ago

Ataeghane · January 19, 2011, 12:19:02 PM

Is there any way to say "ago" in Na'vi? E.g. "one year ago".

'Oma Tirea · January 20, 2011, 09:56:33 PM

At best: mì ftawnemkrr
One year ago: 'awa zìsìt mì ftawnemkrr

Currently there's no short form for "in the past" in Na'vi

Ataeghane · January 22, 2011, 06:43:10 AM

Maybe that will change in the future

.

Sireayä mokri · January 26, 2011, 05:49:37 AM

I would suggest zìsìtam. It's not official, but that's the way to say one day ago, so it might work for years as well.

Ataeghane · January 27, 2011, 03:28:37 PM

So what about "5 years and 7 months ago"? Does "-am" work here as well?

Sireayä mokri · January 28, 2011, 08:28:29 AM

Well, we still don't know the way Na'vi deal with dates (especially with months). I don't like "and" & am being put together, so I think maybe it would be better to "convert" yeas to months so we'll get 67 months - zìsìtviam a⁰103.

Ataeghane · January 28, 2011, 11:27:39 AM

Not stupid, but IMHO quite artificial.

Sireayä mokri · January 28, 2011, 11:52:42 AM

I don't really like it either, but that's the only idea that comes to my mind

Ataeghane · January 28, 2011, 03:29:37 PM

That's not stupid - as I said. But don't think that may stay official.

'Oma Tirea · January 28, 2011, 08:32:25 PM

Quote from: Ataeghane on January 27, 2011, 03:28:37 PM
So what about "5 years and 7 months ago"? Does "-am" work here as well?

I doubt that it's even productive at all.

I would translate the above as zìsìto amrr sì zìsìtvio akinä mì ftawnemkrr, again, using mì ftawnemkrr.

Sireayä mokri · January 29, 2011, 08:11:46 AM

Quote from: Sxkxawng alu 'Oma Tirea on January 28, 2011, 08:32:25 PM
I would translate the above as zìsìto amrr sì zìsìtvio akinä mì ftawnemkrr, again, using mì ftawnemkrr.

This would be more like during 5 years and 7 months in the past, not necessarily 5 years ago.

'Oma Tirea · January 29, 2011, 10:13:38 PM

Quote from: Sireayä mokri on January 29, 2011, 08:11:46 AM
Quote from: Sxkxawng alu 'Oma Tirea on January 28, 2011, 08:32:25 PM
I would translate the above as zìsìto amrr sì zìsìtvio akinä mì ftawnemkrr, again, using mì ftawnemkrr.

This would be more like during 5 years and 7 months in the past, not necessarily 5 years ago.

So basically the same sentence as above, only without the -o.

Kì’onga Vul · January 29, 2011, 11:26:35 PM

Do we have any canon/corpus examples of an "ago" or "in the past" usage? (Maybe mì ftawnemkrr is; I wouldn't know.)

If not, I feel that there are multiple ways to say this, but we can't know which is idiomatic. For example, you could technically say 'awa zìsìt sre fìtrr (one year before today), but that might sound just as weird as it does in English.