Portal:Ksh/Verb forms

Verb forms

Guidelines on the verb forms to be used in translation.

• Plain imperative. Can usually not be misunderstood as something else. Expresses either a firm order or hardly disputable command of a superior to an inferior, or asking something from someone which is too trivial, too natural, or too low-profile to decline. Since the only difference between them is intonation, which you cannot write or read, it is best to use imperatives only when context makes its type unambiguous so as to avoid being offensive.
  • Only the second variant can be used when the user is addressed, for example "Go (back) to Main Page" at the end of an error screen.
  • The first variant can be used when the user orders the machine to perform an action, such as on actor button labels. Button texts could be specific to the action, but when a button is preceeded by form or by text, that already states the action, it is considered unnecessary or even annoing to repeat it. Thus buttons often say only Lohß jonn!, that is "Start action!" or "Do it!", or Stop!, or Ophühre!, that is "Stop", "Terminate", respectively
• Politely asking. Bes esu joot un donn … Literally "Be so kind/good, and do …" Usually used in interface message when there is no real alternative and the persons cooperation is required, such as supplying a missing field or correcting a mistyped one in a form, or similar.
• Prompting with verb form omitted. This is actually an imperative which is not spoken, most often for brevity. Hence "Enter the password" becomes Et Paßwoot:, "The password:" This somewhat resembles the way, officials ask for your documents in situations when you expect them to, and they have to.
• Short type of verb-noun. There are comparatively many ways to build verb-nouns of different meanings, one of which is particularly productive for option lists and headings. In the English sentence "Fight is what knights are perpared for", you can interpret the word "fight" as "to fight", "this specific anticipated fight", "fight in general", also "fighting" as an action or process, or all of these combined. A grammar form of many Colognian verbs similarly combines meanings. Klaaf, "conversation", "talk" is an example.
• Infinitive. When the abovementioned verb-noun form is unavailable, an infinitive can be used instead. It can be understood as a mild form of impersonal imperative, as an action of some kind without specified actor, and for some verbs classes without the abovementioned verb-noun as a near substitute with somewhat narrower meaning.