Klingon Language Certification Program

This page describes a project of the Klingon Language Institute. If you go to a qep­’a’ (and a few other select places) you may there take a test to certify your knowledge in Klingon. This page is here to archive what is required to attain the various levels described by the KLCP, as this data is incorporated into the online version of the Klingon Pocket Dictionary.

This information was taken from d’Armond Speers webpage and re-vamped to order to make it look like the printout of the same document that zrajm obtained at the qep­’a’ in 2001. The text of the original (excluding CSS, HTML code and whitespace) has been left unchanged.


Klingon Language Certification Program

The Klingon Language Certification Program (KLCP) is a sponsored project of the Klingon Language Institute (KLI).
Original document by d’Armond Speers, copyright (c) 2002 ()
HTML/CSS (text itself not changed) by zrajm ()

Certification Guidelines

1. Introduction

1.1. Overview

This document describes the certification guidelines for the Klingon Language Certification Program (KLCP). The guidelines describe the certification levels awarded by the KLI upon successful completion of certification exams, the language skills that are tested for each certification level, and also will contain sample questions and answers for each level’s exam. This document is to be used both as a guide for developing the certification Test Bank, and as a guide to the student who wishes to prepare for the certification exams.

These are testing materials, not educational materials. While this document describes guidelines for the language skills addressed by each level of certification, it does not attempt to teach the student about those language skills.

1.2. Question Format

The questions will either be translation, fill-in-the-blank, or require answers to questions about grammar. An example of each type is provided here.

Translation 1a. Translate the following sentence:
SuS­’a’­mo’ pum Sor­vetlh
[”That tree fell because of the powerful wind.”]
1b. Translate the following sentence:
”The guard chased the prisoner out of the jail.”
[bIgh­Ha’­vo’ qa­ma’ tlha’ ’av­wI’]
Fill-in-the-blank 2a. Don’t speak!
yI­jatlh___
[-Qo’]
2b. ya ghaH wo’­rIv­’e’
Worf is the __________.
[”tactical officer”]
Grammar 3a. What is the connotation of using -mey with a noun capable of language?
[scattered all about]
3b. What is the connotation of using a general possessive suffix on a noun capable of language?
[insult]

In the po’­wI’ ”advanced” tests, there will also be questions on reading comprehension. The test will include a short story, followed by 5 questions about the events described in the story.

In the pab pIn ”grammarian” test, the questions take on a different form. The test taker is asked to judge the grammaticality of sentences, and explain any problems in the grammar. The test for this level also includes essay questions.

2. Level I: Hol patlh tagh­wI’, ”Beginner”

2.1. Source

The beginner’s test will consist of 20 questions from the following material. The grammar and vocabulary will come exclusively from TKD, and no other sources. For the vocabulary, there is a list of 500 common words from TKD, which all beginners should learn, and the questions in this section of the test will use vocabulary only from this list. See the appendix at the end of these guidelines for the beginner’s vocabulary.

2.2. Material

Topic Source
Syllable stress TKD 1.3, p. 17
Parts of speech TKD 2, p. 18
NS1 -’a’ augmentative TKD 3.3.1, p. 21
NS1 -Hom diminutive TKD 3.3.1, p. 21
NS3 -qoq so-called TKD 3.3.3, p. 24
NS3 -Hey apparent TKD 3.3.3, p. 24
NS3 -na’ definite TKD 3.3.3, p. 25
NS4 -wIj my TKD 3.3.4, p. 25
NS4 -wI’ my TKD 3.3.4, p. 25
NS4 -lIj your TKD 3.3.4, p. 25
NS4 -lI’ your TKD 3.3.4, p. 25
NS4 -maj our TKD 3.3.4, p. 25
NS4 -ma’ our TKD 3.3.4, p. 25
NS4 -Daj his/her/its/their TKD 3.3.4, p. 25
NS4 -vam this TKD 3.3.4, p. 26
NS4 -vetlh that TKD 3.3.4, p. 26
NS5 -Daq locative TKD 3.3.5, p. 27–28
NS5 -vo’ from TKD 3.3.5, p. 28
NS5 -mo’ due to, because of TKD 3.3.5, p. 28
NS5 -’e’ topic TKD 3.3.5, p. 29
Verb prefix jI- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix bI- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix ma- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix qa- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix vI- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix cho- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix mu- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix Da- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix (null) TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
VS1 -’egh self TKD 4.2.1, p. 35
VS1 -chuq each other TKD 4.2.1, p. 36
VS2 -nIS need TKD 4.2.2, p. 36
VS2 -rup ready TKD 4.2.2, p. 36
VS2 -qang willing TKD 4.2.2, p. 36
VS2 -beH ready TKD 4.2.2, p. 36–37
VS2 -vIp afraid TKD 4.2.2, p. 37
VS3 -choH change TKD 4.2.3, p. 37
VS3 -qa’ again/resume TKD 4.2.3, p. 37–38
VS4 -moH cause TKD 4.2.4, p. 38
VS5 -laH ability TKD 4.2.5, p. 39
VS6 -ba’ obviously TKD 4.2.6, p. 175 (addendum)
VS6 -law’ apparently TKD 4.2.6, p. 40
VS6 -bej certainly TKD 4.2.6, p. 40
VS6 -chu’ clearly/perfectly TKD 4.2.6, p. 40
VS8 -neS honorific TKD 4.2.8, p. 43
VS9 -’a’ interrogative TKD 4.2.9, p. 44
Rover -be’ negation TKD 4.3, p. 46
Rover -qu’ emphatic TKD 4.3, p. 48–49
Pronouns TKD 5.1, p. 51–52
Conjunctions TKD 5.3, p. 55
Exclamations TKD 5.5, p. 57
Question chay’ how TKD 6.4, p. 68–70
Question ghorgh when TKD 6.4, p. 68–70
Question ’ar how many TKD 6.4, p. 68–70
Question qatlh why TKD 6.4, p. 68–70

2.3. Sample Questions

1. Instructions Fill in the blank.
Question How many enemies do you see?
jagh _____ Da­legh
Answer ’ar
2. Instructions Translate the following sentence:
Question This door is shut.
Answer SoQ loj­mIt­vam
3. Instructions
Question Identify the parts of speech in Klingon.
Answer Nouns, verbs, and everything else.

3. Level II: Hol patlh ghoj­wI’, ”Intermediate”

3.1. Source

The Intermediate test will consist of 20 questions drawn from the following material. The grammar and vocabulary will come exclusively from TKD, and no other sources. In this section, questions will use any grammar and vocabulary found in TKD (2nd printing).

3.2. Material

Topic Source
Compound nouns TKD 3.2.1, p. 19
VS9 -wI’ thing/one which is/does TKD 3.2.2, p. 19,
TKD 4.2.9, p. 44
NS2 -Du’ body part plural TKD 3.3.2, p. 23
NS2 -mey general plural TKD 3.3.2, p. 23
NS2 -pu’ language-user plural TKD 3.3.2, p. 23
Inherent plurals TKD 3.3.2, p. 23–24
NS5 -vaD beneficiary TKD 3.3.5, p. 28,
TKD 6.8 p. 180 (addendum)
N1-N2 genitives TKD 3.4, p. 30
Verb prefix bo- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix che- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix DI- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix Du- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix ju- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix lI- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix lu- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix nI- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix nu- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix pI- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix re- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix Sa- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix Su- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix tu- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Verb prefix wI- TKD 4.1.1, p. 32–34
Imperative verb prefix gho- TKD 4.1.2, p. 34–35
Imperative verb prefix HI- TKD 4.1.2, p. 34–35
Imperative verb prefix pe- TKD 4.1.2, p. 34–35
Imperative verb prefix tI- TKD 4.1.2, p. 34–35
Imperative verb prefix yI- TKD 4.1.2, p. 34–35
VS5 -lu’ indefinite subject TKD 4.2.5, p. 38–39
VS7 -ta’ accomplished TKD 4.2.7, p. 41–42
VS7 -taH continuous TKD 4.2.7, p. 42
VS7 -lI’ in progress TKD 4.2.7, p. 42–43
VS7 -pu’ perfective TKD 4.2.7, p.41
VS9 -mo’ due to/because TKD 4.2.9, p. 175 (addendum)
VS9 -jaj may TKD 4.2.9, p. 175–176 (addendum)
VS9 -ghach nominalizer TKD 4.2.9, p. 176 (addendum)
VS9 -chugh if TKD 4.2.9, p. 43
VS9 -DI’ as soon as/when TKD 4.2.9, p. 43
VS9 -pa’ before TKD 4.2.9, p. 43
VS9 -vIS while TKD 4.2.9, p. 43–44
VS9 -bogh relative clause TKD 4.2.9, p. 44,
TKD 6.2.3, p. 63–64
VS9 -meH purpose clause TKD 4.2.9, p. 44,
TKD 6.2.4, p. 64–65
Rover -Qo’ won’t TKD 4.3, p. 47
Rover -Ha’ undo TKD 4.3, p. 47–48
Adjectives TKD 4.4, p. 49–50
Numbers TKD 5.2, p. 52–55
Adverbs TKD 5.4, p. 55–57, 177–178 (addendum)
Sentences as object TKD 6.2.5, p. 65–67
Pronouns as ”to be” TKD 6.3, p. 67–68

3.3. Sample Questions

1. Instructions Fill in the blank.
Question May you die before your children do.
Hegh­pa’ puq­pu’­lI’ __________.
Answer bI­Hegh­jaj
2. Instructions Translate the following sentence.
Question De’ lI’­bogh bo­legh­pu’­’a’?
Answer Have you (plural) seen the information that he transmitted?
3. Instructions Identify the subject and object indicated by the following prefix
Question tu-
Answer Subject: you (plural)
Object: me

4. Level III: Hol patlh po’­wI’, ”Advanced”

4.1. Source

The Advanced test will consist of 30 questions drawn from the following material. In this test, additional canon sources beyond TKD (grammar and vocabulary) will be included. This includes all canon sources listed in the FAQ, including primarily (but not exclusively) Klingon for the Galactic Traveler (KGT), and articles written by Marc Okrand and published in Hol­QeD.

4.2. Material

The Advanced test will consist of 30 questions: 20 main questions, 5 idioms, and 5 in reading comprehension.

The 20 main questions are presented in the same format as the previous two tests. Each specific issue will not be listed here; instead, examples for each category will be shown.

4.2.1. Main Questions

Grammar and language use post-TKD
Example: nargh ’eb ”too late”
Example: NS5 -’e’ ”topic” used to disambiguate the head noun of a relative clause.
Little-known grammar rules
Example: It is culturally taboo to use the VS2 suffix -vIp with a first-person subject prefix.
Regional variation in grammar
Example: In toasts, the last word is always the verb, except in Sakrej and No’hvadut dialects.
Societal variation in vocabulary
Example: Dargh HIv­je’ ”teacup” (general) vs. tu’­lum ”teacup” (upper-class only)
Specialized vocabulary
Example: ghe’­naQ nIt ”Grand Opera”

4.2.2. Idioms

For the questions on idioms, you will be asked to provide the idiomatic interpretation of an expression. For example, pe’­vIl bI’­chu’, ”do something all at once.”

4.2.3. Reading Comprehension

In the reading comprehension section, you will have a short passage to read in Klingon. The text will be followed by five questions on the subject matter. The questions are written in Klingon, and you will provide your answers in Klingon.

4.3. Sample Questions

1. Instructions Translate the following sentence.
Question It’s too late for you to spit out the poison.
Answer nargh tar Da­tlhIS­meH ’eb
2. Instructions
Question Explain the difference between yaS and ’utlh.
Answer yaS ”officer” vs. ’utlh ”officer” (emeritus)
3. Instructions Explain the idiomatic interpretation of the following expression.
Question pe’­vIl bI’­chu’
Answer Do something all at once

5. Grammarian

The grammarian test is a little different than the others. The test is in two parts. The first part of test will consist of a collection of sentences, some grammatical, most not. The grammarian will have to provide an explanation of the grammatical details of the sentence, including an explanation for why the sentence may be ungrammatical. There will be 10 questions of this type. The material will cover all known canon sources for Klingon grammar, including issues that may still not be clearly understood.

The second part of the test will be an essay, a written response to an essay question.

6. Appendix: Beginner’s Vocabulary

The following 500 vocabulary items are from TKD. All questions in the Level I: Beginner’s exam use vocabulary only from this list. Due to copyright restrictions, only the English translation is included here; please refer to TKD for the Klingon translation.

ability, (n)
accept, (v)
accompany, (v)
accomplish, (v)
accomplishment, (n)
ache, hurt, be sore, (v)
achieve, (v)
achievement, (n)
acquire, obtain, get, (v)
act, take action, (v)
add, (v)
additional one, other one, (n)
admit, (v)
advice, (n)
advise, (v)
afternoon, (n)
alien, foreigner, (n)
allow, permit, (v)
alter, change, (v)
analyze, (v)
animal, (n)
answer, reply, (v)
approach, go away from, proceed, come, follow (a course), (v)
area above, area overhead, (n)
area below, area under, (n)
area beside, area next to, (n)
area between, (n)
arm, (n)
arrive, (v)
ask, (v)
attack, (v)
attempt, try, (v)

bar, saloon, cocktail lounge, (n)
battle, (n)
be a problem, be a hassle, (v)
be absent, (v)
be accomplished, finished, (v)
be advanced, highly developed, (v)
be all gone, (v)
be alone, (v)
be angry, mad, (v)
be bad, (v)
be beautiful, handsome, (v)
be big, (v)
be black, (v)
be boring, (v)
be brave, (v)
be calm, (v)
be careful, (v)
be clean, (v)
be clever, smart, intelligent, (v)
be closed, shut, (v)
be clumsy, (v)
be cold, (v)
be confused, mixed up, (v)
be counterfeit, false, fake, (v)
be crazy, (v)
be dangerous, (v)
be depressed, (v)
be different, (v)
be difficult, (v)
be dirty, (v)
be dishonest, (v)
be drunk, intoxicated, (v)
be dry, (v)
be dull, uninteresting, (v)
be easy, (v)
be enough, sufficient, (v)
be essential, necessary, (v)
be excited, (v)
be expert, skilled, (v)
be famous, well known, (v)
be fat, (v)
be fat, (v)
be few, be several, be a handful, (v)
be final, last, (v)
be fortunate, lucky, (v)
be free, independent, (v)
be frozen, (v)
be funny, (v)
be good, (v)
be green, blue, yellow, (v)
be grouchy, mean, (v)
be happy, (v)
be hard (like a rock, (v)
be healthy, (v)
be heavy, (v)
be honored, (v)
be hot, (v)
be hungry, (v)
be identical, (v)
be impressive, (v)
be inferior, (v)
be interesting, (v)
be lazy, (v)
be light, bright, (v)
be many, (v)
be messy, sloppy, (v)
be nervous, uneasy, (v)
be new, (v)
be old (not new), (v)
be old (not young), (v)
be open, opened, (v)
be orange, red, (v)
be pleased, (v)
be present (not absent), (v)
be proud, (v)
be qualified, (v)
be quiet, (v)
be remote, far, (v)
be responsible, (v)
be right, correct, (v)
be rough, (v)
be sad, (v)
be satisfied, (v)
be serious, (v)
be sharp, (v)
be sick, ill, (v)
be simple, (v)
be small, (v)
be smooth, (v)
be sour, (v)
be special, exceptional, (v)
be strong, (v)
be stupid, (v)
be temporary, (v)
be the same, (v)
be thirsty, (v)
be tired, (v)
be together, (v)
be tough, (v)
be trivial, trifling, unimportant, (v)
be true, (v)
be useful, (v)
be varied, various, (v)
be weak, (v)
be weird, (v)
be wet, (v)
be white, (v)
be wrong, (v)
beam (aboard, (v)
become, (v)
believe, (v)
bend, (v)
betray, (v)
birthday, (n)
bite, (v)
blame, (v)
blood, (n)
board, go aboard, (v)
body, (n)
book, (n)
boot, (n)
borrow, (v)
boss, (n)
boy, (n)
break, (v)
breakfast, (n)
breath, (v)
bring, (v)
brother, (n)
building, structure, (n)
burn, (v)
buy, purchase, (v)

calculate, (v)
calendar, (n)
captain, (n)
care (about, (v)
carry, convey, (v)
cause trouble, (v)
chair, (n)
charming (used only ironically), (excl)
chase, follow, (v)
cheat, (v)
cheek, (n)
chew, (v)
child, offspring, (n)
chocolate, (n)
choose, select, (v)
chronometer, (n)
city, (n)
climb, (v)
close in, get closer, come nearer, (v)
cloud, (n)
communicate, (v)
compete, (v)
computer, (n)
concentrate on, focus on, think only about, (v)
connect, (v)
conquer, (v)
contain (have inside), (v)
control, (v)
cook, (v)
country, countryside, (n)
coward, (n)
cry, (v)

danger, (n)
data, information, (n)
daughter, (n)
day, (n)
debate, (v)
decide, (v)
demand, require, (v)
deny, (v)
depart, (v)
depend on, rely on, (v)
describe, (v)
destroy, (v)
dictionary, (n)
die, (v)
dinner, (n)
disagree, (v)
disappear, vanish, (v)
discourage, (v)
discover, find, observe, notice, (v)
dislike, (v)
dock, (n)
dock, (v)
doctor, physician, (n)
done, (excl)
door, gate, (n)
doubt, (v)
dream, (v)
drink, (v)
drop, (v)
duty station, station, (n)
duty, quest, mission, task, chore, (n)

Earth, (n)
eat, (v)
enemy, (n)
enjoy, (v)
enter, go in, (v)
err, be mistaken, make a mistake, (v)
establish, set up, (v)
everyone, all, everything, (n)
expect, (v)
explain, (v)

face, (n)
fact, (n)
fall, (v)
family, (n)
father, (n)
feed (someone else), (v)
female, woman, (n)
fight, (v)
fill, (v)
finger, (n)
fire, (n)
fire (torpedo, rocket, missile), (v)
fix, repair, (v)
floor, (n)
follow (rules, (v)
food, (n)
fool, (n)
foot, (n)
forehead, (n)
forest, woods, (n)
forget, (v)
friend, (n)

garbage, (n)
gas, (n)
genius, (n)
gift, (n)
girl, (n)
give, (v)
glass (tumbler, (n)
glow, (v)
go, (v)
goal, (n)
good (expressing satisfaction), (excl)
grammar, (n)
grandfather, (n)
group, party, (n)
guard, (v)
gunner, (n)

hand, (n)
hate, detest, (v)
have a hangover, be hung over, (v)
have a headache, (v)
have, possess, (v)
he, she, him, her, (pro)
head, (n)
hear, (v)
helm, (n)
helmsman, (n)
help, aid, (v)
hide, cloak, (v)
history, (n)
home, (n)
honor, (n)
hope, (v)
hour, (n)
hunt, (v)
hurry, (v)
husband, (n)

I, me, (pro)
idea, (n)
identify, (v)
inhabitant, (n)
insult, (v)
intend, mean to, (v)
it, (pro)

jacket, coat, (n)
judge, estimate, (v)

keep something secret, (v)
keep, save, (v)
kill, (v)
Klingon, (n)
knee, (n)
knife, dagger, (n)
know, (v)

label, (v)
lake, (n)
language, (n)
laugh, (v)
lead, guide, (v)
learn, (v)
leave, depart, (v)
leg, (n)
let’s go, come on, (excl)
lie, fib, (v)
life, (n)
line, rope, (n)
listen, (v)
live, (v)
look for seek, search for, (v)
loved one, (n)

make peace, (v)
male, man, (n)
manuscript, (n)
meet (for the first time), (v)
meet, encounter, (v)
meeting, (n)
melt, (v)
mind, brain, (n)
minute (of time, (n)
month, (n)
moon, (n)
morning, (n)
mother, (n)
mouth, (n)

name, (n)
navigate, (v)
night, (n)
no, (excl)
no, I won’t, I refuse, I disagree, (excl)
nonsense, (n)
nose, (n)
nostril, (n)
nothing, none, (n)
noun, (n)

oath, (n)
occur, happen, (v)
officer, (n)
opinion, (n)
opportunity, (n)
order, command, (v)

paper, (n)
pay attention, concentrate, (v)
pay for, (v)
peace, (n)
period of time, (n)
person (humanoid), (n) (ghot, nuv)
pet, (n)
phenomenon, event, occurrence, (n)
plan, (v)
planet, (n)
pleasure, (n)
practice, train, prepare, (v)
prefer, (v)
present, (v)
press down, (v)
prevent, block, prohibit, (v)
prisoner, (n)
prosper, be prosperous, (v)
protect, (v)
push, (v)

question, interrogate, (v)

rain, (v)
reach, (v)
read, (v)
ready, (excl)
realize, (v)
reason, (n)
receive, (v)
recognize, (v)
recommend, suggest, (v)
regret, (v)
remain, (v)
remember, (v)
remove, take off, (v)
resemble, (v)
respect, (v)
rest, relax, (v)
restaurant, (n)
return, (v)
revenge, (n)
roam, travel, rove, (v)
room, (n)
run, jog, (v)

salute, (v)
scare, (v)
science, (n)
scientist, (n)
scream, cry out, shout, yell, (v)
secret, (n)
see, (v)
sell, (v)
send, (v)
sentence, (n)
sergeant, (n)
serve (a master), (v)
shield, (n)
ship, vessel, (n)
shoe, (n)
shoot, (v)
shot, (n)
show, reveal, (v)
sir, (n)
sister, (n)
sit, (v)
skin, (n)
sky, (n)
sleep, (v)
slit, (v)
so, well, (excl)
soft, (v)
somebody, something, anybody, anything, (n)
somewhere, (n)
son, (n)
source, (n)
speak, say, (v)
stand, (v)
stop, cease, (v)
story, (n)
study, (v)
stuff, (v)
success, (n)
surprise, (v)
surrender, give up, (v)
sword, (n)
system, (n)

take, (v)
take away, (v)
tell the truth, (v)
tell, report, (v)
theory, (n)
there, over there, thereabouts, (n)
they, them, (pro)
they, them, (pro)
thing, (n)
think, (v)
throw away, (v)
today, (n)
tomorrow, (n)
translate, (v)
tree, (n)
tribble, (n)
trouble, (n)
trust, have faith in, (v)
turn, (v)

understand, (v)
use, (v)

verb, (n)
verify, (v)
victory, triumph, (n)
violate, (v)
violation, (n)
visit, (v)
vocabulary, (n)
voice, (n)
vow, swear, (v)
Vulcan, (n)

wait (for), (v)
wake up, cease sleeping, (v)
walk, (v)
want, (v)
war, (n)
warrior, (n)
watch, (v)
water, (n)
we, us, (pro)
weapon, (n)
wear (clothes), (v)
week, (n)
well done, very good, (excl)
wife, (n)
wind, breeze, (n)
wing, (n)
wonder, (v)
word, (n)
work, function, succeed, (v)
work, toil, (v)
wound, (v)
write, (v)

year, (n)
yes, true, (excl)
yes, true, (excl)
yesterday, (n)
you, (pro)
you (plural), (pro)

© Original document copyright by d’Armond Speers