home.gif (928 bytes)

Advice to Slovio Translators:

home.gif (928 bytes)

-

The main goal of any Slovio translation should not be to reach the "Slovio insiders", i.e. those who know all the ins and outs of Slovio grammar, but it is to reach the 400 million speakers of various Slavic languages who have never ever heard of Slovio before.

To do that we have to avoid using some grammatical forms and use other simpler, more descriptive forms. On the right-hand side of this page is shown some Slovio grammar, showing in red color those forms which should be avoided and in blue those forms which can be used and should be universally and easliy understood by all Slavic-speakers. Fortunately Slovio grammar gives many alternatives, many possible ways to say the same thing. The art of translation is to choose those alternatives which are most likely to be universally understood. A valid and correct Slovio translation does not mean that it is a good translation - if it is not easily understood by 400 million Slovio outsiders.

 

VERBS, preferred forms:

Future tense:
ja es idit
ti es idit
to es idit
on es idit
ona es idit
ono es idit
mi es idit
vi es idit
oni es idit

Present tense:
(ja) idijm
(ti) idijsx
(on) idijt
(ona) idijt
(ono) idijt
(to) idijt
(mi) idime
(vi) idite
(oni) idijut

Past tense:
ja idil
ti idil
to idil
on idil
ona idil
ono idil
mi idili
vi idili
oni idili

Conditional tense:
ja bi idit
ti bi idit
to bi idit
on bi idit
ona bi idit
ono bi idit
mi bi idit
vi bi idit
oni bi idit

Imperative:
idij!
idijme!
idijte!

-

The above verb forms, even though they are not the simplest forms possible, are the most easily and most widely understood forms by native Slavic speakers. However, for non-Slavic translators and users the simplified basic forms (on the right) could be used:

Other verb forms except the ones listed on the page, while possible, in order to keep maximum comprehensibility, should be avoided.


Slovio Grammar.

Participles

VERBS, simplified forms:

Future tense:
ja bu idit
ti bu idit
to bu idit
on bu idit
ona bu idit
ono bu idit
mi bu idit
vi bu idit
oni bu idit

Present tense:
ja es idit
ti es idit
to es idit
on es idit
ona es idit
ono es idit
mi es idit
vi es idit
oni es idit

Past tense:
ja bil idit
ti bil idit
to bil idit
on bil idit
ona bil idit
ono bil idit
mi bil idit
vi bil idit
oni bil idit

Conditional tense:
ja bi idit
ti bi idit
to bi idit
on bi idit
ona bi idit
ono bi idit
mi bi idit
vi bi idit
oni bi idit

Imperative:
idij!
idijme!
idijte!

-

Subject-Object: In Slovio the subject comes normally before the object - and in that case the object needs no suffix (unlike Esperanto). If we want to reverse the order we must denote the object with suffix "-(u)f" which is added to the object in cases where it is necessary to make it clear which noun is the subject. "Mlodic lubil mlodica." (Boy loved a girl). Or:  "Mlodicaf lubil mlodic." Both sentences have the same meaning, only the subject/object order is reversed. As shown here, to make the meaning clear, in the second case we use the ending -(u)f or in the plural -(i)fs. If the word order is "normal" (subject before object) then (unlike Esperanto) no changes, no suffixes are necessary.


Examples:

......
              ......
                            ......


 

Adjective Participles:
example (active):
-bsju = ACTIVE FUTURE PARTICIPLE.
-tsju = ACTIVE PRESENT PARTICIPLE.
-lsju = ACTIVE PAST PARTICIPLE.
example (passive):
-bju = PASSIVE FUTURE PARTICIPLE.
-tju = PASSIVE PRESENT PARTICIPLE.
-lju = PASSIVE PAST PARTICIPLE.

Adverbial Participles:
example (active):
Cxistibsuo on slusxal muzik.
- Preparing to clean, he listened to music.
Cxistitsuo on slusxal muzik. - While cleaning, he listened to music.
Cxistilsuo on slusxal muzik. - Having cleaned, he listened to music.
example (passive):
Cxistibuo on slusxal muzik. - Preparing to be cleaned, he listened to music.
Cxistituo on slusxal muzik. - While being cleaned, he listened to music.
Cxistiluo on slusxal muzik. - Having been cleaned, he listened to music.