English to Klingon Latin: express time and description through Klingon grammar
English tense is not a suffix to copy
Klingon verbs do not mark past, present, and future as English verbs do. The KLI lesson explains that yaj can be understood as understands, understood, or will understand according to context. An English tense distinction may therefore require a time expression rather than an invented Klingon ending.
The documented example wa’leS jagh vISuv places tomorrow at the beginning and means I will fight the enemy. For an English source whose date matters, include the time clearly and keep it when revising. Do not move the translated time expression freely to the end just because English tomorrow can occupy either position.
Who acts and who is affected belong in the prefix
Klingon verbal prefixes encode subject and object relationships. The KLI course distinguishes jI-, I with no object, and bI-, singular you with no object. They are grammatical forms rather than optional English-style pronouns. Changing the English actor can require a new prefix even if no separate Klingon noun appears.
Before translating a short command or a line of dialogue, distinguish an action without an object from an action directed at something. I sleep and I understand you do not supply the same participant structure. A copied prefix from a familiar phrase can make the new sentence refer to the wrong actor or object.
An English adjective may be a Klingon verb
Klingon does not treat adjectives as a separate word class in the way English teaching usually does. The KLI example Duj tIn means a big ship, with a stative verb after the noun. A full statement that the ship is big has a different structural job from this descriptive noun phrase.
When writing an English title or label, decide whether it names an object or asserts a fact about it. A big ship and the ship is big are not interchangeable source strings. Do not insert a literal equivalent of English is simply because you see an adjective; let the target construction match the intended phrase or sentence.
Keep the Latin notation as language data
The KLI describes Okrand’s Latin orthography separately from the pIqaD character mapping. Keep the Latin variant selected when you want readable transliteration for study or a message to another learner. Preserve its internal capitals and apostrophes rather than applying English title case or sentence-capitalization rules.
For a reusable line, retain the English proposition alongside the result and check the time expression, verbal prefix, and distinction between description and statement. Klingon’s compact appearance can conceal substantial grammatical content in an affix. A phrase that resembles a familiar quotation should still be checked against the actual English meaning you intend, especially after changing its participants.
Language references
English is listed by the provider as English (language code en). Source text reads left to right. Preserve original spelling, punctuation, and names when entering text.
The selected target is Klingon (Latin) (Klingon (Latin); code tlh-Latn). The result is displayed left to right. If another script or regional variant is needed, select its separate entry in the language directory.