Language/Halh-mongolian/Grammar/Present-Tense

Halh Mongolian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Present Tense

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn the basics of forming and using the present tense in Halh Mongolian. The present tense is used to express actions happening now or habits. By the end of this lesson, you should be able to form sentences in the present tense and describe basic actions.

Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: Noun Cases & How to Use Have.

Basic sentence structure

Before we dive into forming sentences in the present tense, let's review the basic sentence structure in Halh Mongolian. In Halh Mongolian, the sentence structure follows a subject - object - verb (SOV) pattern. This means that the subject is typically placed at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the object and then the verb.

Here is an example sentence:

Halh Mongolian	Pronunciation	English
би	bi	I
ном	nom	book
унш	unsh	read

Translation: I read a book.

Notice that the subject (би - I) comes first, followed by the object (ном - book) and then the verb (унш - read). This is the basic sentence structure we will be using to form sentences in the present tense.

Forming the present tense

To form the present tense in Halh Mongolian, we need to use the present tense marker "-д" (-d). This marker is added to the end of the verb stem.

Let's take a look at some examples:

Halh Mongolian	Pronunciation	English
би	bi	I
теннис	tɛnnis	tennis
тогло	toglo	play

Translation: I play tennis.

In this sentence, the verb stem is тогло (toglo) which means "play". To form the present tense, we simply add the present tense marker "-д" (-d) to the end of the verb stem, resulting in the word тоглоод (toglood).

Here is another example:

Halh Mongolian	Pronunciation	English
та	ta	you (singular)
төлөвлөгөө	tɔlɔvlɔgɔɔ	plan
байгаа	baigaa	have

Translation: You have a plan.

In this sentence, the verb stem is байгаа (baigaa) which means "have". To form the present tense, we add the present tense marker "-д" (-d) to the end of the verb stem, resulting in the word байгаад (baigaad).

If the verb stem ends with a vowel, the present tense marker "-д" (-d) is added directly to the end of the stem without any changes. For example:

Halh Mongolian	Pronunciation	English
би	bi	I
хайртай	hairtai	happy
байх	baikh	be

Translation: I am happy.

In this sentence, the verb stem is байх (baikh) which means "be". Since the stem ends with a vowel, we simply add the present tense marker "-д" (-d) directly to the end of the stem, resulting in the word байхд (baikh-d).

Negation in the present tense

To form a negative sentence in the present tense in Halh Mongolian, we simply add the negative adverb "биш" (bish) before the present tense marker "-д" (-d).

For example:

Halh Mongolian	Pronunciation	English
биш	bish	not
би	bi	I
тусламж	tʊslamʒ	help

Translation: I am not helping.

In this sentence, the negative adverb "биш" (bish) is placed before the present tense marker "-д" (-d), resulting in the word бишд (bish-d).

Usage of the present tense

The present tense is used to describe actions happening now or as a habit.

Here are a few examples:

Halh Mongolian	Pronunciation	English
би	bi	I
хүүхдүүд	xʊxxdʊxd	children
гэм барих	gem barih	play games

Translation: I play games with the children.

In this sentence, the verb phrase "гэм барих" (gem barih) means "play games". By adding the present tense marker "-д" (-d) to the end of the verb stem, we form the word "гэм барихд" (gem barih-d) to describe that the action is happening now.

Here is another example:

Halh Mongolian	Pronunciation	English
та	ta	you (singular)
сургалт	sʊrgalt	lesson
авах	avah	take (get)

Translation: You are taking lessons.

In this sentence, the verb phrase "авах" (avah) means "take". By adding the present tense marker "-д" (-d) to the end of the verb stem, we form the word "авахд" (avah-d) to describe that the action is happening now.

Let's practice

Now let's practice forming sentences in the present tense.

Translate the following sentences into Halh Mongolian using the present tense:

1. I am watching TV. 2. You are reading a book. 3. He is playing soccer. 4. She is cooking dinner. 5. We are going to the movies. 6. They are listening to music.

Answers:

1. Би телевизээ үздэг. (Bi televizee uzdeg.) 2. Та ном уншиж байна. (Ta nom unshij baina.) 3. Тэр хөлбөмбөө тоглоод байна. (Ter xölbömböö toglood baina.) 4. Тэр хоол болгоод байна. (Ter hool bolgood baina.) 5. Бид кино руу очиж байна. (Bid kino ruu ojij baina.) 6. Тэд музиклыг дуулж байна. (Ted muziklyg duulj baina.)

Conclusion

In this lesson, you have learned the basics of forming and using the present tense in Halh Mongolian. You now know how to form sentences in the present tense to describe actions happening now or habits. Remember to practice forming sentences in the present tense to reinforce your knowledge. In the next lesson, we will be learning about the past tense in Halh Mongolian.

Upon wrapping up this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Personal pronouns & Conditional Mood.

Table of Contents - Halh Mongolian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to the Halh Mongolian Alphabet

• Cyrillic Script
• Vowel Harmony

  ---

Basic Greetings and Expressions

• Greetings
• Polite Expressions

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Cases
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Cardinal Numbers
• Ordinal Numbers
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives
• Adverbs

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Dining Phrases

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Mongolian Customs and Traditions

• Traditional Holidays
• Mongolian Etiquette

  ---

Weather and Seasons

• Weather Vocabulary
• Seasons

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Mongolian Music and Arts

• Traditional Music
• Visual Arts

Other Lessons

• Noun Cases
• Future Tense
• Negation
• Pronouns
• 0 to A1 Course
• Imperative Verbs
• Declensions
• Prepositions
• Present Tense Verbs