istan quetë

I can speak, I know how to speak

Elements

Word	Gloss
ista-	“to know”
quet-	“to say, speak, tell, to say, speak, tell, [ᴱQ.] talk”

Variations

• istan pole ✧ PE17/155; VT41/06

ista

verb. know

ista-

know

ista- (2) vb. "know", pa.t. sintë (IS, LT2:339, VT48:25). This past tense Tolkien called "certainly irregular" (VT48:25, where an alternative pa.t. isintë is also mentioned, but sintë is said to be the older form; compare editorial notes in VT48:32. Ista- is also used for "can" in the sense of "know how to", as in istan quetë "I can speak (because I have learned (a) language)" (VT41:6) Passive participle sinwa "known, certain, ascertained" (VT49:68)