Lesson 116: In order to: -хын тулд

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1Limba’s diary

Limba goes to the pharmacy to buy medicine

The test result is good news: nothing serious, just a tired stomach that needs a few quiet days. Doctor Ganchimeg writes a prescription, and I walk to the pharmacy on the corner to buy the medicine myself.

The pharmacist explains everything slowly, as if to a child, and I am grateful: how many times a day, before or after meals, what to eat and what to avoid.

To get better quickly, I will follow her instructions to the letter. I even write them down in Mongolian.

2Dialogue

LimbaСайн байна уу? Би эм авахаар ирлээ. Энэ жорыг харна уу.Hello. I've come to buy some medicine. Could you look at this prescription?
Эм зүйчЗа. Энэ эмийг өдөрт гурван удаа уугаарай.Right. Take this medicine three times a day.
LimbaХоолны өмнө үү, дараа юу?Before or after meals?
Эм зүйчХоолны дараа. Хурдан эдгэрэхийн тулд эмээ цагт нь уух хэрэгтэй.After meals. To get better quickly, you need to take your medicine on time.
LimbaӨөр юу хийвэл дээр вэ?What else should I do?
Эм зүйчХэд хоног тослог хоол идэхгүй бол дээр. Шөл, будаа идээрэй.For a few days, better not eat fatty food. Eat soup and rice.
LimbaОйлголоо. Энэ хэд вэ?I see. How much is it?
Эм зүйчАрван хоёр мянган төгрөг.Twelve thousand tögrög.
LimbaБи хоолойн эм бас авъя. Хоолой өвдөж байна.I'll also take something for my throat. My throat hurts.
Эм зүйчТэгвэл энэ эмийг өдөрт хоёр удаа уугаарай.Then take this medicine twice a day.
LimbaБаярлалаа. Би хурдан эдгэрэхийн тулд бүгдийг хийнэ.Thank you. I'll do everything to get better quickly.

3Words in this lesson

Mongolian	English
тулд	in order to (after –хын / –хийн)
эм	medicine
эмийн сан	pharmacy
эм зүйч	pharmacist
жор	prescription
өдөрт	per day, a day
удаа	time, occasion (гурван удаа, three times)
хоолны өмнө	before meals
цагт нь	on time
тослог	fatty, greasy
будаа	rice; porridge
хоолойн эм	medicine for the throat

4Grammar and explanations

In order to: –хын тулд

To say why you do something, take the verb of the goal in its –х form, add the genitive ending, then тулд: "for the sake of doing".

Хурдан эдгэрэхийн тулд эмээ цагт нь уух хэрэгтэй.fast recover-PART-GEN for medicine-REFL time-DAT its drink-PART need"To get better quickly, you need to take your medicine on time."

Монгол хэл сурахын тулд би Монголд ирсэн.Mongolian language learn-PART-GEN for I Mongolia-DAT come-PAST"I came to Mongolia to learn Mongolian."

The genitive has only two shapes here: –хын after а, о, у words (авахын, сурахын, орохын) and –хийн after э, и, ө, ү words (эдгэрэхийн, үзэхийн, өгөхийн).

With verbs of going and coming: –хаар

After a verb of motion, явах (go), ирэх (come), очих (go to), гарах (go out), Mongolian prefers a shorter form: –хаар / –хоор / –хээр / –хөөр. It is the –х form with the instrumental ending (lesson 71):

Би эм авахаар эмийн сан руу явлаа.I medicine buy-PART-INS pharmacy towards go-PAST"I went to the pharmacy to buy medicine."

Тэд наадам үзэхээр хөдөө явдаг.they Naadam see-PART-INS countryside go-HAB"They go to the countryside to see the Naadam."

Бат талх авахаар гарсан.Bat bread buy-PART-INS go.out-PAST"Bat has gone out to buy bread."

The forms follow harmony: авахаар (а), орохоор (о), үзэхээр (э), өгөхөөр (ө).

Which one?

Pattern	Use	Example
–хын тулд	any goal, with any verb; a little formal	Хурдан эдгэрэхийн тулд…
–хаар + verb of motion	going or coming somewhere to do something	Эм авахаар явлаа.

With a verb of motion you can use either: Би эм авахаар ирлээ and Би эм авахын тулд ирлээ both mean "I've come to buy medicine"; the first is what you will hear in a shop.

At the pharmacy

Хоолны өмнө үү, дараа юу? "Before or after meals?" Note the two particles: өмнө ends in a short vowel and takes үү, дараа ends in a long vowel and takes юу (lesson 14).

Go deeper in the grammar guide: Postpositions and their cases · Complex sentences

5Good to know

Pharmacies, эмийн сан, are on almost every street in Ulaanbaatar, and many stay open late. The pharmacist will tell you how to take each medicine with three expressions worth knowing: өдөрт … удаа (… times a day), хоолны өмнө (before meals) and хоолны дараа (after meals). If you are not sure, ask: Яаж уух вэ? "How do I take it?"

6Exercises

Choose the right answer, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.

эдгэрэхийн тулд means…
Choose: Монгол хэл ___ тулд би Монголд ирсэн.
Choose: Хурдан ___ тулд амраарай. (Rest to get better quickly.)
"I went to the pharmacy to buy medicine.":
Choose the purpose form of үз- (see) after a verb of motion:
Before тулд, the –х form of орох (to enter) is…
Хоолны өмнө үү, дараа юу? asks…
How often must Limba take the first medicine?
What should Limba avoid eating?
After дараа the particle is юу, not уу, because…

Well done! Lesson 116 is ticked on your course map.

Write it yourself

Write your answer on paper or in your head first, then reveal the model answer.

Say "I came to Mongolia to learn Mongolian."
Show answer
Монгол хэл сурахын тулд би Монголд ирсэн. / Би монгол хэл сурахаар Монголд ирсэн.
Say "I'm going to the pharmacy to buy medicine."
Show answer
Би эм авахаар эмийн сан руу явж байна.
Say "To get better quickly, you need to rest."
Show answer
Хурдан эдгэрэхийн тулд амрах хэрэгтэй.
Say "Bat has gone out to buy bread."
Show answer
Бат талх авахаар гарсан.
Say "Take this medicine three times a day."
Show answer
Энэ эмийг өдөрт гурван удаа уугаарай.

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