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Sindarin Lessons. Home Lessons Mutation chart Resources Forum Links & Products Lesson 19 - Verbs (Past tense) Parts 5-7. This lesson first looks at the endings you need to use with A-stem verbs when the verb you are using has an intransitive meaning, then moves on to some irregular endings you need to be aware of. Lesson 9 – Sindarin Adjectives 43. Lesson 10 – Sindarin Pronouns 49. Lesson 11 – A Stem Verbs 55. Lesson 12 – Advanced A Stem Topics 61. Lesson 13 - I Stem Verbs 67. Lesson 14 – Advanced I Stem Topics 73. Lesson 15 – Mixed Conjugation Verbs 78. Lesson 16 – Irregular and Special Verbs 81. Lesson 17 – Intro to Sentence Structure 88. In this free second conditional game, students define things by making conditional sentences about what life would be like without the items. Give each group of three or four a set of cards. The students take it in turns to pick up a card and make second conditional sentences about what life would be like without the item on the card.

1. The way the past tense is formed, is conditional upon the last sound of the verb. Basic I-stems that end in -r are made past tense by adding the suffix (ending) “-n” to the stem. Dar “halt, stop” Darn “halted, stopped”. Tengwar Sindarin lesson 15.
2. Conditional Sentences are also known as Conditional Clauses or If Clauses. They are used to express that the action in the main clause (without if) can only take place if a certain condition (in the clause with if) is fulfilled.There are three types of Conditional Sentences.

Conditional sentences

The Second Nazgul, Witch-Queen Of Angmar, maybe the only member of Black Speech Community who knew Scatha said “Conditional tense works the same way as in English, except for one thing: you use the subjunctive tense. Subjunctive tense is simply the stem of the verb, just like the imperative.”

She didn't give any example, and I think one tense for all types of conditions isn't enough. It will be hard to translate back from Black Speech because just verb stem already means Present Tense and Imperative. Both in English and Russian the most of Subjunctive Mood forms are closer to Past Tenses (as opposing to Present like The Second Nazgul supposed). Therefore I've made my own rules.

I think Subjunctive can be in Present and Past (Perfect) forms, but they have no person suffix (-at or -ut).

Almost real event

If we are sure that both condition and specially the result are real we don't use Subjunctive Tense. We use Present Tense for condition and Future Tense for main clause, the same as in English. Main clause could be Imperative (the second example).

Unsure but still quite possible (Suppositional Mood)

If the event is unlikely to happen but still possible, and the result is intended, then main sentence is in Future Tense and condition is unnecessary word trosh(lit. “suddenly”) + Subjunctive Tense. The same structure is used for hinting or hidden offer (the second example).

Supposing almost unreal things

If we're just supposing what could be happen, if we're dreaming without any prediction, or we're quite unsure about possibility, we use Past Subjunctive (-uz without person suffixes) in condition and shulg (= would) + Present Subjunctive in main clause. Compare the first example here with the first example of previous case. Instead of “would” words “could” (pâshuz) and “might” (gâkhuz) can be used. Expressions like “If I were smb./smth.” are translated as “ghung kuluz-izg …” (not plural as opposed to English).

1) The condition isn't real, but in comparsion to previous case, we're unsure about consequences too (may be he will buy something else).
2) “at” here is the part of word “krât” (away), not 3rd person ending. In overall sentence Goblins will definitely run away (close to the first case), but probability of meeting Balrog is very low.
3) Both main clause and condition are could + infinitive in English as well as in Black Speech.

Absolutely impossible, already missed

Some event can be totally unreal only if it already didn't happen. These sentences have some shade of regret or missed opportunity. Condition is Past Subjunctive like previous case, but main sentence is would/could/might + Past Subjunctive. It wouldn't be a big mistake to mutually mix it with previous type of Subjunctive Mood.

1) We think he will never get money.
2) Yûl (= less) is an adjective. Suffix -arz added to make an adverb. See Lesson XV for more information on passive voice (“kuluz atsuga”, another variant was “atsaguz”).
3) It's a reduced form, fortunately reverse word order in English sentence doesn't change anything in Black Speech.

The main difference between variants above is certainty of consequences in main sentence. In hasty speech last three cases could be mixed.

Even though

Condition may be also expressed in phrases started with words like “even though” (= yal, from Horngoth), “even if” (= yal ghung), “although” (= nân), “however” (= molkû), “whenever” (= muhkû), “whoever” (= mirzkû), “whatever” (= mashkû) etc., then we use modal verbs “may” (= gâkh), “might” (= gâkhuz), “would” (= shulg), “should” (= zauguz) with Present Subjunctive or just Past Subjunctive without modal verb. Some examples:

* Both main sentence and dependent clause are in subjunctive mood here

Subjunctive without condition

All examples above were complex conditional sentences, where word “if ” (ghung) was indicating subjunctive mood (or was meant but skipped). But simple sentences and complex sentences without condition are more tricky!

Simple sentences

Both Sunbjuntive tenses (present and past/perfect) are used in simple sentences with modal verbs could (pâshuz), might (gâkhuz), should (zauguz), would (shulg), would/should like (shulg brogb), would rather (shulg ashbazg), had rather/better (zauguz mâz) without condition. Last three expressions also met in complex sentences. Compound sentences consist of two simple sentences are made the same way. Subjunctive tenses also used in questions expressing polite ask or demand after words mentioned just now.

Sindarin Dictionary

Just a condition or wish

A condition without consequence is mostly used in exclamations of regret. Use Past Subjunctive or modal verb (in Past Subjunctive) with Present Subjunctive verb in such expressions:

We can express our unrealized wish in complex declarative sentence instead of exclamation. The rule is the same as above.

Wish somebody something

Use simple Present Subjunctive in exclamation sentences like:

As if / Like

Translation of sentences with “as if” or “like” conjugation depends on tense used in clause of manner. Past and all Perfect tenses are translated as Past Subjunctive, Present tense as Present Subjunctive appropriately. Tense in main clause isn't changed. The whole phrase “as if” could be translated as one word “zash”.

So that

Subjunctive tenses are used in dependent clauses of purpose started with “so that” (= zash zamal, or just zash) or just simply “that” (= zamal). Usually an action of such clauses is expressed with modal verbs may, might, should with Present Subjunctive. Instead of expression “in order that” with subjunctive you may use just infinitive (with -at ending), which is better, laconical way.

Sindarin Lessons Weebly

After impersonal constructions

After expressions like it's important that, it was possible that etc. infinitive without “to” (sometimes preceeded by “should”) is used in English. Translation of such constructions into Black Speech would be long and ugly, and most of these words were absent in dictionary, therefore I've made my own shorter translations presented in following table:

Please note “is” might be in past or future tense (was, will be) in English, but translation to Black Speech would be the same.

If action in dependent clause is simultaneous to the action in main clause or will be in the future then use Present Subjunctive, if it was preceeding main clause use Past Subjunctive. Finally, some examples:

Demand/Request

Present Subjunctive is used in complex sentences when someone asks another person to do something after words like urdanogat, ghashnat (= to command, to order), shagat (= to demand), gundat-ir (= to insist), lûpat (= to request), thrâgat (= to suggest, to propose), lubhat (= to recommend) and so on.

Most of dependent clauses in these examples can be replaced with infinitive (i.e. “I ordered him to steal the ring” = “Urdanoguz-izg ta orskat nazg”), which is easier and more elegant way.

Has anyone here ever tried the lessons? I think some of them may need some corrections and updates. Let me know your thoughts.

The Swedish LARP-orcish Svartiska was not really created by a single LARP-group but by the community of orc-larpers where different groups created different dialects.

On pronunciation

There is an orc name that begins with y - Yagul - in The War of the Ring (The History of Middle Earth, vol. 8 )

I think Tolkien pronounce Mordor in Elvish, it is after all an Elvish name meaning Black land in Sindarin (or 'shadows' in Quenya). It has nothing to do with pronunciation of the Black Speech.

And what about the sounds in the excercise: -qu- in 'throqu-' and sr- in 'srinkh-'? Especially -qu- seems out of place. Why not spell it kv or kw?

And what about the sounds in the excercise: -qu- in 'throqu-' and sr- in 'srinkh-'?

Yes, there as some issues with qu, specially when next letter is also u. Could be also spelled like Q. It appears only in words borrowed from elvish languages. I will replace it with something else if I would create new dialect.

I think there is nothing special with sr, for me it's easier to say than thr (thrakatulat).

Does comparative and superlative adjectives, and adverbs mark plural?

The dark tower - lugbûrz; the darkest tower - lugbûrzaz; the darkest towers - lugbûrzazu

urukû ghâshuzat hîzarz lug 'the old orc quickly burned the tower'; urukûz ghâshuzut hîzarzu lug 'the old orcs quickly burned the tower'
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edit 1. I saw that the adverb is not agreeing in number so: urukfuz ghâshuzut hîzarz lug
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edit 2. I saw that I somehow confused the adjectives - this i now corrected.

I think adverbs do not have plural form. Adjectives do in any form

There are two collective plural, -hai and -ûk. In contrast to the ordinary plural these can be used with people and races. So we have uruk-hai (the orc people) as the most famous example. And then in the lessons (IV) there is an example of the -ûk ending used with sharkû (old man) > sharkûk 'all old men'. So both the collective plurals can be used with people and races but what is the difference between them. What does sharkû-hai mean 'all the old people' or maybe 'the society of old men' or is it equivalent to sharkûk? Or is it just gibberish.

In lesson XIII on suffix order, verbs collective #6 two endings are given, -ûk and -âzh. The -âzh ending is used with a verb 'ufubulâzh' (will frighten them slightly). I cannot find this -âzh in the lessons or in the wordlists (there is 'azh (conj, HORN) 'also').

It seems to mean 'slightly' but then it is not a collective. Confusing

n the lessons (IV) there is an example of the -ûk ending used with sharkû (old man) > sharkûk 'all old men'. So both the collective plurals can be used with people and races but what is the difference between them. What does sharkû-hai mean 'all the old people' or maybe 'the society of old men' or is it equivalent to sharkûk? Or is it just gibberish.

I think it's Scatha's mistake.
I don't like interpretation of -hai as collective plural suffix nor simply as 'folk', 'people of' etc. However I can't offer better one.

n lesson XIII on suffix order, verbs collective #6 two endings are given, -ûk and -âzh. The -âzh ending is used with a verb 'ufubulâzh' (will frighten them slightly). I cannot find this -âzh in the lessons or in the wordlists (there is 'azh (conj, HORN) 'also').

I've added this shortly before my HDD crashed. Online version of dictionary is not updated still.
Here -uuk and -aazh are something like verb's aspect (perfect and 'partial' respectively). Interpretation of '-0019uuk' as 'completely', 'fully' is taken from A. Nemirovsky's analysis