First, I’d recommend {vIHbe’meH qa’vIn} over {qa’vIn vIHMoHbe’lu’meH}. Unless the special base has a motion detector that fires a disruptor at anyone who comes near the coffee, the point is less to stop someone from moving the coffee than it is to stop the coffee from moving.

Alternatively, you could cut to the chase and just say {Qoy’be’meH qa’vIn}. 

Secondly, you should note that {vaj} is not a conjunction. It’s an adverbial. It’s often used on the main clause after a conditional (dependent) clause. It’s not really intended to connect independent clauses like a conjunction does, though it can introduce a second sentence that results from the first. “I speak Klingon. Therefore, I am a nerd.” {tlhIngan Hol vIjatlhlaH. vaj jIven.} In translation, you can replace the period with a comma, but in Klingon, it’s actually two sentences.

pItlh

charghwI’ ‘utlh
(ghaH, ghaH, -Daj)




On Oct 27, 2021, at 8:05 AM, mayqel qunen'oS <mihkoun@gmail.com> wrote:

Suppose we want to say:

"In order that something doesn't move the glass, so that the coffee inside won't spill, a special base can be used".

One option is to write:

HIvje' vIHmoHbe'lu'meH, 'ej qa'vIn Qoy'moHbe'lu'meH, ngaDmoHwI' le' lo'lu'.

But I wonder.. Couldn't we use {vaj} instead of {'ej}?

HIvje' vIHmoHbe'lu'meH, vaj qa'vIn Qoy'moHbe'lu'meH, ngaDmoHwI' le' lo'lu'.

In the first option the exact meaning is "... and in order that the coffee doesn't spill", while on the second option the meaning is "... so that the coffee doesn't spill".

Granted, not much of a difference either way, but I wonder if there could be any argument against "joining" {-meH} clauses with {vaj}.

--
Dana'an
https://sacredtextsinklingon.wordpress.com/
Ζεὺς ἦν, Ζεὺς ἐστίν, Ζεὺς ἔσσεται· ὦ μεγάλε Ζεῦ
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