(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:
Me esus felica havar ol (or, se me havus ol).
(2) If it means
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:
How to translate WOULD.
(1) If it is a simple conditional, use -us:
(2) If it means "insistence", use volis (=
Me probis haltigar il, ma il volis facar ol.
(3) If it means "habit", use -ad-:
El sidadis sur ta stuleto.
(4) In the phrase
Deo volez ke paco omna-loke regnez!
How to translate MAY.
(1) If it means
(2) If it means "permission", use darfar or a periphrase:
Ka me darfas en-venar?
Vu ne darfas facar ol.
(The same sentence: "
How to translate MUST.
(1) With a personal subject, use the personal verb mustar:
(2) When the subject cannot, or need not, be expressed use the impersonal verb oportar:
(3) Sometimes an adjective in -end suffices:
Frequentative Form - The word
Ni iradis e venadis dum hori.
Change of Tense
(1) In Ido tenses do not govern each other:
Me pensis, ke pluvas.
Il trovis, ke el esas fatigita.
(2) The English present perfect with date is translated by present tense and the word
Me savas lo de quar dii.
Me esis en Roma de un semano, kande me recevis vua letro.
(3) The English preterite with
Me esis ibe dum du monati.
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: