Dwarvish Grammar, Volume 4

Chapter 9: Relative Clauses

Relative clauses use the appropriate question word to best describe the noun they modify. In English, where ‘that’ is used the word for ‘what,’ ‘cas,’ is used instead. For example:

The elf who killed my father
Fing cor mabtoch michvadeugh

The ore that I smelted yesterday
Merz cas mich leagoch voromlag.

The stronghold where they fought the battle
Hochbol co siad neutoch shlegh

When I was a boy, I wanted a long beard.
Cuan mich aeoch laddie, wofeloch buang feubart.

Chapter 10: Time expressions

A list of common dwarvish time words is detailed below:

Second - dakun
Minute - pairgen
Hour - stuair
Day - lag
Week - woach
Month - mionat
Year - jahdna

Today = this + day = ses + lag = seslag
Yesterday = before + day = vorom + lag = voromlag
Tomorrow = after + day = nair + lag = nairlag

Similar compound nouns are used to modify the words for week, month, and year. Thus ‘voromjahdna’ means ‘last year’ and ‘nairmionat’ means ‘next month.’

More time expressions can be used by combining time words, numbers, and certain prepositions. For example:

Two seconds ago = two second before = dwei dakun vorom
Five years from now = five year after = conf jahdna nair
In twenty-four hours = twenty-four hour inside = dweideihn-veith stuair ain

Come to Deglos in two days.
Dlomm Deglos dwei lag ain.

I learned Elvish ten years ago.
Leornoch finglen deihn jahdna nair.

Culture note: ‘mionat’ is translated as ‘month,’ but many dwarves live their entire lives underground and hence never seen the moon. ‘Mionat’ does not describe an actual lunar cycle, but rather the length of time of the birth and death cycle of a type of glowing fungus that grows in the Underdark. The life cycle of this fungus roughly corresponds to one month.

Chapter 11: Saying “I Can”

In dwarvish the word ‘urkit’ means ‘ability.’ When urkit precedes a verb it forms the grammatical expression ‘I can [verb].’ For example:

Mich urkit fascoch daibh.
I have the ability to see you.
I can see you.

Wair nae urkit vercaloch!
We cannot lose!

Chapter 12: Expressing Likes and Dislikes

The verb meaning ‘to like’ is ‘mesikoth.’ The verb meaning ‘to hate’ is ‘fuasoch.’

I like winter, and I hate summer.
Mich mesikoth vinter, ind mich fuasoch zommer.

The imperative forms of the above verbs are also nouns meaning ‘preference’ and ‘dislike.’ When they precede a verb the following grammatical construction is formed:

Mich mesik leagoch merz.
I like to smelt ore.

Mich fuas faichoch hochbol.
I hate guarding the stronghold.