Language/Tigrinya/Grammar/Yes/No-Questions
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Asking questions is an essential part of communication in any language. In Tigrinya, questions can be formed either by changing the word order of a sentence or by using question particles. In this lesson, we will focus on yes/no questions and how to form them in Tigrinya.
Word Order for Yes/No Questions
To form a yes/no question in Tigrinya using word order, simply switch the subject and the verb. For example:
- Positive statement: "ኣቶም ተሓቢኹን" (Atom tahibikun) - "My father is happy."
- Yes/No question: "ተሓቢኹን ኣቶም?" (Tahibikun Atom?) - "Is my father happy?"
Notice that we simply moved the subject "ተሓቢኹን" (Tahibikun) to the beginning of the sentence, and the verb "ኣቶም" (Atom) to second place.
Let's see another example:
- Positive statement: "ኣይተሓበለኒ" (Aytehabeleyni) - "I am not tired."
- Yes/No question: "ተሓበለኒ?" (Tehebeleyni?) - "Am I tired?"
We simply moved the subject "ተሓበለኒ" (Tehebeleyni) to the beginning of the sentence.
Intonation for Yes/No Questions
In Tigrinya, intonation is also used to form yes/no questions. To form a yes/no question using intonation, simply raise your voice at the end of the sentence. For example:
- Positive statement: "ኣቶም ተሓቢኹን" (Atom tahibikun) - "My father is happy."
- Yes/No question: "ኣቶም ተሓቢኹን?" (Atom tahibikun?) - "Is my father happy?"
We did not change the word order of the sentence, but we raised our voice at the end to indicate that it is a question.
Let's see another example:
- Positive statement: "ኣይተሓበለኒ" (Aytehabeleyni) - "I am not tired."
- Yes/No question: "ኣይተሓበለኒ?" (Aytehabeleyni?) - "Am I tired?"
Again, we did not change the word order, but we raised our voice at the end to indicate that it is a question.
It is important to note that using word order to form yes/no questions is more common in Tigrinya than using intonation.
Examples
Let's see some more examples of yes/no questions in Tigrinya, using both word order and intonation:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ኣቶም ዓቀበላ? | Atom ak'ebela? | Is my father okay? |
| ኢዩ ተውልደሊስ? | Iyu teweldelis? | Do you like music? |
| ካብ ዝብሎም ኣየድሉ ነዚ ዝተዕሰልፍ ኣብ ርሃብ? | Kab ziblom aydelu nezneti'tselef ab Rahab? | Did they meet each other in Rahab? |
| ኢዩ ወይ ድማ ናትካ? | Iyu way dma natka? | Are you going to school today? |
| ተዓጉዶ ሕዝቢ ኢኹሎም? | Ta'agudo hizbi ikulom? | Have the students arrived? |
Practice forming yes/no questions in Tigrinya using both word order and intonation until it becomes natural to you.
Conclusion
In this lesson, we have learned how to form yes/no questions in Tigrinya, both by changing word order and using intonation. It is important to practice both methods so that you can communicate effectively in Tigrinya. Remember that Tigrinya questions can be formed both ways, but using word order is more common. Keep up the good work and continue to practice.
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