Goal: Ask for agreement.
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Now hear it and say it
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Download the Mongolian audio course24 audio lessons · MP3 · yours to keepTalking about the horse race
At dinner I mentioned the black horse, and after that nobody talked about anything else. Ganbaatar told us the whole race again: twenty kilometres across the steppe, his neighbour's ten-year-old son in the saddle, and the black horse first at the finish.
Nomin rolled her eyes: her uncle tells this story every year, she says, even in the years when the horse does not win. I asked a lot of questions, and I learnt how to ask for agreement in Mongolian.
| Mongolian | English |
|---|---|
| биз дээ | …, isn't it? (asks for agreement) |
| биз | surely, I suppose (shorter form) |
| тийм үү | really? is that so?; after a statement: right? |
| шүү дээ | you know (a strong reminder) |
| уралдаан | race |
| километр | kilometre |
| ирэх зун | next summer |
| багаасаа | from childhood, from a young age |
| жил бүр | every year |
Put биз дээ after a statement when you think it is true and you want the other person to agree. English uses a tag: "isn't it?", "didn't you?", "I suppose".
The sentence keeps its own verb and tense; биз дээ is simply added at the end. The shorter биз is also common, above all to check who someone is: Та Баатар гуай биз? "You must be Mr Baatar?" The usual answer is Тийм or Тийм ээ (yes, indeed).
тийм means "so, like that", and үү is the question particle of lesson 14 (front vowel, so үү). The pair does two jobs.
In lesson 87 you met шүү. Followed by дээ, it becomes a stronger reminder: "you know", "after all", "I told you".
It often points out something the listener should know already: Монголд хүүхдүүд багаасаа морь унадаг шүү дээ. "In Mongolia children ride from a young age, you know."
| You want to… | Say | Example |
|---|---|---|
| expect a yes | … биз дээ? | Хүйтэн байна биз дээ? |
| check a fact | …, тийм үү? | Чи оюутан, тийм үү? |
| react to news | Тийм үү? | Тийм үү! Арван настай юу? |
| remind | … шүү дээ | Би хэлсэн шүү дээ! |
All of them go at the very end of the sentence. None of them changes the verb in front.
Go deeper in the grammar guide: Mongolian final particles · Question particles: уу, үү, бэ, вэ · Yes and no in Mongolian
At a naadam the horse races are not run round a track. The horses race across the open steppe over many kilometres, and the jockeys are children who have ridden almost since they could walk. A winning horse brings great honour to its owner, which is why Ganbaatar can tell the story of this summer's race again and again.
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Lesson done? Train your ear
This written course teaches you to read and write. The LIMBA audio course makes you speak: 24 lessons of 12 to 15 minutes, recorded with a native speaker. You listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect partner for these pages.
Download the Mongolian audio course24 audio lessons · MP3 · yours to keep