EXERCISE 22
Älöfoböv mani at, if äbinom-la gudikum. If ägolobs-la vädelo al spatön, äbinosöv saunlik. If ägolols-la adelo al spatön, blinolsos buki nulik, keli äbonedob, de bukatedam. Binosöv gälod gletik obe, getön penedi lonedik de ol. If no äbinos-la so vamik, älöfoböv visitön flenis obsik in zif.
If I should see the teacher to-day I would give him the book which he wishes to see. This book would be useful to you if you should wish to study the French language. If you had seen this man in the garden he would have spoken to you. If you should travel in Europe you would hear many languages.
THE INTEROGATIV FORM
In English we change an assertion into a question by changing the order of the words,
| I have. | Have I ? |
| He will go. | Will he go ? |
| You have seen. | Have you seen ? |
But we seldom put a verb, unless an auxiliary, before the subject. We use, instead, the emphatic form with do.
You go. Do you go ? instead of Go you ? He speaks. Does he speak ?
In Volapük the sign of the question is the syllable li, generally placed either before or after the verb and united to it by a hyphen. The accent of the verb is unchanged. Li should not be placed after the verb, when this would bring two l's or three consonants together, as li-binoms ? not binoms-li?
| Man binom gudik, | Man binom-li gudik ? |
| Labob, | Labob-li ? |
| Ogoloms, | Li-ogoloms ? |
| Elogols, | Li-egolols ? |
