Language/Tajik/Grammar/Gender-and-Plurality-of-Nouns
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Introduction
In Tajik grammar, every noun has a gender, which can be either masculine or feminine. Additionally, sometimes Tajik people use neutral gender usually when referring to none living things or objects like car, table, etc. as a neutral noun. In this lesson, we will explore the gender and plurality of nouns in Tajik language. Furthermore, we will practice how to use pronouns to refer to those nouns.
Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Adjectives & Pronouns.
Gender of Nouns
In Tajik language, nouns belong to either the masculine or feminine gender. For example:
| Tajik | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| китоб | kitob | book (masculine) |
| рӯз | ruz | day (masculine) |
| духтар | duhtar | daughter (feminine) |
| зан | zan | woman (feminine) |
As you can see above, Tajik nouns usually have a gender, which determines the form of adjectives, pronouns, and verbs that are used to talk about them. Masculine nouns typically end in consonants, while feminine nouns typically end in -ӣ (-i) or -ӯ (-u).
Exceptions
Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. Here are some examples of nouns with non-standard gender:
- ҳамаро == donkey (feminine)
- меҳмон == guest (masculine)
- хурд == son (feminine)
Plurality of Nouns
Nouns in Tajik can be singular, plural or dual. Singular nouns refer to one person, animal, thing or concept. Dual nouns refer to groups of two people or objects. Plural nouns refer to groups of three or more people or objects.
Forming Plurals of Nouns
To form the plural of a noun in Tajik, usually you just need to add an -ҳо (-ho) suffix to the noun. For example:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| китоб | китобҳо (books) |
| рӯз | рӯзҳо (days) |
| духтар | духтарҳо (daughters) |
| зан | занон (women) |
Some nouns with an -ӣ (-i) ending change that to a -ён (-yon) ending in the plural. For example:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| дӯсти | дӯстён (friends) |
| гӯшти | гӯштён (meats) |
Dual Plurals
Some Tajik nouns have a special dual form in addition to the singular and plural forms. Dual nouns usually refer to pairs of things, such as two eyes, two hands, or two ears. The dual form in Tajik usually ends in -таин (-tain) or -ҳои (-hoi). For example:
| Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| ҳафтар | ҳафтартаин (two weeks) | ҳафтарҳо (weeks) |
| даст | дастҳои | дастҳо (hands) |
| гулбарг | гулбаргҳои | гулбаргҳо (bunches of flowers) |
Dual forms are not as common as singular or plural forms, but they are still important to know.
Pronouns
In Tajik language, pronouns are used to replace or refer to nouns. There are several types of pronouns, such as personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, and more. In this lesson, we will focus on personal pronouns.
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns in Tajik language have different forms depending on the gender and number (singular or plural) of the noun being replaced. Here are the personal pronouns in Tajik:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| First Person | ман | мо |
| Second Person (informal) | ту | шумо |
| Second Person (formal) | шумо | шумо |
| Third Person (masculine) | у | онҳо |
| Third Person (feminine) | ӯ | онҳо |
| Third Person (neutral) | он | онҳо |
Note that the second person pronouns in Tajik have both informal and formal forms.
Examples of Pronoun Usage
Here are some examples of how to use pronouns in Tajik sentences:
- Ман забони Tojikiро медонам. (I speak Tajik.)
- Ту китобро бехон! (You read the book!)
- Шумо чай мехоҳед? (Do you want tea? - formal)
- Ӯ даҳбестон дорад. (He has ten pencils.)
- Он дарсҳоро мекунад. (It studies lessons.)
Notice how the pronouns change depending on the number and gender of the noun they are replacing.
Conclusion
In this lesson, we have learned about the gender and plurality of nouns in Tajik language. We have also practiced using personal pronouns to refer to those nouns. Tajik language is rich in grammatical rules, so it's important to practice and study regularly to become comfortable with it. Keep up the good work and continue practicing!
Excellent job on conquering this lesson! Consider delving into these related pages: Gender & Subject Object Verb Order.
Other Lessons
- Give your Opinion
- Negation in Sentences
- Personal pronouns
- Negation
- Past Tense
- 0 to A1 Course
- Questions
- Using Conjunctions
- Using Prepositions
- Personal Pronouns
Sources
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