Thuum.org

A community for the dragon language of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Thuum.org

A community for the dragon language of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Question Board

Question Board > How to Say "how" and "what"

Anonymous
January 24, 2020

How to Say "how" and "what"

What is the translation of "How" and "What" In Dovah.

Category: General

1

Zinrahzul
January 24, 2020

No direct word-for-word translations, but here's how you can work around it by rephrasing:

How are you? -> Are you well? (Los hi pruzah?) Tell me about your day. (Tinvaak do suliil/)

How do you fight? -> I wan't to understanding about fighting. (Zu'u laan mindoraan se krif.)

How am I so great? -> Incomprehensible/Unknowable that I am really great. (Vonmindoraan/vomindok tol zu'u los rinik lot)

What am I? -> I want to know of me (Zu'u laan wah mindok do zu'u)

What are you doing today? -> Tell me of your deeds this day (Tinvaak do hin sodde daar sul)

What a good forest for hunting! -> Such a good forest for hunting! (Grik pruzah feykro fah nir!)

1

Liis
Administrator
January 26, 2020 		However, I think there is a direct word-for-phrase translation. The only form of "what" in English that can be translated whilst retaining the same syntactic function is the indefinite pronoun form. This is not the form that is used to begin a question, for that is the interrogative form. My thoughts are based on the possibility that the dragon word "tol" can be used as a relative pronoun -- as is the common practice.

Indefinite pronouns identify something non-specific. Here, the phrase translation is "daar tol", and is used in a way as the following examples showcase:

Example 1
In English: "I don't know what you know"
In Dragon: "Zu'u ni mindok daar tol hi mindok"

Example 2
In English: "What flies shall fall"
In Dragon: "Daar tol bo, (los daar tol) fent mah"

Language

Community

Social

This is an independent site and is not affiliated with Bethesda Softworks, LLC
Background art by Adam Adamowicz