Page:Hand-book of Volapük (Sprauge, 1888).djvu/64

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The ending oms is masculine, but is used here where in English we should expect the neuter. It, as well as he, is represented by om.

The next sentence presents nothing of difficulty; subject, verb (in the third person, singular, imperfect), object, adverb.

Fleno in a friendly manner, requires four words in English because we do not say friendli-ly. Fleniko would have about the same meaning; the adverb may be formed from the adjectiv or directly from the noun.

Abraham älasumom omi fleno. == Abraham received him in friendly manner.

äbegom omi is familiar. Siadönok: ok is the reflexiv ending, meaning myself, yourself, himself, etc., as the case may be; -ön is the infinitiv-ending already mentioned; siadön is to seat. Siedön, to sit, is intransitiv; siadön, to seat, is transitiv. Siadönok is here translated to seat himself, on account of omi.

äbegom omi siadönok == requested him to seat himself.

And the next clause presents nothing new :

ävatükom futis oma = washed his feet.

Ed is the same as e, used before a vowel. If e were used here there would be no misunderstanding; and some writers refuse to change e into ed on the ground that there should be no variation of form where there is no difference in sense, Flifik is an adjectiv since it ends in ik; it qualifies vati, for it immediately follows that word. In English we say "fresh water," in Volapük the order is "water fresh."

Ed äblinom flukis e vati flifik == and brought fruits and fresh water.

The first verbal form which we find in next sentence is logöl, which we already know to mean "seeing." Das we find to be the conjunction that, therefore the following words, ,,bäledan," etc., must be a subordinate sentence, which we may take up first and translate as if it were standing alone.