Language/Halh-mongolian/Grammar/Declensions

Halh Mongolian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Declensions

Welcome to another exciting lesson of our Complete 0 to A1 Halh Mongolian Course! Today, we will delve into a foundational aspect of the Halh Mongolian language: declensions. Understanding declensions is crucial for constructing sentences correctly, as they help convey the relationships between words in a sentence. As a beginner, grasping this concept will empower you to express yourself more clearly and accurately.

In the Halh Mongolian language, nouns, adjectives, and pronouns change form depending on their grammatical role in a sentence. This transformation is referred to as "declension." We'll explore how different cases work, their specific usages, and provide plenty of examples and practice exercises to help you master these concepts.

What are Declensions?

Declensions are changes made to nouns, adjectives, and pronouns to express their roles in a sentence. In Halh Mongolian, there are several cases, each serving a unique purpose. The main cases we will cover in this lesson include:

• Nominative Case: The subject of the sentence.

• Accusative Case: The direct object of the action.

• Genitive Case: Indicates possession or belonging.

• Dative Case: Denotes the indirect object or recipient.

• Locative Case: Indicates location or position.

• Ablative Case: Expresses movement away from something.

Understanding these cases is vital for constructing grammatically correct sentences.

Noun Declensions

Let's begin with noun declensions. Below, we will outline the different cases with examples to illustrate their usage.

Nominative Case

The nominative case is used for the subject of the sentence. For example, in the sentence "The cat is sleeping," "the cat" is the subject.

Halh Mongolian	Pronunciation	English
муур	muur	cat
хүн	khün	person
хүүхэд	khüühed	child
ном	nom	book
машин	mashin	car

Accusative Case

The accusative case indicates the direct object of the verb. In the sentence "I see the cat," "the cat" is the direct object.

Halh Mongolian	Pronunciation	English
муурыг	muurig	(the) cat (accusative)
хүнд	khünd	(the) person (accusative)
хүүхдийг	khüühdii	(the) child (accusative)
номыг	nomyg	(the) book (accusative)
машиныг	mashinyg	(the) car (accusative)

Genitive Case

The genitive case shows possession. For example, in "This is the cat's toy," "the cat's" indicates ownership.

Halh Mongolian	Pronunciation	English
муурын	muuryn	cat's
хүний	khünij	person's
хүүхдийн	khüühdij	child's
номын	nomyn	book's
машины	mashiny	car's

Dative Case

The dative case indicates the indirect object, often showing the recipient of something. In "I give the book to the child," "the child" is the indirect object.

Halh Mongolian	Pronunciation	English
муурт	muurt	to the cat
хүнд	khünd	to the person
хүүхдэд	khüühed	to the child
номд	nomd	to the book
машинд	mashind	to the car

Locative Case

The locative case indicates location or position. For example, "The cat is on the table" uses the locative case for "the table."

Halh Mongolian	Pronunciation	English
муур дээр	muur deer	on the cat
хүнд дээр	khünd deer	on the person
хүүхдэд дээр	khüühded deer	on the child
ном дээр	nom deer	on the book
машин дээр	mashin deer	on the car

Ablative Case

The ablative case expresses movement away from something. In "I am coming from the city," "the city" is in the ablative case.

Halh Mongolian	Pronunciation	English
муураас	muur-aas	from the cat
хүнийхээс	khünij-khees	from the person
хүүхдээс	khüühd-eed	from the child
номоос	nomoos	from the book
машинаас	mashinaas	from the car

Adjective Declensions

Just like nouns, adjectives in Halh Mongolian also decline based on the case. Adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify in both case and number.

Examples of Adjective Declensions

| Halh Mongolian | Pronunciation | English |

|-----------------|----------------|---------|

| сайхан || saikhan || beautiful |

| муухай || muukhai || ugly |

| том || tom || big |

| жижиг || jijig || small |

| хөх || khöh || blue |

Now, let's see how these adjectives change form based on the noun they modify:

Halh Mongolian (Adjective + Noun)	Pronunciation	English
сайхан муур	saikhan muur
сайхан хүний	saikhan khünij
том ном	tom nom
жижиг машин	jijig mashin
муухай хүүхэд	muukhai khüühed

Pronoun Declensions

Personal pronouns in Halh Mongolian also undergo declension. Let's explore how they change according to the cases.

Examples of Pronoun Declensions

| Halh Mongolian | Pronunciation | English |

|-----------------|----------------|---------|

| би || bi || I |

| чи || chi || you (singular) |

| тэр || ter || he/she/it |

| бид || bid || we |

| та || ta || you (plural/formal) |

Now, let's see how these pronouns change in different cases:

Halh Mongolian (Pronoun)	Pronunciation	English
би	bi
намайг	namayg
миний	miniij
надад	nadad
наан дээр	naand deer
наанаас	naanas

Summary of Cases

To wrap up our discussion on declensions, here's a handy summary of the cases you've learned:

• Nominative: Subject of the sentence.

• Accusative: Direct object of the verb.

• Genitive: Indicates possession.

• Dative: Shows the indirect object.

• Locative: Indicates location.

• Ablative: Expresses movement away from something.

Now that you've been introduced to the world of declensions in Halh Mongolian, it's time for some practice!

Practice Exercises

Here are some exercises designed to reinforce your understanding of declensions.

1. Identify the Case: Identify the case of the underlined word in each sentence.

• The cat (муур) is sleeping.

• I see the cat (муурыг).

• This is the cat's (муурын) toy.

• I give the book (ном) to the child (хүүхдэд).

• The cat is on the table (ширээн дээр).

• I am coming from the city (хотоос).

Solutions:

• Nominative

• Accusative

• Genitive

• Dative

• Locative

• Ablative

2. Change the Form: Change the following nouns into the accusative case.

• муур (cat)

• хүн (person)

• ном (book)

• машин (car)

Solutions:

• муурыг (cat)

• хүнд (person)

• номыг (book)

• машиныг (car)

3. Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate case forms of the nouns.

• The toy of the child is blue (хүүхдийн).

• I gave the book to the person (хүнд).

• The cat is sleeping on the table (ширээн дээр).

• I am coming from the car (машинаас).

Solutions:

• хүүхдийн

• хүнд

• ширээн дээр

• машинаас

4. Translate the Sentences: Translate the following sentences into Halh Mongolian.

• I want to drink water.

• The child has a new book.

• The car is fast.

• I am from the city.

Solutions:

• Би ус уухыг хүсч байна.

• Хүүхэд шинэ номтой.

• Машин хурдан байна.

• Би хотод ирсэн.

5. Match the Cases: Match the noun to its correct case form.

• муур:

• хүн:

• ном:

• машин:

Solutions:

• муурыг (accusative)

• хүнд (dative)

• номын (genitive)

• машиныг (accusative)

6. Sentence Construction: Construct sentences using the following words in different cases:

• муур (cat)

• хүн (person)

• ном (book)

Solutions:

• The cat is sleeping. (муур унтаж байна.)

• I give the book to the person. (Би номыг хүнд өгч байна.)

• The person's cat is cute. (Хүний муур сайхан байна.)

7. Create Sentences: Create sentences using the adjectives provided in the nominative case.

• сайхан (beautiful)

• том (big)

• жижиг (small)

Solutions:

• The beautiful cat is sleeping. (Сайхан муур унтаж байна.)

• The big book is on the table. (Том ном ширээн дээр байна.)

• The small child is playing. (Жижиг хүүхэд тоглож байна.)

8. Pronoun Transformation: Change the following sentences by replacing the nouns with the correct pronouns.

• The child has a toy.

• The woman sees the car.

Solutions:

• Хүүхэд тоглоомтой (The child has a toy).

• Эмэгтэй машинтай (The woman sees the car).

9. Case Identification: Identify the case of the underlined pronouns.

• I see him (тэр).

• This is my (миний) book.

Solutions:

• Accusative

• Genitive

10. Translate the Pronouns: Translate the following sentences into Halh Mongolian using the correct pronouns.

• They are tired.

• I love you.

Solutions:

• Тэд ядарч байна.

• Би чамд хайртай.

Congratulations on completing the exercises! Declensions can seem daunting at first, but with practice, you'll become more comfortable using them in your everyday conversations. Keep practicing, and soon you'll find yourself forming grammatically correct sentences with ease!

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

  ---

Mongolian Music and Arts

• Traditional Music
• Visual Arts

Other Lessons

• Gender
• Present Tense Verbs
• How to Use Have
• Adjectives
• Conditional Verbs
• Causative Verbs
• Past Tense Verbs
• Pronouns
• Conditional Mood
• Future Tense