Klingon sentences follow a simple but strict order:
OBJECT – VERB – SUBJECT
This is opposite to English sentence structure. In Klingon, the subject (the one doing the action) appears last, while the object (receiving the action) is placed first. Because of this, translating Klingon sentences requires careful attention to word order.
Consider these examples:
- puq legh yaS – The officer sees the child.
- yaS legh puq – The child sees the officer.
Notice that both sentences use the same words: puq (child), legh (sees), and yaS (officer). Their meaning depends entirely on word order.
When sentences involve the first or second person ("I" or "you"), verbs must carry the appropriate prefix:
- puq vIlegh jIH – I see the child. (vIlegh – I see him/her.)
- jIH mulegh puq – The child sees me. (mulegh – he/she sees me.)
Usually, personal pronouns like jIH ("I") are left out, unless special emphasis is needed. The typical form is simpler:
- puq vIlegh – I see the child.
- mulegh puq – The child sees me.
Commands (imperatives) use the same pattern:
- So'wI' yIchu' – Engage the cloaking device! (So'wI', cloaking device; yIchu', engage it!)
- DoS yIbuS – Concentrate on the target! (DoS, target; yIbuS, concentrate on it!)
- yaSpu' tIHoH – Kill the officers! (yaSpu', officers; tIHoH, kill them!)
If a sentence contains additional nouns that are neither subject nor object (like locations, indirect objects, or times), those nouns come before the object and typically include a Type 5 noun suffix:
- pa'Daq yaS vIleghpu' – I saw the officer in the room. (pa'Daq – in the room, yaS – officer; vIleghpu' – I saw him/her)
- ghe'torvo' narghDI' qa'pu' – When spirits escape from Gre'thor. (ghe'torvo' – from Gre'thor, nargh – escape, qa' – spirit)
- DaH jIHvaD yIngev – Sell it to me now! (DaH – now, jIHvaD – to/for me, yIngev – sell it!)
- wa'leS chaq maHegh – Tomorrow we may die! (wa'leS – tomorrow, chaq – perhaps, maHegh – we die)
- vagh rep bImejnIS – You need to leave at 05:00 hours (vagh rep – 5:00am, bImejnIS – you need to leave)