BENGALI — FIRST CONVERSATIONS
|
Teaching
Truth in Bengali |
Teaching
Truth in Bengali |
These conversations teach you to
construct simple sentences in Bengali using Roman characters. (1 Corinthians 14:9)
To master the full extent of the language,
you can go on to study our full course.
[General Notes] [Sentence Structure] [Exercises with Pictures] [My First Conversations in Bengali]
1. Note that throughout this course ‘YOU’
means the plural of ‘you’.
2. Note that English pronouns underlined are equivalent to the honorific
form in Bengali.
3. Bengali letters underlined represent the ‘cerebral’ sound, not the ‘dental’
family.
4. In these Bengali spellings ‘_’ indicates that the adjacent letters get
brought together as one syllable.
5. In these Bengali spellings ‘-’ indicates that the adjacent letters are in
different syllables.
6. Use our Brief Guide on
Pronunciation, if necessary.
This is the key to
constructing simple sentences. Picture your
message in your mind, and then describe what you see.
Picture someone or something
THE BOY
Decide what action is being done
(placed last in Bengali sentences)
THE BOY
KICKS
Add an ‘object’, if someone or
something is affected by the action
THE BOY KICKS THE BALL
Describe the doer
THE BLUE
BOY KICKS THE BALL
Describe the object
THE BLUE BOY KICKS THE ORANGE BALL
Describe the action
THE BLUE BOY KICKS THE ORANGE BALL GENTLY
You can use your sentence as a
clause, and connect it to another one.
…, AND… THE GIRL CATCHES IT
Make statements that
are suggested by the following pictures.
1. 
2. 
3. 
Select some of your own pictures or
photos. Make simple sentences to
describe their main message. Use the
elements of sentence structure A-F illustrated above. Try this with any language you know.
MY
FIRST CONVERSATIONS IN BENGALI
Discover how to build simple sentences using
the building blocks provided in these examples.
EXAMPLE 1
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You * |
aapani
(~“aapåni”) |
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You are |
aapani
aachen |
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how? |
keman?
(~“kemån”) |
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fine, O.K., well |
bhaalo |
* See [General Notes]
You are ….
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You |
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… |
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are |
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aapani |
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… |
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aachen |
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aapani
… aachen.
How are you?
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You |
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how |
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are? |
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aapani |
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keman |
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aachen? |
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aapani
keman aachen?
You are well.
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You |
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well |
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are |
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aapani |
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bhaalo |
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aachen |
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aapani
bhaalo aachen.
EXAMPLE 2
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I |
aami |
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I am |
aami
aachi |
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fine, O.K., well |
bhaalo |
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Thanks |
dhanyabaad
(~“dhån’nåbaad”) |
I’m fine,
thanks.
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I |
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fine |
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am. |
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aami |
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bhaalo |
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aachi. |
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Thanks |
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[to you] |
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[be] |
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dhanya-baad |
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[ ] |
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[ ] |
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aami
bhaalo aachi, dhanyabaad.
EXAMPLE 3
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[You] read! |
[aapani]
parun! (~“pårdun”) |
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message |
san°baad (~“sångbaad”) |
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this |
ei |
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kindness |
dayaa
(~“dåyaa”) |
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done |
kare
(~“kåre”) |
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please, kindly
(~‘kindness done’) |
dayaa
kare |
Read this
message, please!
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[You] |
this |
message |
kindly |
read. |
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[aapani] |
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parun! |
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[aapani] |
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san°baad |
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parun! |
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[aapani] |
ei |
san°baad |
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parun! |
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[aapani] |
ei |
san°baad |
dayaa kare |
parun! |
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ei
san°baad dayaa kare parun!
EXAMPLE 4
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it, that |
taa |
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it is |
taa
aache |
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what? |
kii? |
What is it?
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It |
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what |
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[is]? |
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taa |
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aache |
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taa |
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kii |
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[aache] |
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taa |
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kii |
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[aache]? |
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taa
kii aache?
EXAMPLE 5
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-’s, of |
-’r,
-er |
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my |
[aami
+ -er =] aamaar |
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name |
naam |
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[I] say, [I] tell |
[aami]
bali (~“båli”) |
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God (generally)* |
iishvar
(~“eesh-shår”) |
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God’s |
iishvarer |
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Jehovah |
yihobaa |
* God (with muslims) – khodaa (~“hxodaa”: c.f. “loch”)
my name
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my |
name |
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naam |
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aamaar |
naam |
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aamaar
naam
I say my name. (Or, ‘Let me say my name.’)
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I |
my |
name |
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say |
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aami |
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bali |
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aami |
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naam |
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bali |
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aami |
aamaar |
naam |
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bali |
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aami
aamaar naam bali.
My name [is] X.
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my |
name |
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X |
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[is] |
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naam |
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[-] |
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naam |
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X |
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[-] |
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aamaar |
naam |
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X |
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[-] |
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aamaar
naam X [-].
What [is] God’s
name? (Exodus 3:13)
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God’s |
name |
what |
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[is] |
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naam |
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[-] |
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naam |
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kii |
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[-] |
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iishvarer |
naam |
kii |
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[-] |
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iishvarer
naam kii [-]?
God’s name is
Jehovah. (Psalm 83:18)
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God’s |
name |
Jehovah |
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[is] |
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naam |
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[-] |
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naam |
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yihobaa |
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[-] |
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iishvarer |
naam |
yihobaa |
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[-] |
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iishvarer
naam yihobaa [-].
Let’s say God’s
name!
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[we] |
God’s |
name |
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let say! |
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[-] |
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bali! |
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[-] |
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naam |
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bali! |
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[-] |
iishvarer |
naam |
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bali! |
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iishvarer
naam bali!
EXAMPLE 6
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he, she |
se |
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he says, he tells |
se
bale |
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not, “No” |
naa |
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his, her, its |
taar |
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his own |
taar
nij |
He does not say
his own message.
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He |
his (own) |
message |
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says not. |
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se |
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bale |
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se |
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bale naa. |
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se |
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san°baad |
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bale naa. |
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se |
taar |
san°baad |
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bale naa. |
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se |
taar (nij) |
san°baad |
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bale naa. |
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se
taar nij san°baad bale naa.
EXAMPLE 7
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you give |
aapani
den |
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your |
aapanaar |
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invitation |
nimantran |
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little |
chota,
chotta (~“chhotå”) |
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“Yes” |
haa^
(~“haang”), |
Yes, you
give your little invitation.
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Yes, |
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You |
your
little |
invitation |
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give |
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aapani |
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den |
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aapani |
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nimantran |
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den |
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aapani |
aapanaar |
nimantran |
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den |
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aapani |
aapanaar chota |
nimantran |
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den |
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haa^ |
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aapani |
aapanaar chota |
nimantran |
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den |
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haa^, aapani aapanaar chota
nimantran den.
EXAMPLE 8
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He, she |
tini |
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He says / tells |
tini
balen |
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his, her |
taa^r |
He says his own name.
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He |
his
own |
name |
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says. |
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tini |
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balen. |
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tini |
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naam |
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balen. |
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tini |
taa^r |
naam |
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balen. |
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tini |
taa^r nij |
naam |
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balen. |
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tini
taa^r nij naam balen.
EXAMPLE 9
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we |
aamaraa |
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we say, we tell |
aamaraa
bali |
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faith |
bishvaas
(~“bish’shaash”) |
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-s’, of |
-der |
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our |
aamaader |
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and … |
eban° … (~“ebång”), aar |
We say our
faith, and …
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We |
our |
faith |
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say. |
and … |
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aamaraa |
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bali |
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aamaraa |
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bishvaas |
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bali |
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aamaraa |
aamaa-der |
bishvaas |
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bali |
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aamaraa |
aamaa-der |
bishvaas |
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bali |
eban° … |
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aamaraa
aamaader bishvaas bali, eban°…
EXAMPLE 10
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they |
taaraa |
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they take |
taaraa
ney |
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they take |
taa^raa
nen |
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their |
taader |
They take their
invitation.
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… |
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They |
their |
invitation |
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take. |
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taaraa |
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ney. |
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taaraa |
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nimantran |
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ney. |
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taaraa |
taader |
nimantran |
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ney. |
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taaraa
taader nimantran ney.
EXAMPLE 11
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YOU |
aapanaaraa |
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YOU say, YOU tell, YOU speak |
aapanaaraa
balen (~“bålen”) |
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news |
khabar |
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very |
khub |
YOU speak very good news.
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YOU |
very good |
news |
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say. |
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aapanaaraa |
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balen. |
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aapanaaraa |
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khabar |
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balen. |
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aapanaaraa |
bhaalo |
khabar |
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balen. |
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aapanaaraa |
khub bhaalo |
khabar |
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balen. |
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aapanaaraa
khub bhaalo khabar balen.
EXAMPLE 12
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man |
maanus |
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[the] man does |
maanus
kare |
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work |
kaaj |
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he works, he does work |
se
kaaj kare |
[The] man does
good work
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[The] man |
good |
work |
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does, |
… |
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maanus |
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kare |
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maanus |
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kaaj |
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kare |
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maanus |
bhaalo |
kaaj |
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kare |
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maanus
bhaalo kaaj kare
EXAMPLE 13
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if |
yadi (~“jådi”) |
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only |
maatra
(~“maatrå”) |
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then |
tabe
(~“tåbe”) |
If a good man
only does good work, then …
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If |
[a] good |
man |
good |
work |
only |
does, |
then… |
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maanus |
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kare |
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maanus |
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kaaj |
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kare |
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bhaalo |
maanus |
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kaaj |
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kare |
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bhaalo |
maanus |
bhaalo |
kaaj |
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kare |
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bhaalo |
maanus |
bhaalo |
kaaj |
maatra |
kare |
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yadi |
bhaalo |
maanus |
bhaalo |
kaaj |
maatra |
kare, |
… |
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yadi |
bhaalo |
maanus |
bhaalo |
kaaj |
maatra |
kare, |
tabe… |
… |
yadi bhaalo maanus maatra bhaalo kaaj kare, tabe …
EXAMPLE 14
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who? |
ke? |
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bad |
khaaraap |
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now |
ekhan
(~“ekhån”) |
… then who does
this bad work now?
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… then |
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who |
this bad |
work |
now |
does? |
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ke |
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kare? |
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ke |
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kaaj |
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kare? |
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ke |
ei |
kaaj |
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kare? |
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ke |
ei khaaraap |
kaaj |
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kare? |
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ke |
ei khaaraap |
kaaj |
ekhan |
kare? |
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… tabe |
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ke |
ei khaaraap |
kaaj |
ekhan |
kare? |
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…
tabe ke ei khaaraap kaaj ekhan kare?
EXAMPLE 15
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whether, is it so? |
ki? |
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you know |
aapani
jaanen |
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question |
prashna
(~“pråshnå”) |
|
of the question,
question’s |
prashner |
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answer |
uttar
(~“uttår”) |
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answer to the question |
prashner
uttar |
Do you know
[the] answer of the question?
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You |
question’s |
answer |
whether |
know? |
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aapani |
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jaanen |
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aapani |
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uttar |
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jaanen |
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aapani |
uttar |
ki |
jaanen? |
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aapani |
prashner |
uttar |
ki |
jaanen? |
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aapani ki prashner uttar jaanen?
EXAMPLE 16
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explanation |
byaakhyaa
(~“bek’kaa”) |
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to explain |
byaakhyaa
karaa |
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doing |
kar-te
(~“kår-te”) |
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to be able, can |
paaraa |
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we can do |
aamaraa
kar-te paari |
We can explain.
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We |
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explanation |
making | can |
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aamaraa |
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paari |
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aamaraa |
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kar-te | paari |
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aamaraa |
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byaakhyaa |
kar-te | paari |
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aamaraa |
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byaakhyaa |
kar-te | paari |
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aamaraa byaakhyaa kar-te paari.
EXAMPLE 17
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to … |
…-ke |
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to you |
aapanaake |
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(the) truth |
satya
(~“shåt’tå”) |
We can explain
[that]* to you.
* or substitute [the truth]
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We |
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to you |
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it* |
explanation |
making | can |
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aamaraa |
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paari |
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aamaraa |
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kar-te | paari |
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aamaraa |
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byaakhyaa |
kar-te | paari |
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aamaraa |
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taa* |
byaakhyaa |
kar-te | paari |
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aamaraa |
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aapanaake |
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taa* |
byaakhyaa |
kar-te | paari |
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aamaraa
aapanaake [taa]* byaakhyaa kar-te paari.
*
or substitute [satya]
MOVING FORWARD
You can
extend these conversations. Choose
additional words from the vocabularies the grammar explanations in the rest of
the Bengali language syllabus.
We also
encourage you to use the sentences translated by Jehovah’s Witnesses into many
languages at https://www.jw.org/en/online-help/jw-language/.
[My First Conversations] [Go to Top] [Whole Syllabus]
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© 1998-2019 Jaspell (Jasper Burford and
Ellen Burford) Date of last edit: 23 January, 2019