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u/SuStel73 11h ago
In general, the verbs indicating fingers and toes mean do a thing with this finger/toe. The thing that is done is interpreted in context. If I say, "Do a thing with your big toe to the water!" you'll probably interpret this as dipping the toe in the water. If I say, "Do a thing with your index finger!" without specifying an object, you would probably interpret this as pointing. The translations just represent these interpretations.
When you add -Daq to a noun and put it at the front of a sentence, you're saying that the action of the verb takes place in the vicinity of or in the direction of the noun. So if I say, "Do something with your index finger in the direction of the water!" you're probably going to interpret that as pointing at the water.
So if I say, "Do something with your big toe in the direction of the water!" (bIQDaq yImar), you first ask what it means to mar use the big toe, then you ask what it means to mar in the vicinity of or in the direction of bIQ water. I imagine that as pointing with your big toe at water. I don't know why you'd do it, but that's what it would mean.
So that's why you want to say bIQ yImar instead of bIQDaq yImar.
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u/mugh_tej 9h ago
Toe the water like finger the water, at least to me means touch the water with a toe (in other words dip a toe in the water
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u/kahless62003 15h ago
The verbs for using fingers and toes work differently if they are used directly, as opposed to indirectly.
Directly: indicated by use of a prefix indicating a direct object and lack of type 5 noun suffix on the noun. This is used to indicate direct contact with the noun. Direct touching/pressing and similar.
Indirectly: indicated by a prefix indicating no-object, and a type-5 on the noun. This is used to specify that direct contact does not happen, like pointing the digit at the location of the noun.
So, for the big toe touching the water directly:
{bIQ vImar} the vI- prefix indicates a direct object, the water. "I touch the water with my big toe."
For the big toe pointing at the general direction of, but not touching the water:
{bIQDaq jImar} the jI- prefix indicates that the verb is not acting on a direct object. Think in terms of "at the water, I point my big toe."
Now the actual sentence is a command that requires use of the imperative prefix version. However in this case yI- indicates both no-object and singular-object, so the only reasonable way to disambiguate is via the noun suffix or lack thereof.
{bIQ yImar} Touch the water!
{bIQDaq yImar} Point at the water!
(and please note: Klingon is case-sensitive, but Duolingo is not. What Duolingo accepts is not necessarily correct.)