Lesson 8

Key Sentences

Dialogs

One

• A: ɔdɔː xədə̌n ʧɑg be?
• B: ɔdɔː dɔlɔːn ʧɑg xœrə̌n tɑb menuːt bɔlʤ bæːnɑː
• A: ʧiː xədə̌n ʧɑg t xəʧəːl ɔrə̌x be?
• B: næːmə̌n ʧɑg t ɔrnɔː
• A: ʧiː xəʤəː xəʧəːl in gər ɔʧə̌x be
• B: bɑg ʊdɑːd jæbjɑː
• A: ɔdɔː jæbn ʊː?
• B: ugue biː xɔːl idx əːr jæbnɑː

Two

• A: mɑrgɑːʃ xodoː jæbn ʊː?
• B: jæbjɑː xəʤəː jæbə̌x be?
• A: ogloː dɔlɔːn ʧɑg t jæbjɑː
• B: dɑːʤ ərt dɔlɔːn ʧɑg xɑgsə̌ d jæbjɑː
• A: ʧiː xədə̌n ʧɑg bɔsə̌x be?
• B: jʊrgɑːn ʧɑg xɑgsə̌ d ʧiː?
• A: biː bɑs jʊrgɑːn ʧɑg xɑgsə̌ d bɔsnɔː

Substitution

One

• A: ɔdɔː xədə̌n ʧɑg be?
• B: ______ ʧɑg ___________

Two

• A: ʧiː xəʤəː _________ t ɔʧə̌x be?
• B: _____________ t ɔʧnɔː

Three

biː ________ jæbnɑː

Expansion

• ɔdɔː xɔjə̌r ʧɑg tɑb bɔlʤ bæːn biː xɑs in bæːr t ɔʧnɔː
• ogloː dɔlɔːn ʧɑg xɑgsə̌ d ʧæː gɑːn ʊːjɑː

Vocabulary

Grammar

Changes in Word Pronunciation

In the Dialog notes above we saw that the word /xɑgə̌s/ ("half") was pronounced /xɑgsə̌d/ in the context of a sentence, and that this type of pronunciation change in words often happens in Mongolian. Let's look at some more examples here.

Notice that it seems to happen when there is an indistinct vowel (/ə̌/) in the final syllable and it is followed by some grammar particle. The /ə̌/ disappears and the final consonant is blended with the next word.

How Something is Done

In the Substitution section notes above I talked about the /əːr/ɑːr/ɔːr/oːr/ grammar particle a little. Let's look at it a little more here. It is called a case suffix, specifically the Instrumental Case. The meaning generally tells how something is done.

There are four different pronunciations (ɑːr/əːr/ɔːr/oːr) based on the pronunciation of the word it follows. In addition to these four, a /g/ is added between the words if the preceding word ends in a long vowel or diphthong. Let's look at some examples (being out of context, though, I'm not sure about the accuracy of the English translations):

Although, there are four pronunciations, there are only two written forms (ijɑr/ijər or bɑr/bər). These are based on whether the preceding word ends in a vowel or a consonant. (See Spelling Rules for more detail.) You can see the written forms below. Today's lesson only used the bɑr/bər form. I say bɑr/bər because it is impossible to tell from the written form whether the vowel is an /ɑ/ or an /ə/. Vowel harmony with the previous word can make it clear, though.

As I said, the meaning is generally for telling how something is done. Various prepositions like "by", "of", or "though" can be used to express the meaning. Let's look at some examples.

Practice

How do you say the following words:

• now
• hour
• soon
• to eat
• food
• when
• to go (both words)
• early
• half
• countryside
• before
• restaurant
• to get
• music
• to listen
• basketball
• to play
• movie
• sleep
• milk tea
• to drink

How do you say the following sentences:

• What time do you have class?
• What time is it now?
• It is 5:30 now.
• It is 4:23 now.
• It is seven o'clock in the morning.
• When are you going to go to Beijing?
• I'll go on September 1st.
• I'm on my way to play basketball.
• I'm on my way to study Mongolian.

Review by saying the following:

• How are your parents?
• Today is the sixth.
• My name is Tana.
• I'm going to the store.
• What are you going to do this evening?
• There are four people in my family: my father, my mother, my younger brother, and me.
• Do you have a TV?

If you were able to say most of these things correctly then you are ready to go on to Lesson 9. If not, then keep practicing! You can also download the audio for the whole lesson so that you can practice listening while walking in the park. Click the three-dot menu at the right of the audio player below and choose "Download".

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