# Don't exist. Live.



## drcspin

Hi,
I would like to know if the traduction of " Don't exist. live" to " לא קיימים. חיי " is correct.
It's for a project where i have to quote several mantras in many languages.

Thanks


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## Drink

drcspin said:


> Hi,
> I would like to know if the traduction of " Don't exist. live" to " לא קיימים. חיי " is correct.
> It's for a project where i have to quote several mantras in many languages.
> 
> Thanks



No, it's wrong. A correct translation would be: אל תהיו קיימים. חיו.


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## drcspin

Thanks Drink for the quick answer.
Well hebrew seems very complicated, i tried several online translator and all gave me differents answers and you too.
I have:
"לא קיימים. חי"
"לא קיימים. לחיות"
"של מי ( ש) קיים. חיה"
"לא לקיים. חיה"
and yours 
"אל תהיו קיימים. חיו."
Just a question, this differences couldn't due to the verb live is equal in many form of conjugation where this doesn't happen in others langauges?
Verb live:
I live
you live
he/she/it lives
we live
you live
they live

It would not be better to translate from: " N'existes pas. Vit" or " Não existes. Vive" ( i was born in france and  live in portugal)
but if you tell me that your translation is correct, i believe in you.


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## Drink

The translation I gave means "N'existez pas. Vivez." or "Não existais. Vivei." (it is plural). If you want the singular, it would be: אל תהיה קיים. חיה.

The translations from the translators you used mix singular with plural and use the wrong verb forms (present or infinitive instead of imperative).


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## drcspin

And the dots work the same way as english?
Can I remove the first one?


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## Drink

drcspin said:


> And the dots work the same way as english?
> Can I remove the first one?



You can replace the period with a comma, but you should not remove it completely.


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## drcspin

Well it's gonna be ".אל תהיה קיים. חיה" . Thanks a lot Drink!


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## drcspin

Well just an another question,
I just receive a reply where a Professor said that the best translation is "אתה לא קיים. חיי".
Can you tell me the differences between the translation please?


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## Drink

drcspin said:


> Well just an another question,
> I just receive a reply where a Professor said that the best translation is "אתה לא קיים. חיי".
> Can you tell me the differences between the translation please?



That is indicative rather than imperative. Like "Tu n'existes pas. Tu vis."


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## drcspin

hmm, ok. Your version is more appropriate then. thanks


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## Haskol

The imperative form (חיה/חיי/חיו) in this case sounds a bit odd to me. If you want a more colloquial translation which sounds better to me, I would use the future tense: תחיה/תחיי/תחיו.

By the way, all the "translations" presented (except Drink's, which is correct) are not only wrong, but are basically completely meaningless.


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## Drink

Haskol said:


> The imperative form (חיה/חיי/חיו) in this case sounds a bit odd to me. If you want a more colloquial translation which sounds better to me, I would use the future tense: תחיה/תחיי/תחיו.



You're right, but only if it is intended to sound colloquial, otherwise the imperative form is perfectly fine.


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## Albert Schlef

another possibility: ".אל תתקיים: תחיה"


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## arielipi

אל תתקיים.
חיה.


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## Albert Schlef

(@arielipi: With your "fix" the two words no longer start with the same sound. That was intentional.)


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## Albert Schlef

(Other possibilities, that rhyme: אל תהיה, תחיה; אל תהיה, חייה; לא להיות כי אם לחיות. One might also switch to the verb תחווה/לחוות.)


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## drcspin

The professor who's talking to me said that ".אל תהיה קיים. חיה" is incorrect because the traduction in portuguese is "Não existirás. Viva"(feminino) which in english is " You will not exist. Live" (female form).


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## drcspin

But with the consensus here, i am not going to change. I think i am going to stay with ".אל תהיה קיים. חיה".


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## Drink

drcspin said:


> The professor who's talking to me said that ".אל תהיה קיים. חיה" is incorrect because the traduction in portuguese is "Não existirás. Viva"(feminino) which in english is " You will not exist. Live" (female form).



He was probably confusing the imperative with the present tense. חֲיֵה (ḥaye) is masculine singular imperative. The feminine singular imperative would be חֲיִי (ḥayi).


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## drcspin

Well, after all, they decide to cut the length of the poster.. So it will only say "Live(!)" ( "Vie(!)"), which i suppose stay like " חיה " right?


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## origumi

drcspin said:


> Well, after all, they decide to cut the length  of the poster.. So it will only say "Live(!)" ( "Vie(!)"), which i  suppose stay like " חיה " right?



Technically speaking (!)חיה is correct, but likely to be understood by Hebrew speakers as _animal(!)_.
Another alternative is (!)חוה, with a similar problem that Hebrew speakers may think it says _Eve(!)_ or _farm(!)_.


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## drcspin

And there is no solution with only one meaning?


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## Drink

drcspin said:


> And there is no solution with only one meaning?



You could make it plural and write "חיו" which is less ambiguous.

Or you could add nikud (vowel dots) to the sign and write "חֲיֵה".


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## drcspin

The solution with the nikud seems more appropriate considering your description, but i must have to be very careful with the position of them.


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## Drink

drcspin said:


> The solution with the nikud seems more appropriate considering your description, but i must have to be very careful with the position of them.



I attached a screenshot of the word with nikud in a better font, so you can see how to position them and everything:


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## drcspin

Thanks, I can see them better that way.


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