Lesson 125: Jobs and workplaces | Learn Mongolian B1

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1Limba’s diary

Bat's work at the power plant

Bat has promised for months to show me where he works, and today is the day: a thermal power plant on the edge of the city, all chimneys and white steam.

Inside, it is noise, heat and hundreds of people in helmets. Bat walks through it all like a fish in water, shaking hands, answering questions, checking dials I don't understand.

He explains that in winter this plant keeps a large part of Ulaanbaatar warm. Suddenly I understand why he comes home so tired in January, and why the flat is always so warm.

2Dialogue

БатЭнэ бол манай ажлын байр, дулааны цахилгаан станц.This is where I work, the thermal power plant.
LimbaЭнд хэдэн хүн ажилладаг вэ?How many people work here?
БатМянга гаруй хүн. Инженер, жолооч, тогооч ч байна.More than a thousand. Engineers, drivers, even cooks.
LimbaТа энд ажиллаад хэр удаж байна вэ?How long have you been working here?
БатХорин жил болж байна. Би инженерээр ажилладаг.Twenty years. I work as an engineer.
LimbaСтанц юу хийдэг вэ?What does the plant do?
БатЦахилгаан, дулаан үйлдвэрлэдэг. Өвөл хотын олон айл манай станцаас дулаан авдаг.It produces electricity and heat. In winter, many homes in the city get their heating from our plant.
LimbaТийм болохоор та өвөл их ядардаг юм байна.That's why you're so tired in winter.
БатТийм. Өвөл бид шөнийн ээлжээр ч ажилладаг.Yes. In winter we work night shifts too.
LimbaТанай гэр бүлийнхэн олон янзын ажил хийдэг юм байна.Your family do so many different jobs.
БатТийм ээ. Сараа эмч, би инженер, Номин оюутан, Тэмүүлэн сурагч. Миний дүү Ганбаатар малчин.Yes. Saraa is a doctor, I'm an engineer, Nomin is a student, Temuulen a pupil. My younger brother Ganbaatar is a herder.
LimbaИрээдүйд би ямар ажил хийх вэ гэж бодож байна.I wonder what job I'll do in the future.
БатЧи сайн багш болно. Ангийнхан чинь чамаас англи хэл сурдаг гэсэн.You'll make a good teacher. I hear your classmates learn English from you.

3Words in this lesson

Mongolian	English
ажлын байр	workplace; job
дулааны цахилгаан станц	thermal power plant
инженер	engineer
тогооч	cook
мянга гаруй	more than a thousand
цахилгаан	electricity
дулаан	heat (also: warm)
үйлдвэрлэх	to produce
айл	household, family home
ээлж	shift (шөнийн ээлж, night shift)
гэр бүлийнхэн	family members
олон янзын	many kinds of
ирээдүй	future (ирээдүйд, in the future)
ангийнхан	classmates

4Grammar and explanations

Where job words come from

Many Mongolian words for jobs are built from a noun with –ч or –чин, or from a verb with –гч (lesson 105). Knowing the base helps you remember the job, and the place where it is done:

Job	Built on	Workplace
эмч, doctor	эм, medicine	эмнэлэг, hospital
жолооч, driver	жолоо, reins; steering wheel	машин, car
малчин, herder	мал, livestock	хөдөө, countryside
тогооч, cook	тогоо, cooking pot	гал тогоо, kitchen
худалдагч, seller	худалдах, to sell	дэлгүүр, shop
багш, teacher	—	сургууль, school
инженер, engineer	a loanword	станц, plant; үйлдвэр, factory
оюутан, student	—	их сургууль, university

"I work as…": the instrumental

To say what you work as, put the job in the instrumental (lesson 71), –аар / –оор / –ээр / –өөр, and add ажиллах:

Бат инженерээр ажилладаг.Bat engineer-INS work-HAB"Bat works as an engineer."

Сараа эмнэлэгт эмчээр ажилладаг.Saraa hospital-DAT doctor-INS work-HAB"Saraa works as a doctor at the hospital."

Болд жолоочоор ажилладаг.Bold driver-INS work-HAB"Bold works as a driver."

The vowel follows harmony: инженерээр, эмчээр (э), жолоочоор (о), багшаар (а).

Or simply no verb

To say what someone is, you need no verb at all (lesson 15):

Миний дүү Ганбаатар малчин.my younger.sibling Ganbaatar herder"My younger brother Ganbaatar is a herder."

The workplace: the dative-locative

эмнэлэгт (at the hospital), сургуульд (at school), станцад (at the plant), үйлдвэрт (at the factory), дэлгүүрт (in the shop). And "at work" is ажил дээрээ, with the reflexive ending: at one's own work.

Asking about work

Та ямар ажил хийдэг вэ?you what work do-HAB Q"What do you do?"

Та хаана ажилладаг вэ?you where work-HAB Q"Where do you work?"

Та ажиллаад хэр удаж байна вэ?you work-CONV how.much last-CONV be-PRES-FUT Q"How long have you been working?"

Go deeper in the grammar guide: The instrumental · Building new words

5Good to know

Ulaanbaatar's power plants burn coal, and the biggest of them, Thermal Power Plant No. 4 (Дулааны 4-р цахилгаан станц), is the largest power station in Mongolia. Besides electricity, the plants send hot water through kilometres of pipes into the city's flats: that is why apartments in Ulaanbaatar are warm in January even when it is minus thirty outside, and why a power plant engineer is a very important person in winter.

6Exercises

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

Бат инженерээр ажилладаг. means…
Choose: Сараа ___ ажилладаг. (Saraa works as a doctor.)
Choose the instrumental of жолооч:
малчин is built on…
тогооч is…
"What do you do (for work)?":
How long has Bat worked at the plant?
What does the plant produce?
"at school":
Who in the family is a herder?

Well done! Lesson 125 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 "Saraa works as a doctor."
Show answer
Сараа эмчээр ажилладаг.
Ask "Where do you work?" (polite)
Show answer
Та хаана ажилладаг вэ?
Say "Bold works as a driver."
Show answer
Болд жолоочоор ажилладаг.
Say "I have been working here for five years."
Show answer
Би энд ажиллаад таван жил болж байна.
Say "My father works as an engineer at the power plant."
Show answer
Миний аав цахилгаан станцад инженерээр ажилладаг.

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