The order of verb suffixes in Klingon is a source of frustration to many Klingon beginner speakers who want to say things like "I need to create it", but cannot directly translate them due to the restrictions on verb suffix ordering. Often, this leads to questions about the possibility of, for instance, *vIchenmoHnIS.

The solution to the problem:

• Since -nIS is Type 2 and -moH is Type 4, saying *vIchenmoHnIS is illegal in Klingon grammar, period. You can't do it. It'd be like saying walkser for the plural of walker in English: -er must come before -s, not after it.

  • That being said, Okrand has noted in a newsgroup message (it can be viewed here) that the word quvmoH'egh he/she honours him/herself has been found, as though -moH were part of the root, or even a rover. However, he goes on to say that this is a knowing violation of the rules, often done for rhetorical effect.

• Excepting the rover's, it appears that most Klingon suffixes can be interpreted in any order: vIqIpchoHlaH I begin being able to hit him, I am able to begin hitting him. This causes problems when one uses a construct like maleghchuqqangqa'moHlaHbejtaHvIS, but context can usually disambiguate the order, and shorter words may only have two or three sensible readings even when context is not present.

• In light of this, I need to create it is translated as vIchennISmoH.

This question and answer came from the KLI Wiki.