4Grammar and explanations
How long? The time "becomes"
English says "I have been learning Mongolian for ten months". Mongolian says, word for word, "having learnt Mongolian, ten months are becoming". Three pieces, always in this order:
- the verb in –аад (lesson 83);
- the length of time;
- болж байна ("is becoming").
Монгол хэл сураад арван сар болж байна.Mongolian language learn-CONV ten month become-CONV be-PRES-FUT"I have been learning Mongolian for ten months."
Гэдэс өвдөөд хоёр хоног болж байна.belly hurt-CONV two day become-CONV be-PRES-FUT"My stomach has been hurting for two days."
Ханиад хүрээд долоо хоног болж байна.cold reach-CONV seven day become-CONV be-PRES-FUT"I caught a cold a week ago." (literally "a week has passed since")
Notice that the same pattern covers both English "for two days" and "a week ago": Mongolian only counts how much time has gone by since the action.
The question
Өвдөөд хэр удаж байна вэ?hurt-CONV how.much last-CONV be-PRES-FUT Q"How long has it been hurting?"
Монголд ирээд хэр удаж байна вэ?Mongolia-DAT come-CONV how.much last-CONV be-PRES-FUT Q"How long have you been in Mongolia?"
удах means "to last, to take long", and хэр asks "how much". The short answer leaves out the verb: Хоёр хоног. "Two days."
The forms you need
| Verb | –аад | Example |
|---|
| ир- (come) | ирээд | Ирээд арван сар болж байна. |
| сур- (learn) | сураад | Сураад нэг жил болж байна. |
| өвд- (hurt) | өвдөөд | Өвдөөд хоёр хоног болж байна. |
| ажилла- (work) | ажиллаад | Ажиллаад таван жил болж байна. |
Since a moment: the ablative
To name the starting point instead of the length, use the ablative (lesson 36), often followed by хойш (since):
Өчигдрөөс хойш өвдөж байна.yesterday-ABL since hurt-CONV be-PRES-FUT"It has been hurting since yesterday."
Өглөөнөөс хойш юм идээгүй.morning-ABL since thing eat-NEG"I haven't eaten anything since this morning."
Go deeper in the grammar guide: Mongolian converbs · Time expressions
5Good to know
Mongolian has two words for "day". өдөр is the daytime, or a date on the calendar. хоног is a full day and night, twenty-four hours, and it is the word for counting the days of an illness, a journey or a stay: гурван хоног (three days), хэдэн хоног (how many days). The week, долоо хоног, is simply "seven хоног".
