This section has simplified summaries of the major grammatical features you
have learned so far. For now, you can use this grammar summary as a “cheat
sheet” as you go through the first few chapters of this course. These
chapters will assume you have a basic grasp of Sindarin grammar, so that new
features can be taught in the context of real sentences. A more
comprehensive grammar summary can be found in the final chapter of this
course, and at some point you will probably want to switch to that summary
for your cheat sheet after you’ve learned more.
1.3.2.1 Simplified Noun (n.) Summary:
Plurals: Plural nouns are produced using
i-affection.
Genitive Case: The genitive case is roughly equivalent
to English “of”.
A genitive relationship (“of”) in Sindarin can be marked in several
ways. The most straightforward is to have the related noun follow
the noun it modifies, so that aran Moria means “king [of]
Moria”, with “of” not explicit in the Sindarin phrase. This would be
analogous to saying “Moria king” in English, except the order of the
Sindarin words is reversed.
Alternately, the genitive can be expressed via the preposition na(n) “of”: aran na-Moria. The preposition na(n) has a definit variant en “of the”. These indefinite/definite forms cause a variety of mutation.
Directional Noun Cases: Fiona The number of
ditransitive verbs is small in comparison to other classes of verbs. Be
careful - "to" is also a directional preposition. "Take the money to the
store" isn't ditransitive, since "to the store" is talking about where
the action is heading, not who or what will also be affected.
Fiona Jallings states that the number of ditransitive verbs is small in
comparison to other classes of verbs. Be careful - "to" is also a
directional preposition. "Take the money to the store" isn’t
ditransitive, since "to the store" is talking about where the action is
heading, not who or what will also be affected.
Allative:na “to(ward)”
Examples: n’ amon “to a hill”, na vinas “to a
tower”, n’ emyn “to hills”, na vinais “to towers”.
na “to” per Tolkien, na is regularly
elided to n’before vowels .
Present tense: The present tense takes place in the
current time.
nor- “to run”: edhel nôr “an elf is running”,
edhil nôr “elves are running”.
1.3.2.3 Simplified Pronoun (pron.) Summary:
Object
Subject
Possessive
nin “me”
-n “I”
nín “my”
len “you”
-l “you”
lín “your”
ten “him, her”
- “he, she”
tín “his, her”
Subject pronouns: Subject pronouns are suffixed to
verbs: tirin, “I watch”.
Object pronouns: Object or independent pronouns are
used for the object of verbs, prepositions or for noun cases:
i-edhel tîr nin.
“the elf watches me”, menin na len. “I go to you”.
Possessive pronouns: Possessive pronouns are suffixed
to nouns to indicate ownership.
Possessive pronouns in Sindarin, like "nín" (my) and "lín" (your),
follow the noun they modify and cause soft mutation. They are often used
with a definite article, and the noun undergoes nasal mutation if plural.
Examples: i-mâr nín“my house”, i-mbair nín “my
houses”, n’ i-mâr nín “at my house”, n’ i-mbair nín
“at my houses”.
1.3.2.4 Simplified Adjective (adj.) and Adverb (adv.) Summary:
Adjective Order: Adjectives normally precede the noun
they modify.
Plural Adjectives: Adjectives must be plural if their
associated noun is plural and undergo i-affection.
Adverb Order: Adverbs often follow the verb but may
appear in various places within a sentence.
Adjectives as Adverbs: Adjectives may sometimes be used
as an adverb, in which case they follow the verb: norin lim “I
run swift[ly]”.
1.3.2.5 Simplified “To Be” Summary:
The verb na-: Is rarely ever used.
“To be”: English uses the verb “to be” to equate a
subject with its predicate.
i-adan hothron “the man [is] a captain”,
edhil tynd
“Elves [are] tall”.
1.3.2.6 Simplified Relative Pronoun Summary:
Subordinate Clauses and Relative Pronouns:
o Sindarin uses the indeclinable relative pronoun “i” for both
restrictive and non-restrictive clauses, functioning like the English “who”
or “that.” For example, “Tirin i-adan i nôr.” means “I am watching the man
who is running.” Additionally, declinable relative pronouns like *
iaw
(for things) and *ial (for persons) are used when the pronoun needs
to be in a specific noun case.
Complex Sentence Structures and Word Meaning:
Sindarin's sentence structure can be complex, with the distribution of
meaning among words differing from English. It's important to understand
that a Sindarin word may not always be used in the same contexts as its
English translation, particularly in the case of relative pronouns and the
formation of complex sentences.
