Sindarin negation is achieved through four ancient root words, AL/LA, ABA, UG, and PEN. This lesson is mostly review, but it should help solidify and separate these concepts.
The three following negation morphemes tell you that some part of the claim isn't true.
Use this prefix with adjectives or nouns, and use Vocalic Mutation with it, since it lost an -A. You can use it with or without a dash to mark the affix; I'll be using a dash to make the boundaries between it and the other words more visible.
dangen slain → al-nangen not slain
pen someone, person → al-ben no one
tolog steady → al-dolog unsteady
sad somewhere, place → al-had nowhere
We've already covered this one in the helping verbs lesson, but it bears repeating.
It is placed before the predicate, meaning that it would go before the verb, any prefixes on the verb, and before any accusative pronouns attached to that verb. The subject of the sentence would go before *law, since it isn't in the predicate. Unlike the English verb negation, "do not," *law isn't a verb but a particle, and therefore wouldn't take on any conjugation.
Mutate whatever follows *law, but remember that you can't mutate something twice.
S�r, *law dharthon hi. - Today, I don't live here.
*Law gin egennin. - I didn't see you.
*Law noro o nin! - Don't run from me!
You can also use *law as a negative copula. Again, it isn't conjugated for tense or number, and remains *law. The word that directly follows *law is mutated.
Ni *law vudhu. - I'm not a bug.
Budhu *law veleg. - A bug is not big.
Budhu *law bo i n�l l�n. - A bug is not on your head.
When negating the imperative copula no, treat it like any other verb.
*Law no dhem! - Don't be sad!
This is for responses that are shortened, when the verb has been left out. This sort of response is very informal and would be considered slang. Use these in responses to questions only, not in full sentences.
This time, it's conjugated for person (who is doing the subject) and nothing else. It's *law for the 3rd person singular, and *lae- for the rest.
- Enengil i adar n�n? - Did you kill my father?
- *Laen. - Not I.
- Se garan? - Is this red?
- *Law. - It's not.
From the description that Tolkien gave us, �- is "near negative" and means that something is impossible. Thus, prefixed onto a verb, it takes the meaning "cannot," and when prefixed onto an adjective it means that whatever it is that it's describing "can't possibly be so." It is especially used when negating -able adjectives.
It can be used as an interjection on its own as well, meaning "It cannot be so!" This expression is made with your lips pursed while shaking your head and saying, �!
Use Vocalic Mutation following this prefix.
I hant al-thorannen �-dhar lavan. - The unfenced garden can't stop an animal.
nodui "countable → �-nodui uncountable
There is the set of words derived from the ancient verb ABA, "to refuse."
Av- or avo- are used only on the imperative verb. Soft Mutation follows it. Because it is based on the verb ava- "to refuse," it has the connotation of "refusing" or "resisting" doing something, so it doesn't replace *law, but it does make stronger, more forceful negation.
Avo dharo! - Don't halt!
Av-edro i fennas! - Don't open the gate!
While you can use avo on its own as a short "No don't do that!" there is an even shorter expression: Baw! According to Tolkien, when you say it, you should jerk your head up.
This makes a compound predicate, and we've already touched on this topic in the future tense lesson.
This is often used to answer requests with rejection. If you want to shorten it, just keep the avon and drop the other verb.
- Darathodh? - Would (pl.) you please halt?
- Avof dared! - We won't halt!
- Avof! - We won't!
The prefix pen- started out as the verb "to lack." It's used as the opposite of sav- "to have." You can see how it would have developed quite easily - starting as a phrase, p�n 'lass "it lacks joy" becomes pen-'lass "joyless." Because of this origin as a verb, use vocalic mutation with it, not nasal or mixed mutation as one might guess from its form.
When attached to a noun, it turns that noun into an adjective and it is mutated as an adjective, which is why it appears as ben-adar in Tom Bombadil's name. It couldn't be pluralized, however.
As a verb, it's how you would answer "No" to a question starting with "Do(es) __ have�?"
- Sevil mass? - Do you have bread?
- Penin. I lack.