Language/Assamese/Grammar/Questions-and-Negations
Assamese is one of the oldest languages of India that is spoken as a native language by more than 15 million people. In this lesson, we will cover forming questions and negations in Assamese. You will learn the use of question words and adding negation to sentences.
Basic Sentence Structure
Before discussing questions and negations, let's review the basic sentence structure in Assamese. A basic sentence in Assamese has three parts: subject, verb, and object. The subject is the doer of the action, the verb is the action, and the object is what is affected by the action.
Example:
| Assamese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| মই | moi | I |
| খোৱা | khua | eat |
| যাওঁ | jaon | go |
I eat. (মই খোৱা।) I go. (মই যাওঁ।)
Questions
In Assamese, questions are formed by using question words or by changing the word order of a declarative sentence. Assamese has a few question words that are different from English.
Using Question Words
Here are the question words in Assamese with their meanings and examples:
- কি? (ki) - What?
Example:
| Assamese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তুমি কি খোৱা? | tumi ki khua? | What did you eat? |
- কোন? (kon) - Which?
Example:
| Assamese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| কোন উপাহাৰ খইছিলা? | kon upahar khaichila? | Which snack did you eat? |
- কেনেকৈ? (kinekai) - How?
Example:
| Assamese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তুমি কেনেকৈ যায়? | tumi kinekai jai? | How do you go? |
- কোনখন? (kon-kon) - When?
Example:
| Assamese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তোমাৰ জন্মদিন কোনখন? | tomor jonmodin kon-kon? | When is your birthday? |
- কেনে? (kene) - Why?
Example:
| Assamese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তোমাৰ খুশিকে কেনে নাহলে? | tomar khushike kene naxole? | Why are you not happy? |
Changing Word Order
Another way to form questions in Assamese is by changing the word order of a declarative sentence. To form a question this way, change the verb-subject-object order to subject-verb-object order.
Example:
| Assamese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তুমি খোৱা ভাল লগে? | Tumi khua val lage? | Do you like to eat? |
Another form of this method is to add the particle -নে (-ne) after the verb.
Example:
| Assamese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তুমি খোৱানে যাওঁ নে? | Tumi khuanhe jaon ne? | Do you go to eat? |
Negations
Negation in Assamese is formed by adding the particle -নে (-ne) to the verb.
Example:
| Assamese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| আমি কোনখনও খোৱা নাহলো। | Ami kon-kono khua naxalo. | I did not eat anything. |
Another way to form negation is by using the word নহয় (nahoi) after the verb.
Example:
| Assamese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| মই তিনি জানি নহয়। | Moi tini jani nahoi. | I do not know him/her. |
Conclusion
Questions and negations are essential components of any language, and it is no different in Assamese. By using question words and changing word order, you can form questions in Assamese. Negation is formed by adding the particle -নে (-ne) or using the word নহয় (nahoi) after the verb.
Now that you have learned how to form questions and negations in Assamese, you can practice by making your own sentences. As you progress in your studies, you will learn more complex sentence structures and their uses in Assamese.