Language/Halh-mongolian/Grammar/Prepositions
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Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about prepositions in Halh Mongolian. Prepositions are words that connect nouns, pronouns, and phrases to other words in a sentence. They express a relationship between two or more elements in a sentence, such as position, direction, time, or manner. Understanding prepositions is essential for expressing yourself clearly and effectively in Halh Mongolian.
Before we dive into the details of prepositions, let's review some basic concepts of Halh Mongolian grammar that you need to know.
Firstly, Halh Mongolian is an agglutinative language, which means that words are formed by adding suffixes or prefixes to a root word. These suffixes or prefixes indicate grammatical information, such as tense, case, mood, or gender. For example, the word 'book' in Halh Mongolian is 'ном', and to indicate 'of the book', you add the suffix '-ын', resulting in 'номын'.
Secondly, Halh Mongolian has six cases, which indicate the function of a noun in a sentence. These cases are nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative, and instrumental. We have covered these cases in a previous lesson, so if you need a review, please check the corresponding lesson.
Now that you have refreshed your memory about these concepts, let's explore prepositions in Halh Mongolian.
Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson: Declensions & Pronouns.
Using Prepositions in Halh Mongolian
Prepositions in Halh Mongolian are called 'багтай байдал' (bagtai baidal). They are usually placed before a noun or pronoun, and indicate the relationship between them and other words in a sentence.
Here are some examples of prepositions in Halh Mongolian:
| Halh Mongolian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| дотор | dortor | inside |
| гадна | gadna | near, next to, beside |
| орой | oroy | on, upon, at |
| орчим | orchim | between |
| хойш | khoish | towards, to, unto |
| хэрэм | kherem | behind, after |
| өмнө | umnu | in front of, ahead of |
| дээр | deer | on, above |
| доош | doosh | below, under |
| зүүн | züün | left |
| баруун | baruun | right |
These are just a few examples of prepositions in Halh Mongolian. There are many more, and their usage can vary depending on the context and the speaker's preference. To master prepositions in Halh Mongolian, you need to practice their usage in different situations and with different nouns and pronouns.
Using Prepositions with Nouns
The most common usage of prepositions in Halh Mongolian is to connect a noun with another word in a sentence. Prepositions can be used in several ways with nouns:
Location Prepositions
Location prepositions indicate the position or direction of a noun in relation to another noun or a verb.
Here are some examples:
- Би хүчиндээ цэцэн миньтай
I am standing next to the tree - Зааврын дагуу гэрлээ орж ир
I came home through the backdoor - Тэнгэр дээр өглөө хэрэглээнийхээ сэрэмжлүүлэгтэй зорчин орсон
A traveler with a backpack together with his dog came up to the mountain in the morning
Time Prepositions
Time prepositions indicate the time or duration of an action or event.
Here are some examples:
- Та өмнөх сард яваа боломжтой байна уу?
Are you available to travel in the previous month? - Бага зуунд өглөө би нарийн уулзаа хэлэлцэн хийхээр би хүргэж ирэв
Yesterday at dawn, I brought invitations for a local meeting to the nearby areas - Би энэ сарын өдөр тавихаас өмнө хэрэгтэй хүүхдей байгаа
I am busy with preparing for this month’s festival since one month before
Instrumental Prepositions
Instrumental prepositions indicate the instrument or tool used to perform an action.
Here are some examples:
- Тэр савийн өндөр орчимын цаанаас хойш хаана хүргэв?
Where did he take a taxi from the central bus station? - Нан модны уран бүтээл зүүн өмөрөөр нь зурвасладаг
The baker carves the mold of the hen on his left arm - Та энэхүү хөдөө ашиглан тэнхлэгийг тоглож чадвал би хангалттай байна
You can play chess with this board using those pieces
Using Prepositions with Pronouns
Prepositions can also be used with pronouns in Halh Mongolian to indicate the relationship between them and other words in a sentence. Here are some examples:
- Таны харанхуй тань гадны байгаа хүмүүсийнхээ байдал дээр
Upon your arrival, you will be met by someone from outside - Бид маргаантай дунддуур тэнцсэн тоглоомын уран бүтээл зорчсон
We danced around the bonfire despite the rain - Таны гэрт байгаа зан нь дээр доош зогсвол
If something is on top or below something in your home
Common Prepositional Phrases
In addition to individual prepositions, Halh Mongolian also has many common prepositional phrases that are frequently used in different contexts. Here are some examples:
- нүүр дээр, нүүрэндээ
on the door, at the door - мөнгөн дээр, мөнгөндөө
on the table, at the table - тал дээр, талд
on the side, beside - урд, хойш
in front, towards - зүүн, баруун
to the left, to the right
These phrases are useful for expanding your vocabulary and improving your understanding of prepositions in Halh Mongolian.
Prepositions and Cases
As we mentioned earlier, Halh Mongolian has six cases that indicate the function of a noun in a sentence. Prepositions can also affect the case of a noun, depending on the context and the preposition used. Here are some examples:
- Гэрт кино үзээд байна
Watching a movie at home - Миний хамгийн таалагдсан байршлын нэг нь амьдралд томоохон өөдөөс ирсэн
One of my favorite places, that I ever visited, came down to me from centuries - Өөрийн төлөө барьж
pay from your own pocket - Хаанаас орсон бэ талд
From which side, he came? - Харамсал барсанд машины дээр байх ч амар хэтэрч байжээ
Despite of feeling dizzy on the turbulent road, must sit on the car's roof
As you can see, prepositions can change the case of the nouns they connect, and you need to be aware of these changes to use prepositions correctly in Halh Mongolian.
Conjunctions and Prepositions
Conjunctions are words that connect two or more phrases, clauses, or sentences. They are different from prepositions, which connect nouns or pronouns to other words.
However, some words in Halh Mongolian can serve as both prepositions and conjunctions, depending on their usage in a sentence. For example:
- жанжин болон шинэ
old and new - Эрчүүд дуу болон шуудан авахаас хязга
Other Lessons
- Conditional Verbs
- Imperative Verbs
- Pronouns
- Nouns
- Personal pronouns
- Declensions
- Future Tense
- Adverbs
- Future Tense Verbs
- Causative Verbs
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