Language/Plateau-malagasy/Grammar/Conjunctions-and-Their-Usage
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Plateau Malagasy has various types of conjunctions, which are used to join words, phrases, and clauses. In this lesson, we will explore coordinating, subordinating, and correlative conjunctions and learn their usage in Plateau Malagasy sentences.
Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson: How to Use Be & Negation.
Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions are used to connect words, phrases, or clauses that have equal importance in a sentence. In Plateau Malagasy, there are seven coordinating conjunctions, which are:
- Ary - and
- Na - or
- Tsy - not
- Fa - but
- Kanefa - however
- Nefa - although
- Satria - because
All these coordinating conjunctions are used to connect ideas or parts of a sentence without indicating any specific order.
Examples:
| Plateau Malagasy | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ahoana ny zavatra rehetra ary tsy manana valiny ianao? |
[ahua-na ny za-va-tra re-he-tra ary tsʲ manan valin d͡ʒianau] | How come you don't have an answer for everything and |
| Ho aiza ianao aorian'ny fandresena na ho any andrefana? |
[hu aiza d͡ʒianau aorja-nʲ ˈfan.drʲesʲänʲə | Where will you go after the competition or to the west? |
| Tsy teneninao aho tsy mba hampiditra anao azy? |
[tsʲ tenenin d͡ʒianau ahʊ tsʲ mˈampiditr anau azʲ] | Did I not tell you not to introduce him to you? |
| Fitaovana mampiasa internet fa tsy misy valiny. |
[fiˌtaovana məmˈpiasə intɛrnɛt fa tsʲ mɪsʲ vəˈlin] | Using the internet but there's no answer. |
Subordinating Conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions join a subordinate clause to a main clause, indicating a dependent relationship between the two clauses. In Plateau Malagasy, there are several subordinating conjunctions. Some common subordinating conjunctions include:
- Raha - if
- Satria - because
- Noho izany - because of that
- Noho - because
- Mba - so that
- Misy - there is/are
- Tokony - should/ought to
- Raha misy - if there is/are
- Raha toa - if it seems/looks like
- Rehefa - when
Subordinating conjunctions come at the beginning of a subordinate clause and indicate either the cause-effect relationship, condition, time, or purpose.
Examples:
| Plateau Malagasy | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Mandehana any Tana satria manana asa malalaka aho. |
[ mandehäna any tandzä satrʲ manan asa malalak ahu] | I'm going to Tana because I have a big job there. |
| Miandry ny fianarana noho izany, tsy mba miverina intsony aho. |
[mjan dʒy ny fjaˈnarana nohu zan tsʲ mba mivəˈrina intsʊn ahu] | Waiting for class because of that I won't go back home now. |
| Tokony ho tonga ny ankizy rehefa misy fanaraha-maso ary alefa any am-bavany izy. |
[tʊˈkun hʊ ˈtuŋan j an. kʲiː tsʲ rɛˈhefä ˈmis r̥əsə fanărəˈmasu aˌrjaləfə ˈanjam bəˈvanʲ izʲ] | Children must arrive when they are accompanied and dropped to their homes. |
Correlative Conjunctions
Correlative conjunctions are pairs of words used to connect two or more words, phrases or clauses having equal importance. In Plateau Malagasy, those are:
- Na...na - either...or
- Na...tsy na - either...or not
- Tsy...tsy - neither...nor
- Raha...dia - if...then
- Raha...na - if...or
- Mandritra...sy mandritra - both...and
- Fanontaniana...fa - although...nevertheless
Examples:
| Plateau Malagasy | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Na ny heriny, na ny tarehiny no somary tsy manavotra azy. | [na nʲ hɛrʲin tsʲ nʲ tarʲɛhɪn no suˈmaɾʲ tsʲ mənəvʊˈtɾa azʲ] | Either his or her side he/she barely uses it. |
| Raha mbola tsy somary maharitra avokoa, na izany na tsy izany, tokony ho avy izao mihamboamboana izao. | [ra ˈmbʊla tsʲ suˈmarʲ maharʲitr avˈukwa na zanʲ tsʲ zanʲ tʊˈkun hʊ ˈavʲ ˈindzä mjanbu amˌbu̯am buˈana izaw] | If it's not too hot, either yes or not it's time to walk now. |
| Tsy fotoana amin'ny faharatsiana, tsy fotoana amin'ny fitsinjarana. |
[tsʲ fuˈtu.an amɪɲ ˌfahara(t)ʃan tsʲ fuˈtu.an amɪɲ fit͡sin(d)zˈard] | It's not time for success, nor for struggle. |
The use of conjunctions gives depth and clarity to Plateau Malagasy sentences. By integrating conjunctions in your sentence, you will be able to connect ideas, parts of the sentence, clauses, and show relationships between them.
Other Lessons
- How to Use Be
- Pronouns
- Plurals
- Alphabet and Pronunciation
- Negation
- Common Prepositions
- Descriptive Adjectives
- Present, Past, and Future Tenses
- Regular Verbs
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