Language/Burmese/Grammar/Questions
Hi Burmese learners! π
In this lesson, we will learn about the grammar rules related to questions in Burmese.
After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Plurals, Adjectives, Negation & Connecting Ideas.
Basic Questions[edit | edit source]
In Burmese, basic questions are formed by adding the particle "αα±" (le) at the end of the sentence, without changing the word order. For example:
- αααΊ αα¬ αα± αα±α¬ααΊαα¬αα«ααα¬αΈα (sang ba le yaauk lar par thanlaw)
- What are you doing?
As you can see, the sentence structure is the same as the affirmative form. The only difference is the addition of the particle "αα±" (le), which indicates that it is a question.
You can also use question words such as "αα¬" (ba) for "what", "αααΊααα―" (beya lei) for "how", "α‘αα»αα―αΈ" (akhkyu) for "how many", and "αααΊαα°" (beya thu) for "who", to form questions. For example:
- αααΊα·α‘ααΌα±α¬ααΊαΈ αα¬ ααΌα±α¬ααΊαΈαα²α (singaung ba kyauung lar)
- What do you like to eat?
In this case, the question word "αα¬" (ba) is used, followed by the subject and the predicate of the sentence.
Another way to form questions is by using the rising intonation at the end of the sentence. For example:
- αααΊαΈαα¬αα²α (ming ba le)
- What about you?
Here, the rising intonation indicates that it is a question. This form is commonly used in casual conversations.
Polar Questions[edit | edit source]
Polar questions are questions that require a yes or no answer. In Burmese, polar questions are formed by adding the particle "αα―αΆαΈ" (sum) at the end of the sentence. For example:
- αα°α‘αα»α¬αΈ αα»αΎααΊαα¬αΈααα―α·α (lu amyar maky lar sum)
- Do you want to go?
The particle "αα―αΆαΈ" (sum) indicates that it is a polar question that requires a yes or no answer.
Tag Questions[edit | edit source]
Tag questions are questions that are added at the end of a statement to confirm or check information. In Burmese, tag questions are formed by adding the particle "ααΎα¬αα¬" (hma lar) at the end of the sentence. For example:
- αααΊα·ααα―αα¬αΈαα²α αααΊααα―αα¬αα¬αα²α (singaulei lar, beya lei lar ta lar)
- You want to go, right?
Here, the first sentence is a statement, and the tag question "αααΊααα―αα¬αα¬αα²" (beya lei lar ta lar) is added for confirmation.
Indirect Questions[edit | edit source]
Indirect questions are questions that are embedded within a sentence. They can be formed by using question words such as "αα»αΎα±α¬αα±αΈ" (mjaupae) for "ask", "αα¬" (ba) for "what", and "αααΊααα―" (beya lei) for "how". For example:
- αα«α α¬αΈαα²α·α‘αα« αα¬αα±αΈααΌααΊαΈαα°αα²αα±α¬αΊα (nga sa tu auk, ba maikhaung yu lar maau)
- I don't know what to cook.
Here, the question "what to cook" is embedded within the sentence "I don't know". The question word "αα¬" (ba) is used to introduce the embedded question.
Dialogue[edit | edit source]
- Person 1: αα°α‘αα»α¬αΈ αα¬ααα―α·αα¬αΈα (lu amyar ba lei lar)
- Person 2: ααΌαα·αΊααΎα―ααα―ααΊαα²α· αα―ααΊαα±α«ααΊαΈααα―ααααΎααα±αα²α (kyuinsha nuitau nae taungkhan kite thi shalnae lar)
(Person 1: What are you doing? Person 2: Trying to find the way to the hotel.)
Examples[edit | edit source]
Here are some examples of questions in Burmese:
Burmese | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
αααΊααΎα αΊαα»αα―αΈαα±α¬ααΊααα²α | beya hnai myo le yaauk ma lar? | How many siblings do you have? |
αααΉαααΉααα²α· α‘αααΊαα²ααΎα¬ αα¬ααα―αα¬αα¬αα²α | makahtet yae ain tha lar ba lei lar ta lar? | What did you find in the room? |
αααΊα‘αα»αα―αΈααα― ααα―ααΊαΈααα²α | beya akhkyu lei doi ma lar? | How many eggs do you want? |
Further Resources[edit | edit source]
To improve your Burmese Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
Sources[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]