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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 8/7/2020 10:03 AM, mayqel qunen'oS
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CAP7F2cLNPBCATeExOhTC+MgXUJM00JFcSSHcfWO+zqbuLdWu+Q@mail.gmail.com">SuStel:
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre class="moz-quote-pre" wrap="">qaSpa' loS ben before four years ago occurs
</pre>
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<pre class="moz-quote-pre" wrap="">
I'm slightly confused with this. Shouldn't the {loS ben} as a time
stamp be always the first element in a sentence (i.e. without being
preceded by a verb) ?</pre>
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<p>This isn't a "time stamp." It's a subordinate clause. The <b>loS
ben</b> is the subject of the verb <b>qaSpa'.</b> Remember, <b>ben</b>
<i>years ago </i>is a noun in Klingon and may be used as such.<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CAP7F2cLNPBCATeExOhTC+MgXUJM00JFcSSHcfWO+zqbuLdWu+Q@mail.gmail.com">
<pre class="moz-quote-pre" wrap=""> Could I indeed say the following ?
qaSpa' loS ben, tlhIngan Hol vIghojmoHpu'
I started learning klingon more than four years ago</pre>
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<p><br>
</p>
<p>Yes, though you've got some errors there, and in general I'd
expect any such sentence to be reporting the <i>completed</i>
event of four years ago occurring.</p>
<p><b>qaSpu'pa' loS ben, tlhIngan Hol vIghojchoHpu'.<br>
</b><i>I started to learn Klingon more than four years ago.<br>
</i>Literally, <i>Before four years ago occurred, I started to
learn Klingon.</i></p>
<p>That's not to say <b>qaSpa'</b> always has to have perfective
added to it. "Let me take you back in your memory. It's more than
four years ago, and..."<br>
</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
SuStel
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://trimboli.name">http://trimboli.name</a></pre>
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