Lesson 60: Review: my first weeks

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Speak Mongolian with the LIMBA audio course

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1Limba’s diary

Limba writes an email to a friend

Two months in Mongolia today. Before I left, Emily, a friend in Vancouver who once spent a summer in Mongolia, taught me my very first words: Сайн байна уу. Tonight I write her a long email in Mongolian, with no English at all.

Nomin sits on my bed and reads over my shoulder. She corrects one ending, laughs at my bus story and tells me to send the email before I lose my courage.

2Dialogue

НоминЧи хэнд имэйл бичиж байна вэ?Who are you writing an email to?
LimbaЭмилид. Тэр Канадад амьдардаг.To Emily. She lives in Canada.
НоминЮу бичсэн бэ?What have you written?
Limba«Би есдүгээр сард Улаанбаатарт ирсэн. Эхлээд монгол хэл сайн ойлгоогүй.»"I arrived in Ulaanbaatar in September. At first I didn't understand Mongolian well."
НоминОдоо сайн ойлгодог!Now you understand well!
Limba«Аравдугаар сард анхны цас орсон. Тэмүүлэн гадаа тоглосон.»"In October the first snow fell. Temuulen played outside."
НоминБас юу бичсэн бэ?What else did you write?
Limba«Өчигдөр бид Сүхбаатарын талбай дээр зураг авсан.»"Yesterday we took photos on Sükhbaatar Square."
НоминАвтобусны түүхийг бичсэн үү?Did you write the bus story?
LimbaБичсэн! «Нэг өглөө автобус эрт явсан. Би хоцорсон.»I did! "One morning the bus left early. I was late."
НоминХэзээ явуулах вэ?When will you send it?
LimbaӨнөө орой явуулна.This evening.

3Words in this lesson

Mongolian	English
имэйл	email
хэнд	to whom
явуулах	to send
ойлгох	to understand
хоцрох	to be late
мартах	to forget
уржигдар	the day before yesterday
нөгөөдөр	the day after tomorrow
хэзээ	when
эхний	first (of a series)
дараагийн	next
эхлээд	first, to begin with
тэгээд	and then
дараа нь	after that
түүх	story

4Grammar and explanations

Four ways to talk about the past

Form	When you use it	Example
–сан / –сон / –сэн / –сөн	the everyday past	Би Гандан хийдэд очсон.
–лаа / –лоо / –лээ / –лөө	it has just happened, or you are off this second	Би ирлээ!
–в	news, stories, reports	Анхны цас оров.
–аагүй / –оогүй / –ээгүй / –өөгүй	it did not happen	Би талх аваагүй.

Placing events in time

Bare time words: уржигдар, өчигдөр, өнөөдөр, маргааш, нөгөөдөр; with a part of the day: өчигдөр орой, өнөө өглөө.
Months: an ordinal + сар; "in" with –д: есдүгээр сард.
Dates: the month in the genitive, then the day: аравдугаар сарын хорин.
Ordinals: тавдугаар давхар, гуравдугаар буудал; and эхний "first", дараагийн "next".

Asking about the past

Question word + –сан + бэ: Хаана байсан бэ? Юу хийсэн бэ? Хэзээ ирсэн бэ? Without a question word, уу or үү: Очсон уу? Идсэн үү? Answer with the verb: Очсон. / Очоогүй.

Linking a story

эхлээд → тэгээд → дараа нь, each opening a short sentence that ends in its own verb.

A ten-sentence email

Here is Limba's email to Emily, in ten sentences between the greeting and the goodbye.

Сайн уу, Эмили!Hi, Emily!

Би есдүгээр сард Улаанбаатарт ирсэн.I arrived in Ulaanbaatar in September.

Эхлээд би монгол хэл сайн ойлгоогүй.At first I didn't understand Mongolian well.

Тэгээд өдөр бүр хичээлд суусан.Then I went to class every day.

Одоо бага зэрэг ойлгодог.Now I understand a little.

Аравдугаар сард анхны цас орсон.In October the first snow fell.

Нэг өглөө автобус эрт явсан.One morning the bus left early.

Би хорин минут хүлээсэн.I waited twenty minutes.

Дараа нь өөр автобус ирсэн.Then another bus came.

Өчигдөр бид Сүхбаатарын талбай дээр зураг авсан.Yesterday we took photos on Sükhbaatar Square.

Нөгөөдөр бид зах руу явна.The day after tomorrow we're going to the market.

Баяртай!Bye!

Go deeper in the grammar guide: The four Mongolian pasts · Time expressions and their cases

5Good to know

A friendly email starts with Сайн уу! and ends with Баяртай! "Goodbye". To someone older, or to write more formally, start with Сайн байна уу? Many Mongolians end a message to a friend far away with a wish such as Сайн сууж байгаарай! "Stay well!", a form you will understand fully after lesson 66.

6Exercises

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

The past of үзэх is…
The past of тоглох is…
You open the front door: "I'm home!"
Which sentence uses the past of newspapers?
The negative of уусан is…
"the day after tomorrow"
"in May"
"the seventh floor"
Хэзээ ирсэн ___?
Музейд очсон ___?
"First I drank tea. Then I left."
Who is Limba writing to?
When will Limba send the email?
"Today is the twentieth of October."
"I wasn't at home."

Well done! Lesson 60 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 arrived in Ulaanbaatar in September."
Show answer
Би есдүгээр сард Улаанбаатарт ирсэн.
Announce "The bus has come!"
Show answer
Автобус ирлээ!
Say "I didn't understand."
Show answer
Би ойлгоогүй.
Ask a friend "Where were you yesterday?"
Show answer
Чи өчигдөр хаана байсан бэ?
Say "We live on the fifth floor."
Show answer
Бид тавдугаар давхарт амьдардаг.
Say "Today is the fifteenth of October."
Show answer
Өнөөдөр аравдугаар сарын арван таван.
Tell in two sentences: first you went to the market, then you came home.
Show answer
Эхлээд би зах руу явсан. Тэгээд гэрт ирсэн.
Put into the everyday past: Тэр өчигдөр ирэв.
Show answer
Тэр өчигдөр ирсэн.

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