ten (1) pron. in dative "to them, for them" (VT49:14), also tien, téna. See te.
Quenya
te
they, them
te
pronoun. them
Derivations
- ✶te “they” ✧ VT49/50
Element in
- Q. a laita te, laita te “bless them, bless them” ✧ Let/448; Let/448; LotR/0953; LotR/0953; SD/047; SD/047
- Q. epetai i hyarma ú ten ulca símaryassen “consequently the left hand was not to them evil in their imaginations” ✧ VT49/14; VT49/14
- Q. intë “themselves”
- Q. sív’ emmë apsenet tien i úcarir emmen “as we forgive those who trespass against us” ✧ VT43/21
- Q. tu “them (dual)” ✧ VT49/51; VT49/51 (
tet)Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶te/se > té [te] ✧ VT49/50 Variations
- tē̆ ✧ VT49/33
- té ✧ VT49/51
ten
to them, for them
tië
path, course, line, direction, way
tië noun "path, course, line, direction, way" (TE3, VT47:11); pl. tier in Namárië(Nam, RGEO:67); tielyanna "upon your path" (UT:22 cf. 51; tie-lya-nna "path-your-upon")
-lto
they
-lto, "Qenya" pronominal ending "they"; see -ltë
-ltë
they
-ltë, 3rd person pl. pronominal suffix, "they" (VT49:51; cariltë "they do", VT49:16, 17). It alternates with -ntë in Tolkiens manuscripts (VT49:17, 57). In his early material, the ending also appears as -lto, occurring in Fíriel's Song (meldielto "they are beloved" and cárielto "they made"), also in LT1:114: tulielto "they have come" (cf. VT49:57). Compare -lta, -ltya as the ending for "their".
-ltë
suffix. they
Derivations
- ✶te “they” ✧ VT49/50
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶te/se > -lte [-lte] ✧ VT49/50 Variations
- -lte ✧ PE17/075; PE17/190; VT49/16; VT49/17 (-lte); VT49/51
-ntë
they
-ntë "they", pronomimal ending, inflexion of 3rd person plural when no subject is previously mentioned (CO; see also VT49:49). This ending competes with -ltë (q.v.) in Tolkiens conception (VT49:57; for "they do", both carintë and cariltë are attested, VT49:16 vs. 17). The corresponding pronominal possessive suffix appears as -ntya or -nta in various sources.
-ntë
suffix. they
Variations
- -nte ✧ PE17/057; PE17/190; UT/317; VT49/17
-ttë
they
-ttë (1) "they", dual 3rd person pronominal ending ("the two of them") (VT49:51), replacing (also within the legendarium) the older ending -stë (which was later used for the second person only). This older ending -stë corresponds to a possessive ending -sta "their" (VT49:16), but this was presumably likewise altered to *-tta as the new ending for dual "their" = "of the two of them".
laituvalmet
them
-t (2) "them", pronominal ending; seen in the word laituvalmet "we shall bless them" (lait-uva-lme-t "bless-shall-we-them"). According to PE17:110, this -t covers both sg. and dual. Also independent word te pl. and tú dual (possibly *tu when unstressed).
tien
for them
tien would seem to be a dative pronoun *"for them". Whether this is somehow to be derived from the pronoun te "they, them", or whether it is the dative form of an otherwise unattested 3rd person pl. pronoun *tië, remains unclear. (VT43:12, 21) Ten (q.v.) as the straightforward dative form of te is attested elsewhere.
tier
path
tier is, besides the pl. form of tië "path" above, an ephemeral word for "so", abandoned by Tolkien in favour of tambë (VT43:17)
toi
they
toi pron. "they" (FS; replaced by te in LotR-style Quenya?)
téna
to them
téna (2) dative pron. "to them", changed to ten in the source (VT49:14)
ta
they, them
ta (3) pron. "they, them", an "impersonal" 3rd person pl. stem, referring "only to 'abstracts' or to things (such as inanimates) not by the Eldar regarded as persons" (VT43:20, cf. ta as an inanimate Common Eldarin plural pronoun, VT49:52). Compare te, q.v. The word ta occurring in some versions of Tolkien's Quenya Lord's Prayer may exemplify this use of ta as an "impersonal" plural pronoun: emmë avatyarir ta** "we forgive them" (VT43:8, 9; this refers to trespasses, not the trespassers). However, since Tolkien also wanted ta to mean "that" (see #1 above), he may seem to be somewhat dissatisfied with ta "they, them", introducing variant forms like tai (VT49:32) to free up ta as a sg. pronoun. In one document, tai was in turn altered to te (VT49:33), which could suggest that the distinction between animate and inanimate "they, them" was abandoned and the form te (q.v.) could be used for both. In some documents, Tolkien seems to use tar as the plural form (VT49:56 mentions this as an uncertain reading in a source where the word was struck out; compare ótar under ó**-).
ta
pronoun. them (inanimate)
cé
conjunction. if
Derivations
- √KE/EKE “may (be); have chance, opportunity or permission; it is open” ✧ VT49/19
Element in
- Q. ar cé mo formenna tentanes Amanna “and if northwards, it pointed towards Aman” ✧ VT49/26
- Q. cé mo quetë ulca “*if one speaks evil” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. cenai “if it be that” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. cenasta “if it be so, may be, perhaps” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. cé tulis, ní nauva tanomë “*if he/she comes, I will be there” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. cé tulis, tanomë nauvan “*if he/she comes, I will be there” ✧ VT49/19
- Q. úsië, an cé mo quernë cendelë númenna, ve senya “on the contrary, for if one turned the face westward, as was usual” ✧ VT49/19; VT49/19
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √ke > ke [ke] ✧ VT49/19 Variations
- ké ✧ VT49/19; VT49/26
- ke ✧ VT49/19; VT49/19; VTE/42
- kē̆ ✧ VT49/19
que
conjunction. if
tai
they, them
tai (2) pron. "they, them", 3rd person pl., used with reference to inanimates rather than persons or living things (VT49:32, see ta #3 above). Perhaps to avoid the clash with tai "that which", the pronoun tai "they, them" was altered to te in at least one manuscript (VT49:33), so that it would merge with the pronoun used of living beings and the distinction between animate and inanimate would be abandoned (see te).
tai
pronoun. them (inanimate)
Element in
- Q. sív’ emmë apsenet tien i úcarir emmen “as we forgive those who trespass against us” ✧ VT43/20
Variations
- ta ✧ VT43/20
- tai ✧ VT49/32
- sa ✧ VT49/51
tú
they, them
tú pron. "they, them", 3rd person dual ("the two of them"), both "personal and neuter" (the pronoun can be used of persons and things alike). (VT49:51) Tolkien also considered tet for the same meaning, listing it alongside tú in one source (VT49:56), but this form was apparently abandoned.
londa
path
[londa noun "path"], changed by Tolkien to londë noun "road (in sea)" (VT45:28)
sa
pronoun. them (inanimate)
qui
conjunction. if, when
quí(ta)
conjunction. if
iqui
conjunction. if
iqui
conjunction. if
mai
if
mai (2) conj. "if" (PE14:59 cf. VT49:20; possibly obsoleted by #1 above; for "if", Tolkien later used qui)
qui
if
qui conj. "if" (VT49:19)
qui
conjunction. if
Cognates
- ᴺS. pi “if”
Derivations
- √KWI “suppose” ✧ PE22/158; VT49/19
Element in
- Q. carë mára quí tyarë naxa “doing good may cause evil” ✧ PE22/154
- Q. laqui “unless” ✧ PE22/158
- Q. quīlas tūleste san inye tūle “*suppose he came (he did not), then I came” ✧ PE22/140
- ᴺQ. quima “whether”
- Q. quíta céla tuldes, quíta ✧ PE22/158; PE22/158
- Q. quí(ta) la tuldes, nánë márië (nin) “[if he had not come], it was well to me (I was glad)” ✧ PE22/158
- ᴺQ. quitulma “scenario”
- ᴺQ. vequi “as if, as though”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √kwi- > qui [kwi] ✧ VT49/19 Variations
- quī ✧ PE22/140; PE22/158 (quī)
- kwí ✧ PE22/154; VT42/34
- kwíta ✧ PE22/154; VT42/34
- quīta ✧ PE22/158 (quīta)
- quī(ta) ✧ PE22/158 (quī(ta))
- quíta ✧ PE22/158 (quíta)
- kwi ✧ PE22/158
- iqui ✧ PE22/158
it(ë) Speculative
adverb. if
Element in
- Q. [[q|[?it/itē] kestallen, tuluvanye]] “if you ask me, I shall come” ✧ PE22/138
- Q. [[q|aite[?] kestallen]] “now, suppose, you ask me” ✧ PE22/138
- Q. [[q|aite[?] kestuvallen, tuluvanye]] “now supposing you asked me, a thing unlikely {or ridiculous} to suppose...” ✧ PE22/138
Variations
- it ✧ PE22/138 (it)
- itē ✧ PE22/138
- [i]te ✧ PE22/138 ([i]te)
te pron. "they, them", 3rd person pl. (VT49:51, LotR3:VI ch. 4, translated in Letters:308). The pronoun te represents an original stem-form (VT49:50). Dative ten, téna or tien "for them, to them" (q.v.) Stressed té (VT49:51). Ótë "with them", q.v. VT43:20 connects te "them" with a discussion of Common Eldarin pronominal stems (ca. 1940s), where te is the "personal" 3rd person pl. stem, referring to persons rather than abstracts or inanimates (which are denoted by ta instead; see, however, the entry ta #3 regarding the problems with this form, and the hints that te may possibly be used with reference to inanimates as well)). Also consider the reflexive pronoun intë "themselves", the final element of which is apparently this pronoun te; see also tú for the dual form.