Page:Hand-book of Volapük (Sprauge, 1888).djvu/20



Express the following sentences in Volap&uuml;k. In each sentence there is at least one word which ought to be put in the kimifal.

Who has the dog ? The boy has two dogs [dogs 2]. The man has three dogs. The dog has four feet. The boy has two feet. Who has two hands ? The man gives money. The man gives money to the boy (or, the man gives the boy some money; some would not be translated). The boy's father [father of boy] gives a dollar to the man. The year has twelve months. The month has thirty days. The week has seven days. The day has 24 hours. Who brings the goose ? Who sees the dog ? Who sees the two sheep ? To whom does the man give money ? (Literally, to whom man gives money ? "Does" is untranslatable.) To whom does the boy bring money ? The boy brings five dollars to the father. 

 = PERSONS = The pronoun of the FIRST person is ob, I; plural, obs, we.

When the verb is in the first person the pronoun is united with it as a person ending, forming one word. Binob, I am;

p&uuml;kob, I speak; k&ouml;mobs, we come; golobs, we go.

The pronoun of the SECOND person is ol</B>, thou or you (singular); <B>ols</B>, you, plural. See remarks on the distinction between <B>ol</B> and <B>ols</B>, page 5.

These syllables <B>ol</B> and <B>ols</B> are likewise suffixed to the verb, foming one word. <B>Binol</B>, thou art or you are; <B>p&uuml;kol</B>, thou speakest or you speak; <B>k&ouml;mols flens</B>, you, friends, are coming; <B>golols</B>, ye are going.

We may, also translate, "I am" by <B>ob binob</B>, and, "thou art" by <B>ol binol</B>; but this repetition of the personal syllable is unusual, and only employed for emphasis or when it is desired to place the subject at a distance from the verb.

In the THIRD person there are four pronouns: <B>om</B> for masculins and neuters, he, it; of for feminins, she; <B>os</B>, neuter impersonal or abstract; <B>on</B>, collectiv, one (as "one says"), people, "they." In the plural, <B>oms</B> and <B>ofs</B>, they.