4Grammar and explanations
Two words make a sentence
In Mongolian, "I am a student" is simply "I student". The subject comes first, and the word at the end says what the subject is. There is no verb, and no "a" or "the":
Би оюутан.I student"I am a student."
Бат инженер.Bat engineer"Bat is an engineer."
Сараа эмч.Saraa doctor"Saraa is a doctor."
Тэр сурагч.he pupil"He is a schoolboy."
You may also hear Би оюутан байна, with the verb. It is correct, but Mongolians usually prefer the short sentence.
The personal pronouns
| Mongolian | English | When to use it |
|---|
| би | I | |
| чи | you | one friend, a child |
| та | you | polite, for one adult; also for several people |
| тэр | he, she, it | also means "that" |
| бид | we | |
| та нар | you | several people |
| тэд | they | |
тэр has no gender: Тэр эмч means "he is a doctor" or "she is a doctor". Job words have no gender either: багш, эмч and оюутан are the same word for a man and for a woman.
The same pattern for everyone
Бид монгол хүн.we Mongolian person"We are Mongolian."
Тэд оюутан.they student"They are students."
To ask, add the question particle of lesson 14 after the last word: Та оюутан уу? ("Are you a student?"), Та эмч үү? ("Are you a doctor?"). To say "also", put бас in front of the last word:
Би бас аялагч.I also traveller"I am also a traveller."
The neighbour's first question, Та хэн бэ? ("Who are you?"), works the same way, with the question word at the end. The answer simply puts a name or a job in the place of хэн: Би Лимба. Би оюутан.
Go deeper in the grammar guide: Mongolian personal pronouns · To be, there is, and to have
5Good to know
Hosts and teachers usually start with the polite та. Once you are part of the family, they often switch to чи, as a sign of closeness, not of disrespect. You, on the other hand, keep saying та to older people, even when they say чи to you. With someone of your own age, like Nomin, чи comes quickly on both sides.
