Loving somebody is to...

[Suzumiya]

Good evening

I am trying to translate something, but it's kind of hard since I cannot find some things in the dictionary such as '' to + verb'' when this indicates purpose, like '' for +ing'' and ''make someone + state'', and I am not sure if nominalization is made in Na'Vi by just living the verb in infinitive or if it needs something special.

This is the phrase and what I have done so far :S

Loving somebody is to bestow them the power to destroy you as well as the power to make you happy.

Tìyawn tuteoti  lu ting foru tìtxurti ska'a ngati na nìltsan na tìtxurti

That is all I have gotten, as you see it has many gasps, I would like some help about it

Irayo nìli

[Kemaweyan]

Loving somebody is to bestow them the power to destroy you as well as the power to make you happy.

Actually we have not a verb "to love", only and adjective "beloved" and a noun "a love". So we can't translate this phrase literally and need to change it.

  Ngar yawne lu tuteo a fì'ul tìng poru tìtxurit fte skiva'a ngati, nìtengfya na tìtxurit fte 'eykefu ngati nitram.

[Alyara Arati]

Welcome, ma tsmuk!

There are actually no infinitive forms of verbs in Na'vi, once simply uses the verb in such a way that its meaning is clear.  A better teacher could better explain about infinitives, but I'll try to help you with your sentence.

Fwa 'efu tìyawnit fpi suteo, lu teng a tìng fkoru tìtxurit a tsun fko skiva'a ngati ulte nìtengfya a tsun fko 'eykefu nitram ngati.

EDIT: Kemaweyan's translations are almost always better, as well as being quick like a bunny.  Still that was my attempt.

[Suzumiya]

Thank you both of you How usually ''to + verb'' is indicated? I mean a purpose.

[Kemaweyan]

It's fte (verbs after fte always are used with infix -iv-). We have a line in the movie:

  Sawtute zera'u fte fkol Kelutralti skiva'a.
  Skypeople are coming to destroy Hometree.

[Suzumiya]

Thank you! Always something new is learnt

[Alyara Arati]

Loving somebody is to bestow them the power to destroy you as well as the power to make you happy.

Actually we have not a verb "to love", only and adjective "beloved" and a noun "a love". So we can't translate this phrase literally and need to change it.

  Ngar yawne lu tuteo a fì'ul tìng poru tìtxurit fte skiva'a ngati, nìtengfya na tìtxurit fte 'eykefu ngati nitram.

In Kemaweyan's example, "fte" before the verb means "in order to".
In mine, the modal verb construct "tsun fko x" before the verb means "one is able to".

[Tirea Aean]

yeah, no infinitives, and you do not use fte to create infinitives.

there are modals though, and words which share modal syntax.

Loving somebody is to bestow them the power to destroy you as well as the power to make you happy.

what a heck of a sentence... Okay so a big huge help first and foremost is our precious "translate the meaning not the words" because of differences in the grammar, and because of missing words and words we will never have.

Here is my take on it:

Lu yawne ngaru tuteo a fì'uä ral lu fwa tìng tsatuteru tìtxurit a tsun ngati skiva'a ulte tìng nìteng tìtxurit a tsun ngati nitram 'eykefu.

Someone is beloved to you, the meaning of this is this: to give that person power which can destroy you and also to give the power which can make you feel happy.

tìsung:

I'd also like to say that there is not only just one way to say a sentence like this. It is very open for different perspectives and translations. Some sentences there is a only one correct way to say it, but this one I can forsee many different translations by several different people, each with a different twist, but same main idea.

['Oma Tirea]

I'd also like to say that there is not only just one way to say a sentence like this. It is very open for different perspectives and translations. Some sentences there is a only one correct way to say it, but this one I can forsee many different translations by several different people, each with a different twist, but same main idea.

Mllte ngahu.  I was going to translate that sentence as: fkoru lu yawne tuteo a fì'u lu fwa tìng poru tìtxurit fte skiva'a ngati sì ayuti a ngaru 'eykefu nitram.

[Blue Elf]

Welcome, ma tsmuk!

There are actually no infinitive forms of verbs in Na'vi, once simply uses the verb in such a way that its meaning is clear.  A better teacher could better explain about infinitives, but I'll try to help you with your sentence.

Fwa 'efu tìyawn fpi suteo, lu teng a tìng fkoru tìtxurit a tsun fko skiva'a ngati ulte nìtengfya a tsun fko 'eykefu nitram ngati.

EDIT: Kemaweyan's translations are almost always better, as well as being quick like a bunny.  Still that was my attempt.

'efu  is transitive, so begining of the sentence IMHO should be:
Fwa 'efu tìyawnit fpi suteo, ...
Subject is unwritten - ngal

[Key'ìl Nekxetse]

Right, I'm pretty awful at this, so can someone tell me all the many things I'm doing wrong
To avoid some of the complexity I decided to condense the meaning to "anyone that you love can bring you happiness, or destroy you", which is much closer to something I can translate.
My translation would then be "tuteo a lu yawne fkoru tsun sivunu fu ska'a fkoti". I'm not sure the -ti should be there and I have a nasty feeling "sunu" isn't a sensible translation of "to bring happiness".

[Blue Elf]

-ti is correct, as ska'a is transitive verb; I don't think sunu is appropriate here. I'd rewrite sentence as:

Tuteo a lu yawne fkoru tsun 'eykivefu nitram fkoru fu skiva'a fkoti

Very literally: Someone, who is beloved to one, can make one feel happy or destroy one. Although I'm not completely sure if this construction is correct...

[Key'ìl Nekxetse]

Ah, thanks. I didn't think of the causative, that's a good way of doing it.

[Sireayä mokri]

Tuteo a lu yawne fkoru tsun 'eykivefu nitram fkoru fu skiva'a fkoti

I'd say it's fine, but instead of 'eykivefu, I'd use sleykivu, this way it's canonical.