Language/Burmese/Grammar/Nouns-and-Pronouns

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Burmese → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Sentence Structure → Nouns and Pronouns

Introduction

In Burmese language, sentence structure follows the basic Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) format. This means that the subject comes first, followed by the object, and the verb comes last. Nouns and pronouns play important roles in forming sentences, making them plural or possessive, and expressing ownership.

With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Adjectives & Irregular Verbs.

Nouns

Nouns in Burmese are either masculine or feminine, and the gender of the noun is determined by its meaning rather than its form. For example, the noun for "boy" is masculine regardless of the gender of the person being referred to.

Plural Nouns

To make a noun plural in Burmese, the suffix "-tar" is added to the end of the word. For example:

Burmese	Pronunciation	English
ကျောင်း (kyauk)	[tɕaʊɴ]	rock
ကျောင်းတာ (kyauk-tar)	[tɕaʊɴ tà]	rocks

Possessive Nouns

To form a possessive noun in Burmese, the particle "ရဲ" (yay) is added to the end of the noun. For example:

Burmese	Pronunciation	English
ကျောင်း (kyauk)	[tɕaʊɴ]	rock
ကျောင်းရဲ (kyauk-yay)	[tɕaʊɴ jè]	rock's

It's important to note that Burmese nouns do not have articles (e.g. a, an, the) or capitalization rules.

Pronouns

Like nouns, pronouns in Burmese are also gendered. The personal pronouns are either masculine or feminine, and the gender must agree with the person being referred to.

Subject Pronouns

The following are the subject pronouns in Burmese:

Burmese	Pronunciation	English
ကျွန်တော်	[tɕʰən̥dɔ]	I (male)
ကျွန်မ	[tɕʰən̥ma̰]	I (female)
သူ	[θù]	he/she/they

Object Pronouns

The following are the object pronouns in Burmese:

Burmese	Pronunciation	English
ကျွန်တော်ကို	[tɕʰən̥dɔ kò]	me (male)
ကျွန်မကို	[tɕʰən̥ma̰ kò]	me (female)
သို့	[θò]	him/her/them

Possessive Pronouns

Burmese possessive pronouns take on the form of the root word followed by the particle "ရဲ" (yay). For example:

Burmese	Pronunciation	English
ကျွန်တော်ရဲ (kyauk-yay)	[tɕən̥dɔ jè]	mine (male)
ကျွန်မရဲ (kyauk-ma-yay)	[tɕən̥ma̰ jè]	mine (female)
သူ့ရဲ (su-yay)	[θù jè]	his/hers/theirs

It's important to note that Burmese pronouns vary depending on the formality of the situation, and the use of pronouns can also indicate social status and hierarchy.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we have covered the basic use of nouns and pronouns in Burmese sentences. Remember that nouns are gendered and can be made plural or possessive, while pronouns must agree with the gender of the person being referred to. With practice and patience, you can develop your proficiency in using Burmese nouns and pronouns accurately and effectively.

Upon wrapping up this lesson, take a look at these related pages: 0 to A1 Course & Pronouns.

Table of Contents - Burmese Course - 0 to A1

Course Presentation

Greetings and Introductions

Sentence Structure

Numbers and Dates

Verbs and Tenses

Common Activities

Adjectives and Adverbs

Food and Drink

Burmese Customs and Etiquette

Prepositions and Conjunctions

Travel and Transportation

Festivals and Celebrations

Other Lessons

Sources

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