fractions

[Jon]

I just came across bID meaning half. In English we use ordinals for fractions - a third or one third meaning one divided by three. Would we do the same in Klingon, wa' wejDIch puqpu' (a third of the children)?

[Qunchuy]

All the evidence we have says that ordinals work only to say which one of a group is being specified. There are no canon examples of them indicating temporal sequence (first, do this; second, do that), though some people use it like that anyway. There's absolutely nothing suggesting we can say cha'DIch second as a fraction.

[Kehlan]

There's absolutely nothing suggesting we can say cha'DIch second as a fraction.

I suppose that in the absense of any other way of saying it, it would be worth trying it.  Now we just need to find a Klingon and see if he understands?

Kehlan

[Qunchuy]

But we don't lack other ways of saying it. bID half was mentioned in Jon's original post.

We also have vatlhvI' percent and this example (from Star Trek V):

cha'maH vagh vatlhvI' Hong, QIt yIghoS
Slow to one quarter impulse power.
(literally "Twenty five percent impulse-power, proceed slowly.")

[Jon]

Another thought, how do you say two and a half , I would guess cha' je bID chel?

[ter'eS]

I don't recall the canon examples of the use of bID, but I'd just put it after the whole number: cha' bID 'two and a half'. Adding je probably isn't wrong, but it would come after the numbers:cha' bID je.  I don't know why you've got chel 'to add' in the phrase.

[Jon]

I just came across vI', one of whose meanings is decimal point!

So I guess one could use decimal fractions:
                  tlhos wej vI' wa' loS wa' vagh Hut rap *pi*

ps, this is open invite for anyone to criticise my Klingon, any time and any place.

[Kesvirit]

[Jon (et al)--
Be sure to provide an English translation with each post. It will make it easier for others, including potential critics, to follow.
Thanks,
-=- Kesvirit]

[Jon]

                  tlhos wej vI' wa' loS wa' vagh Hut rap *pi*

In English:
    Approximately, pi = 3.14159