Source: Brothers Grimm, Kinder- und Haus-Märchen, 7th edition 1857, no. 78 (public domain), text from de.wikisource.org.
Literal: PL = ma, NOT = ne, REQ = vo, QUOTE = re, NEAR = hi, FAR = da, ONLY = so, ALSO = mo, AGAIN = ha, ADV = adverb ending, ADJ = adjective ending. Compounds with hyphens.
Es war einmal ein steinalter Mann, dem waren die Augen trüb geworden, die Ohren taub, und die Knie zitterten ihm. Wenn er nun bei Tische saß und den Löffel kaum halten konnte, schüttete er Suppe auf das Tischtuch, und es floß ihm auch etwas wieder aus dem Mund. Sein Sohn und dessen Frau ekelten sich davor, und deswegen mußte sich der alte Großvater endlich hinter den Ofen in die Ecke setzen, … … und sie gaben ihm sein Essen in ein irdenes Schüsselchen und noch dazu nicht einmal satt; da sah er betrübt nach dem Tisch, und die Augen wurden ihm naß. Einmal auch konnten seine zitterigen Hände das Schüsselchen nicht fest halten, es fiel zur Erde und zerbrach. Die junge Frau schalt, er sagte aber nichts und seufzte nur. Da kaufte sie ihm ein hölzernes Schüsselchen für ein paar Heller, daraus mußte er nun essen. Wie sie da so sitzen, so trägt der kleine Enkel von vier Jahren auf der Erde kleine Brettlein zusammen. „Was machst du da?“ fragte der Vater. „Ich mache ein Tröglein,“ antwortete das Kind, „daraus sollen Vater und Mutter essen, wenn ich groß bin.“ Da sahen sich Mann und Frau eine Weile an, fiengen endlich an zu weinen, holten alsofort den alten Großvater an den Tisch … … und ließen ihn von nun an immer mit essen, sagten auch nichts wenn er ein wenig verschüttete.
There was once a very old man whose eyes had grown dim, his ears deaf, and his knees trembled. When he sat at table and could hardly hold the spoon, he spilled soup on the tablecloth, and some of it also ran out of his mouth again. His son and his son's wife were disgusted by this, and so the old grandfather at last had to sit in the corner behind the stove, … … and they gave him his food in an earthenware bowl, and not even enough of it; then he looked sadly at the table, and his eyes grew wet. Once his trembling hands could not hold the bowl firmly; it fell to the ground and broke. The young wife scolded, but he said nothing and only sighed. Then she bought him a wooden bowl for a few pennies, and from it he now had to eat. As they are sitting there like this, the little grandson of four years is gathering little boards together on the floor. “What are you doing there?” asked the father. “I am making a little trough,” answered the child, “for father and mother to eat from when I am big.” Then the man and his wife looked at each other for a while, at last began to cry, and at once fetched the old grandfather to the table … … and from then on always let him eat with them, and said nothing either when he spilled a little.
person-male very old live in time FAR. PL eye he unclear-be, and PL ear he hear NOT, and PL leg-middle he tremble
Es war einmal ein steinalter Mann, dem waren die Augen trüb geworden, die Ohren taub, und die Knie zitterten ihm.
There was once a very old man whose eyes had grown dim, his ears deaf, and his knees trembled.
Notes (4)
The first sentence sets the time with di lusa da; after that there is no time word. The Grimms switch to the present tense in the middle of the text; that disappears.
“Very old” (German “stone-old”) = pulu vuguni; pulu before an adjective measures it.
“Dim” = vutole (to be unclear), “deaf” = the ears do not hear.
knee = tobarafa (leg + middle), tremble = pigove. The “trembling hands” later are ma gora pigovi.
offspring-male he and spouse offspring-male be-disgusted thing NEAR. grandparent-male old must sitting in corner behind stove from reason NEAR
Sein Sohn und dessen Frau ekelten sich davor, und deswegen mußte sich der alte Großvater endlich hinter den Ofen in die Ecke setzen, …
His son and his son's wife were disgusted by this, and so the old grandfather at last had to sit in the corner behind the stove, …
Notes (4)
“His son's wife” = fedara vulisalafa (the son's wife). fedara lo would mean “his (the grandfather's) wife” here.
“Be disgusted by” = fadole with the disgusting thing as the object.
“And so” = ko vera hi at the end of the sentence; a prepositional phrase goes in the rest. “At last” is left out, otherwise four prepositional phrases would follow one another.
PL he give food to he in container-food-small earth, and food enough-be NOT. he see sad-ADV table, and PL eye he become wetness
… und sie gaben ihm sein Essen in ein irdenes Schüsselchen und noch dazu nicht einmal satt; da sah er betrübt nach dem Tisch, und die Augen wurden ihm naß.
… and they gave him his food in an earthenware bowl, and not even enough of it; then he looked sadly at the table, and his eyes grew wet.
Notes (3)
little bowl = plate + -is- (bedanamisa); bedanama is literally “container for food”. “Earthenware” = noun + noun: bedanamisa geda (little bowl of earth), like “of stone”.
“Not even enough” = the food is not enough (rade ne, quantity + -e).
“Grow wet” = bame kiga (become + wetness), like bame bira (grow big).
PL hand tremble-ADJ he can NOT holding strong container-food-small in one time. container-food-small fall to floor, and it become brokenness
Einmal auch konnten seine zitterigen Hände das Schüsselchen nicht fest halten, es fiel zur Erde und zerbrach.
Once his trembling hands could not hold the bowl firmly; it fell to the ground and broke.
Notes (2)
“Trembling” = pigovi (adjective from “tremble”). “Could hold firmly” = pune vefa naki (can + firm holding). naki specifies vefa, bedanamisa is what is affected.
“Break” (by itself) = bame lika (become broken); likene would be “to break something”.
PL he sit in table, and grandchild small who live through four year collect PL part-small wood on floor
Wie sie da so sitzen, so trägt der kleine Enkel von vier Jahren auf der Erde kleine Brettlein zusammen.
As they are sitting there like this, the little grandson of four years is gathering little boards together on the floor.
Notes (2)
“Of four years” = je vele ru fenu basa (who has lived for four years). The relative clause on the subject ends at the verb of the main clause (genene).
little boards = nifisa veba (small pieces of wood).
parent-male ask QUOTE you make thing Q? child answer QUOTE I make container-animal-small. QUOTE I become FUT size. QUOTE REQ parent-male I and parent-female I eat from container-animal-small NEAR after thing NEAR!
„Was machst du da?“ fragte der Vater. „Ich mache ein Tröglein,“ antwortete das Kind, „daraus sollen Vater und Mutter essen, wenn ich groß bin.“
“What are you doing there?” asked the father. “I am making a little trough,” answered the child, “for father and mother to eat from when I am big.”
Notes (4)
Direct speech comes at the end of the sentence; “asked the father” therefore comes first.
trough = bedavema (container + animal), a new term; little trough = bedavemisa. That it is a feeding trough is part of the point.
“When I am big” is not a case for fi (that is only a condition) but a matter of time: two sentences, “I will grow big” and “after that” (gi tama hi).
vo also applies in direct speech; the punctuation is that of the quoted sentence (!).