Language/Plateau-malagasy/Grammar/Pronouns-and-Their-Usage
Plateau Malagasy, also known as Central Malagasy, is a dialect of the Malagasy language, spoken primarily in the central highlands of Madagascar. In this lesson, we will focus on pronouns in Plateau Malagasy, including personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, and reflexive pronouns.
With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: How to Use Have & Plurals.
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns are used to refer to people, animals, or things either as subjects or as objects in a sentence. In Plateau Malagasy, there are six personal pronouns:
| Plateau Malagasy | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Izaho | /ee-zah-ho/ | I, me |
| Ianao | /yahn-oh/ | You (singular), you (polite) |
| Izy | /ee-zee/ | He, she, it |
| Izahay | /ee-zah-hay/ | We, us (inclusive) |
| Izy ireo | /ee-zee-ee-reh-oh/ | They, them |
Some examples of personal pronouns in use:
- Izaho no any am-bavako. (I will go with my father.)
- Ianao no mihidy ny varavarana. (You are cleaning the kitchen.)
- Izy no voasoratra ao amin'ny latabatra. (He/She wrote in the notebook.)
- Izahay no reny teto. (We are eating here.)
- Izy ireo no tsy maharaka ny Jaojoby. (They don't like Jaojoby.)
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns are used to indicate possession or ownership. In Plateau Malagasy, there are eight possessive pronouns:
| Plateau Malagasy | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ahy | /ah-y/ | My, mine |
| anao | /ahn-oh/ | Your (singular), yours (singular) |
| any | /an-y/ | His, hers, its |
| antsika | /ahn-tsee-kah/ | Our, ours (inclusive) |
| anteny | /ahn-teh-ny/ | His, hers, its |
| anareo | /ahn-ah-reh-oh/ | Your (plural), yours (plural) |
| azy ireo | /ah-zee-ee-reh-oh/ | Their, theirs |
| anatin'ny | /ahn-ah-tee-ny/ | In, on, at (related to "me") |
Some examples of possessive pronouns in use:
- Ahy ny boky. (The book is mine.)
- Anao ny feo. (The voice is yours.)
- Any ny maso. (The eye is his/hers/its.)
- Antsika no manao izany. (We are doing that.)
- Anteny ny fiara. (The car is his/hers/its.)
- Anareo no niala tao an-Tanàna. (You (plural) went to Antananarivo.)
- Azy ireo no teo amin'ny fandrosoana. (They were in the garden.)
- Anatin'ny andro ianareo no hiantso ahy. (You will call me in a day.)
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are used when the object of a sentence is the same as the subject. In Plateau Malagasy, reflexive pronouns are formed by adding "-tsy" or "-ko" to the end of personal pronouns.
Some examples of reflexive pronouns in use:
- Mihidy ahy tsy hanjary azy intsony. (I will wash myself and won't bother him anymore.)
- Nampianarina anao ny teny tsy teo aloha. (You taught yourself the language without any prior experience.)
- Miteny azy tsy mitondra valim-boto. (He talks to himself without taking off his hat.)
- Nandà anareo ny trondro tsy eo akaikin'ny ala. (You (plural) got lost in the jungle far from the path.)
- Niandry antsika koa ity olona ity. (We waited for the person as well.)
Congratulations! You have learned about personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, and reflexive pronouns in Plateau Malagasy. In the next lesson, we will move on to numbers, dates, and time.