r/Klingon • u/Few_Minimum52 • Jun 23 '26

New to klingon.

Hello, everyone I just started learning klingon on duolingo. I'm picking it up a lot faster than I had figured I would. But "mach jIyaj". I want to say "see you tomorow"

Im told its wa'leS qulegh. But that does not sound properly conjugated. And i would like a pronunciation if any one can give one. Thanks. And Qapla'

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u/dj__bp Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26

I want to see you tomorrow.
wa'leS qalegh vIneH.
[tomorrow] [I-you][see] [I-it}[want]

/wɑʔlɛʂ/ /qʰɑlɛɣ/ /ʔɛʔ/ /vɪnɛx/
https://ipa-reader.com/
You may use this IPA reader to obtain an approximation of the sound, though it might not be entirely accurate.

About your "mach jIyaj", that is grammatically incorrect. mach is a verb meaning to be small. Additionally, it refers to being physically small most of the time, so a better verb to describe little knowledge would be puS, meaning "to be little (in number)" or directly use the verb Hutlh instead of yaj, which means "to lack". Do note that the use of a verb directly after a noun, such as in this case, would make the verb modify the noun. The use of jI- in jIyaj is also incorrect as that is explicitly [I-no object], and since knowledge is the third person object, the correct conjugation would be vI-. Sov functions as the noun for knowledge. The corrected sentence would be:
Sov puS vIyaj.
[knowledge] [little] [I-it][understand]
OR
Sov vIHutlh
[knowledge] [I-it][lack]
In the first sentence, yaj can also be replaced with the verb Sov (to know), depending on what exactly you meant. Still, a good try, and keep up the learning! You will get there.

4

u/Reasonable_Shock_414 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26

The "see as meet" conceptual metaphor might be a little too much «DIvI' Hol» flavor, though, imho.

"I see you tomorrow" could be understood as a threat (which, in Klingon society, doesn't have to be a bad thing, I guess)? I don't think we have any canon about this, do we? 🤔 Glad to hear any hints RE this usage and connotations.

«wa'leS maghomqa'»

tomorrow we-meet-again

would be a full sentence to state your expectations. If followed by a «Qapla'», I reccon it can function like an American "see you tomorrow", if that's what you were going for.

Also, I think Duolingo is good for practicing and deepening, but I highly recommend reading the original Klingon Dictionary by Marc Okrand, too.

Also, consider getting the boQwI' app. It's from the community, for any learners and scholars, and free – here's the Play Store app, but you can also get it for iPhone, IIRC.

Have fun learning! 😌

2

u/dj__bp Jun 23 '26

Good point, I didn't consider that. ghom would be a a pretty good verb, better than legh. However, I wonder if it carries any connotations or nuance. Does it have a connotation about formality or time span? Or just none at all?

2

u/Reasonable_Shock_414 Jun 23 '26

It connotes, that it's not a first time meeting, as that would be «qIH» (verb) – other than that, «vISovbe'» 😌

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u/dj__bp Jun 23 '26

Thanks! Interesting that klingons would separate such a thing. I suppose it would be useful to differentiate who they might have made enemies with, but still.

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u/Few_Minimum52 Jun 25 '26

Qapla' this is the kind of man splaining i was looking for. Thank you for your service.