Lower Sorbian to English: preserve number and completion status
A dual form means more than a general plural
Lower Sorbian has singular, dual, and plural grammatical forms. An English translation should preserve an explicit pair when that matters. A source form referring to exactly two people may be better expressed as “the two of us” or “both” in an appropriate sentence, rather than reduced automatically to an unspecified “we” or “they.”
Check who belongs to the pair before expanding the English. Two people mentioned nearby are not necessarily the two performing the action. Read the full clause and its established references. This is particularly useful in appointments, shared responsibilities, and reports where participation determines who must respond.
Identify the dictionary form through inflection
Lower Sorbian is inflectional, so a noun or verb inside a sentence may differ from the form shown in a dictionary. Do not treat every changed ending as an error or a separate name. Use its grammatical role and the surrounding phrase to identify the underlying word before choosing an English equivalent.
Wóda means “water,” and źeń means “day.” Their visible forms in a complete phrase may depend on the construction. English may express a relationship through a separate preposition or article rather than a corresponding ending. Preserve the source relationship rather than translating only the recognisable root.
Read the verb’s aspect before selecting an English tense
Lower Sorbian distinguishes verbal aspect. A target English sentence should keep the difference between an action underway or repeated and one presented as a completed whole. The correct English may need an auxiliary, a progressive form, or explicit wording about completion rather than one fixed translation of the verb.
A report that someone was working on a document is not equivalent to a claim that the document was finished. Do not make the English more definite merely because a short sentence sounds cleaner. Identify the source’s actual claim about the action and choose a natural English formulation for that scope.
Keep Lower Sorbian distinct from its neighbours
Lower Sorbian is not Upper Sorbian or Serbian. A similar-looking word from another language may be a poor guide to the intended meaning. Use Lower Sorbian reference materials when checking an unfamiliar form, and preserve diacritics while examining the source spelling.
Contact with German can also appear in vocabulary or code-switching. Determine whether a borrowed form is functioning as ordinary Lower Sorbian, a quotation, or a proper name before translating it. Use an established English or local place name when the document’s purpose requires it, rather than inventing a new form. Finally, compare quantities, dates, and reference identifiers independently of fluency so the English still points to the same people, event, or record.
Language references
Lower Sorbian is listed by the provider as Dolnoserbšćina (language code dsb). Source text reads left to right. Preserve original spelling, punctuation, and names when entering text.
The selected target is English (English; code en). The result is displayed left to right. If another script or regional variant is needed, select its separate entry in the language directory.