One for your phrasebooks

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Friedebarth
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One for your phrasebooks

Post by Friedebarth »

This was started on facebook when I said this sentence in conversation and then noticed how hilarious it would look if randomly included in a phrasebook. It could be the conlang phrasebook equivalent of "My hovercraft is full of eels"

The sentence is: I could have sworn someone told me he was a priest.

:con: Strathan

Éthimai gu dabarodh Deun hugum gu vesodh Prebysd.
Éth-im-ai gu dabar-odh Deun hug-um gu ves-odh Prebysd.
PST\swear-1SG-SUBJ REL REL.PST\say-3SG person to-1SG REL REL.PRES\be-3SG priest
ML :deu: DE / :de-nw: KSH / :uk: EN-GB
C1 :gla: SCO
B1 :swe: SV
A1 :gla: GD / :esp: ES / :fra: FR / :gle: GA
A0 :fao: FO / :lat: LA
Not Napoleon
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Re: One for your phrasebooks

Post by Not Napoleon »

"I could have sworn somebody tells me you are a priest"
"Los mosaje delonzh cya mõsla sitas lôso cya lìm shya cooshây'a."

Improper grammar, because I am currently away from my computer, which has the majority of my conlang on it, including words such as "He" "She" "Rules for tone in the accusative case when there is only one syllable" and "past tense particle"
Lìm shya cuâcua to'an wi

You are an unbreakable melon.
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Lao Kou
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Re: One for your phrasebooks

Post by Lao Kou »

Image Géarthnuns

Sí lé, gü shahöcheths lév sík, gü söb lé sö hídhabs höinöi sho, höiíaugavel sho, vürhí hehéarvöz.
1SG-NOM AUX.PAST, CONJ someone-NOM AUX.PAST.IMPERS 1SG-DAT, CONJ 3SG-NOM AUX.PAST INDEF priest be-DISC PTCL, tell-DISC PTCL, irrealis-ADV swear-CONCL
I could have sworn someone told me he was a priest.
道可道,非常道
名可名,非常名
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Lao Kou
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Re: One for your phrasebooks

Post by Lao Kou »

Image Japoné語

私 oué j'ga 有tré 誓tté que qui ca ga me nie 教éta qu'il ga été 司祭.
Ouétachi oué j'ga atré tchicatté que qui ca ga me nie auchiéta qu'il ga été chiçaille.
[weˈtæʃi we ʒgɔ ˈatʁe tʃɪˈkatte kœ̈ ki kɔ gɔ mœ̈ ni ˈoʃietɔ ki gɔ ˈete ʃi̥ˈsaj]
1SG TOP 1SG SUBJ have-COND swear-PART CONJ someone SUBJ 1SG INDIR.OBJ tell-PAST CONJ 3SG.m be-PAST priest.m
I could have sworn someone told me he was a priest.
Last edited by Lao Kou on 27 Jun 2016 12:00, edited 2 times in total.
道可道,非常道
名可名,非常名
Iyionaku
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Re: One for your phrasebooks

Post by Iyionaku »

:deu: German

Ich hätte schwören können, dass mir jemand gesagt hätte, dass er ein Priester sei.
[ʔɪç hɛtʰə ˈʃvœʁən kœnən, das miɐ̯ ˈjeːmant gəˈsakt ˈhɛtʰə, das ɛɐ̯ ʔaɪ̯n ˈpʁiːstɐ zaɪ̯]
1SG.NOM have.COND.PST.1SG swear.INF can.INF, that 1SG.DAT someone.NOM say.PP have.COND.PST.3SG, dass 3SG_MASC.NOM INDEF.MASC.NOM priest.NOM be.COND.3SG

:fra: French

J'aurais pu jurer que personne m'aurait dit qu'il était prêtre.
1SG-have.COND.PST.1SG can.PP swear.INF that someone 1SG.OBL have.COND.PST.3SG say.PP that-3SG_MASC be.IPF.3SG priest

:con: Yélian

Re diyistániyyvain pi teʻa rat yitiylet pi te movrosbit iagul èpi.
[rɛ ˌdiʃiˈstana̯iːçvaɪ̯n pi ˈtɛʔa rɐt ʃiˈta̯iːlɛt pi tɛ ˈmɔʊ̯rɔsbɪt ˈjagʊl ˈɛpi]
1SG COND-PST-swear-COND.1SG that someone 1SG.OBL PST-tell-3SG that 3SG_MASC occupational-be.3SG.ANIM priest ind_speech
1SG

:con: Caelian

Rar tisutnarnas, viz zöfang Raf tisbüktail, pye Tot folcowyes datüfpil äipye.
[raɾ tʰiʃutˈnaɾnaʃ, vis zøˈβaŋ raɸ tɪʃbʏkˈtʰaɪ̯l pʲɛ tʰɔt βolʝɔˈʋɛʃ datʏɸˈpʰɪl æɪ̯ˈpʲɛ]
1SG.NOM PPST;COND-swear.1SG>INTR-POSS, that someone.NOM 1SG.DAT PST.COND-tell-3SG>1SG, ind_speech 3SG_MASC priest.ESS HAB-work.3SG>3SG ind_speech

:con: Anto

Da njo iswo wode kankan-do, so shas da sage wodewo-da, ton amdjaw ben-ton, sagese.
[ta ɲɔ ˈiswɔ wɔtɛ ˈ̠kʰankʰandɔ, sɔ ʃas ta ˈsakɛ ˈwɔdɛˌwɔda, tʰɔn amɟaʊ̯ ˈbɛntʰɔn, ˈsagɛsɛ]
1SG * swear COND ABL-PST-1SG, that someone 1SG say COND-PST-1SG, 3 priest work_as-3.ANIM, they_say_so

*Particle for premarking of coverbal constructions that contain at least three verbs
Wipe the glass. This is the usual way to start, even in the days, day and night, only a happy one.
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Lao Kou
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Re: One for your phrasebooks

Post by Lao Kou »

Iyionaku wrote: :fra: French

J'aurais pu jurer que personne m'aurait dit qu'il était prêtre.
1SG-have.COND.PST.1SG can.PP swear.INF that someone 1SG.OBL have.COND.PST.3SG say.PP that-3SG_MASC be.IPF.3SG priest
"Personne ne" is "no one", and even though the "ne" isn't there, I'm pretty sure this would be interpreted as "I could have sworn no one told me...". (Certainly at the spoken level; at the written level maybe a double-take before figuring out where you wanted to go.) How 'bout "quelqu'un/on" for "someone"?

"m'aurait dit" with the conditional perfect sounds to me like "would have told me". Mom's apple tarte passé composé? Or for a sylistic flourish, maybe the pluperfect?

J'aurais pu jurer que quelqu'un/on m'a dit qu'il était prêtre. or J'aurais pu jurer que quelqu'un/on m'avait dit qu'il était prêtre.
I could have sworn that someone told me... or I could have sworn that someone had told me...

Stylistically, I'm not sure about "J'aurais juré" vs. "J'aurais pu jurer" (I've mostly used the latter when talking to myself or living things in earshot, though they both work for non-native me.). Dormouse, à ton avis?
道可道,非常道
名可名,非常名
Iyionaku
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Re: One for your phrasebooks

Post by Iyionaku »

"personne" is "someone" due to two independent sources, but "quelqu'un" is still the better choice. I'm not sure about the last either. It sounds uncommon to me, but the last time I've heard French has been five years.

M'aurait dit: You're right definitely. This was a lack of comprehension of mine, I have not only translated it wrong into French, but also in my native language German and in my conlangs Caelian and Anto (not, however, in Yélian - I cannot explain why [O.o] )

Ich hätte schwören können, dass mir jemand gesagt hätte hat, dass er ein Priester sei.

Rar tisutnarnas, viz zöfang Raf tisbüktail sibüktail, pye Tot folcowyes datüfpil äipye.

Da njo iswo wode kankan-do, so shas da sagesa-ton wodewo-da, ton amdjaw ben-ton, sagese.

:con: Batħaso (new name of Orkish)

Shels homs khek pakřonkob hax khek padannzh shamadzhoz: homs shels kxush ninkdřet, batizh.
[ʂɛls hɔms kʰɛk paˈkr̠ɔnkɔb hax kʰɛk paˈdanːʐ ʂaˈma͡dʐɔz, hɔms ʂɛls ͡kxuʂ ˈniŋkdr̠ɛt, ˈbatɪʐ]
POT COND PERF swear-1SG.ABS that PERF say someone.ERG COND POT 2SG.ABS priest.ABS 1SG.DAT

:con: Elfish

ओकु हव्वज़ मिरू ऊरिमे, फि पैथेड़ तिऌपे ह्रितू नेड़, युवो वौमि षयीने.
Ēku havas mirū ūrime, phi payther tilpe hritū ner, yuwē weymi șayīne.

[ʔeːk ˈhavas ˈmiruː ˈʔuːrim, pʰi paɪ̯tʰer ˈtilpə ˈ͡ʰrituː neɾ, ˈju.eː weɪ̯mi ʃa.ˈiːnə]
1SG.NOM have.COND.1SG ABL.PP swear.INF, that someone.NOM get.3SG tell.PP 1SG.DAT, 3SG_MASC be.COND.3SG_MASC male_priest.NOM
Wipe the glass. This is the usual way to start, even in the days, day and night, only a happy one.
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Lambuzhao
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Re: One for your phrasebooks

Post by Lambuzhao »

:esp:

Yo hubiera jurado que alguien me había dicho que era sacerdote.
1SG.NOM COVRB<PST.CONDIT>1SG swear<PST.PTCP>M.SG REL INDEF.ANIM.SG 1SG.OBJ COVRB<IMPFT>3SG say<PST.PTCP>M.SG REL be<PST>3SG priest

Apparently, these are also acceptable:

Yo habría jurado que alguien me había dicho que era sacerdote.
1SG.NOM COVRB<PRS.CONDIT>1SG swear<PST.PTCP>M.SG REL INDEF.ANIM.SG 1SG.OBJ COVRB<IMPFT>3SG say<PST.PTCP>M.SG REL be<PST>3SG

Juraría que alguien me había dicho que era sacerdote.
1SG.NOM swear<PRS.CONDIT>1SG REL INDEF.ANIM.SG 1SG.OBJ COVRB<IMPFT>3SG say<PST.PTCP>M.SG REL be<PST>3SG
Interestingly, if you substitute fue for era in the above sentences, it would mean more like

"I could've sworn someone said it was the priest (....who did it)" or somesuch. {Personally, I could've sworn it was Col. Mustard, and I am unanimous in that! :roll: }

At any rate,
Kewl
:mrgreen:
Last edited by Lambuzhao on 03 Apr 2016 22:40, edited 1 time in total.
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Dormouse559
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Re: One for your phrasebooks

Post by Dormouse559 »

lyionaku wrote:"personne" is "someone" due to two independent sources, but "quelqu'un" is still the better choice.
To my knowledge, "personne" only means "someone" in formal, literary situations. In any case, I agree with Lao Kou that in that sentence, it would probably be interpreted as "no one".
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Lambuzhao
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Re: One for your phrasebooks

Post by Lambuzhao »

:lat:

Juravissem aliquem mihi dixisse eum sacerdotum esse.
swear<PLUP.SUBJV>1SG INDEF.ANIM.ACC 1SG.DAT say<PFT.INF> DEF.PRN.M.ACC.SG priest-ACC.SG be<PRS.INF>

Spoiler:
This depends a lot on the actual sequence of events. Basically it should follow that
#1 he was a priest
#2 someone told me he was a priest
#3 I could have sworn #2

Jurare and dicere both take accusative + infinitive for Indirect discourse. So Latin! [B)]

In order to show anteriority to the main verb of Indirect Discourse, the Perfect Infinitive ought to be used.
Thus, my choice for the (perhaps wonky) dixisse instead of dicere.

As for esse, I suppose technically fuisse should be there for the same reason as above. Vae, victus sum! [>_<]
masako
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Re: One for your phrasebooks

Post by masako »

Kala:

na kola ke ha muhaye tsaniye toho
1sg AG.INDEF O 3sg be.monk-PST relate-PST assert
I could have sworn someone told me he was a priest.
g

o

n

e
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Jake
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Re: One for your phrasebooks

Post by Jake »

Ja v-bénud́ a falud́ t-ja ai-a uń fajja.

I very thought something told to me other something is priest.
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