4Grammar and explanations
Where are you from?
Learn this question as a fixed phrase:
Та хаанаас ирсэн бэ?you where-ABL come-PAST Q"Where are you from?"
Word for word it says "From where did you come?". хаанаас is хаана (where, lesson 12) with an ending meaning "from", and ирсэн means "came". The particle is бэ because ирсэн ends in н. With a friend or a child, say Чи хаанаас ирсэн бэ?
The answer: country + "from"
Би Канадаас ирсэн.I Canada-ABL come-PAST"I am from Canada."
The ending meaning "from" is –аас or –оос, depending on the vowels of the country's name. For now, learn the forms in the table; lesson 36 explains the rule.
| Country | From… |
|---|
| Канад (Canada) | Канадаас |
| Франц (France) | Францаас |
| Англи (England) | Англиас |
| Америк (America) | Америкаас |
| Хятад (China) | Хятадаас |
| Орос (Russia) | Оросоос |
| Монгол (Mongolia) | Монголоос |
Notice Оросоос and Монголоос: words with о take –оос. Bat's answer, хөдөөнөөс (from the countryside), is worth learning as a whole: it is the usual answer of anyone who grew up outside the city.
Sending the question back
After answering, ask back with Харин та? ("And you?"), as Limba does with Bat. A Mongolian will often answer with the name of a province or of the capital:
Би Улаанбаатараас ирсэн.I Ulaanbaatar-ABL come-PAST"I am from Ulaanbaatar."
Nationality: country + хүн
To say what nationality someone is, put the country word in front of хүн (person). There is no verb:
Би канад хүн.I Canadian person"I am Canadian."
Тэмүүлэн монгол хүн.Temuulen Mongolian person"Temuulen is Mongolian."
Country names take a capital letter: Канад, Монгол. In канад хүн and монгол хүн, the country word describes a person, and it is written in lower case.
Go deeper in the grammar guide: Question words: хэн, юу, хаана · The ablative case: "from"
