Wenedyk
by Jan van Steenbergen
THE TEXT
Klucz a mnaścierz
Wiwieba si alkwądu proszym mnaścierzu maliń
hoń. Jasz jara ję przezwazioni, kód mnaszy przećnierzę grąd ciazur, maż wleba
hawier iłą rzą kętra kaszkunej koszcie. Małchoń dziewnieba policiarz. Uniu
dziej jasz akopłaba siej a mnach, poskód ił rzewieńszy a mnaścierz. Dziczeba:
"Czaru, da mi doń swej klucz. Włu przeszukar mnaścierz, prostokód szczeleścisty
pocierzę siej czałar faczyle a iłu łoku."
Mnach dziczeba: "Nie haju kluczy."
Mał policiarz jastrablaba siej, maż mnach jętraba ję mnaścierz prze awrzat ość.
TRANSLATION
The key to the monastery
Once upon a time, near a monastery lived a bad
man. He was under the assumption, that the monks kept a great treasure, and
he wanted to have that thing at all cost. The bad man became a policeman.
One day, he accosted a monk, after the latter had returned to the monastery.
He said: "Please give me your key. I want to search the monastery, because
criminals could easily be hiding in this place."
The monk said: "I don't have a key."
The evil policeman became very angry, and the monk walked into the monastery through the open door.
GRAMMAR
Free word order, but mostly SVO, sometimes VSO, rarely SOV. Adjectives agree with the noun in number, gender, and case.
Four cases (nominative, genitive,
dative, accusative), three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter), two numbers
(singular, plural).
Verb moods and tenses include:
present, imperfect, perfect, two futures (not in this text), imperative,
conjunctive. The conjunctive is also used as conditional.
The verb endings -ba and -bą always refer to the imperfect tense, 3rd person singular and 3rd person plural respectively.
GLOSSARY
* nouns are given in both their nominative and genitive forms.
a (prep) to, until; at.
akopłar (v) to couple.
akopłar siej a (v) to accost.
alkwądu (adv) once, ever.
awrzer (v) to open. PART.PERF. awrzat.
ciazur, -u (n) treasure
czałar (v) to hide.
czerzer (v) to request, to ask. PRES.1s czaru "please".
dar (v) to give. IMPER.2s da.
doń, doniu (n) mister, sir; you (polite form, masc.sg.).
dziczer (v) to say.
dziej, dziej (n) day.
dziewnier (v) to become.
faczyl (adj) easy. ADV faczyle.
grąd (adj) great, big.
hawier (v) to have. PRES.1s haju.
hoń, honi (n) man; human being.
ił (pr.dem.) this, these, that, those. GEN.s. (m) iłu, ACC.s (f) iłą.
jastrablar (v) to make very angry.
jastrablar siej (v) to become very angry.
jasz (pr.pers.) he. jej ACC.s.
jeszer (v) to be. IMPF.3s jara.
ję (prep) (with GEN) in; (with ACC) into.
jętrar (v) to enter, to go inside.
kaszkun (adj) every, each. DAT.s (f) kaszkunej.
kętra (prep) against.
klucz, -y (n) key.
koszta, -y (n) cost. DAT.s koszcie.
kód (conj) that.
łok, -u (n) place.
maliń (adj) bad, malign, malevolent.
mał (adj) bad, evil.
małchoń, -oni (n) bad person, bad-ass.
maż (conj) and, but.
mi (pr.pers.) DAT.s of jego "I"
mnach, -u (n) monk (plur. mnaszy)
mnaścierz, -u (n) monastery.
nie (adv) not.
ość, ościu (n) door.
pocier (v) can, might. CONJ.3p pocierzę.
policiarz, -u (n) policeman.
poskód (conj) after.
prostokód (conj) because.
proszym (prep) close to, near.
prze (prep) through
przećnier (v) to keep, to keep hidden. CONJ.3p przećnierzę.
przeszukar (v) to search.
przezwazioń, -oni (n) conviction.
rzej, rzej (n) thing, case, affair. ACC.s rzą.
rzewnier (v) to return, to come back. PERF.3s rzewieńszy.
si, siej (pr.refl.) oneself (DAT resp. GEN/ACC)
swej (pr.poss.) his/her/your/our/etc. own (reflexive).
szczeleścista (n) criminal. NOM.p -isty.
un (num) one. GEN.s (m/n) uniu.
wiwier (v) to live.
wler (v) want. PRES.1s włu.