Can you drive a car?

[Bagliun Edar]

Can you drive a car?

Obulamga
Gejonouba elrādiungemyurdo lamno genzejuoberamel.
[ˈgɛʒɔnɔˌuba ˈɛlɾaːdiungɛmˌʎuɾdɔ ˈlamnɔ ˈgɛnzɛʒuɔbɛˌɾamɛl]
g<ej>onouba elrādiungem-yur-do lam-no gen-z<ej>uober-amel
<INF>drive car-SG.INDF.NEUT-TOP say-PREC.POL truth_value-<INF>skillful-2SG.NOM
About-driving-a-car, tell the-truth-value-of-you're-skillful.

[Plusquamperfekt]

Miwonša

This time I have a very simple translation for you:

Kjašpišan?

kjašpi = car
kjašpiwa = to (be able to) drive a car (infinitive)
kjašp-iš-an = drive_car-2SG-IPFV

[Lao Kou]

Géarthnuns

Öçek la se töthset ba shaval högöbrekh?
[øˈcɛk la sɛ ˈtøθsɛt ba ʃaˈval høˈgøbɾɛx]
2SG-NOM AUX.PRES INDEF car-ACC PTCL drive know.how-INTERR
Can you drive a car?

[Ahzoh]

QR ʾTḴH MMʾTM?
Qar ʾatoḵa mēmʾatam?
2m-PL car drive-POT-PL
Slang: Can y'all guys drive a car?

ŠN ʾTḴH MMʾTM?
Šūn ʾatoḵa mēmʾatam?
2f-PL car drive-POT-PL
Slang: Can y'all girls drive a car?

[k1234567890y]

Lonmai Luna/Liunan:
tak kat pan djaba manok?
Q 2.SG be.able drive wheeled.vehicle?

[Plague]

Gothic

Mahteigs isu draibjan wagn?
[ˈmɑhti:xs ˈisu ˈdrɛ:βjɑn wɑɣn̩]
possible be.2SG-PRS-INT drive.INF vehicle.ACC
Can you drive a car?

[Sangfroidish]

Pwähtéinissän sy pwsdi en?
[pʷæhˈtejnɪzːæn siː ˈpuzðɪː ʔen]
pwähtéinissän-(os) sy pw-s-di en
vehicle.ACC.SG 2sg convey-2sg-POT Q
"Can you drive (a vehicle)?"

(Pw- has a pretty wide semantic range; its basic meaning is move, convey, but it can also mean bring or take (especially with a dative object). Reflexively, it means come or go, and when its object is some sort of vehicle or ride-able animal it means drive, ride.)

[Xing]

Gaku

Kala bwelu a ngo kanna?
[ˌkɑlaˈbˠe̞ːl ˌaːŋo̞ ˈkɑnːa]
can drive ERG 2s vehicle

[prettydragoon]

Rireinutire

yo ta nañana nakuta kirakayo:
yo ta naña-na naku-ta kira-ka-yo
Q 2S.NOM car-PTV drive-INF have.skill-PRS-Q
Can you drive a car?

[Thakowsaizmu]

Unaweza uendeshe gari? / Mnaweza mwendeshe gari?
/u.nɑ.'wɛ.zɑ u.ɛ.'ⁿdɛ.ʃɛ 'ɠɑ.ri / m̩.nɑ.'wɛ.zɑ mʷɛ.'ⁿdɛ.ʃɛ 'ɠɑ.ri/
u-na-weza u-endesh-e gari / m-na-weza m(w)-endesh-e gari
2ps-PRES-can 2ps-drive-SUB CL5_car / 2pp-PRES-can 2pp-drive-SUB CL5_car

[k1234567890y]

Nevotak:
wa hat bar kubar hai?
2.PRON be.able drive cart Q?

Sakawi:
zölles djaboman bangomiznaki vai?
zölles djab-om-an bang-om-izn-ak-i vai?
cart drive-3.SG.P-INF be.able-3.SG.P-2.SG.A-IND-PRES Q?

[Shrdlu]

English distinguishes an ambiguity here by stress and Swedish does the same by omitting the indefinite article.


Kan du kör_a bil?
Can you drive_verbification car?
Can you (generally) drive a car?

Kan du köra en bil?
Can you drive_verbification a car?
Can you drive a (specific, or are you hindered in some way) car?

[taylorS]

Plains American:

Dikundrav kar?
[ˈtikʰuɳɖʐɐv kʰaʐ]
d-i-kun-drav kar
Q-2SG-COND-drive car


The interesting thing about this sentence is that it shows the evolution of the English modal system. As the auxiliaries and the nominative pronoun became more tightly bound to the verb this conflicted with the verb-first question construction. The result was a double-modal situation "do you=can=drive", with the dummy do auxiliary developing into a polar question prefix.

[Xing]

Nizhmel

Ladôl jândikjêna?
ladôl jândik-je-na
car drive-can-INT

[clawgrip]

車は運転できますか。
Kuruma wa unten dekimasu ka.
car TOP drive can.do-POL Q

[Sḿtuval]

Ythovatjak (Ljavelitjak)
zjokju ljes evol kars
[ˈʒo.çə ʎe se.ˈvol kas]
can 2SG.NOM use car.ACC
can you use a car

This works too:

zjokju ljes kars ferzeut b bi
[ˈʒo.çə ʎes kas feɹ.ˈzu.bi]
can 2SG.NOM car.ACC go.CAUS REFL.ACC POST
can you cause a car to go itself

The main dialect of this conlang (I guess you could say the "standard form") and another, somewhat uncommon, dialect actually use ar instead of bi, but I prefer to do translations in the Ljavelitjak dialect, which is the least spoken dialect of three.

I've not decided the method(s) of transportation in my conworld, so the English word "car" has been used for now, instead of creating a new word that may become useless as the conworld takes shape. The spelling has been changed, of course, and loanwords are not exempt from inflection.

[Curlyjimsam]

Viksen:

Vog ta xiag·kutois?
know you car-drive?
"Do you know car-driving?"

[Andlat]

Kwëpta
Tyalyësa sína paikanu öpira?
Can you drive a car?

Spoiler:

tyalyësa sín.a paikanu öpira?
Can 2S.NOM automobile drive?
tjɑl.jeɪ.sɑ siː.nɑ paɪ.kɑ.nʌ oʊ.pɪ.rɑ

[Thrice Xandvii]

Śijaam Tël

Na ḳiitmënjaatët ni?
/nɑ kʰiːt.məŋ'jɑːt.ət ni/
Na ḳiit-mën-jaat-at ni?
Q to_be_able_to-cart-to_steer-to_be.STAT 2sg
Can you steer a cart?

('Cart' and 'steer' were substituted here since the Khengall don't have cars.)

[Prinsessa]

kan du köra (bil)?
can you drive (car)?

or perhaps even just

kör du (bil)?
do you drive (car)?

or why not

har du körkort?
do you have a driver's license?

Interesting how Swedish doesn't use any indefinite article for any of these while English does, even though it has one too.