LESSON LIV.SUMMARY OF CONDITIONS
249. The three kinds of conditional sentences, together with the moods and tenses used in them, may be tabulated as follows:
Name
Factual
Less Vivid
Contrary to Fact
Subject Matter
facts
suppositions
opposite of facts
Time
any
(usually) future
present or past
Mood
indicative
conditional
conditional
Tense
any
(usually) aoristic
(usually) compound
CLAUSES OF IMAGINATIVE COMPARISON.
250. Clauses of imaginative comparison are introduced by the conjunction kvazaŭ, as though, as if. Sometimes the verb in the comparison may be left unexpressed or merely implied:
Li trinkas la venenon kvazaŭ ĝi estus vino, he drinks the poison as though it were wine.
La kondamnito marŝis kvazaŭ kun malfacileco, the condemned man walked as if with difficulty.
Li konfesis kvazaŭ kulpulo, he confessed like a culprit.
THE USE OF AL TO EXPRESS REFERENCE.
251. Personal pronouns, and less frequently nouns, may be used with the preposition al to express concern or interest on the part of the person indicated by the complement of this preposition:
Li bruligis al si la manon, he burned his hand.
Hi tranĉis al li la barbon, they cut his beard (the beard for him).
Ŝi preparas al ni bonan manĝon, she is preparing us a good meal.
Ĉu vi faros servon al mi? Will you do me a service?
The use of al in this sense, approaching that of por but less purposeful and definite, resembles the "dative of reference" and "ethical dative" of other languages, as in French je me suis brulé la langue, I have burned my tongue, German ich wasche mir die Hände, I wash my hands, Latin sese Caesari ad pedes proicerunt, they threw themselves at the feet of Cæsar, Greek τί σοι μαθήσομαι, what am I to learn for you? etc.
252. By an extension of its use in expressing reference, al may often be used in the place of de expressing separation (170), when the use of de might seem to indicate agency (169) or possession (49):
La luno estas kaŝata al ni de la nuboj, the moon is hidden from us (to us) by the clouds.
Ĝi estas stelita al mi de li, it has been stolen from me by him.
