4Grammar and explanations
–х in front of a noun: what is still to come
You know –х as the dictionary form of every verb: уралдах, to race. Put it in front of a noun and it describes something that has not happened yet: уралдах морь, "a horse that will race".
уралдах морьrace-PART horse"a horse that will race"
Энэ бол өнөөдөр уралдах морьд.this is today race-PART horse-PL"These are the horses that will race today."
Like –сан in lesson 102, the –х participle has no "who" or "which" beside it, and it always comes before its noun. Time words and objects that belong to it come in front: өнөөдөр уралдах морьд, тэр морийг унах хүү.
Тэр морийг унах хүү миний найз.that horse-ACC ride-PART boy my friend"The boy who will ride that horse is my friend."
Three participles, three times
| Phrase | Meaning | When? |
|---|
| уралдсан морь | the horse that raced | finished |
| уралдаж байгаа морь | the horse that is racing | happening now |
| уралдах морь | the horse that will race | still ahead |
The middle one is built with байгаа, a participle of байх (to be): уралдаж байгаа is literally "being racing", that is, racing right now.
"Time to go", "something to see"
Many everyday expressions are built this way. The –х form often gives the idea of "to be done", which English says with "to":
явах цагgo-PART time"time to go"
үзэх зүйлsee-PART thing"something to see"
унших номread-PART book"a book to read"
ирэх жилcome-PART year"next year"
Ирэх жил is literally "the year that will come", and ирэх долоо хоног is "next week".
With its own subject
As with –сан, a participle that has its own subject puts that subject in the genitive:
миний найзын унах морьmy friend-GEN ride-PART horse"the horse my friend will ride"
Номины үзэх уралдаанNomin-GEN watch-PART race"the race Nomin will watch"
So in front of a noun, –сан looks back, –х looks ahead, and the noun itself never changes.
Go deeper in the grammar guide: Mongolian participles · Mongolian verbs: stem and suffix
5Good to know
Naadam horses race by age, and each age has its own name: даага (two-year-olds), шүдлэн (three), хязаалан (four), соёолон (five), их нас (older horses) and азарга (stallions). The races run across open country, and the older the horses, the longer the distance. The horse that comes last in the race of the two-year-olds is called бүдүүн шийр, "thick shanks", and receives a funny song of its own, wishing it better luck next year.
