Lesson 123: She asked whether…

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1Limba’s diary

Limba reports a phone call

My phone rings in the middle of dinner: it is Dulmaa, Bat's mother, calling from Arkhangai. She talks fast, the line crackles, and the wind on her side is louder than her voice, but I understand almost everything.

When I hang up, four faces are looking at me. What did she want? So I report the call question by question, the way we practised in class this morning.

Oyuunaa would be proud. Dulmaa, I think, mostly wanted to hear that everybody is well, and to know when we are coming.

2Dialogue

БатЭэж юу гэж асуусан бэ?What did Mum ask?
LimbaТэр надаас "Бие чинь сайжирсан уу?" гэж асуусан.She asked me, "Are you better?"
СарааЧи юу гэж хариулсан бэ?What did you answer?
LimbaБи сайжирсан гэж хэлсэн. Дараа нь тэр намайг хэзээ ирэх вэ гэж асуусан.I said I was better. Then she asked when I would come.
НоминЭмээ чамайг их санаж байгаа юм байна.Grandma must really miss you.
LimbaТэр бас Номин ирэх үү гэж асуусан.She also asked whether Nomin would come.
НоминБи үү? Мэдээж ирнэ!Me? Of course I'll come!
ТэмүүлэнЭмээ миний тухай асуусан уу?Did Grandma ask about me?
LimbaАсуусан. Тэр "Тэмүүлэн сайн сурч байна уу?" гэж асуусан.She did. She asked, "Is Temuulen studying well?"
ТэмүүлэнЧи юу гэж хэлсэн бэ?What did you say?
LimbaБи "Зуны амралтаар сайн тоглож байна" гэж хэлсэн.I said, "During the summer holidays, he is playing very well."
БатЭэж өөр юу асуусан бэ?What else did Mum ask?
LimbaГанбаатар ах морь бэлтгэж байгаа гэсэн. Тэр намайг морь унаж чадах уу гэж асуусан.She said Ganbaatar is getting a horse ready. She asked whether I can ride.
СарааТэгээд чи юу гэж хариулсан бэ?And what did you answer?
LimbaБи "Бага зэрэг" гэж хариулсан.I answered, "A little."

3Words in this lesson

Mongolian	English
асуух	to ask (the person asked goes in the ablative: надаас асуусан)
хариулах	to answer
сайжрах	to get better
санах	to miss (someone); to remember
эмээ	grandma
тухай	about (after the genitive: миний тухай, about me)
зуны амралт	the summer holidays
бэлтгэх	to prepare, to get ready

4Grammar and explanations

Reporting a question

A question is reported exactly like a statement (lesson 122): keep it as it was asked, with its question particle, then add гэж асуусан ("asked"):

Тэр "Бие чинь сайжирсан уу?" гэж асуусан.she body your get.better-PAST Q say-CONV ask-PAST"She asked whether I was better."

English has to rebuild the sentence: "She asked whether I was better." Mongolian keeps уу, which does the work of "whether", and keeps the original tense.

Yes/no questions keep уу, үү

Тэр Номин ирэх үү гэж асуусан.she Nomin come-PART Q say-CONV ask-PAST"She asked whether Nomin would come."

Тэр намайг морь унаж чадах уу гэж асуусан.she me-ACC horse ride-CONV can-PART Q say-CONV ask-PAST"She asked whether I can ride."

The particle is chosen by the word in front of it, as always: ирэх үү, чадах уу, сайжирсан уу.

Questions with a question word keep бэ, вэ

Тэр намайг хэзээ ирэх вэ гэж асуусан.she me-ACC when come-PART Q say-CONV ask-PAST"She asked when I would come."

Notice намайг in two of these sentences: as in lesson 122, the person the question is about often goes in the accusative.

Who was asked: the ablative

With асуух, the person you ask goes in the ablative: in Mongolian you ask "from" someone. Compare хэлэх (to tell), which takes the dative-locative.

Тэр надаас асуусан.she I-ABL ask-PAST"She asked me."

Тэр надад хэлсэн.she I-DAT tell-PAST"She told me."

Pronoun	Ablative	Dative-locative
би	надаас	надад
чи	чамаас	чамд
та	танаас	танд
тэр	түүнээс	түүнд
бид	биднээс	бидэнд

The answer: хариулах

Би "Бага зэрэг" гэж хариулсан.I a.little say-CONV answer-PAST"I answered, 'A little.'"

Чи юу гэж хариулсан бэ?you what say-CONV answer-PAST Q"What did you answer?"

Go deeper in the grammar guide: Complex sentences: гэж and reported speech · Question particles

5Good to know

санах means both "to miss someone" and "to remember": Би чамайг санаж байна is "I miss you", and Би санахгүй байна is "I don't remember". When a Mongolian grandmother calls her family in the city, her questions are almost always the same: is everybody well, is everybody studying, and when are you coming? The answer she wants to hear is a date.

6Exercises

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

Тэр Номин ирэх үү гэж асуусан. means…
In a reported question, the particle уу / үү…
"She asked me":
"She asked when I would come.":
The ablative of чи is…
хариулах means…
Who called Limba?
What did Dulmaa ask about Temuulen?
Choose: Тэр "Чи морь унаж чадах уу?" гэж ___.
"Did Grandma ask about me?":

Well done! Lesson 123 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 "She asked me whether I was better."
Show answer
Тэр надаас бие чинь сайжирсан уу гэж асуусан.
Say "Bat asked when Nomin would come."
Show answer
Бат Номин хэзээ ирэх вэ гэж асуусан.
Say "I asked the teacher whether there is a test tomorrow."
Show answer
Би багшаас маргааш шалгалттай юу гэж асуусан.
Ask "What did you answer?"
Show answer
Чи юу гэж хариулсан бэ?
Report this question from Nomin to you: Чи завтай юу?
Show answer
Номин намайг завтай юу гэж асуусан. / Номин надаас завтай юу гэж асуусан.

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