Re: su

[CJ FINE <cbmvax!uunet!cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu!C.J.Fine>]

>
>
> Much talk about the use of the subjunctive in English
> and Romance languages in sci.lang.  Could someone remind
> me of how the counterfactual subjunctive (If I were a rich man)
> and others are handled in Lojban?

As far as I can see, it's simply a logical "na.a" (or whichever
logjyselma'o is appropriate) together with an attitudinal "da'i" - or
maybe another member of the "da'i" series. I don't recall how that scale
was defined - I have a feeling that "da'inai" was "really", in which case
"da'icai" would mean "I really really am not suggesting that this is
the case, but just supposing...", and "da'icu'i" is "I really don't know
whether it's the case or not..."

> ko poi kakne cu fanva pe'u ta vau

I'll have a go at some of them

>     If I were you, I wouldn't eat that.
        da'i mi du do nagi'a na citka ta
Perhaps better
        da'i mi mintu do li'o
But a less literal translation like
        du'o mi do ei li'o
or
        fi'o jinvi mi do ei li'o
might be better still.

>     I would never say that unless it were true.
        noroiku mi de'u bacru .ija ri jetnu da'i[cu'i]
        (depending on the interpretation of the counterfactual)

>     Whether it be so or not, he's still a scoundrel.
        gu de'u da'icu'i gi ko'a xlapre .ia

>     He worked as though there were no tomorrow.
        ko'a gunka sekai lenu noda da'i balvi

>     We could but hope it were for the best.
        mi pu nalpacna pacna lenu de'u fa selja'e lo xamgu

>     Can a user request that it not be done?
        xu lo pilno ka'e cpedu lenu na go'a

>     Were I stronger, I would have lifted it myself.
        ganai mi tsamau da'i gi mipu pamei .ia lafti

The rest another time
                        co'omi'e kolin