Eldamo : Quenya : nai

Q. nai, adv. “maybe, be it that, may it be that; perhaps, it may be”

References ✧ LotR/0378.0102; LotR/0378.0201; PE17/075.0102; PE17/075.0201; PE17/075.0305; PE17/075.0403; PE22/151.1702; RGEO/58.2002; RGEO/58.2101; RGEO/59.1702; RGEO/59.1901; RGEO/60.4409; UT/305.1503; UT/317.1401; VT49/19.2210-2; VT49/28.3603; VT49/38.3801; VT49/39.0405; VT49/41.2904; VT49/44.2001; VT49/47.1701

Glosses

“*may, be it that” ✧ VT49/38.3801
“*may; be it that” ✧ VT49/44.2001
“be it that” ✧ RGEO/59.1702; RGEO/59.1901; RGEO/60.4409; UT/305.1503
“be it that, may it be that” ✧ UT/317.1401
“it may be, perhaps” ✧ PE17/075.0201
“it may be, there is a chance or possibility, maybe” ✧ PE22/151.1702
“let it be that” ✧ VT49/28.3603 (nái)
“may” ✧ VT49/47.1701
“Maybe” ✧ LotR/0378.0102; LotR/0378.0201; RGEO/58.2002; RGEO/58.2101
“perhaps, maybe, be it that” ✧ PE17/075.0102

Variations

Nai ✧ LotR/0378.0102; LotR/0378.0201; PE17/075.0102; PE17/075.0201; PE17/075.0305; PE17/075.0403; PE22/151.1702; RGEO/58.2002; RGEO/58.2101; RGEO/59.1702; RGEO/59.1901; RGEO/60.4409; UT/305.1503; UT/317.1401; VT49/19.2210-2; VT49/38.3801; VT49/39.0405; VT49/41.2904; VT49/44.2001; VT49/47.1701
nái ✧ VT49/28.3603

cé² “may (be)” appears to be a better way of expressing uncertainty than nai “maybe, be it that, may it be that; perhaps, it may be”

Elements

ná-	“to be”	✧ RGEO/60.4407 (Nā); VT49/28.3601 (nā)
i²	“who, what, which, that”	✧ RGEO/60.4408

Element In

⇒ Q. nai elyë hiruva. namárië! “maybe even thou shalt find it. farewell!” ✧ LotR/0378.0200; PE17/075.0307; RGEO/58.2100
⇒ Q. nai Eru tye mánata “God bless you” ✧ PE17/075.0406
⇒ Q. namárië! nai hiruvalyë Valimar “farewell! maybe thou shalt find Valimar” ✧ LotR/0378.0100; RGEO/58.2000
⇒ Q. cénai “if it be that” ✧ VT49/19.2210 (kénai)
⇒ Q. nai amanya onnalya ter coivierya “*may your (sg.) child be blessed throughout his/her life” ✧ VT49/41.2202
⇒ Q. nai calambar onnalda ter coivierya “*may your (pl.) child be light-fated throughout his/her life” ✧ VT49/41.1800
⇒ Q. nai elen atta siluvat aurenna veryanwesto “*may two stars shine upon the day of your wedding” ✧ VT49/43.3100; VT49/44.1300
⇒ Q. nai elen siluva lyenna “*may a star shine upon you” ✧ VT49/40.3800
⇒ Q. nai elen siluva parma-restalyanna meldonya “*may a star shine upon your book-fair, my friend” ✧ VT49/38.1400
⇒ Q. nai elyë hiruva. namárië!² “be-it-that even you will find [it]. farewell!” ✧ RGEO/59.1900
⇒ Q. nai hirinyes “it may well chance for me to find it” ✧ PE22/151.2019
⇒ Q. nai laurë lantuva parmastanna lúmissen tengwiesto “may (a) golden light fall on your book at the times of your reading” ✧ VT49/47.1000
⇒ Q. nai nin híres “it may well chance for me to find it” ✧ PE22/151.2006
⇒ Q. nai tiruvantes i hárar mahalmassen mi Númen “in the keeping of those who sit upon thrones of the West” ✧ UT/305.15025
⇒ Q. namárië! nai hiruvalyë Valimar² “farewell! be-it-that you will find Valimar” ✧ RGEO/59.1700

Cognates

S. aen “should be; ?may it be that”

Derivations

< √NAY² “have opportunity, chance or permission; be allowed by circumstance [or] way of the world” ✧ PE22/151.1603 (NAYA)
- < nayi < NAYA ✧ PE22/151.1603

ᴱQ. nai particle. “remoter possibility, might”

References ✧ PE14/059.0209; PE15/32.1004

Glosses

“*may be” ✧ PE15/32.1004
“remoter possibility, might” ✧ PE14/059.0209

ki “may; particle of uncertainty” versus nai “remoter possibility, might”

Element In

⇒ ᴱQ. hi·tule nai “she might (possibly) come or be coming” ✧ PE14/059.0900
⇒ ᴱQ. hi·túlie nai “she might have come” ✧ PE14/059.1000
⇒ ᴱQ. hi·tulinde nai “she {will >>} might be coming (supposing else also to be the case, which we know is not so)” ✧ PE14/059.1416
⇒ ᴱQ. hi·tuluva nai “she might (conceivably) come at some time in the future” ✧ PE14/059.1100
⇒ ᴱQ. i limbelu tuktalla nai mára “*the long search may be good” ✧ PE15/32.1000
⇒ ᴱQ. mai ni·tuluva tu·tuluval ki “if I come (fut.), they will come” ✧ PE14/059.4311
⇒ ᴱQ. naike² “would [that]” ✧ PE14/059.0411

ᴱQ. naike² adv. “would [that]”

References ✧ PE14/059.0411; PE14/059.3207

Glosses

“would [that]” ✧ PE14/059.0411

Variations

naike ✧ PE14/059.0411
naiki ✧ PE14/059.3207

Changes

naiki >> naike “would [that]” ✧ PE14/059.3207

Elements

nai	“remoter possibility, might”	✧ PE14/059.0209
ki	“may; particle of uncertainty”	✧ PE14/059.0211

Element In

⇒ ᴱQ. naike hi·tule “would she might come (of something remotely possible or impossible)” ✧ PE14/059.0800