Salute, Jonathan!/Grammar (adverbs)
Adverbs
[edit | edit source]Adverbs can be created from adjectives using the suffix -men, which is similar to the suffix -ly in English.
Adding -men
[edit | edit source]- Avan Jonathan es li via, e solmen li via. - Before Jonathan es the road, and only the road. (sol = sole, alone)
- Li altri cochero prende li bagage con su fort manus, e tre rapidmen li cose es finit. - The other coachman takes the baggage with his strong hands, and very quickly the affair is finished. (rapid = fast, rapid)
- Li cavallos vermen ne ama que li lupos ulula. - The horses truly do not like that the wolves are howling. (ver = true)
Adding -men does not change the stress of a word:
- rapid = rapíd
- rapidmen = rapídmen (not rapidmén)
Implied -men
[edit | edit source]The suffix -men is often dropped when an adjective alone suffices to make the meaning clear. This generally occurs with short adjectives like bon, mal, rapid, etc., but the addition of -men is always permitted.
- Jonathan ha bon dormit, e it es pos midí. Il avigila se, lava se, e intra li chambre in quel il e li Comto manjat. - Jonathan has slept well (= good), and it is afternoon. He wakes himself, washes up, and enters the room in which he and the Count ate.
Words that are adverbs by nature
[edit | edit source]Many words by themselves are adverbs: tre, sempre, strax, etc.
- Nu il pensa que anc su lette es tre bell. - Now he thinks that his bed is very nice too.
- Dunc quande il vide Dracula, il es sempre calm. Quande Dracula questiona le: “Qualmen vu standa?” il di sempre “Yo standa bon, mersí. E vu?” e ili fa mult parladas. - Thus, when he sees Dracula, he is always calm. When Dracula asks him: "How are you doing?" he always says "I'm doing well, thank you. And you?" and they talk a lot.
- Dracula: “Ah! Li matine va strax arivar. Vu es fatigat e li témpor ha venit por dormir. A revidentie!” - Dracula: "Ah! The morning will soon come. You are tired and the time has come to sleep. Until later!
Adverbs as a gerund
[edit | edit source]The -ing form is used as a gerund in English, such as "The phone rang while I was watching TV". To do the same in Occidental, use the -nt present participle and add an e.
- Vidente li lune, li lupos comensa ulular. - Seeing the moon, the wolves begin to howl. (Ch. 8)
- Ah, scriente ti paroles yo senti me bon. - Ah, I feel good writing these words. (Ch. 22)
- Il questionat me ca yo vell posser amar le plu tard, e yo movet mi cap, diente no. - He asked me if I could love him later, and I moved (shook) my head, saying no. (Ch. 23)