Re: Basque bizarreries (was: Conland Digest etc.)

>There are alas few examples in my old reprinted
>grammar to help understanding the real meaning of the
>cases,
Some more examples:

-tzat

"GalduTZAT eman" (To give up for lost)
"TontoTZAT eduki" (To have for an idiot, to consider an idiot)
"TontoTZAT hartu naute" (They have taken me for an idiot)
"OnTZAT hartu" (To take as good, to accept something)
"ZuTZAT hartu nau" (He took me for you)
"Zure alabaTZAT hartu nuen" (I had taken her for your daughter)
"AintzakoTZAT hartu" (To take into consideration, lit. to take as
worthy of consideration)

-(r)entzat

"NorENTZAT dira hauek?" (Whom [sg.] are these for?)
"NortzuENTZAT da hori?" (Whom [pl.] is that for?)
"ZenbatENTZAT da tarta hau?" (How many people is this cake for?)
"Pastel hori umeaRENTZAT da" (This pastry is for the child)
"Hau lagunENTZAT da" (This is for friends)
"Gela hau hirurENTZAT da" (This room is for three, this room hosts three)
"GuztiENTZAT dago" (There's [enough] for all)
"ZuENTZAT ez dut ezer ekarri" (I haven't carried anything for you [pl.])
"Jende askoRENTZAT balio du" (It is useful for many people)
"Hau biRENTZAT da" (This is for two)
"Opari hau biENTZAT da" (This present is for both, lit. for the two [of
them])


>Ja rabotaju injenierom = I work as an engineer.
>I guess Basques would say: by-me is worked
>engineer-tzat ? (If that's the case, I would be very
>proud to begin to think like a real Basque :-) )
Well, the actual translation is a bit different: "Ingeniaritzat
lan egiten dut" (as-engineer work in-doing I-have-it)

Cheers,
Javier

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