Re: Some sentences.

>--- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, Lars Finsen <lars.finsen@...> wrote:
>Hello,
>I set myself some sentences to translate today. Maybe they will be
>useful exercise for you too?
Yes, they were.  I really appreciate all the translation exercises
being offered by those on the list.  They are helping me improve my
fluency in Senjecas.

>1. I did my best to talk Derek into coming.
m-us derhêc-um güêm-u êêc-u perh cên-a.

I-NOM.sg Derek-ACC.sg come-SUP persuade-SUP PAST PARTICLE
make.an.effort-IND.

>2. They did nothing to help out.
n-úes nécü-om tsêlb-u mhêrhdz-a.
that-NOM.pl nothing-ACC.sg help-SUP do-IND

>3. We had a good dinner last night.
mh-úes pêrha necü-âsïo dzêêso mhésperh-êd-om perh êd-a.
we-NOM.sg previous night-GEN.sg delicious evening-meal-ACC.sg PAST
PARTICLE eat-IND

Some of these sentences are showing me how often in English we make
phrases with verbs like "have, do, make, get," e.g., "we 'had' a
meal," instead of "we 'ate' a meal."  I'm trying, with Senjecas, to
use more literal terms.

>4. They had a lot of money from their father.
n-úes n-úm ap-âsïo púlo cüêrhï-om perh ôrhv-a.
that-NOM.pl that-GEN.pl father-GEN.sg much money-ACC.sg PAST
PARTICLE inherit-IND

"he 'had'" instead of "he 'inherited.'"

>5. They were let in for free.
sém-us qélt-u éga nú-un pérh-ë mhrhîî-a.
someone-NOM.sg pay-SUP without that-ACC.pl PAST PARTICLE-EPEN admit-
IND

>6. I was allowed to go home early.
sém-us áájhrh-ë-vi m-um nôm-u perh vûnd-a.
someone-NOM.sg early-EPEN-ADV I-ACC.sg go.home-SUP PAST PARTICLE
allow-IND

BTW, I have decided to us a diagraph in place of non-Latin graphemes
in my messages on this list.  I am using an "h" to indicate the
voicelessness of the approximants, i.e., mh, lh, rh, jh.

Charlie