Re: Implied verbs

On 9/20/06, Henrik Theiling <theiling@...> wrote:
> I'm not sure whether this is what you are looking for, but German and
> Dutch frequently drop the main verb if an auxiliary is present.
[snip examples]

What I thought of when reading those examples was

    Ich muss mal!
    I must <part>!

"mal" is a particle that literally means "once", but I'm not sure
whether or how to translate it here.

At any rate, it's a very common euphemism (used especially by
children) for "I have to go to the toilet".

Occasionally, it's expanded, a common pattern being

    Ich muss mal für kleine Mädchen/für kleine Jungs.
    I must <part> for little girls/for little boys.
    "I have to go to the toilet." (used by women/men)

A rather jocular form, I think -- but also without an explicit main verb.

Cheers,
--
Philip Newton <philip.newton@...>