COMPLETE MANUAL OF THE AUXILIARY LANGUAGE IDO

(or, Eventas kelka-foye ke il venas vizitar ni ..

or, Il vizitadas ni vespere).

How to translate SHOULD.

(1) If it is a simple conditional, use -us:

I should be glad to have it,

Me esus felica havar ol (or, se me havus ol).

(2) If it means ought, use devas:

You should write to them, Vu devas skribar a li.

When really conditional, devus not devas is used. Compare "You ought (devas) to do it if you can" and "you ought (devus) to do it if you could."

(3) At the beginning of the sentence, use se with future:

Should you require my services, Se vu bezonos mea servi.

How to translate WOULD.

(1) If it is a simple conditional, use -us:

He would not forget it, Il ne oblivius ol.

(2) If it means "insistence", use volis (= did want):

I tried to stop him, but he would do it,

Me probis haltigar il, ma il volis facar ol.

(3) If it means "habit", use -ad-:

She would sit on that little chair,

El sidadis sur ta stuleto.

(4) In the phrase would that, use either se nur with conditional or Deo volez ke with imperative:

Would that peace reigned everywhere!

Deo volez ke paco omna-loke regnez!

How to translate MAY.

(1) If it means perhaps, use forsan:

It may rain, Forsan pluvos.

It may be so, Forsan esas tale.

(2) If it means "permission", use darfar or a periphrase:

May I come in?

Ka me darfas en-venar?

You may not do it (= you are not allowed to do it),

Vu ne darfas facar ol.

(The same sentence: "you may not do it", meaning "perhaps you won't do it", would be forsan vu ne facos ol.

How to translate MUST.

(1) With a personal subject, use the personal verb mustar:

I must go, Me mustas departar.

(2) When the subject cannot, or need not, be expressed use the impersonal verb oportar:

We must go now, Oportas departar nun.

(3) Sometimes an adjective in -end suffices:

A book that must be read, Libro lektenda.

Frequentative Form - 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.

Change of Tense

(1) In Ido tenses do not govern each other:

I thought it was raining (= I thought that it is raining = "It is raining", I thought).

Me pensis, ke pluvas.

He found she was tired (= He found that she is tired - at the time he found it).

Il trovis, ke el esas fatigita.

(2) The English present perfect with date is translated by present tense and the word since.

I have known it these four days (= I know it from four days),

Me savas lo de quar dii.

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.

(3) The English preterite with for equals a past tense with dum.

I was there for two months (= during two months).

Me esis ibe dum du monati.

She used it for one year,

El uzis ol dum un yaro.

Tagged Questions and the like.- The following examples will explain better than any rule how to translate sentences of the sort: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)?