Subject: Re: [lojban] I almost caught the train

From: "Jorge Llambias" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 14:57:52

la ivAn cusku di'e

>When did the alarm clock go off? -- When the sun was about to rise.
>That is, the alarm didn't ring long before, at or after sunrise;
>it rang just before sunrise, and yes, of course the sun did rise.

Right, but that would most likely be "the alarm went off when the
sun was about to rise" rather than "the sun was about to rise when
the alarm went off". The latter almost suggests that the
alarm somehow interrupted the process, if it were't such an
unlikely think to happen.

>When did the bell ring? -- It was just before P & P's fight.
>It's the same thing here.

Right, but my example was the other way around.

>The trouble is that _be on the verge of_ also means `come close to'
>(suggesting `but not ...'). (This is its usual interpretation in
>a main clause as opposed to a subordinate one.)

Exactly. That's what we were aiming for in the first place.

>But if that's what
>you mean, you should say so, and {pu'o} is not the way to say it.

What is the way to say it? That's what we're trying to find
out, and if there is nothing better, then {pu'o} will almost
inevitably take over, just as I think {za'o} will take over
"still", even if not exactly right, for lack of better
alternatives.

co'o mi'e xorxes

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