I can eat it.
I can't eat it. You drink it.
You can drink it. You can't drink it.
The answers are...

vISop. vISoplaH.
vISoplaHbe'. Datlhutlh.
DatlhutlhlaH. DatlhutlhlaHbe'.
In Klingon, you can turn a statement into a question by adding the suffix -'a' to the
verb.
-'a' converts "you see it" into "do you see it?" and it converts "you hear it" into "do you
hear it?"
Dalegh You see it

Dalegh'a'? Do you see it?
DaQoy You hear it

DaQoy'a'? Do you hear it?
82
How do you say...
You sleep. Do you sleep?
You wake up. Do you wake up?
You attack it. Do you attack it?
You defend it. Do you defend it?
The army waits for the battle (literally, The army waits the battle).
The answers are...

bIQong. bIQong'a'?
bIvem. bIvem'a'?
DaHIv. DaHIv'a'?
DaHub. DaHub'a'?
may' loS mangghom.
The suffix -'a' also converts "you can" into "can you?"
DaleghlaH You can see it

DaleghlaH'a'? Can you see it?
How do you say...

I wait for you (literally, I wait you). I can wait for you.
Can I wait for you? Can I help you?
The answers are...

qaloS. qaloSlaH.
qaloSlaH'a'? qaQaHlaH'a'?
Questions like "do you see it?" and "can you see it?" can be answered with a "yes" or a
no. Here is how to say those words in Klingon.
yes is HIja' (khi-JAH')

imagine that I'm going to hit you with a big stick unless you say yes!
no is ghobe' (rhoh-be')
imagine saying no, there's no way that you can force out that ruby with just a stick
What is the English for ghobe'
What is the English for HIja'
How do you say, in Klingon, no

How do you say, in Klingon, yes
How do you say...

You understand. Do you understand?
Yes, I understand. No, I don't understand.
I visit Cardassia. Do you visit Cardassia?
No, I visit Romulus. I can't visit Cardassia.
You help me. Can you help me?
Yes, I can help you. You salute the captain.

Do you salute the captain? Can you salute the captain?
You can fire the torpedoes. Can you fire the torpedoes?
I can see the soldiers. I can't see the targets.
The answers are...

bIyaj. bIyaj'a'?
HIja', jIyaj. ghobe', jIyajbe'.
qarDaS vISuch. qarDaS DaSuch'a'?
ghobe', romuluS vISuch. qarDaS vISuchlaHbe'.
choQaH. choQaHlaH'a'?
HIja', qaQaHlaH. HoD Davan.

HoD Davan'a'? HoD DavanlaH'a'?
cha DabaHlaH. cha DabaHlaH'a'?
negh vIleghlaH. ray' vIleghlaHbe'.
84
Practice Section 1
After every five lessons you will find a practice section like this one. Everything taught
in those lessons appears in the practice section at least once.
You should go through this practice section now, before you move on to Lesson 6.
Although you have already learned a lot of Klingon, it won't stay fresh in your mind for
ever. We suggest that you go over each section about a week after completing the five
lessons, and again a month after completing them, and again three months after
completing them.
Early in the course, you learned that there are no words for "the", a or an in Klingon.
There are also no words which correspond to "hello", "goodbye", "please" and "thank
you".
How do you say...

The man. The woman.
A friend. An enemy.
What do you want? Success!
The answers are...

loD. be'.
jup. jagh.
nuqneH. Qapla'.
The word order in a Klingon sentence is often the opposite of what it would be in an
English sentence.
How do you say...

The man speaks. The woman understands.
The friend goes. The enemy comes.
The doctor helps the patient. The family wants a baby.
The officer respects the captain. The Klingon interrogates the prisoner.
The answers are...

jatlh loD. yaj be'.
jaH jup. ghoS jagh.
SID QaH Qel. ghu neH qorDu'.
HoD vuv yaS. qama' yu' tlhIngan.
86
You know that there are two words for and. One of them is used to make a list (for
example "the man and the woman"). The other is used to join two sentences together.
How do you say...

The child eats. The pet drinks.
The child eats and the pet drinks.
A human reads. An alien writes.
A human reads but an alien writes.
The man and the woman. Earth and Vulcan.
The Terran teaches and the Vulcan learns.

The Terran and the Vulcan learn.
The Romulan and the Cardassian travel.
The answers are...

Sop puq. tlhutlh Saj.
Sop puq 'ej tlhutlh Saj.
laD Human. ghItlh nov.
laD Human 'ach ghItlh nov.
loD be' je. tera' vulqan je.
ghojmoH tera'ngan 'ej ghoj vulqangan.

ghoj tera'ngan vulqangan je.
leng romuluSngan qarDaSngan je.
Klingon words can have "prefixes" and "suffixes". Prefixes are added to the beginning
of a word and suffixes are added to the end of it.
The first suffix you learned was the one which means "don't" or "doesn't".
How do you say...

The captain speaks. The captain doesn't speak.
The officer obeys. The officer doesn't obey.
The child has a pet. The child doesn't have a pet.
The family teach the baby. The baby learns.
The alien teaches the human but the human doesn't learn.
The father and the mother don't wake up.

The grandfather and the grandmother don't sleep.
The answers are...

jatlh HoD. jatlhbe' HoD.
lob yaS. lobbe' yaS.
Saj ghaj puq. Saj ghajbe' puq.
ghu ghojmoH qorDu'. ghoj ghu.
Human ghojmoH nov 'ach ghojbe' Human.
vembe' vav SoS je.

Qongbe' vavnI' SoSnI' je.
88
English sometimes uses suffixes, too. When you talk about more than one thing you
say "humans" and "pets".
In Klingon, when you talk about more than one thing, you add -mey. However, when
you talk about more than one being capable of language, you add -pu'.
(There is a third suffix which is used only with body parts. You'll learn about that in a
future lesson.)
How do you say...

The neighbours. The tribbles.
The stars and the planets. Men and women.
Klingons hurry. Humans relax.
The man has friends. The planet doesn't have moons.
The doctor doesn't believe the patients. The patients lie.
The officers doubt the captain but the captain tells the truth.
The answers are...

jIlpu'. yIHmey.
Hovmey yuQmey je. loDpu' be'pu' je.
moD tlhInganpu'. leS Humanpu'.
juppu' ghaj loD. maSmey ghajbe' yuQ.
SIDpu' Harbe' Qel. nep SIDpu'.
HoD Hon yaSpu' 'ach vIt HoD.

However, there are some words which never end with -pu' or -mey.
How do you say...

I hit the soldier. I hit the soldiers.
You fire the torpedo. You fire the torpedoes.
The Bird-of-Prey looks for a target. The starship finds targets.
The answers are...

mang vIqIp. negh vIqIp.
peng DabaH. cha DabaH.
DoS nej toQDuj. ray' tu' 'ejDo'.
Now let's talk about prefixes. Although both nouns and verbs can have suffixes, only
verbs can have a prefix. The prefixes show us who is doing what to whom.
Here's a summary of the six prefixes you have learned so far.
I (do something alone) jI-

you (do something alone) bI-
I (do something to) you qa-

I (do something to) him / her / it / them vI-
you (do something to) me cho-

you (do something to) him / her / it / them Da-
90
How do you say...
I see. I hear.
I walk. You don't run.
You chat. You don't celebrate.
I attack. I attack you.
I don't defend you. You wait.
You wait for me. You don't ask me.

I allow it but you forbid it.
The answers are...

jIlegh. jIQoy.
jIyIt. bIqetbe'.
bIjaw. bIlopbe'.
jIHIv. qaHIv.
qaHubbe'. bIloS.
choloS. chotlhobbe'.
vIchaw' 'ach Datuch.
In general, "he/him", "she/her", "it" and "they/them" all share the same prefixes. (There is
one exception to this rule, which we haven't learned yet.)
In Klingon, you use the same prefix when you want to say "I see him" or "I see the man",
and when you want to say "I see it" or "I see the weapon".
How do you say...

I look for it. I look for the phaser.
I don't find it. I don't find the bat'leth.
You buy it. You buy the tricorder.
You don't sell it. You don't sell the weapon.
I dislike it. You dislike it.
I dislike him. I dislike the man.

You trust her. You trust the woman.
I kill them. I kill the Romulans.
You kill the enemies but you don't kill the tribbles.
The answers are...

vInej. pu' vInej.
vItu'be'. betleH vItu'be'.
Daje'. Hoqra' Daje'.
Dangevbe'. nuH Dangevbe'.
vIpar. Dapar.
vIpar. loD vIpar.

Davoq. be' Davoq.
vIHoH. romuluSnganpu' vIHoH.
jaghpu' DaHoH 'ach yIHmey DaHoHbe'.
92
You also know that when "he", "she" or "it" does something to "him", "her", "it" or "them",
you don't use a prefix at all. The verb stands alone. (In fact, a good rule of thumb at the
moment is to use a prefix only when I am doing something or when "you" are doing
something.)
How do you say...

I visit it. He visits her.
You hurt them. She hurts him.
He salutes the soldier. She salutes the army.
It becomes a target. The space station becomes a target.
The Cardassian sends a ship. The Terrans receive a tribble.
The answers are...

vISuch. Such.
Da'oy'. 'oy'.
mang van. mangghom van.
DoS moj. DoS moj tengchaH.
Duj ngeH qarDaSngan. yIH Hev tera'nganpu'.
The Klingon sentence legh is ambiguous. It could mean "he sees her", "it sees them" or "
she sees him" among other possibilities. Normally the context of the conversation
makes it clear who is being discussed. If not, you will learn how to clarify the situation
in future lessons.
It's easy to ask a question in Klingon. You can change any statement into a yes/no
question by adding the verb suffix -'a'.
How do you say...

You read. Do you read?
Yes, I read. You want it.
Do you want it? No, I don't want it.
The answers are...

bIlaD. bIlaD'a'?
HIja', jIlaD. DaneH.
DaneH'a'? ghobe', vIneHbe'.
Sometimes it's possible to combine suffixes. For example, you've learned how to say
"can", "can't" and "can you?"
How do you say...

I answer. I can answer.
I use it. I can use it.
You ask the Lord. You can ask the Lord.
You don't ask the Lady. You can't ask the Lady.
You can understand me but you can't understand them.
I can see the space station. Can you see the space station?
I can't hear the battle. Can you hear the battle?
Can you visit Romulus? I can't visit Cardassia.
The Vulcan arrests the Ferengi. You can't insult me.
The answers are...

jIjang. jIjanglaH.
vIlo'. vIlo'laH.
joH Datlhob. joH DatlhoblaH.
joH Datlhobbe'. joH DatlhoblaHbe'.
choyajlaH 'ach DayajlaHbe'.
tengchaH vIleghlaH. tengchaH DaleghlaH'a'?

may' vIQoylaHbe'. may' DaQoylaH'a'?
romuluS DaSuchlaH'a'? qarDaS vISuchlaHbe'.
verengan qop vulqangan. chotIchlaHbe'.
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Lesson 6
food Soj
meat, animal Ha'DIbaH
restaurant Qe'
menu HIDjolev
chocolate yuch
beer, wine HIq
tea Dargh
coffee qa'vIn
bigger, more important (noun suffix) -'a'

smaller, less important (noun suffix) -Hom
boy loDHom
girl be'Hom
hides, cloaks So'

guards 'av
scans Hotlh
hunts wam
doer (verb suffix) -wI'
cloaking device So'wI'

guard 'avwI'
scanner HotlhwI'
hunter wamwI'
willing to (verb suffix) -qang

not willing to (verb suffix) -qangbe'
willing to? (verb suffix) -qang'a'
Here are some useful food words.
food is Soj (shohj)

imagine that you're going to show just how much food you can eat in one go
meat is Ha'DIbaH (khah'-di-BAHKH)
imagine that someone hands you a rotting piece of meat, so you immediately hand it
back!
By the way, Ha'DIbaH also means "animal".
restaurant is Qe' (kkhe')

imagine a restaurant where the waiters can only speak Spanish. When the Queen
tries to place her order, they can only reply "Qu?". When her meal finally arrives, it
is just a plateful of small sticks
menu is HIDjolev (khid-joh-LEV)
imagine asking the waiter for a menu. He responds by hitting you on your left cheek!
chocolate is yuch (yooch)
imagine that you check your secret supply of chocolate every five minutes
beer, wine is HIq (khik)
imagine that, after drinking a little too much beer and wine, you can't stop your
hiccups
tea is Dargh (dahr-rh)
imagine writing in your diary that you've completely run out of tea
coffee is qa'vIn (KAH'-vin)
imagine a brand of coffee, especially for Klingons, that is almost 100% pure caffeine
96
What is the English for qa'vIn
What is the English for Dargh
What is the English for HIq
What is the English for yuch
What is the English for HIDjolev
What is the English for Qe'
What is the English for Ha'DIbaH
What is the English for Soj
How do you say, in Klingon, coffee

How do you say, in Klingon, tea
How do you say, in Klingon, beer, wine
How do you say, in Klingon, chocolate
How do you say, in Klingon, menu
How do you say, in Klingon, restaurant
How do you say, in Klingon, meat, animal
How do you say, in Klingon, food
How do you say...
I see the restaurant. I can see the restaurant.
I can't see the restaurant. I see the menu.
I can see the menu. I can't see the menu.
You eat the meat. You can eat the meat.
Can you eat the meat? Can you see the animal?
You drink tea. Do you drink coffee?

Yes, I drink coffee. No, I drink beer.
You have chocolate. Do you have chocolate?
I buy the food and you buy the wine.
The answers are...

Qe' vIlegh. Qe' vIleghlaH.
Qe' vIleghlaHbe'. HIDjolev vIlegh.
HIDjolev vIleghlaH. HIDjolev vIleghlaHbe'.
Ha'DIbaH DaSop. Ha'DIbaH DaSoplaH.
Ha'DIbaH DaSoplaH'a'? Ha'DIbaH DaleghlaH'a'?
Dargh Datlhutlh. qa'vIn Datlhutlh'a'?

HIja', qa'vIn vItlhutlh. ghobe', HIq vItlhutlh.
yuch Daghaj. yuch Daghaj'a'?
Soj vIje' 'ej HIq Daje'.
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Here is a list of the suffixes you've learned so far. Some of them are added to verbs
(action words like "go" and "eat") and some of them are added to nouns (words for
people, places and things).
Verb suffixes Noun suffixes

-be' don't, doesn't -pu' more than one being
-'a' (question) -mey more than one thing
-laH can
-laHbe' can't
-laH'a' ? can...?
You will be using these suffixes so frequently that you probably don't need images for
them. From now on, though, you'll be given an image whenever you encounter a new
suffix.
Most suffixes are used with either a verb or a noun. You can't use -laH can with
"chocolate" and you can't use -mey "more than one" with "eat".
Occasionally the same suffix can be used with both verbs and nouns. Take -'a' for
example - when used with a verb, its turns a statement into a question.
qa'vIn Daghaj You have coffee

qa'vIn Daghaj'a'? Do you have coffee?
However, when -'a' is used with a noun, it means bigger or more important.
may' battle
may''a' major battle, decisive battle
-'a' has a partner, -Hom. You can add -Hom to a noun to make it smaller or less
important.
may' battle
may'Hom minor battle, skirmish
Here are two images for those suffixes.
bigger, more important (suffix) is -'a' ('ah')

imagine that the bigger, more important university gives automatic A grades to
students who can collect enough sticks
smaller, less important (suffix) is -Hom (khom)
...and imagine a smaller, less important university operating in a room at the back of
your own home
Let's practise the suffixes now.
How do you say...

The planet. The major planet.
The planetoid (lit. the minor planet). The smaller moon.
The skirmish becomes a decisive battle.
The answers are...

yuQ. yuQ'a'.
yuQHom. maSHom.
may''a' moj may'Hom.
100
Now, how do you think you would say...
The man. The smaller man.
The woman. The smaller woman.
You probably answered...

loD. loDHom.
be'. be'Hom.
In fact, loDHom (literally "smaller man") is the Klingon word for "boy", and be'Hom
(literally "smaller woman") is the word for "girl".
How do you say...

The man sleeps. The boy sleeps.
The woman wakes up. The girl doesn't wake up.
The boy waits for the girl.
The answers are...

Qong loD. Qong loDHom.
vem be'. vembe' be'Hom.
be'Hom loS loDHom.
Sometimes it's necessary to use two or more suffixes at the same time.
There is a simple rule at the moment. The "bigger" and "smaller" suffixes always come
first.
may' battle
may'Hom skirmish
may'Hommey skirmishes
You should never say may'meyHom - that would not be correct Klingon.
How do you say...
The decisive battle. The decisive battles.
The skirmish. The skirmishes.
I attack the starships. I attack the bigger starships.
You defend the space stations. You defend the minor space stations.
The answers are...

may''a'. may''a'mey.
may'Hom. may'Hommey.
'ejDo'mey vIHIv. 'ejDo''a'mey vIHIv.
tengchaHmey DaHub. tenghchaHHommey DaHub.
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Let's learn some more useful verbs.
hides, cloaks is So' (shoh')

imagine hiding a big, sharp stick behind your back so you don't have to show it to
the police officer
guards is 'av ('ahv)
imagine guarding a priceless avocado while holding a big stick
scans is Hotlh (khohtl)
imagine scanning the rooms in a hotel for bugs and secret cameras
hunts is wam (wahm)
imagine taking a break from hunting to rest inside a wigwam
What is the English for wam

What is the English for Hotlh
What is the English for 'av
What is the English for So'
How do you say, in Klingon, hunts

How do you say, in Klingon, scans
How do you say, in Klingon, guards
How do you say, in Klingon, hides, cloaks
How do you say...
I hide the chocolate. I cloak the ship.
You hunt the animal. You guard the prisoner.
I can scan the food. I can't find a restaurant.
I don't want tea. I want the meat and the wine.
The answers are...

yuch vISo'. Duj vISo'.
Ha'DIbaH Dawam. qama' Da'av.
Soj vIHotlhlaH. Qe' vItu'laHbe'.
Dargh vIneHbe'. Ha'DIbaH HIq je vIneH.
You can add the suffix -wI' to many verbs. It is the equivalent of the English -er" and it
converts "attacks" into "attacker", "defends" into "defender" and "speaks" into "speaker".
HIv, HIvwI' attacks, attacker

Hub, HubwI' defends, defender
jatlh, jatlhwI' speaks, speaker
(pronounced khiv-WI', khoob-WI', jahtl-WI')
If you like, you can imagine that we want to find the doer of that action
How do you say...

I send it. The sender.
I buy it. The buyer.
The attacker has a bat'leth. The defender doesn't have a weapon.
The speaker waits for coffee. The killer hunts the Ferengi.
The answers are...

vIngeH. ngeHwI'.
vIje'. je'wI'.
betleH ghaj HIvwI'. nuH ghajbe' HubwI'.
qa'vIn loS jatlhwI'. verengan wam HoHwI'.
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You can use -wI' to make some very useful words.
So' means "hides, cloaks", so So'wI' means "hider, cloaker - in other words, a "cloaking
device".
Similarly, Hotlh means "scans", and therefore HotlhwI' means "scanner".
wamwI' is a "hunter" and 'avwI' is a "guarder" (in other words, a "guard").
What is the English for 'avwI'

What is the English for wamwI'
What is the English for HotlhwI'
What is the English for So'wI'
How do you say, in Klingon, guard

How do you say, in Klingon, hunter
How do you say, in Klingon, scanner
How do you say, in Klingon, cloaking device
How do you say...
I cloak it. The Bird-of-Prey has a cloaking device.
I scan it. The captain uses the scanner.
The guard hears the hunter.
The answers are...

vISo'. So'wI' ghaj toQDuj.
vIHotlh. HotlhwI' lo' HoD.
wamwI' Qoy 'avwI'.
In the previous lesson, you learned to add -laH to a verb to convert "I see" into "I can
see" or "I hear" into "I can hear".
You can also use -qang (kahng) which means "willing to".
-qang converts "I see" into "I am willing to see" or "I hear" into "I am willing to hear".
jIlegh I see
jIleghqang I am willing to see
jIQoy I hear
jIQoyqang I am willing to hear
So, imagine that I am willing to ride the kangaroo!
106
How do you say...
I read. I can read.
I am willing to read. I write.
I can write. I am willing to write.
You sell it. You are willing to sell it.
The answers are...

jIlaD. jIlaDlaH.
jIlaDqang. jIghItlh.
jIghItlhlaH. jIghItlhqang.
Dangev. Dangevqang.
Of course, if -qang means "willing to", then -qangbe' must mean "not willing to".
jIlegh I see
jIleghqang I am willing to see

jIleghqangbe' I am not willing to see
How do you say...

I speak. I am willing to speak.
I am not willing to speak. You kill.
You are willing to kill. You are not willing to kill.
The answers are...

jIjatlh. jIjatlhqang.
jIjatlhqangbe'. bIHoH.
bIHoHqang. bIHoHqangbe'.
In the same way, if -qang means "willing to", then -qang'a' must mean "are you willing
to?", "is she willing to?" and so on.
bIlegh You see
bIleghqang You are willing to see

bIleghqang'a' ? Are you willing to see?
How do you say...

You guard it. You are willing to guard it.
Are you willing to guard it? You obey me.
You are willing to obey me. Are you willing to obey me?
I am willing to hide you. I am willing to use the cloaking device.
The Klingon is willing to drink the beer but the human can't read the menu.
The soldier fires the torpedo. The soldiers fire the torpedoes.
I can't find the target. The hunter finds the targets.
The captain salutes the army. The guard doesn't trust the scanner.
The skirmish becomes a decisive battle. The boys and the girls.
The answers are...

Da'av. Da'avqang.
Da'avqang'a'? cholob.
cholobqang. cholobqang'a'?
qaSo'qang. So'wI' vIlo'qang.
HIq tlhutlhqang tlhIngan 'ach HIDjolev laDlaHbe' Human.
peng baH mang. cha baH negh.

DoS vItu'laHbe'. ray' tu' wamwI'.
mangghom van HoD. HotlhwI' voqbe' 'avwI'.
may''a' moj may'Hom. loDHompu' be'Hompu' je.
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Lesson 7
body porgh
head nach
arm DeS
hand ghop
leg 'uS
foot qam
heart tIq
blood 'Iw
(plural noun suffix for body parts) -Du'
guides Dev
follows, chases tlha'
watches bej
listens 'Ij
meets (for the first time) qIH
introduces lIH
chooses wIv
annoys nuQ
he (does something to) me (verb prefix) mu-

he (does something to) you (verb prefix) Du-
to be good QaQ
to be bad qab
to be new chu'
to be old (not new) ngo'
to be big tIn
to be small mach
to be hot tuj
to be cold bIr
Here are some words for parts of the body.
body is porgh (pohr-rh)

imagine that the bodies of poor people are buried together in one enormous grave
head is nach (nahch)
imagine finding someone's head inside a box of nachos!
arm is DeS (desh)
imagine that you can't decide which arm to use
hand is ghop (rhohp)
imagine that someone ties your hands together with a rope
leg is 'uS ('oosh)
imagine an usher at the theatre who has only one leg. It takes ages for them to show
you to your seat
foot is qam (kahm)
imagine buying an expensive new camera to take photos of your foot!
heart is tIq (tik)
imagine that your heart is ticking like a clock
blood is 'Iw ('eeoo)
imagine stirring a cauldron full of blood with a stick. Ewww, what a terrible smell!
110
What is the English for 'Iw
What is the English for tIq
What is the English for qam
What is the English for 'uS
What is the English for ghop
What is the English for DeS
What is the English for nach
What is the English for porgh
How do you say, in Klingon, blood

How do you say, in Klingon, heart
How do you say, in Klingon, foot
How do you say, in Klingon, leg
How do you say, in Klingon, hand
How do you say, in Klingon, arm
How do you say, in Klingon, head
How do you say, in Klingon, body
You already know how to talk about more than one thing.
Usually you just add the suffix -mey. However, for beings capable of language you add
the suffix -pu'.
nuH, nuHmey weapon, weapons

HoD, HoDpu' captain, captains
There are a few words which change completely.
peng, cha torpedo, torpedoes

DoS, ray' target, targets
mang, negh soldier, soldiers
There is just one more exception to the usual rule. Whenever you talk about more than
one body part, you add the suffix -Du'.
DeS, DeSDu' arm, arms

qam, qamDu' foot, feet
112
How do you say...
An arm and a leg. Hands and feet.
I find it. I find the body.
I don't find them. I don't find the bodies.
You look for it. You look for the head.
I see the blood and I hear the heart.
I visit it. I visit the major planet.

I visit the minor moons. The skirmish becomes a decisive battle.
The answers are...

DeS 'uS je. ghopDu' qamDu' je.
vItu'. porgh vItu'.
vItu'be'. porghDu' vItu'be'.
Danej. nach Danej.
'Iw vIlegh 'ej tIq vIQoy.
vISuch. yuQ'a' vISuch.

masHommey vISuch. may''a' moj may'Hom.
guides is Dev (dev)

imagine that your tour guide is called Dave
follows, chases is tlha' (tlah')
imagine following the largest person, who is carrying a flag on the end of a very long
stick
watches is bej (bej)
imagine sitting on a bench for hours, watching people as they walk past
listens is 'Ij ('ij)
imagine listening to each recording in your CD collection, one after the other. It
takes days, and when you're finished, you smash them all to pieces with a big stick
meets (for the first time) is qIH (kikh)
imagine meeting someone for the first time, and kicking sand in their face!
introduces is lIH (likh)
imagine a dog licking you all over your face, after you introduce yourself to its
owner
chooses is wIv (wiv)
imagine that, with your permission, we will choose one immediately
annoys is nuQ (nookkh)
imagine you annoy the Queen by stealing all her nukes
You should now be able to remember the difference between nuQ "annoys" and nuH
"weapon", because only one of the images contains the Queen symbol.
114
What is the English for nuQ
What is the English for wIv
What is the English for lIH
What is the English for qIH
What is the English for 'Ij
What is the English for bej
What is the English for tlha'
What is the English for Dev
How do you say, in Klingon, annoys

How do you say, in Klingon, chooses
How do you say, in Klingon, introduces
How do you say, in Klingon, meets (for the first time)
How do you say, in Klingon, listens
How do you say, in Klingon, watches
How do you say, in Klingon, follows, chases
How do you say, in Klingon, guides
It's time to learn some more verb prefixes.
When "he", "she" or "it" is doing something to "me", you use the prefix mu-.
mulob He obeys me
mulob She obeys me
mulob It obeys me
(pronounced moo-LOHB)
However, when "he", "she" or "it" is doing something to "you", you use the prefix Du-.
Dulob He obeys you

Dulob She obeys you
Dulob It obeys you
(pronounced (doo-LOHB)
Here is an image to help you remember mu- and Du-.
To symbolise the fact that "he", "she" or "it" is doing something, let's use a fancy dress
party where there are lots of boys, lots of girls - and several people in strange costumes
who might be either.
So, imagine there is a knock at the door. You open it to find some people in cow
costumes who are making a silly moo-ing noise (mu-). Before letting them in, you ask
"Do you have a bottle?" (Du-)
116
How do you say...
He follows me. He chases me.
She watches me. The Klingon watches me.
He listens to me (literally He listens me). The human listens to me.
It guards you. The alien guards you.
She chooses you. She doesn't choose me.
The captain meets the officer. The officer guides the captain.
The answers are...

mutlha'. mutlha'.
mubej. mubej tlhIngan.
mu'Ij. mu'Ij Human.
Du'av. Du'av nov.
DuwIv. muwIvbe'.
yaS qIH HoD. HoD Dev yaS.
A few lessons ago, you were given a simple rule to remember. That rule was...
When "I" am doing something or when "you" are doing something, you must use a
prefix. Otherwise, you don't use one.
It is now necessary to refine that rule a little.
You must use a prefix unless "he, she, it" is doing something to "him, her, it, them".
How do you say...
He annoys me. He annoys you.
I introduce you. I can introduce you.
I am willing to introduce you. I am not willing to introduce you.
You follow me. Are you willing to follow me?
The captain hides the chocolate. The Klingon cloaks the ship.
I have it. I have the cloaking device.

The boy watches the girl. The girl doesn't chase the boy.
The answers are...

munuQ. DunuQ.
qalIH. qalIHlaH.
qalIHqang. qalIHqangbe'.
chotlha'. chotlha'qang'a'?
yuch So' HoD. Duj So' tlhIngan.
vIghaj. So'wI' vIghaj.

be'Hom bej loDHom. loDHom tlha'be' be'Hom.
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Now let's talk about "adjectives". Adjectives, like the English words "big", "old" and
"happy", are describing words.
The Klingon language doesn't have any adjectives. Instead, it uses verbs which mean
"to be big", "to be old", "to be happy" and so on.
Let's learn some of these words now.
to be good is QaQ (kkhahkkh)

imagine the Queens of two neighbouring countries complimenting each other on
how good they look dressed in khaki!
to be bad is qab (kahb)
imagine that carbs are bad for you!
to be new is chu' (choo')
imagine that you chew on a stick that's brand new
to be old (not new) is ngo' (ng-oh')
imagine visiting a jumble sale (or a yard sale). After finding just one old stick, you
pay 'n' go!
to be big is tIn (tin)
imagine drinking from a tin that's bigger than you are
to be small is mach (mach)
imagine inventing a device that can shrink you down small enough to fit into a
matchbox
to be hot is tuj (tooj)
imagine that you touch something extremely hot and burn yourself
to be cold is bIr (bir)
imagine drinking a nice, cold beer
What is the English for bIr
What is the English for tuj
What is the English for mach
What is the English for tIn
What is the English for ngo'
What is the English for chu'
What is the English for qab
What is the English for QaQ
How do you say, in Klingon, to be cold

How do you say, in Klingon, to be hot
How do you say, in Klingon, to be small
How do you say, in Klingon, to be big
How do you say, in Klingon, to be old (not new)
How do you say, in Klingon, to be new
How do you say, in Klingon, to be bad
How do you say, in Klingon, to be good
120
QaQ means "to be good", but it also translates "is good".
Now you know how to say a sentence like "the restaurant is good". (Because Klingon
word order is back-to-front, you have to say "is good - the restaurant".)
QaQ Qe' The restaurant is good
How do you say...

The restaurant is bad. The food is good.
The tea is hot. The coffee is cold.
The body is big but the head is small.
The answers are...

qab Qe'. QaQ Soj.
tuj Dargh. bIr qa'vIn.
tIn porgh 'ach mach nach.
QaQ means "is good", so QaQbe' must mean "is not good".
QaQbe' Qe' The restaurant is not good
How do you say...

The menu is new. The menu is not new.
The meat is old. The meat is not old.
The answers are...

chu' HIDjolev. chu'be' HIDjolev.
ngo' Ha'DIbaH. ngo'be' Ha'DIbaH.
If you want to say "I see" or "I hear", then of course you use the prefix jI-.
jIlegh I see
jIQoy I hear
You use the same prefix when you want to say "I am good", "I am bad" and so on.
jIQaQ I am good
jIqab I am bad
This is another situation in which we don't have to think about the word order,
because the sentence contains only one word.
How do you say...

I am big. I am small.
The answers are...

jItIn. jImach.
If you want to say "you are good", then you'll use a different prefix.
jIQaQ I am good
bIQaQ You are good
122
How do you say...
I am big. You are big.
I am small. You are small.
The answers are...

jItIn. bItIn.
jImach. bImach.
You already know that when "he" or "she" is doing something, you don't need a prefix.
QaQ He is good
QaQ She is good
How do you say...

The Klingon is big. He is big.
The human is small. She is small.
I am big but you are small.
The answers are...

tIn tlhIngan. tIn.
mach Human. mach.
jItIn 'ach bImach.
Finally, here's how to say "I am not good".
jIQaQ I am good
jIQaQbe' I am not good
The prefixes and suffixes you're learning can be used with adjective-verbs like "to be
good" and "to be bad", as well as with ordinary verbs likes "sees" and "hears".
How do you say...
I am not good. You are not bad.
She is big. He is not small.
The beer is new. The wine is not old.
Are you hot? No, I am cold.
I have hands and feet. You have arms and legs.
The doctor scans the heart. The patient listens to the scanner.
The Ferengi dislikes blood. The hunter hunts the animal.
The tribble annoys the guard. Can you introduce me?
I meet the captain and the captain chooses the restaurant.
She is willing to guide me but she is not willing to guide you.
The answers are...

jIQaQbe'. bIqabbe'.
tIn. machbe'.
chu' HIq. ngo'be' HIq.
bItuj'a'? ghobe', jIbIr.
ghopDu' qamDu' je vIghaj. DeSDu' 'uSDu' je Daghaj.
tIq Hotlh Qel. HotlhwI' 'Ij SID.

'Iw par verengan. Ha'DIbaH wam wamwI'.
'avwI' nuQ yIH. cholIHlaH'a'?
HoD vIqIH 'ej Qe' wIv HoD.
muDevqang 'ach DuDevqangbe'.
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Lesson 8
lives yIn
dies Hegh
cooks vut
serves food jab
arrives paw
departs tlheD
carries qeng
brings qem
one wa'
two cha'
three wej
four loS
five vagh
six jav
seven Soch
eight chorgh
nine Hut
ten wa'maH
I / me jIH
you SoH
he, she / him, her ghaH
lives is yIn (yin)

imagine a condemned prisoner who yearns to live
dies is Hegh (kherh)
imagine being sentenced to die because of your unusual hairstyle
cooks is vut (voot)
imagine cutting off your own foot and cooking it for dinner!
serves food is jab (jahb)
imagine serving food to Jabba the Hutt
arrives is paw (pow)
imagine that Superman uses his super-powers to arrive almost instantly
departs is tlheD (tled)
imagine that trains carrying shipments of the lead have already departed
carries is qeng (keng)
imagine being ordered to carry the King
brings is qem (kem)
imagine that someone is bringing lots of dangerous chemicals
126
What is the English for qem
What is the English for qeng
What is the English for tlheD
What is the English for paw
What is the English for jab
What is the English for vut
What is the English for Hegh
What is the English for yIn
How do you say, in Klingon, brings

How do you say, in Klingon, carries
How do you say, in Klingon, departs
How do you say, in Klingon, arrives
How do you say, in Klingon, serves food
How do you say, in Klingon, cooks
How do you say, in Klingon, dies
How do you say, in Klingon, lives
How do you say...
I cook. You serve (food).
I arrive. You don't depart.
I can carry it. You can bring it.
The human lives. The Klingon is willing to die.
He follows me. The child follows me.
He chases you. The child chases you.
The answers are...

jIvut. bIjab.
jIpaw. bItlheDbe'.
vIqenglaH. DaqemlaH.
yIn Human. Heghqang tlhIngan.
mutlha'. mutlha' puq.
Dutlha'. Dutlha' puq.
128
Klingons count in tens, just as most humans do. In this lesson we'll learn the numbers
from one to ten.
It would be rather difficult to remember images featuring seven things, or nine things.
Instead, we'll use rhyming words to represent each number.
one is wa' (wah')

one sounds like gun. So, imagine trying to carve a gun from an ordinary stick, while
a baby is crying in the next room - "wahhh!"
two is cha' (chah')
two sounds like shoe. So, imagine trying to dance the cha-cha-cha while wearing a
pair of clown's shoes - someone tries to trip you up with a stick!
three is wej (wej)
three sounds like tree. So, imagine trying to drive a wedge into the trunk of a tree
four is loS (lohsh)
four sounds like door. So, imagine spreading suntan lotion on yourself and then on
your front door
five is vagh (vahrh)
five sounds like hive. So, imagine an enormous beehive which can be seen from far
away
six is jav (jahv)
six sounds like kicks. So, imagine a clueless athlete who, instead of throwing the
javelin, kicks it
seven is Soch (shohch)
seven sounds like heaven. So, imagine a preacher who promises to show just how to
get into heaven
eight is chorgh (chohr-rh)
eight sounds like gate. So, imagine that your daily chores include painting the
garden gate
nine is Hut (khoot)
nine sounds like mine. So, imagine that the entrance to the mine has collapsed, but
you can still hear some miners inside, sounding their hooters
ten is wa'maH (wah'-MAHKH)
ten sounds like hen. So, imagine that we make the hens lay eggs every day
What is the English for wa'
What is the English for cha'
What is the English for wej
What is the English for loS
What is the English for vagh
What is the English for jav
What is the English for Soch
What is the English for chorgh
What is the English for Hut
What is the English for wa'maH
How do you say, in Klingon, one

How do you say, in Klingon, two
How do you say, in Klingon, three
How do you say, in Klingon, four
How do you say, in Klingon, five
How do you say, in Klingon, six
How do you say, in Klingon, seven
How do you say, in Klingon, eight
How do you say, in Klingon, nine
How do you say, in Klingon, ten
130
Here is how to talk about two captains, two heads and so on.
HoDpu' captains
cha' HoDpu' two captains
nachDu' heads
cha' nachDu' two heads
nuHmey weapons
cha' nuHmey two weapons
In fact, when you use a number, you can leave out -pu', -Du' and -mey altogether. Both
of the following sentences are correct.
cha' HoDpu' two captains

cha' HoD two captains
In this exercise, leave out -pu', -Du' and -mey, and concentrate on the numbers.
How do you say...

one body, two heads
five arms, six legs
nine hands, ten feet
three men, four women
I choose a weapon. I choose seven weapons.
The answers are...

wa' porgh, cha' nach
vagh DeS, jav 'uS
Hut ghop, wa'maH qam
wej loD, loS be'
nuH vIwIv. Soch nuH vIwIv.
For the time being, whenever you say "two captains" or "three cloaking devices" you
should probably include -pu', -Du' and -mey. The more you practise the suffixes, the
easier they will become.
How do you say...

Eight children. I can see eight children.
Two hearts. The animal has two hearts.
Ten tribbles. The Klingon kills ten tribbles.
I am good. You are bad.
I am not big. You are not small.
The answers are...

chorgh puqpu'. chorgh puqpu' vIleghlaH.
(*or chorgh puq. chorgh puq vIleghlaH.)
cha' tIqDu'. cha' tIqDu' ghaj Ha'DIbaH.
(*or cha' tIq. cha' tIq ghaj Ha'DIbaH.)
wa'maH yIHmey. wa'maH yIHmey HoH tlhIngan.
(*or wa'maH yIH. wa'maH yIH HoH tlhIngan.)
jIQaQ. bIqab.
jItInbe'. bImachbe'.
132
When you translate into Klingon, you normally miss out the words I, "me", "you", "he",
"him", "she" and "her". Those words aren't needed because the prefix tells us who is
being discussed.
qavoq I trust you

chovoq You trust me
However, in some situations you will need to use the word which means I or the
words which mean "you", "he" and "she", so let's learn them now.
I is jIH (jikh)
imagine that I am very cheeky
you is SoH (shohkh)
imagine that you are in shock
Klingon has a single word which means both "he" and "she".
he, she is ghaH (rhahkh)

imagine that you have a brother and a sister. Both he and she are going on holiday
to Iraq!
What is the English for ghaH
What is the English for SoH
What is the English for jIH
How do you say, in Klingon, he, she

How do you say, in Klingon, you
How do you say, in Klingon, I
Although you normally miss these words out, there are a few situations where you
need to include them.
One such situation is when you want to say "I am a human" or "you are a Klingon".
Human jIH I am a human
In this sentence, jIH translates "I am". You are literally saying "a human, I am".
Here are some other examples.
tlhIngan SoH You are a Klingon

verengan ghaH He is a Ferengi / She is a Ferengi
Here, SoH translates "you are" and ghaH translates "he is" or "she is".
134
How do you say...
I am the captain. You are an officer.
I am a Terran. You are a Vulcan.
She is a friend. He is an enemy.
The answers are...

HoD jIH. yaS SoH.
tera'ngan jIH. vulqangan SoH.
jup ghaH. jagh ghaH.
We usually use a prefix to translate I, "you", "he" and "she". Sometimes, however, the
prefix doesn't tell us exactly who is being discussed. For example, the following
sentence can have up to four different meanings.
vIvoq I trust him; I trust her; I trust it; I trust them
However, the next sentence is a little clearer - it is "him" or "her" that I trust.
ghaH vIvoq I trust him

ghaH vIvoq I trust her
If it's not obvious from the context of the conversation, you can use ghaH to clarify who
you trust.
How do you say...

I guide him. I meet her.
You watch her. You listen to him.
The answers are...

ghaH vIDev. ghaH vIqIH.
(*or vIDev. vIqIH.)
ghaH Dabej. ghaH Da'Ij.
(*or Dabej. Da'Ij.)
You can use jIH, SoH and ghaH to translate "I am a captain" and so on. You can also use
them to clarify who is being discussed. However, most of the time these words are
used for emphasis.
In English, you raise your voice to emphasise something. Instead of saying "I trust you",
you might say "I trust you!"
In Klingon, you don't raise your voice. Instead, you add the word jIH, SoH or ghaH to
the sentence.
qavoq I trust you

qavoq jIH I trust you!
As always, "I" comes first in the English sentence, so it comes last in the Klingon
sentence.
When you add jIH, SoH or ghaH for emphasis, the prefix doesn't change. You might
find it easier to work out the unemphasised sentence first.
How do you say...

I annoy you. I annoy you!
You introduce me. You introduce me!
I don't eat the chocolate. She eats the chocolate.
You don't drink the wine. He drinks the wine.
The answers are...

qanuQ. qanuQ jIH.
cholIH. cholIH SoH.
yuch vISopbe'. yuch Sop ghaH.
HIq Datlhutlhbe'. HIq tlhutlh ghaH.
136
Here is how to say "I trust you".
qavoq I trust you

SoH qavoq I trust you!
"You" comes last in the English sentence, so it comes first in the Klingon sentence.
How do you say...

I see you. I see you.
I hear you. I hear you.
The answers are...

qalegh. SoH qalegh.
qaQoy. SoH qaQoy.
jIH means I, but it also means "me". ghaH can mean him and "her", as well as "he"
and "she".
How do you say...

I carry you. I carry you.
You carry me. You carry me.
I ask him. I ask him.
He asks me. He asks me.
I wait for you. I wait for you.
The answers are...

qaqeng. qaqeng jIH.
choqeng. jIH choqeng.
vItlhob. ghaH vItlhob.
mutlhob. mutlhob ghaH.
qaloS. SoH qaloS.
Occasionally, you might need to emphasise two words!
qavoq I trust you

SoH qavoq jIH I trust you!
Even when you emphasise two words, you still need to use the qa- prefix.
How do you say...

I ask you. I ask you.
You ask her. You ask her.
She brings a pet. She brings a pet.
The answers are...

qatlhob. SoH qatlhob jIH.
Datlhob. ghaH Datlhob SoH.
Saj qem. Saj qem ghaH.
To summarise, you should use jIH, SoH and ghaH to:
emphasise someone
clarify who is being discussed, if it is not already clear
translate "I am a...", "you are a...", "he is a...", "she is a..." and so on
138
How do you say...
I understand you. I understand you.
I understand you. You understand me.
Do you see me? No, I see her.
He can serve (food). I can't cook.
I am willing to die. Are you willing to live?
One captain arrives. Two captains depart.

She is a Lady. He is a child.
I am a soldier and you are the enemy.
The beer is cold but the blood is hot.
The weapon is not new. The cloaking device is not old.
The answers are...

qayaj. qayaj jIH.
SoH qayaj jIH. jIH choyaj.
cholegh'a'? ghobe', ghaH vIlegh.
jablaH ghaH. jIvutlaHbe'.
jIHeghqang. bIyInqang'a'?
paw wa' HoD. tlheD cha' HoDpu'.

(*or tlheD cha' HoD.)
joH ghaH. puq ghaH.
mang jIH 'ej jagh SoH.
bIr HIq 'ach tuj 'Iw.
chu'be' nuH. ngo'be' So'wI'.
Lesson 9
serves (a master) toy'
servant toy'wI'
slave toy'wI''a'
boss pIn
entity Dol
son puqloD
daughter puqbe'
husband loDnal
wife be'nal
to be old (not young) qan

to be young Qup
to be clean Say'
to be dirty lam
to be strong HoS
to be weak puj
to be happy Quch
to be unhappy QuchHa'
very (verb suffix) -qu'
now DaH
soon tugh
today DaHjaj
tomorrow wa'leS
yesterday wa'Hu'
140
You already know that jab means "serves (food)". However, there is a different Klingon
word which means "serves (a master)".
So, serves (a master) is toy' (toy')

imagine that you serve the master by bringing him toys to play with. When he gets
bored, he smashes them to bits with a big stick
Of course, since Klingon is a gender-neutral language, the same word also translates
"serves (a mistress)".
How do you say...

I serve you (implying, you are my master).
I serve you (implying, I am your waiter).
The answers are...

qatoy'.
qajab.
We can use toy' to make some other words.
servant is toy'wI' (toy'-WI')

this word literally means server"
slave is toy'wI''a' (toy'-wi'-'AH')
this word literally means "major server"
boss is pIn (pin)
imagine that you leave a sharp pin on your boss's chair!
entity is Dol (dohl)
imagine a mysterious entity which loves playing with dolls
Here are a few more family words.
son is puqloD (pook-LOHD)

this word literally means "child-man"
daughter is puqbe' (pook-BE')
this word literally means "child-woman"
husband is loDnal (lohd-NAHL)
wife is be'nal (be'-NAHL)
to remember the -nal part of these words, imagine a husband and wife who are
arguing over a nail
142
What is the English for be'nal
What is the English for loDnal
What is the English for puqbe'
What is the English for puqloD
What is the English for Dol
What is the English for pIn
What is the English for toy'wI''a'
What is the English for toy'wI'
How do you say, in Klingon, wife

How do you say, in Klingon, husband
How do you say, in Klingon, daughter
How do you say, in Klingon, son
How do you say, in Klingon, entity
How do you say, in Klingon, boss
How do you say, in Klingon, slave
How do you say, in Klingon, servant
Here are some more adjective-verbs for you to learn.
In Klingon there are two words for "old". ngo' means "not new", but there is a different
word for when you want to say "not young".
to be old (not young) is qan (kahn)

imagine that old people prefer to drink tea from a can
to be young is Qup (kkhoop)
imagine that when the Queen was young, she enjoyed playing in a chicken coop
to be clean is Say' (shai')
imagine a very shy person sitting alone at a party, cleaning a stick
to be dirty is lam (lahm)
imagine a dirty lamb which has been frolicking in the fields all day long
to be strong is HoS (khohsh)
imagine that a hush descends when the strong weightlifter arrives
to be weak is puj (pooj)
imagine a pooch which is so weak, it can't even chew a bone
to be happy is Quch (kkhooch)
imagine that the Queen is only happy when she is sitting alone on her couch
to be unhappy is QuchHa' (kkhooch-KHAH')
imagine the Queen is very unhappy that you've left the couch here. In fact, she's
waving a big stick at you!
144
What is the English for QuchHa'
What is the English for Quch
What is the English for puj
What is the English for HoS
What is the English for lam
What is the English for Say'
What is the English for Qup
What is the English for qan
How do you say, in Klingon, to be unhappy

How do you say, in Klingon, to be happy
How do you say, in Klingon, to be weak
How do you say, in Klingon, to be strong
How do you say, in Klingon, to be dirty
How do you say, in Klingon, to be clean
How do you say, in Klingon, to be young
How do you say, in Klingon, to be old (not young)
How do you say...
The boss is old. The servant is young.
The slave is weak. The entity is strong.
The husband is happy. The wife is unhappy.
The son is dirty. The daughter is clean.
I serve you (implying you are my mistress).
I am willing to serve you. I am not willing to serve him.

I am the boss. You are a prisoner.
He is a patient. She is the doctor.
The answers are...

qan pIn. Qup toy'wI'.
puj toy'wI''a'. HoS Dol.
Quch loDnal. QuchHa' be'nal.
lam puqloD. Say' puqbe'.
qatoy'.
qatoy'qang. vItoy'qangbe'.
pIn jIH. qama' SoH.
SID ghaH. Qel ghaH.
You already know how to say "the human is weak".
puj Human The human is weak
Here is how to say "the weak human".
Human puj The weak human
In both cases, the word order in Klingon is back-to-front. If you want to say "the human
is weak", you literally say "is weak - the human". If you want to say "the weak human",
you literally say "the human - weak".
146
How do you say...
The boss is happy. The happy boss.
The servant is strong. The strong servant.
The old son. The young daughter.
The slave arrives. The unhappy slave arrives.
The entity departs. The weak entity departs.
The answers are...

Quch pIn. pIn Quch.
HoS toy'wI'. toy'wI' HoS.
puqloD qan. puqbe' Qup.
paw toy'wI''a'. paw toy'wI''a' QuchHa'.
tlheD Dol. tlheD Dol puj.
A very useful verb suffix is -qu' (koo'). It means "very".

pujqu' Human The human is very weak
If you'd like an image, you could imagine standing in a very long queue!
How do you say...

The animal is dirty. The animal is very dirty.
The restaurant is clean. The restaurant is very clean.
The answers are...

lam Ha'DIbaH. lamqu' Ha'DIbaH.
Say' Qe'. Say'qu' Qe'.
Regardless of whether you want to say "the human is very weak" or "the very weak
human", -qu' is always added to the describing word, "weak".

Human puj The weak human

Human pujqu' The very weak human
How do you say...

The small man. The very small man.
The man is very small. A good woman.
A very good woman. The woman is very good.
The servant lives. The very strong servant lives.
The slave dies. The very weak slave dies.
The answers are...

loD mach. loD machqu'.
machqu' loD. be' QaQ.
be' QaQqu'. QaQqu' be'.
yIn toy'wI'. yIn toy'wI' HoSqu'.
Hegh toy'wI''a'. Hegh toy'wI''a' pujqu'.
148
By now you'll be familiar with several verb suffixes, including -be', -'a', -laH, -qang and
-qu'.
Many Klingon sentences use a single verb suffix.
Sometimes, though, you'll need to add two or even more suffixes to a single word.
Which suffix should come first?
The short answer is "it all depends". The rules are very strict, so we'll be talking a lot
more about the correct order in later lessons.
For the time being, you won't be making a mistake if you make sure that -qu' "very"
comes before all of the others.

pujqu'be' Human The human is not very weak
How do you say...

The Klingon is strong. The Klingon is very strong.
The Klingon is not very strong. The human is weak.
The human is very weak. Is the human very weak?
The tea is not hot. The tea is not very hot.
Is the coffee hot? Is the coffee very hot?
The answers are...

HoS tlhIngan. HoSqu' tlhIngan.
HoSqu'be' tlhIngan. puj Human.
pujqu' Human. pujqu''a' Human?
tujbe' Dargh. tujqu'be' Dargh.
tuj'a' qa'vIn? tujqu''a' qa'vIn?
Let's quickly practise counting from one to ten.
How do you say...

one man, two men
three women, four children
five menus, six beers
seven bodies, eight heads
I bring nine friends. You carry ten tribbles.
The answers are...

wa' loD, cha' loDpu'
(*or cha' loD)
wej be'pu', loS puqpu'
(*or wej be', loS puq)
vagh HIDjolevmey, jav HIqmey
(*or vagh HIDjolev, jav HIq)
Soch porghDu', chorgh nachDu'
(*or Soch porgh, chorgh nach)
Hut juppu' vIqem. wa'maH yIHmey Daqeng.
(*or Hut jup vIqem. wa'maH yIH Daqeng.)
150
Let's learn some simple time words.
now is DaH (dahkh)

imagine that it is dark now
soon is tugh (toorh)
imagine that you will get a free tour of the city soon
today is DaHjaj (dahkh-JAHJ)
imagine that today, the court has appointed a duck as a judge
tomorrow is wa'leS (wah'-LESH)
imagine that tomorrow you will change your name to Wallace! You write down the
new name on a stick so you don't forget it
yesterday is wa'Hu' (wah'-KHOO')
imagine that yesterday you declared war on the person who took your sticks
What is the English for wa'Hu'
What is the English for wa'leS
What is the English for DaHjaj
What is the English for tugh
What is the English for DaH
How do you say, in Klingon, yesterday

How do you say, in Klingon, tomorrow
How do you say, in Klingon, today
How do you say, in Klingon, soon
How do you say, in Klingon, now
In English, time words like "soon" can come almost anywhere in the sentence.
I will cook it soon.

I will soon cook it.
Soon, it will be ready.
In Klingon, things are much simpler. All the time words usually go right to the
beginning of the sentence, before everything else.
vIneH I want it
DaH vIneH I want it now
How do you say...

I cook it. I cook it now.
You read it. You read it today.
The answers are...

vIvut. DaH vIvut.
DalaD. DaHjaj DalaD.
152
In English there are a number of different ways to talk about the past, present and
future.
I cooked it (talking about the past)

I cook it, I do cook it (talking about the present)
I will cook it, I am going to cook it (talking about the future)
In Klingon it's not possible to talk directly about the past, present and future. However,
you can often use time words like "now", "soon", "today", "tomorrow" and "yesterday"
instead.
Take a look at this sentence.
wa'leS vIvut I will cook it tomorrow (lit. I cook it tomorrow)
When you translate from English into Klingon you can miss out the word "will" and use
"today", "tomorrow" or "soon" instead.
How do you say...

I find it. I will find it tomorrow (lit. I find it tomorrow).
I look for it. I will look for it soon (lit. I look for it soon).
The answers are...

vItu'. wa'leS vItu'.
vInej. tugh vInej.
The same applies when you say that you are going to do something.
wa'leS vIvut I will cook it tomorrow

wa'leS vIvut I am going to cook it tomorrow
When you translate from English into Klingon you should miss out "will", and you
should also miss out "am going to", "are going to" and "is going to". Both of the sentences
above literally mean "I cook it tomorrow".
How do you say...

I drink it. I will drink it tomorrow.
I am going to drink it tomorrow. You ask me.
You are going to ask me tomorrow. You will ask me soon.
The answers are...

vItlhutlh. wa'leS vItlhutlh.
wa'leS vItlhutlh. chotlhob.
wa'leS chotlhob. tugh chotlhob.
Now take a look at this sentence.
wa'Hu' vIvut I cooked it yesterday (lit. I cook it yesterday)
When you translate from English into Klingon you can say "I cook" rather than "I
cooked", because the word "yesterday" makes it clear that you are talking about the past.
How do you say...

I kill it. I killed it yesterday.
You eat it. You ate it yesterday.
The answers are..

vIHoH. wa'Hu' vIHoH.
DaSop. wa'Hu' DaSop.
To summarise, Klingon sentences are the same in the past, present and future. It is
words like "yesterday", "today" and "tomorrow" that distinguish one time from another.
How do you say...

I speak. I spoke yesterday.
I buy it now. I will buy it soon.
I am going to buy it tomorrow. You can buy it today.
The husband is happy. The happy husband.
154
The wife is very young. The very young wife.
I see him. I see him.

I see him. You help me.
I do not trust you!
The answers are...

jIjatlh. wa'Hu' jIjatlh.
DaH vIje'. tugh vIje'.
wa'leS vIje'. DaHjaj Daje'laH.
Quch loDnal. loDnal Quch.
Qupqu' be'nal. be'nal Qupqu'.
vIlegh. vIlegh jIH.

ghaH vIlegh. jIH choQaH.
SoH qavoqbe' jIH.
Lesson 10
home juH
room pa'
door lojmIt
window Qorwagh
stairs letlh
table raS
chair quS
bed QongDaq
enters, goes in 'el

stands Qam
sits ba'
lies (reclines) Qot
to be open poS
to be closed SoQ
cause something to happen (verb suffix) -moH
in, on, at (noun suffix) -Daq
here, the area around here naDev

there, the area over there pa'
everywhere, all places Dat
need to (verb suffix) -nIS

afraid to (verb suffix) -vIp
156
Here are the words for some things found around the home.
home is juH (jookh)

imagine installing a jukebox in your home
room is pa' (pah')
imagine that your father, Pa, builds a new room using only sticks
door is lojmIt (lohj-MIT)
imagine that the members of the lodge meet in secret behind a locked door
window is Qorwagh (kkhohr-WAH-RH)
imagine that the Queen leans through a window to pass an apple core to a Klingon
warrior stairs is letlh (letl)
imagine someone refuses to let you up the stairs
table is raS (rahsh)
imagine that everyone who sits at the table gets a terrible rash
chair is quS (koosh)
imagine putting a comfortable cushion on the hard, wooden chair
bed is QongDaq (kkhohng-DAHK)
this word literally means "sleep-place". To remember the -Daq part, imagine that you
can't fall asleep in your bed because you're afraid of the dark
What is the English for QongDaq
What is the English for quS
What is the English for raS
What is the English for letlh
What is the English for Qorwagh
What is the English for lojmIt
What is the English for pa'
What is the English for juH
How do you say, in Klingon, bed

How do you say, in Klingon, chair
How do you say, in Klingon, table
How do you say, in Klingon, stairs
How do you say, in Klingon, window
How do you say, in Klingon, door
How do you say, in Klingon, room
How do you say, in Klingon, home
158
enters, goes in is 'el ('el)

imagine that you manage to enter the broken elevator by prising open the door with
a stick
stands is Qam (kkhahm)
imagine that the Queen stands in front of her people, urging them to be calm
sits is ba' (bah')
imagine sitting at the bar and using a long, hooked stick to steal other people's
drinks!
lies (reclines) is Qot (kkhoht)
imagine that the Queen tries to lie down in a baby's cot
Here are a couple of adjective-verbs.
to be open is poS (pohsh)

imagine that the door of the posh house is wide open
to be closed is SoQ (shohkkh)
imagine that the Queen receives an electric shock every time she closes the door
What is the English for SoQ
What is the English for poS
What is the English for Qot
What is the English for ba'
What is the English for Qam
What is the English for 'el
How do you say, in Klingon, to be closed

How do you say, in Klingon, to be open
How do you say, in Klingon, lies (reclines)
How do you say, in Klingon, sits
How do you say, in Klingon, stands
How do you say, in Klingon, enters, goes in
160
How do you say...
The home is clean. The room is dirty.
The door is open. The window is closed.
I see the stairs. I don't see the bed.
I can see the table. I can't see the chair.
I stand but you sit. I am willing to enter.
I want it now. You want it today.

I will eat it tomorrow. I am going to eat it tomorrow.
You will find it soon. Are you going to find it soon?
I found it yesterday.
The answers are...

Say' juH. lam pa'.
poS lojmIt. SoQ Qorwagh.
letlh vIlegh. QongDaq vIleghbe'.
raS vIleghlaH. quS vIleghlaHbe'.
jIQam 'ach bIba'. jI'elqang.
DaH vIneH. DaHjaj DaneH.

wa'leS vISop. wa'leS vISop.
tugh Datu'. tugh Datu''a'?
wa'Hu' vItu'.
Here is how to say "I open the door" or "I close the window".
Let's start with the verb suffix -moH (mohkh), which means "cause something to happen".
It turns "to be open" into "to cause something to be open", and it turns "to be closed" into
"to cause something to be closed".
poS to be open
poSmoH to cause something to be open
SoQ to be closed
SoQmoH to cause something to be closed
Of course, in English you wouldn't normally say "I cause it to be open". You would just
say "I open it".
vIpoSmoH I cause it to be open / I open it
Likewise, you wouldn't normally say "I cause it to be closed". You would just say "I close
it".
vISoQmoH I cause it to be closed / I close it
How do you say...

The door is open. I cause it to be open (i.e. I open it).
I open the door. The window is closed.
I cause it to be closed (i.e. I close it). I close the window.
The answers are...

poS lojmIt. vIpoSmoH.
lojmIt vIpoSmoH. SoQ Qorwagh.
vISoQmoH. Qorwagh vISoQmoH.
162
In fact, you have already met the suffix -moH.
ghoj learns
ghojmoH teaches (i.e. causes someone to learn)
Let's take a moment to practise the words that use -moH.
How do you say...

The window is open. I open the window.
The door is not closed. I close the door.
I learn it. I teach you.
You teach me. Can you teach me?
The answers are...

poS Qorwagh. Qorwagh vIpoSmoH.
SoQbe' lojmIt. lojmIt vISoQmoH.
vIghoj. qaghojmoH.
choghojmoH. choghojmoHlaH'a'?
Here is how to say "in the room", "on the table", "at home" and so on.
Klingon has a single suffix which means "in", "on" and "at". That suffix is -Daq (dahk).
-Daq transforms "the room" into "in the room". It also transforms "the table" into "on the
table" and "home" into "at home".
pa', pa'Daq the room, in the room

raS, raSDaq the table, on the table
juH, juHDaq home, at home
How do you say...
on the table, on the chair
in the room, in the bed
at home, at the restaurant
I sit on the stairs (literally On the stairs, I sit). I don't sit in the room.
You lie on the bed. You don't lie on the table.
The wife waits at the restaurant. The husband sleeps at home.
The answers are...

raSDaq, quSDaq
pa'Daq, QongDaqDaq
juHDaq, Qe'Daq
letlhDaq jIba'. pa'Daq jIba'be'.
QongDaqDaq bIQot. raSDaq bIQotbe'.
Qe'Daq loS be'nal. juHDaq Qong loDnal.
Now we'll learn three very important words - "here", "there" and "everywhere".
In Klingon, these words are nouns, so their meaning is actually closer to "the area
around here", "the area over there" and "all places".
here, the area around here is naDev (nah-DEV)

imagine that the spy will nod if it's safe to talk here
The word for "there" or "the area over there" is the same as the word for room - pa'.
everywhere, all places is Dat (daht)

imagine looking everywhere for a dartboard
164
What is the English for Dat
What is the English for pa'
What is the English for naDev
How do you say, in Klingon, everywhere, all places

How do you say, in Klingon, there, the area over there
How do you say, in Klingon, here, the area around here
The three words you've just learned are never used with -Daq. If you ever want to say
"in here", "on here" or "at here", you just say "here".
jIba' I sit
raSDaq jIba' I sit on the table
naDev jIba' I sit (on) here
How do you say...

I sit on the chair. I sit (on) here.
You stand on the table. You stand (on) here.
The servant waits at the space station. The servant waits (at) there.
The boss travels everywhere.
The answers are...

quSDaq jIba'. naDev jIba'.
raSDaq bIQam. naDev bIQam.
tengchaHDaq loS toy'wI'. pa' loS toy'wI'.
Dat leng pIn.
Although -Daq is never used with pa' when it means "there", it can be used with pa'
when it means "room".
Therefore, whenever you hear the word pa'Daq, you will know that the speaker means
"in the room" and not "in there".
How do you say...

I sleep in the room. I sleep (in) there.
The entity is weak. The weak entity.
The captain is strong. The very strong captain.
I am young. You are old.
I am not old. I am not very old.
You are happy. Are you very happy?

The unhappy captain is not willing to wait here.
The answers are...

pa'Daq jIQong. pa' jIQong.
puj Dol. Dol puj.
HoS HoD. HoD HoSqu'.
jIQup. bIqan.
jIqanbe'. jIqanqu'be'.
bIQuch. bIQuchqu''a'?
naDev loSqangbe' HoD QuchHa'.
166
Here are two more verb suffixes you'll often hear.
-nIS means "need to". It transforms "I speak" into "I need to speak", "I wait" into "I need to
wait" and "I ask you" into "I need to ask you".
jIjatlh I speak
jIjatlhnIS I need to speak
So, imagine that a successful business needs to find its own niche.
How do you say...

I enter. I need to enter.
You stand. You need to stand.
I need to ask you. You need to answer me.
The answers are...

jI'el. jI'elnIS.
bIQam. bIQamnIS.
qatlhobnIS. chojangnIS.
English speakers will often say something like "I need to speak", but they might also say
"I have to speak" or "I must speak".
Although the dictionary definition of -nIS is "need to", in most situations it's reasonable
to use -nIS to translate "have to" and "must".
jIjatlhnIS I need to speak / I have to speak / I must speak
Be careful that you don't confuse "have" and "have to"!
vIghaj I have it (implying It's in my pocket)

jIjatlhnIS I have to speak (meaning I need to speak)
How do you say...
I read it. I need to read it.
I have to read it. I eat it.
I have to eat it. You have to drink it.
I must sleep. I must not sleep.
You have to help me. You don't have to help me.
You have it. I have a son and a daughter.
The answers are...

vIlaD. vIlaDnIS.
vIlaDnIS. vISop.
vISopnIS. DatlhutlhnIS.
jIQongnIS. jIQongnISbe'.
choQaHnIS. choQaHnISbe'.
Daghaj. puqloD puqbe' je vIghaj.
-vIp means "afraid to". It transforms "you speak" into "you are afraid to speak", "you wait"
into "you are afraid to wait" and "you ask" into "you are afraid to ask".
bIjatlh You speak

bIjatlhvIp You are afraid to speak
So, imagine that you are not afraid of the vibrations.
168
Although it would not be wrong to say "I am afraid to...", no self-respecting Klingon
would ever say such a thing. In this course you will not be asked to translate "I am
afraid to..."
How do you say...

You travel. You are afraid to travel.
Are you afraid to travel? The slave enters.
The slave is afraid enter. I will teach you soon.
You need to learn. You have to serve (the master).
I open the door. I close the window.
I lie on the bed. I lie (on) here.

You sit in the room. You sit (in) there.
The answers are...

bIleng. bIlengvIp.
bIlengvIp'a'? 'el toy'wI''a'.
'elvIp toy'wI''a'. tugh qaghojmoH.
bIghojnIS. bItoy'nIS.
lojmIt vIpoSmoH. Qorwagh vISoQmoH.
QongDaqDaq jIQot. naDev jIQot.

pa'Daq bIba'. pa' bIba'.
Practice Section 2
Let's start by talking about some noun suffixes.
You have learned one suffix which means "bigger, more important" and one suffix which
means "smaller, less important".
How do you say...

The battle. The major battle.
The skirmish. The skirmishes.
The boy and the girl. The boys and the girls.
The answers are...

may'. may''a'.
may'Hom. may'Hommey.
loDHom be'Hom je. loDHompu' be'Hompu' je.
170
You've also learned a suffix which means "-er", as in "the attacker" or "the defender".
How do you say...

I speak. The speaker.
I kill it. The killer.
The attacker has a weapon. The defender doesn't have a weapon.
I can hide it. The ship has a cloaking device.
I can guard it. The guard listens.
I can scan it. You watch the scanner.

I can hunt the animal. The hunter carries the meat.
The captain cloaks the ship and the Klingons attack the humans.
The answers are...

jIjatlh. jatlhwI'.
vIHoH. HoHwI'.
nuH ghaj HIvwI'. nuH ghajbe' HubwI'.
vISo'laH. So'wI' ghaj Duj.
vI'avlaH. 'Ij 'avwI'.
vIHotlhlaH. HotlhwI' Dabej.

Ha'DIbaH vIwamlaH. Ha'DIbaH qeng wamwI'.
Duj So' HoD 'ej Humanpu' HIv tlhInganpu'.
Let's practice counting from one to ten.
How do you say...

one, two, three, four
five, six, seven
eight, nine, ten
The answers are...

wa', cha', wej, loS
vagh, jav, Soch
chorgh, Hut, wa'maH
When you talk about two or more things, you can use one of three different suffixes.
There is a suffix for beings capable of language, another for body parts, and a third one
for everything else.
When you are counting things you can miss out the suffix altogether, if you want.
(Don't forget that there a handful of words, such as "target", which don't use a plural
suffix at all.)
How do you say...
I see five arms. I see six legs.
You see nine hands. You see ten feet.
I have one body. The entity has four heads.
I choose a target. I choose two targets.
You bring a menu. You bring three menus.
I kill seven humans but you kill eight Ferengis.
The answers are...

vagh DeSDu' vIlegh. jav 'uSDu' vIlegh.
(*or vagh DeS vIlegh. jav 'uS vIlegh.)
Hut ghopDu' Dalegh. wa'maH qamDu' Dalegh.
(*or Hut ghop Dalegh. wa'maH qam Dalegh.)
wa' porgh vIghaj. loS nachDu' ghaj Dol.
(*or loS nach ghaj Dol.)
DoS vIwIv. cha' ray' vIwIv.
HIDjolev Daqem. wej HIDjolevmey Daqem.
(*or wej HIDjolev Daqem)
Soch Humanpu' vIHoH 'ach chorgh verenganpu' DaHoH.

(*or Soch Human vIHoH 'ach chorgh verengan DaHoH.)
172
You already knew how to say "I can" and so on, but in recent lessons you've learned
how to say "I am willing" and "you are afraid".
How do you say...

I can cook. I am willing to cook.
You can depart. You are willing to depart.
You can speak. You are afraid to speak.
I die. I am not afraid to die.
You live. Are you willing to live?
The answers are...

jIvutlaH. jIvutqang.
bItlheDlaH. bItlheDqang.
bIjatlhlaH. bIjatlhvIp.
jIHegh. jIHeghvIpbe'.
bIyIn. bIyInqang'a'?
You have learned two new verb prefixes.
How do you say...

The man asks. He asks me.
The woman answers. She answers you.
The boss sees me. The servant doesn't hear you.
I serve the Lady. The slave serves the wine.
The answers are...

tlhob loD. mutlhob.
jang be'. Dujang.
mulegh pIn. DuQoybe' toy'wI'.
joH vItoy'. HIq jab toy'wI''a'.
We have refined the rule about using verb prefixes. You must use a prefix unless "he",
"she" or "it" is doing something to "him", "her", "it" or "them".
How do you say...

He annoys me. The husband annoys me.
The husband annoys the wife. She introduces me.
The daughter introduces me. The daughter introduces the son.
The Klingons arrive. The captain meets them.
The answers are...

munuQ. munuQ loDnal.
be'nal nuQ loDnal. mulIH.
mulIH puqbe'. puqloD lIH puqbe'.
paw tlhInganpu'. qIH HoD.
Most of the time you don't use the Klingon words for "I", "you", "he" and "she". Verb
prefixes such as qa- and vI- normally make it clear who is doing what to whom.
However, there are three situations in which you will need to use those words. The
first such situation is when you want to say "I am a...", "you are a...", he is a..." or "she is
a...".
How do you say...

I am a Terran. You are a Vulcan.
He is the captain. She is an officer.
The answers are...

tera'ngan jIH. vulqangan SoH.
HoD ghaH. yaS ghaH.
174
The second situation is when you want to clarify who is being discussed.
How do you say...

I follow. I follow him.
You chase. You chase her.
Do you see an alien? No, I see him.
Do you hear a tribble? No, I hear her.
The answers are...

jItlha'. ghaH vItlha'.
bItlha'. ghaH Datlha'.
nov Dalegh'a'? ghobe', ghaH vIlegh.
yIH DaQoy'a'? ghobe', ghaH vIQoy.
The third situation is when you want to emphasise someone.
How do you say...

I ask you. I ask you.
You answer me. You answer me.
I don't trust you. I trust her.
I can't understand him. You guide me.
The answers are...

qatlhob. qatlhob jIH.
chojang. chojang SoH.
qavoqbe'. ghaH vIvoq.
ghaH vIyajlaHbe'. jIH choDev.
Words which are adjectives in English - such as "big" and "small" - are verbs in Klingon.
Adjective-verbs like "to be big" and "to be small" can use the same prefixes and suffixes
that normal verbs use.
How do you say...

I am good. You are bad.
He is big. She is small.
The food is hot. The food is not hot.
The beer is cold. Is the beer cold?
I am happy. Are you unhappy?
The answers are...

jIQaQ. bIqab.
tIn. mach.
(*or tIn ghaH. mach ghaH.)
tuj Soj. tujbe' Soj.
bIr HIq. bIr'a' HIq?
jIQuch. bIQuchHa''a'?
176
If you want to say "the ship is big", you will literally say "is big - the ship". However, if
you want to talk about "the big ship", you will literally say "the ship - big".
How do you say...

The Klingon is strong. The strong Klingon.
The heart is weak. The weak heart.
The old servant. The very old servant.
The boss is young. The boss is very young.
The clean child arrives. The very dirty child arrives.
The answers are...

HoS tlhIngan. tlhIngan HoS.
puj tIq. tIq puj.
toy'wI' qan. toy'wI' qanqu'.
Qup pIn. Qupqu' pIn.
paw puq Say'. paw puq lamqu'.
Sometimes you have to use two suffixes together. If you make sure that -qu' comes
first, you won't be making a mistake.
How do you say...

The chocolate is very new. The chocolate is not very new.
The blood is very old. Is the blood very old?
The answers are...

chu'qu' yuch. chu'qu'be' yuch.
ngo'qu' 'Iw. ngo'qu''a' 'Iw?
The Klingon language doesn't have tenses as such - you don't say "I will do it" or "I did it"
- but there are a number of time words you can use to make the meaning clear.
These words can come almost anywhere in an English sentence, but in Klingon they
usually come right at the beginning, before everything else.
How do you say...

I buy it now. I will buy it tomorrow.
I sell it today. I am going to sell it soon.
I looked for it yesterday. You found it yesterday.
You eat it. Will you eat it tomorrow?
You help me. Are you going to help me tomorrow?
You drank it yesterday. Did you drink it yesterday?

I saw it yesterday but I can't see it now.
The answers are...

DaH vIje'. wa'leS vIje'.
DaHjaj vIngev. tugh vIngev.
wa'Hu' vInej. wa'Hu' Datu'.
DaSop. wa'leS DaSop'a'?
choQaH. wa'leS choQaH'a'?
wa'Hu' Datlhutlh. wa'Hu' Datlhutlh'a'?

wa'Hu' vIlegh 'ach DaH vIleghlaHbe'.
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You've learned that the English words "in", "on" and "at" are translated by a single noun
suffix.
How do you say...

on the table, on the chair
in the bed, in the room
at home, at the restaurant
I sit on the stairs. I don't stand in the room.
You lie on the bed. You don't read on the chair.
The doctor waits at the restaurant. The doctor waits (at) here.
You wait in the room. You wait (in) there.
Humans travel everywhere. You are afraid to enter.
The answers are...

raSDaq, quSDaq
QongDaqDaq, pa'Daq
juHDaq, Qe'Daq
letlhDaq jIba'. pa'Daq jIQambe'.
QongDaqDaq bIQot. quSDaq bIlaDbe'.
Qe'Daq loS Qel. naDev loS Qel.

pa'Daq bIloS. pa' bIloS.
Dat leng Humanpu'. bI'elvIp.
You learned that the verb suffix -moH means "cause something to happen".
How do you say...

The window is open. I cause it to be open.
I open the window. The door is closed.
You cause it to be closed. You close the door.
The pet learns. I teach the pet.
The answers are...

poS Qorwagh. vIpoSmoH.
Qorwagh vIpoSmoH. SoQ lojmIt.
DaSoQmoH. lojmIt DaSoQmoH.
ghoj Saj. Saj vIghojmoH.
Finally, you learned a verb suffix which means "need to", but can also be used to
translate "have to" and "must".
How do you say...

I need to speak. I have to cook.
I must wait. I must wait at the restaurant.
You can drink coffee. You don't have to drink tea.
The answers are...

jIjatlhnIS. jIvutnIS.
jIloSnIS. Qe'Daq jIloSnIS.
qa'vIn DatlhutlhlaH. Dargh DatlhutlhnISbe'.
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Lesson 11
city veng
inhabitant ngan
area, district yoS
building qach
guest meb
hotel mebpa'mey
temple chIrgh
factory laSvargh
above, the area above Dung

below, the area below bIng
beside, the area beside retlh
between, the area between joj
inside, the area inside qoD
outside, the area outside Hur
continuous action (verb suffix) -taH
good! maj
let's go, come on! Ha'
ready! SuH
okay; yes, I will! luq
I refuse; no, I won't Qo'
Here are some city words.
city is veng (veng)

imagine seeking vengeance against an entire city!
inhabitant is ngan (ng-ahn)
you already know that an inhabitant of Vulcan is a vulqangan and that an
inhabitant of Cardassia is a qarDaSngan. -ngan on its own simply means "inhabitant"
area, district is yoS (yohsh)
imagine that this area is all yours!
building is qach (kahch)
imagine trying to catch a falling building
guest is meb (meb)
imagine that the hotel guests may be trying to sneak out, without paying their bill
hotel is mebpa'mey (meb-PAH-meh)
this word literally means "guest rooms"
temple is chIrgh (chir-rh)
imagine a loud, resounding cheer from inside the temple
factory is laSvargh (lahsh-VAR-RH)
imagine that the factory boss has a long whip. He can lash any of his workers from
far away!
182
What is the English for laSvargh
What is the English for chIrgh
What is the English for mebpa'mey
What is the English for meb
What is the English for qach
What is the English for yoS
What is the English for ngan
What is the English for veng
How do you say, in Klingon, factory

How do you say, in Klingon, temple
How do you say, in Klingon, hotel
How do you say, in Klingon, guest
How do you say, in Klingon, building
How do you say, in Klingon, area, district
How do you say, in Klingon, inhabitant
How do you say, in Klingon, city
How do you say
in the building, at the restaurant
I sit on the chair. You stand on the table.
The guest lies on the bed. The Klingon enters the temple.
The hotel is open. The factory is closed today.
I cause it to be open. I open the door.
You cause it to be closed. You close the window.

The child learns. I teach the child.
The answers are...

qachDaq, QeDaq
quSDaq jIba. raSDaq bIQam.
QongDaqDaq Qot meb. chIrgh el tlhIngan.
poS mebpamey. DaHjaj SoQ laSvargh.
vIpoSmoH. lojmIt vIpoSmoH.
DaSoQmoH. Qorwargh DaSoQmoH.

ghoj puq. puq vIghojmoH.
184
In earlier lessons you learned how to say "in", "on" and "at". You also know how to say
"here", "there" and "everywhere".
In this lesson we'll learn the words for "above", "below", "beside", "between" and so on.
In Klingon, these words are nouns. The word for "above" literally means "the area
above" and the word for "below" literally means "the area below".
Let's learn those words now.
above (the area above) is Dung (doong)

imagine someone high above throws some horse dung onto your head!
below (the area below) is bIng (bing)
imagine playing bingo in a room below the surface
beside (the area beside) is retlh (retl)
imagine having your photo taken as you stand beside Rhett Butler
between (the area between) is joj (johj)
imagine having to sit between two people, both of them called George
inside (the area inside) is qoD (kohd)
imagine hiding the secret code inside the safe
outside (the area outside) is Hur (khoor)
imagine going outside to shout at some children who are making too much noise
What is the English for Hur
What is the English for qoD
What is the English for joj
What is the English for retlh
What is the English for bIng
What is the English for Dung
How do you say, in Klingon, outside (the area outside)

How do you say, in Klingon, inside (the area inside)
How do you say, in Klingon, between (the area between)
How do you say, in Klingon, beside (the area beside)
How do you say, in Klingon, below (the area below)
How do you say, in Klingon, above (the area above)
Some of these words translate more than one English word.
Dung means "above", but it also translates "overhead". bIng translates both "below" and
"under". retlh translates both "beside" and "next to".
Now, if you want to say "above the city", in Klingon you literally say "the city - above".
What's more, by "above" you actually mean "at the area above", so of course you must
use -Daq.
veng DungDaq above the city (lit. the city, at the area above)
veng bIngDaq below the city (lit. the city, at the area below)
186
How do you say...
above the area, below the temple
beside the inhabitant, between the cities
inside the hotel, outside the factory
The answers are...

yoS DungDaq, chIrgh bIngDaq
ngan retlhDaq, vengmey jojDaq
mebpa'mey qoDDaq, laSvargh HurDaq
Here is how to say "I am beside the building". Firstly, here is "beside the building".
qach retlhDaq beside the building
Since this is an "I am..." sentence, we can again use jIH to translate "I am".
However, in this particular situation you have to add something to jIH. What you add
is the ending -taH.
qach retlhDaq jIHtaH I am beside the building
(pronounced JIKH-tahkh)
We'll talk more about the meaning of -taH in a moment. For now, just remember that
whenever you say "I am beside...", "I am above...", "I am below...", "I am in...", "I am at..."
and so on, you must translate "I am..." with jIHtaH.
How do you say...
Above the room. I am above the room.
Below the stairs. I am below the stairs.
I am beside the table. I am between the guests.
The answers are...

pa' DungDaq. pa' DungDaq jIHtaH.
letlh bIngDaq. letlh bIngDaq jIHtaH.
raS retlhDaq jIHtaH. mebpu' jojDaq jIHtaH.
You must also use -taH when you say "you are beside...", "he is beside..." and "she is
beside..."
qach retlhDaq jIHtaH I am beside the building
qach retlhDaq SoHtaH You are beside the building

qach retlhDaq ghaHtaH He is beside the building
qach retlhDaq ghaHtaH She is beside the building
How do you say...

Inside the home. I am inside the home.
Outside the building. You are outside the building.
He is beside the door. She is beside the window.
I am at the hotel. I wait at the hotel.
She is in the area. She waits in the area.
The answers are...

juH qoDDaq. juH qoDDaq jIHtaH.
qach HurDaq. qach HurDaq SoHtaH.
lojmIt retlhDaq ghaHtaH. Qorwagh retlhDaq ghaHtaH.
mebpa'meyDaq jIHtaH. mebpa'meyDaq jIloS.
yoSDaq ghaHtaH. yoSDaq loS.
(*or yoSDaq loS ghaH)
188
English has more than one way to talk about whats happening at the moment.
We can say I speak or I am speaking. We can also say I read or I am reading.
When we translate into Klingon, there is usually no difference between them.
jIjatlH I speak, I am speaking
How do you say...

I learn. I am learning.
I eat it. I am eating it.
You are asking the captain.
The answers are...

jIghoj. jIghoj.
vISop. vISop.
HoD Datlhob.
Now, when you want to talk about something that happens continuously, you can use
the -taH suffix.
-taH transforms I speak into I speak continuously, and it transforms I read into I
read continously.
jIjatlH I speak
jIjatlHtaH I speak continuously
jIlaD I read
jIlaDtaH I read continously
How do you say...
I eat. I eat continuously.
You drink. You drink continuously.
I ask the captain continuously.
The answers are...

jISop. jISoptaH.
bItlhutlh. bItlhutlhtaH.
HoD vItlhobtaH.
So, jIjatlhtaH means I speak continuously.
Sometimes, if its clear from the context of the conversation that the speaking is
happening continuously over a period of time, you might see it translated as I am
speaking.
However, in most situations, you should translate both I speak and I am speaking as
jIjatlh.
In this course, well keep things simple: when its time to practice -taH, you will always
be given the word continously.
How do you say...

I use it. I use it continously.
I arrive. I am arriving.
I sit here. I sit here continuously.
I wait in the room. I wait there.
The children run everywhere. The children run continuously.
The answers are...

vIlo. vIlotaH.
jIpaw. jIpaw.
naDev jIba. naDev jIbataH.
paDaq jIloS. pa jIloS.
Dat qet puqpu. qettaH puqpu.
190
-taH, when it means continuously, can be used with something happening now, or
something that will happen in the future, or even something that happened in the past.
As you already know, you can use words like yesterday and tomorrow to distinguish
between those situations.
How do you say...

I wait. I wait continuously.
I wait continuously today. I waited continuously yesterday.
You will drink continuously tomorrow.
The answers are...

jIloS. jIloStaH.
DaHjaj jIloStaH. waHu jIloStaH.
waleS bItlhutlhtaH.
You now know two situations where you must use -taH. You will use it to translate "I
do something continuously, you do something continuously" and so on.
You will also -taH to translate "I am beside...", "you are above...", "he is in", "she is at"
and so on. (From the Klingon point of view, when something is located in some place,
it is continuing to be there.)
Let's learn a handful of Klingon expressions.
If you want to express satisfaction, you might say "good!", and in Klingon this is maj
(mahj)
imagine that your teacher writes good! all over the the margins of your exercise
book, in bright red ink
If you want to say "let's go!" or "come on!", in Klingon you say Ha' (khah)
imagine that you say "Let's go!" - alas, everyone starts laughing at you - Ha ha ha!"
If you want to say "ready!", in Klingon you say SuH (shookh)

imagine that you shook a sleeping soldier by the shoulders until he woke up, jumped
to his feet and said, "Ready!"
When someone asks you to do something, you might say "Yes, I will" or you might say
"No, I won't".
The Klingon expression for "okay" or "yes, I will" is luq (look)

imagine that a hypnotic alien commands you to look it in the eye. You immediately
say, "Yes, I will"
The Klingon expression for "I refuse" or "no, I won't" is Qo' (kkhoh)
imagine that when the Queen is told to go away, she replies "No, I won't"
192
What is the English for Qo'
What is the English for luq
What is the English for SuH
What is the English for Ha'
What is the English for maj
How do you say, in Klingon, I refuse; no, I won't

How do you say, in Klingon, okay; yes, I will
How do you say, in Klingon, ready!
How do you say, in Klingon, let's go, come on!
How do you say, in Klingon, good!
How do you say...
I depart. I need to depart.
Lets go! You buy it.
You have to buy it. Yes, I will!
You must sell it. No, I wont!
You are afraid to speak. I am not afraid to enter.
The bar is open today. Good!

I fly. I am flying.
I fly continuously. Ready!
I will sleep continuously tomorrow. You ate continuously yesterday.
I am above the city. I fly above the city.
The answers are...

jItlheD. jItlheDnIS.
Ha. Daje.
DajenIS. luq.
DangevnIS. Qo.
bIjatlhvIp. jIelvIpbe.
DaHjaj poS tach. maj.

jIpuv. jIpuv.
jIpuvtaH. SuH.
waleS jIQongtaH. waHu bISoptaH.
veng DungDaq jIHtaH. veng DungDaq jIpuv.
194
Lesson 12
bar tach
bartender chom
waiter jabwI'
money Huch
Klingon ale wornargh
floor rav
toilet puch
bathroom puchpa'
appears nargh
disappears ngab
tries nID
stays ratlh
tells ja'
changes choH
knows Sov
pays for DIl
oneself (verb suffix) -'egh
there is, there are tulu

there is no, there are tulube
is there, are there tulua
eleven wa'maH wa'

twelve wa'maH cha'
thirteen wa'maH wej
twenty cha'maH
thirty wejmaH
forty loSmaH
twenty-one cha'maH wa'

twenty-two cha'maH cha'
twenty-three cha'maH wej
Here are some words you might need during a night out on the Klingon home world.
bar is tach (tahch)

imagine that there's a large sign at the bar warning you not to touch anything!
bartender is chom (chohm)
imagine that the bartender is your only chum
waiter is jabwI' (jahb-WI)
this word literally means "server"
money is Huch (khooch)
imagine hiding a briefcase full of money in a rabbit hutch
Klingon ale is wornargh (wohr-NAHRRH)
imagine watching a Warner Brothers cartoon while drinking Klingon ale
floor is rav (rahv)
imagine that you would rather sit on the floor
toilet is puch (pooch)
imagine that you put your chair as far as possible from the smelly toilet
bathroom is puchpa' (pooch-PAH)
this word literally means "toilet-room"
196
What is the English for puchpa'
What is the English for puch
What is the English for rav
What is the English for wornargh
What is the English for Huch
What is the English for jabwI'
What is the English for chom
What is the English for tach
How do you say, in Klingon, bathroom

How do you say, in Klingon, toilet
How do you say, in Klingon, floor
How do you say, in Klingon, Klingon ale
How do you say, in Klingon, money
How do you say, in Klingon, waiter
How do you say, in Klingon, bartender
How do you say, in Klingon, bar
appears is nargh (nahrrh)

imagine that someone suddenly appears from inside a narrow corridor
disappears is ngab (ngahb)
imagine that you hang up your clothes in a cupboard. When you come back the next
day, they have all disappeared!
tries is nID (nid)
imagine that you need to try, no matter what
stays is ratlh (rahtl)
imagine that you want to stay in your cot and play with your rattle!
tells is ja' (jah)
imagine telling someone to keep their sticks in a glass jar
changes is choH (chohkh)
imagine a restaurant which decides to change their cook after someone chokes on
their food
knows is Sov (shohv)
imagine that you know a chauffeur who is happy to give you a ride in their limousine
In Klingon, pays for is a single word.
pays for is DIl (dil)

imagine that you refuse to pay for anything until you've reached a deal
198
What is the English for DIl
What is the English for Sov
What is the English for choH
What is the English for ja'
What is the English for ratlh
What is the English for nID
What is the English for ngab
What is the English for nargh
How do you say, in Klingon, pays for

How do you say, in Klingon, knows
How do you say, in Klingon, changes
How do you say, in Klingon, tells
How do you say, in Klingon, stays
How do you say, in Klingon, tries
How do you say, in Klingon, disappears
How do you say, in Klingon, appears
How do you say...
I look for the bar. I pay for the Klingon ale.
The bartender appears. You tell the bartender.
The waiter brings food. Do you have money?
Above the factory. I am above the factory.
Below the city. You are below the city.
He is inside the bathroom. She is outside the bathroom.

I am on the floor. I sit on the floor.
The guest stays at the hotel. The guest lies beside the toilet.
I try. I am trying.
I am trying (continuously). You must change it.
Yes, I will! No, I refuse!
The answers are...

tach vInej. wornargh vIDIl.
nargh chom. chom Daja.
Soj qem jabwI. Huch Daghaja?
laSvargh DungDaq. laSvargh DungDaq jIHtaH.
veng bIngDaq. veng bIngDaq SoHtaH.
puchpa qoDDaq ghaHtaH. puchpa' HurDaq ghaHtaH.

ravDaq jIHtaH. ravDaq jIba.
mebpameyDaq ratlh meb. puch retlhDaq Qong meb.
jInID. jInID.
jInIDtaH. DachoHnIS.
luq. Qo.
200
You have learned eight verb prefixes, and by now you should be well used to them.
jI-, bI-, qa-, vI-, cho-, Da-, mu-, Du-
You can say "I do something to you" and you can say "I do something to him", "to her", "to
it" or "to them", but in Klingon there is no way to say "I do something to me". Even in
English, we would normally say "I do something to myself" instead.
We can translate myself with the verb suffix -'egh (pronounced erh).
-'egh converts I see into I see myself and it converts I tell into I tell myself.
Because you are doing something to yourself, and no-one else is involved, you use the
"hermit" prefix jI-.
jIlegh I see
jIlegh'egh I see myself
jIja' I tell
jIja''egh I tell myself
If you like, you can imagine that I injure myself when running around in the fresh air.
How do you say...

I ask. I ask myself.
I defend. I defend myself.
The answers are...

jItlhob. jItlhob'egh.
jIHub. jIHub'egh.
-'egh also means "yourself".
Once again, because you are doing something to yourself and no-one else is involved,
you use the "hermit" prefix bI-.
bIja' You tell

bIja''egh You tell yourself
How do you say...

You trust. You trust yourself.
You know yourself. I know myself.
The answers are...

bIvoq. bIvoq'egh.
bISov'egh. jISov'egh.
-'egh also means "himself", "herself" and "itself".
You already know that you don't use a prefix when "he", "she" or "it" does something,
and no-one else is involved.
ja''egh He tells himself

ja''egh She tells herself
ja''egh It tells itself
How do you say...

He hides himself. The guest hides himself.
She asks herself. The bartender asks herself.
The entity scans itself. I defend myself.
The answers are...

So'egh. So'egh meb.
tlhob'egh. tlhob'egh chom.
Hotlh'egh Dol. jIHub'egh.
202
Let's talk a little more about verb prefixes. When they are written down together, they
are usually written as a table, not as a list.
Doer of action Who it is done to
me you him/her/it them

I x qa- vI- vI-
you cho- x Da- Da-
he/she/it mu- Du- - -
Since "he/him", "she/her" and "it" always share the same prefixes, they are always listed
together.
Here's how to use the table. Let's imagine that you want to find the prefix used in a
sentence like "you see them".
The doer of the action is "you", so you use the second of the three lines. Move along the
line from left to right until you find the "them" column. The prefix you need is Da-.
The table uses two special characters. The - symbol means that you don't need to use
a prefix, for example when "he sees them".
The x symbol shows something that simply can't be said in the Klingon language. You
now know that there is no way to say "I am doing something to me" or "you are doing
something to you".
(It is worth noting that some authors use the "0" symbol for a situation when you don't
need a prefix, and the - symbol for a situation where the sentence must be rephrased.
Hopefully, our system is clearer.)
We need a separate table to show the prefixes where no-one else is involved. Once
again, "he/him", "she/her" and "it" are listed together.
Doer of action
I you he/she/it they
jI- bI- - -
There are a number of prefixes you haven't learned yet. For example, there is one
which means "you are doing something to us" and another one which means "we are
doing something to them".
You'll find all the verb prefixes in the Klingon language listed in a convenient table in
Appendix ???, should you ever need it.
Soon it will be time to learn the numbers between eleven and ninety-nine.
First, let's quickly remind ourselves of the numbers between one and ten.
How do you say...

one, two, three
four, five, six
seven, eight
nine, ten
The answers are...

wa', cha', wej
loS, vagh, jav
Soch, chorgh
Hut, wa'maH
204
Now, a very important Klingon word is tulu (pronounced too-loo).
tulu means there is or there are. It usually comes at the end of the Klingon
sentence.
puq tulu There is a child

puqpu tulu There are children
How do you say...

There is a Klingon. There is a Klingon here.
There are Klingons here. There are five Klingons here.
I am between the Klingons.
The answers are...

tlhIngan tulu. naDev tlhIngan tulu.
naDev tlhInganpu tulu. naDev vagh tlhInganpu tulu.
(*or naDev vagh tlhIngan tulu.)
tlhInganpu jojDaq jIHtaH.
The opposite of tulu is tulube, which means there is no or there are no.
yIH tulube There is no tribble

yIHmey tulube There are no tribbles
How do you say...

There is no money here. There are no temples (over) there.
There are no temples in the area. There are buildings everywhere.
The answers are...

naDev Huch tulube. pa chIrghmey tulube.
yoSDaq chIrghmey tulube. Dat qachmey tulu.
You can convert there is into is there? simply by adding the suffix -a.
tulu There is...

tulua Is there...?
How do you say...

There is a bar here. Is there a bar here?
There are two humans here. Are there two humans here?
There are no inhabitants (over) there. The inhabitants disappeared yesterday.
The answers are...

naDev tach tulu. naDev tach tulua?
naDev cha Humanpu tulu. naDev cha Humanpu tulua?
(*or naDev cha Human tulu. naDev cha Human tulua?)
pa nganpu tulube. waHu ngab nganpu.
The numbers between eleven and nineteen are simple.
"eleven" is literally "ten one", "twelve" is literally "ten two", "thirteen" is literally ten three"
and so on.
wa'maH wa' eleven

wa'maH cha' twelve
wa'maH wej thirteen
206
How do you say...
eleven, twelve
fourteen, fifteen
seventeen, nineteen
There are nineteen Klingons in the bar.
There are no Klingons in the bar.
The answers are...

wa'maH wa', wa'maH cha'
wa'maH loS, wa'maH vagh
wa'maH Soch, wa'maH Hut
tachDaq wamaH Hut tlhInganpu tulu.
(*or tachDaq wamaH Hut tlhIngan tulu.)
tachDaq tlhInganpu tulube.
wa'maH literally means one ten". The word for "twenty" is literally "two ten", the word
for "thirty" is literally "three ten" and so on.
wamaH ten
cha'maH twenty
wejmaH thirty
How do you say...

ten, twenty
sixty, eighty
There are three tribbles on the ship. There are thirty tribbles on the ship.
The answers are...

wamaH, cha'maH
javmaH, chorghmaH
DujDaq wej yIHmey tulu. DujDaq wejmaH yIHmey tulu.
(*or DujDaq wej yIH tulu. DujDaq wejmaH yIH tulu.)
The remaining numbers are easy. For example, "twenty-one" is literally "twenty -- one".
cha'maH wa' twenty-one

cha'maH cha' twenty-two
cha'maH wej twenty-three
How do you say...

twenty-one, twenty-two
thirty-six, fifty-four
eighty-three, seventy-five
forty-seven, sixty-eight
The answers are...

cha'maH wa', cha'maH cha'
wejmaH jav, vaghmaH loS
chorghmaH wej, SochmaH vagh
loSmaH Soch, javmaH chorgh
208
Well learn about larger numbers in a future lesson. For now, it wont hurt to practise
the numbers between eleven and ninety-nine a little more frequently than you would
practice other words, so you can get a real feel for them.
How do you say...

There is a toilet in the bathroom. There are ninety-nine tribbles in the bathroom.
There are no tribbles here. Are there tribbles (around) here?
I tell myself. I dont defend myself.
You dont see yourself. She knows herself.
The waiter appears and I disappear. I pay for the Klingon ale.
I can stay at the hotel but you are not willing to change it.
You are trying (continuously). Good!
You tried (continuously) yesterday. I will try (continuously) tomorrow.
Lets go! Ready!
The answers are...

puchpaDaq puch tulu. puchpaDaq HutmaH Hut yIHmey tulu.
(*or puchpaDaq HutmaH Hut yIH tulu.)
naDev yIHmey tulube. naDev yIHmey tulua?
jIjaegh. jIHubeghbe.
bIlegheghbe. Sovegh.
nargh jabwI ej jIngab. wornargh vIDIl.
mebpameyDaq jIratlhlaH ach DachoHqangbe.

bInIDtaH. maj.
waHu bInIDtaH. waleS jInIDtaH.
Ha. SuH.
Lesson 13
fork puq chonnaQ
knife taj
spoon baghneQ
plate jengva
plates ngop
glass (for drinking) HIvje
gagh (a dish of serpent worms) qagh
blood wine Iw HIq
to be heavy ugh
to be light tIS
to be full buy
to be empty chIm
to be dry QaD
to be wet yIQ
to be sharp jej
to be blunt jejHa
it 'oH
they (beings capable of language) chaH
they (everything else) bIH
emphasis / topic (verb suffix) -'e'
210
Here are some food and drink words.
fork is puq chonnaQ (pook chohn-NAHKKH)

imagine a helicopter pilot who pokes at the controls of his chinook with a fork
knife is taj (tahj)
imagine that the Taj Mahal is guarded by soldiers armed with very sharp knives
spoon is baghneQ (bahrh-NEKKH)
imagine the Queen trying to scrape off some barnacles using only a spoon
"plate" is just like "torpedo", "target" and "soldier" - there is one word for a "plate" and
another word for several "plates".
plate is jengva' (jeng-VAH)

imagine hearing a jingling noise far away - yes, its Santa Claus, and hes brought you
a plate for Christmas. Annoyed, you chase him away with a big stick
plates is ngop (ngohp)
imagine that you roll up your sleeves and cope with washing thousands of dirty
plates all by
yourself
glass (for drinking) is HIvje' (khiv-JE)
imagine trying to heave an enormous chair into the corner, so you can reach a glass
on a high shelf. Even with the chair, you still need to use a stick
One traditional Klingon delicacy is a dish of so-called serpent worms, which are often
eaten while theyre still alive. English speakers call this dish gagh, but the
pronunciation of the original Klingon word is a little different.
gagh (a dish of serpent worms) is qagh (kahrh)

imagine filling your car with thousands of wiggling serpent worms
blood wine is Iw HIq (eeoo khik)
this word combines two words you already know, Iw blood and HIq wine
What is the English for Iw HIq
What is the English for qagh
What is the English for HIvje'
What is the English for ngop
What is the English for jengva'
What is the English for baghneQ
What is the English for taj
What is the English for puq chonnaQ
How do you say, in Klingon, blood wine

How do you say, in Klingon, gagh (a dish of serpent worms)
How do you say, in Klingon, glass (for drinking)
How do you say, in Klingon, plates
How do you say, in Klingon, plate
How do you say, in Klingon, spoon
How do you say, in Klingon, knife
How do you say, in Klingon, fork
212
Here are some more useful adjective-verbs.
to be heavy is 'ugh (oorh)

imagine that the wrestler is told to become much heavier, or else he will lose his next
match
to be light is tIS (tish)
imagine being as light as a tissue
to be full is buy' (booee)
imagine a ship full of cargo which is being steered by a small boy. The boy can't even
see out of the windows, so he's standing on a pile of sticks
to be empty is chIm (chim)
imagine a chimpanzee who's searching a kitchen for food. Alas, all the cupboards
are empty
to be dry is QaD (kkhahd)
imagine that, after stepping out of the bath, the Queen tries to dry herself using a
pack of playing cards
to be wet is yIQ (yikkh)
imagine that the Queen has pushed you each into the swimming pool - and now
youre all soaking wet!
to be sharp is jej (jej)
imagine a judge who spends the whole trial sharpening her guillotine!
The Klingon word for to be blunt is jejHa (pronounced jej-KHAH) .

What is the English for jejHa
What is the English for jej
What is the English for yIQ
What is the English for QaD
What is the English for chIm
What is the English for buy'
What is the English for tIS
What is the English for ugh
How do you say, in Klingon, to be blunt

How do you say, in Klingon, to be sharp
How do you say, in Klingon, to be wet
How do you say, in Klingon, to be dry
How do you say, in Klingon, to be empty
How do you say, in Klingon, to be full
How do you say, in Klingon, to be light
How do you say, in Klingon, to be heavy
214
How do you say...
The plate is heavy. The plates are empty.
I pay for the blood wine. You are willing to eat the gagh.
I have a knife and a fork. The waiter changes the spoon.
The glass is full. The floor is wet.
It is sharp. It is blunt.
I am a captain. You are an officer.
The answers are...

ugh jengva. chIm ngop.
Iw HIq vIDIl. qagh DaSopqang.
taj puq chonnaQ je vIghaj. baghneQ choH jabwI.
buy HIvje. yIQ rav.
jej. jejHa.
HoD jIH. yaS SoH.

As you know, the Klingon words for "I", "you", they and so on are normally missed out,
but sometimes they must be included.
When they are included, these words are mainly used for emphasis, but they are also
used to avoid ambiguity and in sentences such as "I am a human" and "you are a
Klingon".
Here are the words for "it" and for "they". Actually, there are two words for "they" - one
for beings capable of language, and one for everything else.
it is 'oH (ohkh)
imagine wrapping it up in a parcel, and sending it all the way to Oklahoma!
they (for beings capable of language) is chaH (chahkh)
imagine that they are drawing pictures of each other with charcoal
they (for everything else) is bIH (bikh)
imagine discovering a planet full of exotic new species. Surprisingly, they all have
beaks
What is the English for bIH

What is the English for chaH
What is the English for 'oH
How do you say, in Klingon, they (for everything else)

How do you say, in Klingon, they (for beings capable of language)
How do you say, in Klingon, it
216
In this exercise, emphasise the Klingon words "it" and "they" by including them, rather
than leaving them out as you usually would.
How do you say...

The bathroom is empty. It is empty.
The knife is sharp. It is blunt.
The humans are light. They are light.
The bartenders are heavy. Are they heavy?
The toilets are clean. They are clean.
The spoons are dry now. They will be dry tomorrow.
The answers are...

chIm puchpa. chIm oH.
jej taj. jejHa oH.
tIS Humanpu. tIS chaH.
ugh chompu. ugha chaH?
Say puchmey. Say bIH.
DaH QaD baghneQmey. waleS QaD bIH.
When you include words like I, you and they, rather than leaving them out (as you
normally would), those Klingon words are emphasised. But how can you emphasise
words like "alien" or "torpedo"?
In English, we normally raise our voice. You might say "I see the man", meaning that it's
not the woman you can see.
In Klingon, instead of raising your voice, you add the suffix -'e'.
loD vIlegh I see the man

loD'e' vIlegh I see the man (and not the woman)
The -'e' suffix is used to emphasise something. In fact, a linguist might say that its used
to show what the topic of the sentence is.
How do you say...

You see the bar. Do you see the bar?
No, I see the bathroom. You drink the blood wine.
Do you drink the blood wine? No, I drink the klingon ale.
I try. I am willing to try.
I need to try. I have to stay here.
I tell you. I tell myself.

You know yourself. The bartender sees herself.
The soldier defends himself. The Romulan kills himself.
The answers are...

tach Dalegh. tach Dalegha?
ghobe, puchpae vIlegh. Iw HIq Datlhutlh.
Iw HIq Datlhutlha? ghobe, wornaghe vItlhutlh.
jInID. jInIDqang.
jInIDnIS. naDev jIratlhnIS.
qaja. jIjaegh.
bISovegh. leghegh chom.
Hubegh mang. HoHegh romuluSngan.
By the way, HoHegh romuluSngan, meaningthe Romulan kills himself, can also be
translated the Romulan commits suicide.
218
Lets quickly practice the numbers between eleven and ninety-nine.
How do you say...

eleven, twelve, thirteen
forty, fifty, sixty
seventy-one, eighty-nine
There is a menu (around) here. There are ten menus (around) here.
There is no gagh (around) here. Is there any money (around) here?
The answers are...

wamaH wa, wamaH cha, wamaH wej
loSmaH, vaghmaH, javmaH
SochmaH wa, chorghmaH Hut
naDev HIDjolev tulu. naDev wa'maH HIDjolevmey tulu.
(*or naDev wa'maH HIDjolev tulu.)
naDev qagh tulube. naDev Huch tulua?
For the rest of this lesson, we'll be talking about how to say what things are. In other
words, we'll be talking about how to translate "am", "are" and "is".
There are three possible situations which the Klingon language handles slightly
differently.
1. You want to say I am happy, you are young or the Klingon is strong.
Words like happy, young and strong are adjectives in English, but in Klingon they
are adjective-verbs.
jIQuch I am happy
bIQup You are young
HoS tlhIngan The Klingon is strong
2. You want to say I am a human, you are a Klingon and so on.
In Klingon, I am a... is translated by jIH.
Human jIH I am a human

tlhIngan SoH You are a Klingon
220
These first two situations are quite simple and you've had plenty of practice with them.
How do you say...

It is heavy. They are light.
The fork is clean. Is the plate dirty?
You are the boss. I am the waiter.
He is a Vulcan. They are Klingons.
They are tribbles. The tribbles appear on the space station.
The answers are...

ugh. tIS.
(*or ugh oH. tIS chaH / tIS bIH.)
Say puq chonnaQ. lama jengva'?
pIn SoH. jabwI jIH.
vulqangan ghaH. tlhInganpu chaH.
yIHmey bIH. tengchaHDaq nargh yIHmey.
The third situation is a little more tricky, because you must rephrase the sentence using
the "emphasis" suffix you learned a few moments ago.
3. You want to say the man is a human or the phaser is a weapon.
Sentences in the form the something is a something must be rephrased. In Klingon, if

you want to say the man is a human, you actually have to say he is a human, the man.
Whats more, Klingon speakers consider that the man is now the topic of the sentence,
so you must add -'e' to that word.
Human ghaH He is a human

Human ghaH loD'e' He is a human, the man
(or The man is a human)
Likewise, if you want to say "the phaser is a weapon", you actually have to say "it is a
weapon, the phaser".
nuH 'oH It is a weapon

nuH 'oH pu''e' It is a weapon, the phaser
(or The phaser is a weapon)
222
How do you say...
The man is a captain (lit. He is a captain, the man).
The woman is the boss (lit. She is the boss, the woman).
The ship is a target (lit. It is a target, the ship).
The enemies are Romulans (lit. They are Romulans, the enemies).
The tribbles are pets (lit. They are pets, the tribbles).
The tribbles disappeared yesterday.
The answers are...

HoD ghaH loD'e'.
pIn ghaH be''e'.
DoS 'oH Duj'e'.
romuluSnganpu' chaH jaghpu''e'.
Sajmey bIH yIHmey'e'.
wa'Hu' ngab yIHmey.
So, whenever you say what something is, you must ask yourself which of the three
situations you have. If it's the third situation - if you are saying "the something is a
something" - then you must rephrase the sentence and add the "emphasis" suffix.
Let's practice all three situations together.

How do you say...
I am dry. You are very wet.
The plate is full. The glasses are very empty.
She is a doctor. They are patients.
The man is a soldier. The ship is a Bird-of-Prey.
The answers are...

jIQaD. bIyIQqu.
buy jengva. chImqu HIvjemey.
Qel ghaH. SIDpu chaH.
mang ghaH loDe. toQDuj oH Duje.
224
Lesson 14
bridge meH
crew, crewman beq
viewing screen jIH
engine jonta'
warp drive pIvghor
dilithium crystal cha'pujqut
shields botjan
computer De'wI'
activates (a device) chu'

disengages (a device) chu'Ha'
beams aboard jol
hails rI'
displays cha'
repairs tI'
commands ra'
surrenders jegh
ready to (living beings) (verb suffix) -rup

ready / set up to (devices) (verb suffix) -beH
command (verb prefix) yI-
everything Hoch
all, everyone, everybody Hoch
something vay
anything, someone, somebody, vay
anybody, anyone
nothing pagh
none, nobody, no-one pagh
Here is a selection of starship words.
bridge is meH (mekh)

imagine that you make your own bridge out of spare parts
The next word refers to the crew as a whole, as well as to an individual member of the
crew (of either gender).
crew, crewman is beq (bek)

imagine that the crew are becoming angry with you!
You already know that jIH means "I", but this word can also mean viewing screen.
viewing screen is jIH (jikh)

imagine that a Klingon is using the ship's viewing screen to examine a large pimple
on his own cheek
engine is jonta' (john-TAH)
imagine that youve joined her at the engine. It's a low-tech contraption made of
sticks
warp drive is pIvghor (piv-RHOHR)
imagine that you like to sit on the ship's warp drive and eat beef - raw!
dilithium crystal is cha'pujqut (CHAH-pooj-koot)
imagine that the slot for inserting the dilithium crystal is just out of reach, so an
engineer must stand on a chair so they can push good
Although in English we speak about a ships shields, Klingons speak about a ships
shield.
shields is botjan (boht-JAHN)

imagine that some cowboy builders are botching the repairs to the shields!
computer is De'wI' (de-WI)
De' means "data", so this word literally means "data-doer". To remember the first
part, imagine daring someone to hit the computer with a stick
226
What is the English for De'wI'
What is the English for botjan
What is the English for cha'pujqut
What is the English for pIvghor
What is the English for jonta'
What is the English for jIH
What is the English for beq
What is the English for meH
How do you say, in Klingon, computer

How do you say, in Klingon, shields
How do you say, in Klingon, dilithium crystal
How do you say, in Klingon, warp drive
How do you say, in Klingon, engine
How do you say, in Klingon, viewing screen
How do you say, in Klingon, crew, crewman
How do you say, in Klingon, bridge
Although in English we might talk about turning something on or off, Klingon speakers
talk about activating or disengaging something.
activates (a device) is chu' (choo)

imagine that this device is activated when someone chews on a stick
disengages (a device) is chu'Ha' (CHOO-HAH)
imagine that to disengage the device, you have to chew on a higher stick
beams aboard is jol (johl)
imagine beaming aboard twenty jolly Santas
hails is rI' (ri)
imagine that when another ship hails you, an old-fashioned telephone rings
displays is cha' (chah)
imagine that the screen displays a home video of you dancing the cha-cha-cha. The
whole crew laughs when someone trips you up with a stick
repairs is tI' (ti)
imagine spending hours repairing a teapot with a handful of sticks
commands is ra' (rah)
imagine that you command the cheerleaders to shout, ra-ra-ra!" and to twirl their
batons (sticks) around
surrenders is jegh (jerh)
imagine that you surrender to Jerry Springer
228
What is the English for jegh
What is the English for ra'
What is the English for tI'
What is the English for cha'
What is the English for rI'
What is the English for jol
What is the English for chu'Ha'
What is the English for chu'
How do you say, in Klingon, surrenders

How do you say, in Klingon, commands
How do you say, in Klingon, repairs
How do you say, in Klingon, displays
How do you say, in Klingon, hails
How do you say, in Klingon, beams aboard
How do you say, in Klingon, disengages (a device)
How do you say, in Klingon, activates (a device)
How do you say...
The Bird-of-Prey hails the starship and the starship surrenders.
The officer doesn't command the crew. The captain commands the crew.
I activate the shields. I disengage the warp drive.
The crewman beams aboard. I can't find the bridge.
I need to repair the engine. I have to buy the dilithium crystal.
The viewing screen displays the entity. Can you ask the computer?
The answers are...

'ejDo' rI' toQDuj 'ej jegh 'ejDo'.
beq ra'be' yaS. beq ra' HoD'e'.
botjan vIchu'. pIvghor vIchu'Ha'.
jol beq. meH vItu'laHbe'.
jonta' vItI'nIS. cha'pujqut vIje'nIS.
Dol cha jIH. DewI DatlhoblaH'a'?
230
Here are two very useful verb suffixes. They both mean "ready to", as in "ready to
speak" or "ready to beam aboard".
The first one is -rup. -rup transforms beams aboard into ready to beam aboard.
jol HoD The captain beams aboard

jolrup HoD The captain is ready to beam aboard
How do you say...

The crewman speaks. The crewman is ready to speak.
The Klingon beams aboard. The Klingon is ready to beam aboard.
I am ready to activate it. Are you ready to surrender?
The answers are...

jatlh beq. jatlhrup beq.
jol tlhIngan. jolrup tlhIngan.
vIchurup. bIjeghrupa?
-rup is only used when talking about living beings. If you want to say that some kind
of device is ready to do something, you must use the suffix -beH.
Duj cha' jIH The screen displays the ship

Duj cha'beH jIH The screen is ready to display the ship
-beH also means "set up to" as in "it is set up to display the ship". Here are some images
for those suffixes, if you want them.
ready to (for living beings) is -rup

imagine that you are ready to spend a lot of rupees at the department store
ready to, set up to (for devices) is -beH
imagine that the engineer is setting up the device so it can bake you a cake!
How do you say...
The shields activate. The shields are ready to activate.
The tricorder scans. The tricorder is ready to scan.
The viewing screen is set up to display the enemy.
I am ready to activate the warp drive now.
I repair the engine. I repair it.
The Klingons beam aboard. They beam aboard.

The knives are sharp. They are sharp.
I have a blunt spoon but I cant find a fork.
The captain is waiting (continuously) on the bridge.
The answers are...

chu botjan. chubeH botjan.
Hotlh Hoqra. HotlhbeH Hoqra.
jagh chabeH jIH.
DaH pIvghor vIchurup.
jonta vItI. oH vItI.
jol tlhInganpu. jol chaH.

jej tajmey. jej bIH.
baghneQ jejHa vIghaj 'ach puq chonnaQ vItulaHbe.
meHDaq loStaH HoD.
232
It's time to learn about giving commands.
Speak! Wait here! Beam the captain aboard! Activate the warp drive!
In Klingon, when you give someone a command, you use the prefix yI-.
yIjatlh Speak!
yIloS Wait!
yIjol Beam aboard!
How do you say...

Watch! Listen!
Surrender! Wait here!
Stay there! Beam aboard now!
The answers are...

yIbej. yI'Ij.
yIjegh. naDev yIloS.
pa' yIratlh. DaH yIjol.
As you know, the suffix -egh means myself, yourself and so on. If you add this suffix
to a command like ask!, the command becomes ask yourself!.
yItlhob Ask!
yItlhobegh Ask yourself!
How do you say...

Tell! Tell yourself!
Trust yourself! Defend yourself!
The answers are...

yIja'. yIja''egh.
yIvoq'egh. yIHub'egh.
Some time ago you learned the difference between actions which affect someone else,
and actions in which no-one else is involved.
The Klingon language has two sets of prefixes, one for each situation.
jIlegh I see
bIlegh You see
qalegh I see you
This distinction doesnt apply to yI-, though. You can use it when no-one else is
involved.
yIjol Beam aboard!
You can also use it when your command affects "him", "her" or "it".
yIjol Beam him aboard!

yIjol Beam her aboard!
yIjol Beam it aboard!
How do you say...

Watch! Watch her!
Listen! Listen to him!
Activate it! Disengage it!
The answers are...

yIbej. yIbej.
yI'Ij. yI'Ij.
yIchu'. yIchu'Ha'.
234
The context of the conversation normally makes it clear whether you mean "beam
aboard!" or "beam her aboard!" If not, you already know plenty of ways to be more
specific.
yIjol Beam aboard!

yIjolegh Beam yourself aboard!
ghaH yIjol Beam him aboard!
yIH yIjol Beam the tribble aboard!
How do you say...

Ask! Ask him!
Ask her! Ask the crew!
Hail it! Hail the ship!
Look for the dilithium crystal! Repair the computer!
Eat the gagh now! Drink the blood wine!
The answers are...

yItlhob. ghaH yItlhob.
ghaH yItlhob. beq yItlhob.
yIrI'. Duj yIrI'.
cha'pujqut yInej. DewI yItI'.
DaH qagh yISop. Iw HIq yItlhutlh.
Let's practise what you learned in the previous lesson about translating the English
words "am", "are" and "is".
How do you say...

I am light. The glass is full but the plate is empty.
I am the captain. You are a guest here.
The ship is a starship. The child is a human.
The answers are...

jItIS. buy HIvje ach chIm jengva.
HoD jIH. naDev meb SoH.
'ejDo' 'oH Duj'e'. Human ghaH puq'e'.
Here are three very useful words.
everything is Hoch (khohch)

imagine selling everything to buy just one cup of hot chocolate!
something is vay' (vai)
imagine that you can see something on the far horizon. Oh no! It's Vikings, all of
them
armed with sharp spears (sticks)!
nothing is pagh (pahrh)
imagine that when you try to turn the power on, nothing happens
What is the English for pagh

What is the English for vay'
What is the English for Hoch
How do you say, in Klingon, nothing

How do you say, in Klingon, something
How do you say, in Klingon, everything
236
Hoch has a very general meaning. As well as translating "everything", it also translates
"everyone" and "everybody".
Similarly, vay' translates not just "something", but also "someone", "somebody", "anything",
"anybody" and "anyone".
Finally, pagh translates not just "nothing", but also "nobody" and "no-one".
Let's practise those three Klingon words. First we'll practise them with their "basic"
meanings - "everything", "something" and "nothing".
How do you say...

Everything is heavy. I cant carry them.
I can see something. I see nothing.
The answers are...

'ugh Hoch. vIqenglaHbe'.
vay' vIleghlaH. pagh vIlegh.
Now we'll practice the same words with their other meanings.
How do you say...

Everybody is dry. Nobody is wet.
Everyone is speaking (continuously). No-one listens.
Can you see anything? Can you hear anybody?
I can see somebody. I will help someone.
I command the starship. I am ready to command the starship.
The viewing screen is ready to display the planet.

Wait! Surrender!
Beam aboard! Beam yourself aboard!
Scan her! Look for him!
Buy it now! Buy the plates now!
The answers are...

QaD Hoch. yIQ pagh.
jatlhtaH Hoch. Ij pagh.
vay' DaleghlaH'a'? vay' DaQoylaH'a'?
vay' vIleghlaH. vay' vIQaH.
ejDo vIra. ejDo vIrarup.
yuQ chabeH jIH.

yIloS. yIjegh.
yIjol. yIjolegh.
yIHotlh. yInej.
DaH yIje. DaH ngop yIje.
238
Lesson 15
fleet (of ships) yo'
Star Fleet 'ejyo'
Klingon Defence Force tlhIngan Hubbeq
garbage veQ
garbage scow veQDuj
cargo tep
cargo carrier (ship) tepqengwI'
mission Qu'
functions, works Qap

accelerates chung
flies puv
lands Saq
docks vergh
moves vIH
transports lup
communicates Qum
don't! (imperative verb suffix) -Qo'
command me (verb prefix) HI-

command them (verb prefix) tI-
Here are some more starship words. Here we mention two space-faring organisations
who usually consider each other to be allies: the "Klingon Defence Force" and the Earth-
based equivalent, "Star Fleet".
fleet (of ships) is yo' (yoh')

imagine destroying the fleet with an enormous yo-yo!
Star Fleet is 'ejyo' (ej-YOH')
imagine that Star Fleet has reached the edge of your galaxy
Klingon Defence Force is tlhIngan Hubbeq (tli-NGAHN khoob-BEKKH)
this term literally means "Klingon defence-crew"
garbage is veQ (vekkh)
imagine that the Queen fakes being asleep at night, so she can search through
everyone's garbage
garbage scow is veQDuj (vekkh-DOOJ)
this term literally means "garbage ship"
cargo is tep (tep)
imagine loading the cargo onto the ship - thousands of crates full of sellotape
cargo carrier (ship) is tepqengwI' (tep-keng-wi')
qengwI' means "carrier", so this word literally means "cargo carrier"
mission is Qu' (kkhoo')
imagine that your mission is to be first in the queue to visit the Queen. You're
carrying a large stick to make sure no-one tries to get in front of you
240
What is the English for Qu'
What is the English for tepqengwI'
What is the English for tep
What is the English for veQDuj
What is the English for veQ
What is the English for tlhIngan Hubbeq
What is the English for 'ejyo'
What is the English for yo'
How do you say, in Klingon, mission

How do you say, in Klingon, cargo carrier (ship)
How do you say, in Klingon, cargo
How do you say, in Klingon, garbage scow
How do you say, in Klingon, garbage
How do you say, in Klingon, Klingon Defence Force
How do you say, in Klingon, Star Fleet
How do you say, in Klingon, fleet (of ships)
The first word is Qap, which translates several English words. It can mean "functions"
as in "the machine is functioning", or "works" as in "the device is working".
functions, works is Qap (kkhahp)

imagine that the Queen - wearing a greasy mechanic's cap on her head - tinkers with
the device until it starts to function
accelerates is chung (choong)
imagine trying to accelerate out of a dangerous jungle
flies is puv (poov)
imagine trying to fly by breathing in air and puffing it out rapidly
lands is Saq (shahk)
imagine landing on a tiny island completely surrounded by sharks
docks is vergh (ver-rh)
imagine that a starship tries to dock with a fairground ride
moves is vIH (vikh)
imagine helping Victoria to move her sofa
transports is lup (loop)
imagine getting lost while transporting something. You eventually discover that
you've been travelling in a big loop
communicates is Qum (kkhoom)
imagine that the Queen munches on a juicy kumquat while trying to communicate
with sign language
242
What is the English for Qum
What is the English for lup
What is the English for vIH
What is the English for vergh
What is the English for Saq
What is the English for puv
What is the English for chung
What is the English for Qap
How do you say, in Klingon, communicates

How do you say, in Klingon, transports
How do you say, in Klingon, moves
How do you say, in Klingon, docks
How do you say, in Klingon, lands
How do you say, in Klingon, flies
How do you say, in Klingon, accelerates
How do you say, in Klingon, functions, works
How do you say...
The engine functions. The engine is ready to function.
The captain hails the fleet. The captain is ready to hail the fleet.
The Klingon Defence Force attacks Star Fleet and Star Fleet surrenders.
The ship transports garbage. The entity can't communicate.
The garbage scow can't fly today. The Terran has a new mission.
The Ferengi pays for the cargo. The cargo carrier departs.
The cargo carrier docks at the space station.
Move! Land here!
The answers are...

Qap jonta'. QapbeH jonta'.
yo' rI' HoD. yo' rI'rup HoD.
'ejyo' HIv tlhIngan Hubbeq 'ej jegh 'ejyo'.
veQ lup Duj. QumlaHbe' Dol.
DaHjaj puvlaHbe' veQDuj. Qu' chu' ghaj tera'ngan.
tep DIl verengan. tlheD tepqengwI'.

tengchaHDaq vergh tepqengwI'.
yIvIH! naDev yISaq!
In the last lesson, you learned that commands start with the prefix yI-.
yIloS Wait!
Now, to give a negative command you must also add -Qo'.
yIloSQo' Don't wait!
You have already met -Qo' as a separate word, of course. When it is used alone, Qo'
means "I refuse; no, I won't!"
Therefore, the Klingon for "Don't wait!" literally means something like "Refuse to wait!"
244
How do you say...
Speak! Don't speak!
Fly! Don't land!
Don't accelerate! Don't beam aboard!
Activate it! Activate the warp drive!
Command her! Command the officer!
The answers are...

yIjatlh. yIjatlhQo'.
yIpuv. yISaqQo'.
yIchungQo'. yIjolQo'.
yIchu'. pIvghor yIchu'.
yIra'. yaS yIra'.
(*or ghaH yIra'.)
We use yI- in commands that don't involve anything else.
yIlob Obey!
We also use yI- when we command someone to obey "him", "her" or "it".
yIlob Obey him! Obey her! Obey it!
However, when commanding someone to obey "me", we must use a different prefix,
HI-.
HIlob Obey me!
If you like, you can imagine that he is trying to give me commands - what a cheek!
How do you say...
Tell! Tell him!
Tell me! Wait!
Wait for her! Wait for me!
The answers are...

yIja'. yIja'.
HIja'. yIloS.
yIloS. HIloS.
(*or ghaH yIloS.)
Furthermore, when commanding someone to obey "them", we use yet another prefix:
tI-.
tIlob Obey them!
If you like, you can imagine being commanded to make a cup of tea for all of them - one at
a time!
246
How do you say...
Help! Help him!
Help me! Help them!
Believe me! Don't believe them!
Repair the engine! Don't activate the shields!
Ask the computer! Ask yourself!
I can see everything. I can hear everyone.

Can you see something? Can you hear anyone?
I have nothing today. No-one is coming.
The answers are...

yIQaH. yIQaH.
HIQaH. tIQaH.
HIHar. tIHarQo'.
jonta' yItI'. botjan yIchu'Qo'.
De'wI' yItlhob. yItlhob'egh.
Hoch vIleghlaH. Hoch vIQoylaH.

vay' DaleghlaH'a'? vay' DaQoylaH'a'?
DaHjaj pagh vIghaj. ghoS pagh.
In recent lessons you've been learning how to translate the English words "am", "are"
and "is". In particular, you learned that sentences in the form "the something is a
something" must be rephrased.
How do you say...

I am strong. The cargo is heavy.
I am the boss. You are a servant.
The man is a soldier. The ship is a cargo carrier.
The answers are...

jIHoS. 'ugh tep.
pIn jIH. toy'wI' SoH.
mang ghaH loD'e'. tepqengwI' 'oH Duj'e'.
Now that you can say what things are, it's time to learn about saying where things are.
Once again, there are three possible situations which the Klingon language handles
slightly differently.
1. You want to say I sit on the chair, you wait at the restaurant or the Ferengi sleeps in
the room.
This situation is fairly simple. To show that something is happening "in" a place, "on" a
place or "at" a place, you can add the suffix -Daq.
quSDaq jIba I sit on the chair

QeDaq bIloS You wait at the restaurant
paDaq Qong verengan The Ferengi sleeps in the room
Sometimes youll want to add a word like "here", "there" or "everywhere". Youll
remember that these words never add -Daq.
pa Qong verengan The Ferengi sleeps there
2. You want to say I am on the chair or you are at the restaurant.
In this situation, nothing is happening as such. You are simply saying I am in..., you
are at... and so on.
quSDaq jIHtaH I am on the chair

QeDaq SoHtaH You are at the restaurant
These first two situations are quite simple and you've had plenty of practice with them.
248
How do you say...
I sit on the bed. You sit on the chair.
The crew waits in the room. The crew waits (in) there.
I am on the planet. You are on the bridge.
She is at the hotel. He waits in the city.
The answers are...

QongDaqDaq jIba'. quSDaq bIba'.
pa'Daq loS beq. pa' loS beq.
yuQDaq jIHtaH. meHDaq SoHtaH.
mebpa'meyDaq ghaHtaH. vengDaq loS.
The third situation is a little more tricky, because you must again rephrase the sentence
using the "emphasis" suffix.
3. You want to say the man is at the restaurant or the tribble is on the chair.
Sentences in the form the something is in a something, ...on a something or ...at a

something must be rephrased. In Klingon, if you want to say the man is at the
restaurant, you actually have to say he is at the restaurant, the man.
Once again, Klingon speakers consider that the man is now the topic of the sentence,
so you must add -'e' to that word.
Qe'Daq ghaHtaH He is at the restaurant

Qe'Daq ghaHtaH loD'e' He is at the restaurant, the man
(or The man is at the restaurant)
Likewise, if you want to say "the tribble is on the chair", you actually have to say "it is on
the chair, the tribble".
quSDaq 'oHtaH It is on the chair

quSDaq 'oHtaH yIH'e' It is on the chair, the tribble
(or The tribble is on the chair)
How do you say...
The Klingon is on the chair (lit. He is on the chair, the Klingon.)
The Vulcan is at the temple (lit. She is at the temple, the Vulcan.)
The garbage is in the garbage scow (lit. It is in the garbage scow, the garbage.)
The waiters are at the restaurant (lit. They are at the restaurant, the waiters.)
The tricorders are in the bathroom (lit. They are in the bathroom, the tricorders.)
The answers are...

quSDaq ghaHtaH tlhIngan'e'.
chIrghDaq ghaHtaH vulqangan'e'.
veQDujDaq 'oHtaH veQ'e'.
Qe'Daq chaHtaH jabwI'pu''e'.
puchpa'Daq bIHtaH Hoqra'mey'e'.
So, whenever you say where something is, you must ask yourself which of the three
situations you have. If it's the third situation - if you are saying the something is in a
something, ...on a something or ...at a something - then you must rephrase the
sentence and add the emphasis suffix.
Let's practice all three situations together.
How do you say...

I lie on the bed. You sleep in the room.
The captain waits on the ship. The officer doesn't wait at the bar.
I am on the chair. You are in the area.
The crewman is at the restaurant. The bar is beside the restaurant.
The viewing screen displays the crew.
The answers are...

QongDaqDaq jIQot. pa'Daq bIQong.
DujDaq loS HoD. tachDaq loSbe' yaS.
quSDaq jIHtaH. yoSDaq SoHtaH.
Qe'Daq ghaHtaH beq'e'. Qe' retlhDaq 'oHtaH tach'e'.
beq cha' jIH.
250
Now you know how to translate the English words "am", "are" and "is".
Whenever you want to say what something is or where something is, there are three
possible situations. In both cases, the third situation requires you to rephrase the
sentence using the "emphasis" suffix.
What something is Where something is
1. Translate an adjective-verb 1. Something is happening in/on/at a place

jIQuch I am happy quSDaq jIba' I sit on the chair
HoS tlhIngan The Klingon is strong paDaq Qong verengan
The Ferengi sleeps in the room
pa Qong verengan The Ferengi sleeps
there
2. "I am a human", etc 2. "I am in a place", etc

Human jIH I am a human quSDaq jIHtaH I am on the chair
3. "The something is a something" 3. "The something is in a something"

Human ghaH loD'e' Qe'Daq ghaHtaH loD'e'
The man is a human The man is at the restaurant
Actually, there is one more situation where you might have to translate the English
words "am", "are" and "is". This situation is very different to all the others.
A little while ago, you learned that the sentences I speak and I am speaking are
translated in the same way.
jIjatlh I speak
jIjatlh I am speaking
However, when youre trying to say that something is happening continuously, you can
add the suffix -taH.
jIjatlhtaH I am speaking continuously

Let's finish the lesson by practising all seven situations together.
How do you say...

I am happy. You are unhappy.
The Klingon Defence Force is strong. Star Fleet is not weak.
He is a human. It is a dilithium crystal.
The child is a human. The soldier is a Klingon.
I sleep in the bed. You wake up on the bridge.
The guests wait at the hotel. The inhabitants stay in the city.
I am on the planet. They are on the moon.
The weapon is on the floor. The phasers are on the ship.
The fleet is docking. The entity is communicating (continuously).
Accelerate! Don't transport it!
Do you have a mission? Yes, I have a mission.

Tell me! Don't tell them!
The answers are...

jIQuch. bIQuchHa.
HoS tlhIngan Hubbeq. pujbe' 'ejyo'.
Human ghaH. cha'pujqut 'oH.
Human ghaH puq'e'. tlhIngan ghaH mang'e'.
QongDaqDaq jIQong. meHDaq bIvem.
mebpa'meyDaq loS mebpu'. vengDaq ratlh nganpu'.

yuQDaq jIHtaH. maSDaq chaHtaH.
(*or maSDaq bIHtaH.)
ravDaq 'oHtaH nuH'e'. DujDaq bIHtaH pu'mey'e'.
vergh yo'. QumtaH Dol.
yIchung. yIlupQo'.
Qu' Daghaj'a'? HIja', Qu' vIghaj.

HIja'. tIja'Qo'.
252
Practice Section 3
You now know several situations in which you use the "continuous" suffix -taH. For
example, the English sentences "I eat" and "I am eating" are normally translated the
same way, but if you want to talk about eating continuously, you can use -taH.
How do you say...

I stay. I am staying.
You are speaking. You are speaking (continuously).
You spoke (continuously) yesterday. You will speak (continuously) tomorrow.
The guests are appearing (continuously). The waiters are disappearing
(continuously).
The inhabitant must pay for the Klingon ale. The inhabitant doesn't have money.
The answers are...

jIratlh. jIratlh.
bIjatlh. bIjatlhtaH.
wa'Hu' bIjatlhtaH. wa'leS bIjatlhtaH.
narghtaH mebpu'. ngabtaH jabwI'pu'.
wornagh DIlnIS ngan. Huch ghajbe' ngan.
You learned how to say that things are "above", "below" or "beside" something else.
How do you say...

above the city, below the stairs
beside the temple, between the buildings
I am inside the factory. You are outside the factory.
I am on the floor. I sit on the floor.
You sleep in the bathroom. The Klingons eat at the restaurant.
The answers are...

veng DungDaq, letlh bIngDaq
chIrgh retlhDaq, qachmey jojDaq
laSvargh qoDDaq jIHtaH. laSvargh HurDaq SoHtaH.
ravDaq jIHtaH. ravDaq jIba'.
puchpa'Daq bIQong. Qe'Daq Sop tlhInganpu'.
You learned the word "it" and two words for "they". You already knew that these words
are mainly used for emphasis and clarification.
How do you say...

The dilithium crystal is heavy. It is heavy.
The children are wet. They are wet.
They will be dry tomorrow (lit. They are dry tomorrow).
The pets are big. They are big now.
I eat the gagh. I eat it.
The Ferengi transports the tribbles. The Ferengi transports them.

The captain hails the enemies. The captain hails them.
The sharp knife and the blunt fork. The toilets are clean.
The answers are...

'ugh cha'pujqut. 'ugh 'oH.
yIQ puqpu'. yIQ chaH.
wa'leS QaD chaH.
tIn Sajmey. DaH tIn bIH.
qagh vISop. 'oH vISop.
yIHmey lup verengan. bIH lup verengan.

jaghpu' rI' HoD. chaH rI' HoD.
taj jej puq chonnaQ jejHa' je. Say' puchmey.
254
It's easy to emphasise "I", me", "you" and so on simply by including the words, rather
than missing them out. However, if you want to emphasise "the girl" or "the ship", you
must use the "emphasis" suffix.
How do you say...

I know the boy. I know the girl.
Do you see a ship? No, I see the fleet.
Starfleet is willing to surrender. Good!
The Klingon Defence Force has a new mission. Let's go!
The plate is empty. The plates were full yesterday.
The answers are...

loDHom vISov. be'Hom'e' vISov.
Duj Dalegh'a'? ghobe', yo''e' vIlegh.
jeghqang 'ejyo'. maj.
Qu' chu' ghaj tlhIngan Hubbeq. Ha'.
chIm jengva'. wa'Hu' buy' ngop.
In this section you learned how to say what things are and where things are. First let's
talk about what things are.
There are three possible situations. The first two are relatively simple.
How do you say...

I am old. You are not young.
The cargo is heavy. It is very light.
I am the captain. You are an officer.
He is a Cardassian. She is a Romulan.
The answers are...

jIqan. bIQupbe'.
'ugh tep. tISqu'.
HoD jIH. yaS SoH.
qarDaSngan ghaH. romuluSngan ghaH.
The third situation is trickier. Whenever you say "the something is a something" you
must rephrase the sentence.
How do you say...

The patient is an enemy. The ship is a garbage scow.
The doctors are friends. The buildings are temples.
The answers are...

jagh ghaH SID'e'. veQDuj 'oH Duj'e'.
juppu' chaH Qelpu''e'. chIrghmey bIH qachmey'e'.
Now let's talk about where things are.
Again, there are three possible situations. The first two are relatively simple. One
involves an action and the other doesn't.
How do you say...

I sit on the chair. You sit on the stairs.
The crewman waits in the room. The crewman waits there.
I am on the chair. You are on the stairs.
She is above the area. He is beside the district.
The answers are...

quSDaq jIba'. letlhDaq bIba'.
pa'Daq loS beq. pa' loS beq.
quSDaq jIHtaH. letlhDaq SoHtaH.
yoS DungDaq ghaHtaH. yoS retlhDaq ghaHtaH.
256
The third situation is trickier. Whenever you want to say the something is in a
something, ...on a something or ...at a something, you must rephrase the sentence.
How do you say...

The glass is on the table. The bartender is in the bar.
The children are on the bridge. The spoons are on the floor.
The guest is inside the hotel. The enemies are outside the city.
The answers are...

raSDaq 'oHtaH HIvje''e'. tachDaq ghaHtaH chom'e'.
meHDaq chaHtaH puqpu''e'. ravDaq bIHtaH baghneQmey'e'.
mebpa'mey qoDDaq ghaHtaH meb'e'. veng HurDaq chaHtaH jaghpu'e'.
Here is a useful summary of how to say what something is or where something is. You
will need to think about it whenever you try to translate "am", are or "is".
What something is Where something is
1. Translate an adjective-verb 1. Something is happening in/on/at a place

jIQuch I am happy quSDaq jIba' I sit on the chair
Hos tlhIngan The Klingon is strong paDaq Qong verengan
The Ferengi sleeps in the room
pa Qong verengan The Ferengi sleeps
there
2. "I am a human", etc 2. "I am in a place", etc

Human jIH I am a human quSDaq jIHtaH I am on the chair
3. "The something is a something" 3. "The something is in a something"

Human ghaH loD'e' Qe'Daq ghaHtaH loD'e'
The man is a human The man is at the restaurant
Also: a continuous action

jIjaH I go, I am going
jIjaHtaH I am going continuously
You have learned how to say "there is" and "there are", as well as how to say "ready to".
How do you say...

I command the crew. I am ready to command the crew.
The engine functions. The engine is ready to function.
There is a baby (around) here. There are babies everywhere.
There is no garbage (around) there. There are no tribbles on the space station.
Is there a bathroom (around) here? Are there aliens (around) there?
The answers are...

beq vIra'. beq vIra'rup.
Qap jonta'. QapbeH jonta'.
naDev ghu tu'lu'. Dat ghupu' tu'lu'.
pa' veQ tu'lu'be'. tengchaHDaq yIHmey tu'lu'be'.
naDev puchpa' tu'lu''a'? pa' novpu' tu'lu''a'?
258
You know how to say "myself", "yourself" and so on. You also know how to give
commands.
How do you say...

I see. I see myself.
You introduce yourself. She asks herself.
Fly! Land there!
Don't move! Don't beam aboard!
Trust yourself! Defend yourself!
Repair it! Repair the computer!

Activate it! Ok, I will.
Disengage the warp drive! No, I won't.
Help him! Find her!
Tell me! Don't follow me!
Look for them! Don't annoy them!
The answers are...

jIlegh. jIlegh'egh.
bIlIH'egh. tlhob'egh.
yIpuv. pa' yISaq.
yIvIHQo'. yIjolQo'.
yIvoq'egh. yIHub'egh.
yItI'. De'wI' yItI'.

yIchu'. luq.
pIvghor yIchu'Ha'. Qo'.
yIQaH. yItu'.
HIja'. HItlha'Qo'.
tInej. tInuQQo'.
You learned the words "everything", "something" and "nothing". The same Klingon words
also translate "everybody", "someone", "anything" and so on.
How do you say...

I can see everything. I can see nothing.
Something is docking. Everybody tries.
Nobody is communicating. Everyone is accelerating.
No-one is willing to buy the blood wine. Can you hear someone?
Can you tell anybody? I can't help anyone.
I can't change anything. Somebody is on the bridge.

The viewing screen displays the shields. Ready!
The answers are...

Hoch vIleghlaH. pagh vIleghlaH.
vergh vay'. nID Hoch.
Qum pagh. chung Hoch.
'Iw HIq je'qang pagh. vay' DaQoylaH'a'?
vay' Daja'laH'a'? vay' vIQaHlaHbe'.
vay' vIchoHlaHbe'. meHDaq ghaHtaH vay''e'.

botjan cha' jIH. SuH!
260
Finally, you learned the numbers between eleven and ninety-nine.
How do you say...

eleven, twelve, thirteen
sixteen, nineteen, twenty
forty, fifty, seventy
twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three
forty-eight, fifty-six
eighty-seven, ninety-nine
The answers are...

wa'maH wa', wa'maH cha', wa'maH wej
wa'maH jav, wa'maH Hut, cha'maH
loSmaH, vaghmaH, SochmaH
cha'maH wa', cha'maH cha', cha'maH wej
loSmaH chorgh, vaghmaH jav
chorghmaH Soch, HutmaH Hut

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Klingon 1 v0.3 (Vialingo)

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Klingon 1

This course is somewhat different to a "traditional" language course.

I have learned it. Are you buying it for me?

...into sentences like this...

vIghojta'. jIHvaD Daje''a'.

...without ever reaching for a dictionary or a grammar book.

How to study the course

If English is not your first language

Features of spoken Klingon

The sounds of Klingon

The letters b, ch, j, l, m, n, ng, p, t, v, w and y are pronounced as in English.

ch sounds like the "ch" in "change" (imitated pronunciation: ch)

The letter r is slightly rolled, just as it is in Italian (imitated pronunciation: r).

Neither q nor Q are ever pronounced like the "qu" in "quick".

a sounds like the a in "calm" (imitated pronunciation: ah)

aw sounds like the "ow" in "cow" (imitated pronunciation: ow)

and (joins sentences) 'ej

don't, doesn't (verb suffix) -be'

man is loD (pronounced lohd)

woman is be' (be')

What is the English for yaS

Written Klingon uses an apostrophe to show this cutting-short sound.

So, woman is be'

How do you say, in Klingon, officer

So, loD can mean "man", "the man" or "a man".

How do you say...

The answers are...

goes is jaH (jahkh)

How do you say, in Klingon, writes

The dog bites the man.

!!! Klingon is an "object-verb-subject" (OVS) language.

Sop loD The man eats (literally, eats - the man)

How do you say...

The answers are...

laD HoD The captain reads (literally, reads - the captain)

How do you say...

The answers are...

and is 'ej (' ej)

What is the English for 'ach

How do you say, in Klingon, but

jatlh loD The man speaks

How do you say...

The child comes but the pet goes.

The answers are...

ghoS puq 'ach jaH Saj.

alien is nov (nohv)

human is Human (khoo-MAHN)

So, doctor is Qel

How do you say, in Klingon, Klingon

The answers are...

Klingon is a language which likes to make a new word by adding something to an

!!! Klingon is an agglutinative language.

In Klingon, "doesn't speak" is translated by a single word, and so is "doesn't understand".

The answers are...

jatlh Human The human speaks

How do you say...

The answers are...

The doctor speaks but the patient doesn't understand.

The answers are...

jatlh Qel 'ach yajbe' SID.

It doesn't matter if you sometimes forget a word.

(plural noun suffix for beings) -pu'

Earth, Terra tera'

and (used in a list) je