I must go. - Me mustas departar.
When the subject cannot, or need not, be expressed use the impersonal verb "oportar":
We must go now. - Oportas departar nun.
Sometimes an adjective in -END- suffices:
A book that must be read. - Libro lektenda.
How to Translate CAN AFFORD
afordar* (= can afford) : to have sufficient time, money, means, etc.
I can't afford the time, nor the money. - Me ne afordas (facar lo) per la tempo, nek per la pekunio.
I can't afford a car. - Me ne afordas havar automobilo. I cannot afford to die yet. - Me ankore ne afordas mortar. I can afford to be frank. - Me afordas dicar libere e honeste.
In other verbs than afordar*
I can't afford (cannot find) the (free) time. - Me ne povas trovar la tempo libera.
I can't afford it. -
My means do not permit. - Mea moyeni ne permisas .
I am not able to sustain or support the expense of it. - Me ne povas sustenar o suportar la spensi di.
I am not rich enough. - Me ne esas sat richa.
Habitual Act
The word "used to", when it really means "a habit", is translated by affix -AD-:
We used to walk up and down for hours. - Ni iradis e venadis dum hori.
Compare with:
We (are now) walk up and down for hours. - Ni iras e venas dum hori.
We (one time) walked up and down for hours. - Ni iris e venis dum hori.
Change of Tense
In Ido tenses do not govern each other:
I thought it was raining. - Me pensis ke pluvas.
(= I thought that it is raining. "It is raining", I thought.)
He found she was tired. - Ilu trovis ke elu esas fatigita.
(= He found that she is tired - she was tired at the time he found it.)
The English present perfect with date is translated by present tense and the word "since".
I have known it these four days. - Me savas lo de quar dii.
(= I know it from four days.)
I have been here two months. - Me esas hike de du monati.
I had been in Rome a week when I received your letter. (= I was in Rome from a week ...)
Me esis en Roma de un semano, kande me recevis vua letro.
The English simple past tense with "for" becomes a past tense with "dum" in Ido:
I was there for two months (=during two months). - Me esis ibe dum du monati.
She used it for one year. - Elu uzis oll dum un yaro.
"Small Talk" Questions and Phrases
The following examples will explain better than any rule how to translate conversational phrases that fall into the category of"small talk":
Are you tired? - Ka vu esas fatigita?
I am not tired. - Me ne esas fatigita.
You are tired, aren't you? - Vu esas fatigita, ka ne?
You aren't tired, are you? - Vu ne esas fatigita, ka yes?
I am not tired; are you? - Me ne esas fatigita; ka vu (esas)?
I am tired; aren't you? - Me esas fatigita; ka vu ne (esas)?
He is tired, isn't he? - Ilu esas fatigita, ka ne?
He isn't tired, is he? - Ilu ne esas fatigita, ka yes?
I have finished; have you? - Meja finis; ka vu (anke)?
I have! - Me anke!
Has he? - Kad ilu (anke)?
He hasn't. - Ilu ne.
You'll come, won't you? - Vu venos, ka ne? She won't come; will you? - Elu ne volas venar; ka vu volas? I don't know, I am sure. - Me tote ne savas. Oh! do! please! - Ho, yes! (venez) me pregas! Note: Some Idists use "ka No?" for "ka ne?" and "kad Yes?" for "ka
yes?"
Bluto, Tu esas ne'polita, ka No? No, me ne esas ne'polita, Popeye.
or
Bluto, Tu esas ne'polita, ka Ne?
No, me ne esas ne'polita, Popeye.
Olive, Tu ne esas ne'polita, kad Yes?
Ma Yes, me deziras esar ne'polita precipue por tu, Bluto.
or
Olive, Tu ne esas ne'polita, ka yes?
Ma Yes, me deziras esar ne'polita precipue por tu, Bluto.
How to Translate "It"
It was in 1989 that the Berlin Wall was taken down.
Esis en 1989 (l'evento) ke la muro Komunismal di Berlin demolisesis.
It is a virtue never to tell a lie.
Esas vertuo jame* (nulkande) mentiar. = Jame* mentiar esas vertuo.
There is a virtue of never telling a lie.
Esas vertuo dijame* mentiar. = Vertuo dijame* mentiar existas.
I found the dress beautiful.
I found the beautiful dress. = Me trovis la bela robo.
I found the dress (to be) beautiful. = Me trovis la robo esar/ye bela.
Note here the use of"ke" to signal a dependent (explanatory) clause: I found the tiger running.
I found the tiger running. - Me trovis la tigro kuranta? No! Me trovis ke la tigro esas kuranta.
I found the running tiger. - Me trovis la kuranta tigro.
I found the tiger to be running. - Me trovis la tigro esar/ye kuranta.
Me trovis la tigro kurar. = Me trovis ke la tigro kuras. Last night I found you beautiful in that dress. Hiere nokte me trovis tu esar ye bela en ta robo. Hiere nokte me trovis ke tu esas bela en ta robo.
Noun Plus "Di" Plus Infinitive, Again
The soldier found the place to die.
La soldato trovis la loko mortar? No! La loko ne mortas. (The place is not dying.)
La soldato trovis la loko di mortar. - The soldier found the place of (for) dying (to die).
Lesson 25 - Duadek-e-kinesma Leciono How to Translate the English -ING
English verb forms ending in -ING are typically present participles that can be translated in Ido with the verb suffix -ANTA. The following rules cover most cases:
Use --ANTA only if the word ending with -ING is a true verbal adjective qualifying a noun, and therefore can be replaced by a verb phrase using "who" or "which":
A crying child, a child who cries. - Krianta infanto.
A gratifying result, a result which gratifies. - Kontentiganta rezulto.
In most other cases, -ING merely signifies a noun of action:
to beat - a beating, to brush - a brushing, to institute - instituting
Such nouns in Ido have the simple termination -O, which, when the root is a verb, precisely means action:
to beat - batar, a beating - bato to brush - brosar, a brushing - broso
to institute - institucar, the instituting (of something) - instituco
To convey an idea of particular duration of an action, use -ADO instead of -O: to dance - dansar, a dance - danso, dancing - dansado
Young people are fond of dancing. - La yuni prizas dansado.
Angling (fishing) is a pleasant pastime. - Peskado esas agreabla tempo-pasigivo.
Constant traveling is bad for the nerves. - La sempra voyajado nocas la nervi.
In the last two examples, the simple form "pesko" would mean catching a fish once, not catching fish generally, and "voyajo" would be a specific or single journey, not traveling in general.
At the beginning of a sentence or clause, the word ending in -ING should be translated by the adverb ending -ANTE, if it could be or is preceded by a preposition or conjunction like "while", "in","on":
Replying to your letter (=in reply to your letter). - Respondante a vua letro.
On coming in, I saw her. - Enirante, me vidis elu.
I spoke to him standing (=while standing). - Stacante, me parolis ad ilu.
Taking his hat, he went out. - Prenante lua chapelo, ilu ekiris.
If the word ending in -ING is the auxiliary to "have", then the past participle ending -INTE of the second (following) verb must be used:
Having spoken thus, he sat down. - Tale parolinte, ilu sideskis.
Having been in the place, I know it. - Esinte en la loko, me konocas ol
Or, Because I had been in the place,.... - Pro ke me esis en la loko,...
After a preposition, the word ending in -ING is the equivalent of an infinitive, since English prepositions, except "to", take a participle: