Language/Bengali/Grammar/Question-Words
As a Bengali language teacher, in this lesson, I'm going to discuss Bengali question words and their usage in interrogative sentences. This is an essential grammar topic when it comes to learning any language, and Bengali is no exception. By the end of this lesson, you will have a good understanding of Bengali question words and how to use them in sentences.
Basics
Before we jump into question words, let's review some basics on sentence construction that I've already covered in previous lessons of this course. A Bengali sentence consists of a subject, object, and verb. The subject comes before the object, and the verb typically comes at the end of the sentence. In certain cases, the verb can also come before the object.
For example, the basic sentence "I am learning Bengali" would be "Ami Bengali shikhchhi." "Ami" is the subject, "Bengali" is the object, and "shikhchhi" is the verb.
Now let's move on to question words.
Bengali Question Words
Bengali has a set of question words that are used to ask questions. These question words are referred to as "prashnabodhak shabd" in Bengali.
Here are the most commonly used Bengali question words:
- কি (ki) - what
- কোন (kon) - which
- কখন (kokhon) - when
- কোথায় (kothay) - where
- কে (ke) - who/whom
- কেন (ken) - why
- কত (koto) - how many/how much
- কিভাবে (kibhabe) - how/how to
- কি না (ki na) - whether/not
These Bengali question words are similar to the ones used in English, and they are used to ask various types of questions.
Usage
Let's understand how to use these question words in sentences.
কি (ki) - what
This question word is used to ask about objects or things. For example:
Example 1:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তুমি কি পরশুদের মাছ খাও ? | Tumi ki porshud-er machh khao? | Did you eat the fish of Porshud? |
Example 2:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| কি নাম তোমার ? | Ki naam tomar? | What is your name? |
In example 1, "ki" is used to ask whether someone ate the fish of Porshud or not. In example 2, "ki" is used to ask for someone's name.
কোন (kon) - which
This question word is used to ask for a specific item or thing from a group of things. For example:
Example 1:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তুমি কোনটি খেতে ইচ্ছুক ? | Tumi kon-ti khet-e icchuk? | Which one do you want to eat? |
Example 2:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তুমি কোন খবর টা শুনতে চাও ? | Tumi kon khabar ta shun-te chao? | Which news do you want to listen to? |
In example 1, "kon" is used to ask which food item someone wants to eat from a group of food items. In example 2, "kon" is used to ask which news someone wants to listen to from a group of news items.
কখন (kokhon) - when
This question word is used to ask about time or an event in the past, present, or future. For example:
Example 1:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| কখন ক্লাস থেকে ফিরে আসতে পারবে ? | Kokhon class theke fire ashte parbe? | When can you come back from the class? |
Example 2:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| কখন তুমি আসবে ? | Kokhon tumi asbe? | When will you come? |
In example 1, "kokhon" is used to ask when someone can come back from a class. In example 2, "kokhon" is used to ask when someone will come.
কোথায় (kothay) - where
This question word is used to ask about a specific location or place. For example:
Example 1:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তুমি কোথায় থাকো ? | Tumi kothay thako? | Where are you? |
Example 2:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| মেশিনটি কোথায় রয়েছে ? | Meshin-ti kothay royechhe? | Where is the machine? |
In example 1, "kothay" is used to ask where someone is. In example 2, "kothay" is used to ask where the machine is.
কে (ke) - who/whom
This question word is used to ask about a person or people. For example:
Example 1:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তুমি কে ? | Tumi ke? | Who are you? |
Example 2:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তোমার বাবা কে ? | Tomar Baba ke? | Who is your father? |
In example 1, "ke" is used to ask who someone is. In example 2, "ke" is used to ask who the person's father is.
কেন (ken) - why
This question word is used to ask the reason for something. For example:
Example 1:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| কেন আমি বিছানা থেকে উঠতে হবে ? | Ken ami bichhana theke uthte hobe? | Why do I have to get up from the bed? |
Example 2:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তুমি কেন খুশি না ? | Tumi ken khushi na? | Why are you not happy? |
In example 1, "ken" is used to ask why someone has to get up from the bed. In example 2, "ken" is used to ask why someone is not happy.
কত (koto) - how many/how much
This question word is used to ask about quantity. For example:
Example 1:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| তোমার বাবা কতটুকু টাকা আয় করেন ? | Tomar baba koto-tuku taka aay koren? | How much money does your father earn? |
Example 2:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| দুটি ঘড়ি আছে, তোমার কতটুকু টাকা দরকার ? | Duti ghori achhe, tomar koto-tuku taka darkar? | There are two watches, how much money do you need? |
In example 1, "koto" is used to ask how much money someone's father earns. In example 2, "koto" is used to ask how much money someone needs to buy two watches.
কিভাবে (kibhabe) - how/how to
This question word is used to ask about the method or way of doing something. For example:
Example 1:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| হাতটি কিভাবে ধোবো ? | Hath-ti kibhabe dhobo? | How do I wash my hand? |
Example 2:
| Bengali | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| সুদূর যাওয়ার উপায় কি ? | Sudur jaowar upay ki? | How to go far away? |
In example 1, "kibhabe" is used to ask how to wash one's hand. In example 2, "kibhabe" is used to ask how to go far away.
কি না (ki na) - whether/not
This question word is used to ask in a yes or