Future tense is indicated by using shall, will, and other appropriate words. Thus älfr ach thornessa (literally, he do this) translates as he does this.

By default, all verbs in the ancient language are set in the present tense.Galbatorix knew that most humans wouldn’t understand the deeper meaning, but for the elves and dwarves, the capital’s name is an open insult.) Urû’baen then translates as the elders’ grief/sorrow, the elders’ folly, or even the elders’ downfall. Urû is a dwarf word-obvious since the ancient language uses no circumflexes-that means elders or sages.

(A side note on Urû’baen: The name is a bastardization coined by Galbatorix. Said properly, the apostrophe makes you spend an extra half-second on Shur’tugal, emphasizing the Riders’ elevated status.In the case of Urû’baen and Ristvak’baen, baen is part of each name, but because it represents such a powerful and complex form of grief, it is set off by the apostrophe. An apostrophe is often introduced into a word that was previously free of one to force a pause or trill and to give it an added layer of importance. For example, elves will trill the double r in Zar’roc, a sound often ignored by humans in favor of the more straightforward method of splitting the name into two parts.Only a few words or names warrant apostrophes in the ancient language.

An apostrophe signifies either a pause or-if the apostrophe is situated between two r’s-a trill in a word.

In addition to the canon resources below, click here to see a complete grammar of the ancient language, put together by fans in the Netherlands.

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