SIMPLIFIED STUDY OF BENGALI LANGUAGE STRUCTURE

Teaching Truth in Bengali through English

Teaching Truth in Bengali

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This course will help you to learn to speak Bengali language in a simple and correct manner from the start. Instead of learning first the letters of the Bengali script, they are replaced with Roman characters. (1 Corinthians 14:8)

Having prepared the pronunciation, one will study enough of the structure, grammatical rules and vocabularies. One will consider the elements of a sentence one after another so as to put them together and express your message in sufficient detail. This forms a sound basis for you to construct meaningful conversations, adding additional vocabulary yourself, as and when necessary. (Zechariah 4:10)

To master the full extent of the language and grammar, you can go on to study our full course.

LIST OF CONTENTS
Click on the links:
General Notes
Audio Files
Pronunciation of Roman Characters
Romanized Script System
Phonetic Representation
Author’s Letter
Sentence Structure Made Easy
Your First Conversations
Basic Grammar Syllabus
Basic Grammar Exercises
GRAMMAR	EXERCISE	DETAILS
Grammar 1	Exercise 1	Doers (nouns and pronouns)
Grammar 2	Exercise 2	Process done (verb)—a simple past, present and future tense
Grammar 3	Exercise 3	Object forms of nouns and pronouns according to ‘case’
Grammar 4	Exercise 4	Quality describing doers and objects (adjectives, possessive pronouns, etc.)
Grammar 5	Exercise 5	Manner describing process done (adverbs)
Grammar 6	Exercise 6	Connectives linking to another clause
Grammar 7	Exercise 7	Conditional sentences
Grammar 8	Exercise 8	Interrogatives, correlatives and relatives
Grammar 9	Exercise 9	Other forms of expression common or without equivalent
Grammar 10	Exercise 10	Add other features

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GENERAL NOTES
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.

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AUDIO FILES TO GUIDE PRONUNCIATION

1. Sounds can be played by clicking on the hyperlinks in the table. These call audio files on the website.

2. The sounds can be all be downloaded. If necessary, follow the instructions given at this link, downloadsounds.htm.

3. When you want to learn the Bengali script, other helps are provided using audio files, such as the sound charts and other pronunciation routines.

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PRONUNCIATION OF ROMAN CHARACTERS

Vowels

PRONUNCIATION OF VOWELS
ROMAN CHARACTERS	ENGLISH SOUND	AS IN THE ENGLISH WORD	AFTER A CONSONANT (e.g. after “k ”)
“ ` ” (no vowel)	(no vowel)	(no sound after ‘k’ in “black_”)	k`
a	short “a” very short “o” (hints: ~“å”)	“wander” (inherent a) “off” (inherent a)	ka (~“kå”)
aa	long “a”	“far”	kaa
a , a, yaa	flat “a”	“apple”	ka (~“kyaa”)
i	short “i”	“pill”	ki
ii	long “i”, long “ee”	“pip”, “peel”	kii
u	short “u”	“pull”	ku
uu	long “u” long “oo”	“pool”	kuu
rri	short “ri”	“dribble”	krri
e	short “e”	“pegging”	ke
ee	long “oi” (diphthong for long “ee”)	“point”	kee (~“koi”)
o	medium “o”	“pond”	ko
oo	long “o”, “ou”, “ow”	“poke”, “pole”, “pound”, “power”	koo (~“kou”), (~“kau/kow”)
n°	nasal “ng”, but no “g”	“singer”	kan° (“ka^ng”)
hha	abrupt “h”	“Judah had”	kahh (~“kåhh”)
^	faint nasal “n” as in French	“Non, ton son est bon”	ka^ (~“ka^n”)

Consonants

Note that the sounds whose Romanization contains “-h” must be breathed. So, “kh” is like “ka” but breathed. (There is nothing similar in English.)

PRONUNCIATION OF CONSONANTS
PHYSICAL CLASS	ROMAN CHARACTERS	ENGLISH SOUND	AS IN THE ENGLISH WORD
Guttural -in the throat	k	k	keen
	kh	kh	rockhead
	g	g	got
	gh	gh	slagheap
	n¹	n	donkey
Palatal - on the palate	c (hints: “tch”)	ch	chair
	ch (hints: ~“tchh”)	tchh	matchhead
	j	j	enjoy
	jh	dgeh	hedgehog
	n²	n	enjoy, pinch
Cerebral or Retroflexive - with the tongue bent back on the roof of the mouth	t / t³	t	alter
	th / t³h	th	malthouse
	d / d³	d	holder
	r / r³ (rolled)	r , rr	millrun, barrel
	dh / d³h	dh	goldhammer
	rh / r³h (rolled)	rrh	myrrh lump
	n or n³	n	inlaid
Dental - on the teeth	t	t	panting
	th	th	anthill
	d	d	beds
	dh	dh	bedheads
	n	n	bending
Labial - on the lips	p	p	peace
	ph	ph	uphold
	b (or v, w)	b ( w ) ( v )	bob (twin) (advise)
	bh	bh	nibholder
	m	m	mop
Forward - Semi-Vowels	y (hints: ~“j”)	j	jog
	y	y	yes
	r (rolled)	r	red
	l	l	led
Sibilants	sh	sh	dishes
	s (hints: ~“sh”)	sh	rashly
	s (hints: ~“sh”)	sh s	washroom ensure,
	s before t, th, p, ph	s	stop
Semi-guttural - Semi-Vowel	h	h	happy

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ROMANIZED SCRIPT SYSTEM

The Romanized form is a script system in which each Bengali letter is matched accurately and uniquely by a character (or a group) taken from the Roman alphabet.  Many of these sound nearly the same as the normal sound of the Bengali character.  However, some Bengali characters are sometimes pronounced differently from normal. In these cases we provide phonetic hints like “(~shaak’kå)”.

A further great benefit of this Romanization method is its conformity of use in all the aids that we provide that we provide for other Sanskrit-based languages.  So you can easily adapt to these scripts and languages.  Some students have learned the Bengali script with the help of the Romanized script in less than two days.

It also conforms with the  Romanized typing method available with Jaspell's free Jaldi Multilingual  Word Processor Software Package.

[Go to Audio Files] [Go to Pronunciation]
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PHONETIC REPRESENTATION

To begin with you may feel that you would prefer to read the simplest representation of the approximate sound of the Bengali. That is fine, if we are only learning some set phrases off by heart. However, a language like Bengali is more complicated because of its numerous, variable sounds and letters.

If you want to spell correctly so as to write Bengali, you will need a more accurate system of writing. It is necessary in order to progress and to recognize or construct other sentences in different, unexpected circumstances.

In essence, the Bengali alphabet has far more sounds than the number of characters in the Roman alphabet. The language cannot be written sufficiently accurately purely in a phonetic form, because more than one Bengali letter can have the same sound. You cannot tell consistently what letters are being represented. Some students might write the example of “witness” approximately as “shako”. However, there are three different letters that can be pronounced like (~“sha”), and several letters or groups of letters that can be pronounced like (~“ka” or ~“kka”). If the pronounciation differs greatly from the normal way, we show more exact phonetic suggestions, such as (~“shaak’kå”).

Instead of attempting to replace the Bengali script merely with an approximate phonetic representation, we use a well-established alternative Romanized Script accompanied by audio files. These will help you learn the relationship between the sounds, the Bengali characters, and their equivalent Romanized characters.

If you wish, you can adapt better to the Romanization of the Bengali sounds by reading the letter below from the author. Also, you can click on [Contact Us!].

[Go to Author’s letter] [Go to Pronunciation] [Go to Contents]

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LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR

Dear Student of Bengali,

You may be puzzled about how we have used Roman characters to represent Bengali sounds.

The number of Roman characters is far less than the number of characters in the Bengali alphabet. Therefore, some of these are represented by a combination of Roman characters.

European languages pronounce some of the Roman characters in several different ways. Our Romanized Bengali may use them in yet another way.

Note that in French you may write the sound of “verre” also as “ver”, “vers”, “vert”, “verts”, or “vair”. Moreover, “v” is pronounced differently in German than these other languages. In English, a letter may be pronounced in numerous ways.

In Italian “c” is pronounced differently in “ca” than in “ce”. When we learn Chinese Mandarin using its Romanized form, Pinyin, we find “c” sounds like “ts”. Enjoy reading Zulu, in which “c” is clicked on the palate! So, we just try to adapt to any new ways of pronouncing these Roman characters.

Anyhow, any mysteries here should not inhibit you for very long, if you use the sound files and other pronunciation aids we have provided you.  Some have learned this way to read Bengali within two days. The same representation of the Classification of Sounds can be applied equally to many related languages from North India and Nepal.

With best wishes,

The Author

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SENTENCE STRUCTURE

This is the key to constructing simple sentences.

(A) Picture someone or something
(B) Decide what action is being done (placed last in Bengali)
(C) Add an ‘object’, if someone or something is affected by the action
(D) Describe the doer
(E) Describe the object
(F) Describe the action
(G) You can use your sentence as a clause, and connect it to another one.

For example, you can build up a sentence to say some or all of the following information.

“This little message joyfully tells everyone good news to us all, and …”

A		(This) message
B		message				tells
C		message		news		tells
D	This little	message		news		tells
E	This little	message	good	news		tells
F	This little	message	good	news	joyfully	tells
G	This little	message	good	news	joyfully	tells	and ...

Quality	DOER	Quality	OBJECT	Manner	PROCESS	LINK
4.	1.	4.	3.	5.	2.	6.
A: Someone or something
	(The) message
	san°baad
B: + action
	(The) message				tells.
	san°baad				bale.
C: + add an object
	(The) message		news		tells.
	san°baad		khabar		bale.
D: + describe the doer
This little	message		news		tells.
ei chota	san°baad		khabar		bale.
E: + describe the object
This little	message	good	news		tells.
ei chota	san°baad	bhaalo	khabar		bale.
F: + describe the action
This little	message	good	news	joyfully	tells.
ei chota	san°baad	bhaalo	khabar	aanande	bale.
G: + link this clause to another clause
This little	message	good	news	joyfully	tells,	and
ei chota	san°baad	bhaalo	khabar	aanande	bale,	eban°

There can be a direct object and an indirect object. Sometimes the ‘object’ section of the sentence has two parts, such as when someone gives someone (direct) something (indirect). The ‘direct’ part usually precedes the ‘indirect’ part.

This little message joyfully tells good news to all.

This little	message	to all	good	news	joyfully	tells.
ei chota	san°baad	sakal-ke	bhaalo	khabar	aanande	bale.

This little message joyfully tells good news to us all.

This little	message	us / our	to all	good	news	joyfully	tells.
ei chota	san°baad	aamaader	sakal-ke	bhaalo	khabar	aanande	bale.

A conditional sentence is made of two of these groups (‘clauses’). Start one with “yadi” (If ) and the other with the link “tabe” (then). Most Bengalis prefer to put “yadi” just after the doer.

If the news is good, then the message is good.

news	if	good	[is]	then	message	good	[is]
khabar	yadi	bhaalo	[ ]	tabe	san°baad	bhaalo	[ ].

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YOUR FIRST CONVERSATIONS

Discover how to build simple sentences using the building blocks provided.

Example 1

You *	aapani (~“aapåni”)
You are	aapani aachen
how?	keman? (~“kemån”)

* See General Notes

How are you?

You	how	are?
aapani	keman	aachen?

aapani keman aachen?

Example 2

I	aami
I am	aami aachi
fine, O.K., well	bhaalo
Thanks	dhanyabaad (~“dhån’nåbaad”)

I’m fine, thanks.

I	fine	am.
aami	bhaalo	aachi.
Thanks	[to you]	[be]
dhanya-baad	[ ]	[ ]

aami bhaalo aachi, dhanyabaad.

Example 3

[You] read!	[aapani] parun! (~“pårdun”)
message	san°baad (~“sångbaad”)
this	ei
kindness	dayaa (~“dåyaa”)
done	kare (~“kåre”)
please, kindly	dayaa kare

Read this message, please!

[You]	this	message	kindly	read.
[aapani]				parun!
[aapani]		san°baad		parun!
[aapani]	ei	san°baad		parun!
[aapani]	ei	san°baad	dayaa kare	parun!

ei san°baad dayaa kare parun!

Example 4

it [that]	taa
it is	taa aache
what?	kii?

What is it?

It	what	[is]?
taa	kii	[aache]?

taa kii aache?

Example 5

-’s, of	-’r, -er
my	aamaar
name	naam
I say / tell	aami bali (~“båli”)

I say my name. (Or, ‘Let me say my name.’)

I	my	name	say.
aami			bali
aami		naam	bali
aami	aamaar	naam	bali

aami aamaar naam bali.

Example 6

he	se
he says / tells	se bale
not, “No”	naa
his	taar
his own	taar nij

He does not say his own message.

He	his (own)	message	says not.
se			bale
se			bale naa.
se		san°baad	bale naa.
se	taar	san°baad	bale naa.
se	taar (nij)	san°baad	bale naa.

se taar nij san°baad bale naa.

Example 7

you give	aapani den
your	aapanaar
invitation	nimantran
little	chota, chotta (~“chhotå”)
“Yes”	haa^ (~“haang”), hyaa^, ha^ (~“heng”)

Yes, you give your little invitation.

Yes,	You	your little	invitation	give
	aapani			den
	aapani		nimantran	den
	aapani	aapanaar	nimantran	den
	aapani	aapanaar chota	nimantran	den
haa^	aapani	aapanaar chota	nimantran	den

haa^, aapani aapanaar chota nimantran den.

Example 8

He	tini
He says / tells	tini balen
his	taa^r

He says his own name.

He	his own	name	says.
tini			balen.
tini		naam	balen.
tini	taa^r	naam	balen.
tini	taa^r nij	naam	balen.

tini taa^r nij naam balen.

Example 9

we	aamaraa
we say / we tell	aamaraa bali
faith	bishvaas (~“bish’shaash”)
-s’, of	-der
our	aamaader
and …	eban° … (~“ebång”), aar

We say our faith, and …

We	our	faith	say.	and …
aamaraa			bali
aamaraa		bishvaas	bali
aamaraa	aamaa-der	bishvaas	bali
aamaraa	aamaa-der	bishvaas	bali	eban° …

aamaraa aamaader bishvaas bali, eban°…

Example 10

they	taaraa
they take	taaraa ney
they take	taa^raa nen
their	taader

They take their invitation.

…	They	their	invitation	take.
	taaraa			ney.
	taaraa		nimantran	ney.
	taaraa	taader	nimantran	ney.

taaraa taader nimantran ney.

Example 11

YOU	aapanaaraa
YOU say / tell / speak	aapanaaraa balen (~“bålen”)
news	khabar
very	khub

YOU speak very good news.

YOU	very good	news	say.
aapanaaraa			balen.
aapanaaraa		khabar	balen.
aapanaaraa	bhaalo	khabar	balen.
aapanaaraa	khub bhaalo	khabar	balen.

aapanaaraa khub bhaalo khabar balen.

Example 12

man	maanus
(the) man does	maanus kare
work	kaaj
he works / he does work	se kaaj kare

[The] man does good work

(The) man	good	work	does,	…
maanus			kare
maanus		kaaj	kare
maanus	bhaalo	kaaj	kare

maanus bhaalo kaaj kare

Example 13

if	yadi (~“jådi”)
only	maatra (~“maatrå”)
then	tabe (~“tåbe”)

If a good man only does good work, then …

If	[a] good	man	good	work	only	does,	…
		maanus				kare
		maanus		kaaj		kare
	bhaalo	maanus		kaaj		kare
	bhaalo	maanus	bhaalo	kaaj		kare
	bhaalo	maanus	bhaalo	kaaj	maatra	kare
yadi	bhaalo	maanus	bhaalo	kaaj	maatra	kare,	…
yadi	bhaalo	maanus	bhaalo	kaaj	maatra	kare,	tabe	…

yadi bhaalo maanus maatra bhaalo kaaj kare, tabe …

Example 14

who?	ke?
bad	khaaraap
now	ekhan (~“ekhån”)

… then who does this bad work now?

… then	who	this bad	work	now	does?
	ke				kare?
	ke		kaaj		kare?
	ke	ei	kaaj		kare?
	ke	ei khaaraap	kaaj		kare?
	ke	ei khaaraap	kaaj	ekhan	kare?
… tabe	ke	ei khaaraap	kaaj	ekhan	kare?

… tabe ke ei khaaraap kaaj ekhan kare?

Example 15

whether, is it so?	ki?
you know	aapani jaanen
question	prashna (~“pråshnå”)
of the question, question’s	prashner
answer	uttar (~“uttår”)
answer to the question	prashner uttar

Do you know the answer of the question?

You	question’s	answer	whether	know?
aapani				jaanen
aapani		uttar		jaanen
aapani		uttar	ki	jaanen?
aapani	prashner	uttar	ki	jaanen?

aapani ki prashner uttar jaanen?

Example 16

explanation	byaakhyaa (~“bek’kaa”)
to explain	byaakhyaa karaa
doing	kar-te (~“kår-te”)
to be able, can	paaraa
we can do	aamaraa kar-te paari

We can explain

We	explanation	making | can
aamaraa		paari
aamaraa		kar-te | paari
aamaraa	byaakhyaa	kar-te | paari
aamaraa	byaakhyaa	kar-te | paari
aamaraa	byaakhyaa	kar-te | paari

aamaraa byaakhyaa kar-te paari.

Example 17

to …	…-ke
to you	aapanaake
(the) truth	satya (~“shåt’tå”)

We can explain it to you.

We	to you	it	explanation	making | can
aamaraa				paari
aamaraa				kar-te | paari
aamaraa			byaakhyaa	kar-te | paari
aamaraa		taa	byaakhyaa	kar-te | paari
aamaraa	aapanaake	taa	byaakhyaa	kar-te | paari

aamaraa aapanaake taa byaakhyaa kar-te paari.

Moving Forward

You can extend these conversations. Choose additional words from the vocabularies and use the grammar explanations in the following Basic Language Syllabus.

[Go to Start of First Conversations] [Go to Top] [Go to Contents]

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INTRODUCTION TO THE BASIC GRAMMAR SYLLABUS

This basic course will cover the main features of the Bengali language. If you understand sentence structure you should be able to achieve quickly a system of communication that is simplified but adaptable and effective. A fully detailed course can be studied later in harmony with these basic but sound beginnings.

This basic language syllabus addresses each of the 10 elements of sentences described in “Sentence Structure Made Easy”. They are presented in the logical order in which you add them to build up sentences.

SYLLABUS
Grammar Section	Exercise	Grammar Subject
Grammar 1	Exercise 1	Doers (nouns and pronouns)
Grammar 2	Exercise 2	Process done (verb) — a simple past, present and future tense
Grammar 3	Exercise 3	Object forms of nouns and pronouns according to ‘case’
Grammar 4	Exercise 4	Quality describing doers and objects (adjectives, possessive pronouns, etc.)
Grammar 5	Exercise 5	Manner describing process done (adverb)
Grammar 6	Exercise 6	Connectives linking to another clause
Grammar 7	Exercise 7	Conditional sentences
Grammar 8	Exercise 8	Interrogatives, correlatives and relatives
Grammar 9	Exercise 9	Other forms of expression common or without equivalent
Grammar 10	Exercise 10	Add other features

[Go to Top] [Go to Contents]

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GRAMMAR 1. DOERS (NOUNS AND PRONOUNS)

1.1 Introduction to Nouns and Pronouns
1.2 Omission of the verb “to be” if “Aaaa is Bbbb”
1.3 Personal Pronouns
1.4 Vocabulary – Nouns and Pronouns
1.4.1 Vocabulary – Persons
       – 1.4.1.1 Family;
       – 1.4.1.2 Non-family
1.4.2 Vocabulary – Questions and Answers
       – 1.4.2.1 Arrangements;
       – 1.4.2.2 Topics
1.4.3 Vocabulary – Animals
1.4.4 Vocabulary – Things
1.4.5 Vocabulary – Concepts
1.4.6 Vocabulary – States
1.4.7 Vocabulary – Activities
1.4.8 Vocabulary – Time
1.5 Nouns and Pronouns: Full List – English to Bengali
1.6 Nouns and Pronouns: Full List – Bengali to English

[Go to Grammar 1] [Go to Top] [Go to Contents]

GRAMMAR 1.1: Introduction to Nouns and Pronouns

The person or thing that is doing something is represented by a noun or a pronouns. A noun names the doer. A pronoun is a short word that can be used in place of the noun.

A few nouns are listed below. You can learn more from the attached vocabularies or lists of frequently used words, and dictionaries. Pronouns are also listed here.

The listed form is for the doer (subject, nominative case) in the clause.

e.g. He said to me that  I should tell him.

The form of the nouns and pronouns listed here may be modified in various ways, if they occur as the object. See the later consideration of “Forms of Nouns and Pronouns As Objects According to ‘Case’”. [ Grammar Section 3 ]

e.g. He said to me that I should tell him.

[Go to Grammar 1] [Go to Top] [Go to Contents]

GRAMMAR 1.2: Omission of the verb “to be” if “Aaaa is Bbbb”

If the sentence expresses “Aaaa” is “Bbbb”, both “Aaaa” and “Bbbb” are in the unmodified subject nominative form. The doing word (verb) ‘to be’ can be omitted. Even if “Aaaa” is plural, “Bbbb” can be singular.

Examples:-

Today [ is ] Sunday.	aaj-ke [ ] rabi-baar.
We [ are ] parents.	aamaraa [ ] pitaamaataa.
God [ is ] love.	iishvar [ ] prem.
They [ are ] friends.	taaraa [ ] bandhu.

Practice
Translate:-

We [ are ] friends.	aamaraa [ ] bandhu.
aaj-ke [ ] rabi-baar.	Today [ is ] Sunday.
They [ are ] parents.	taaraa [ ] pitaamaataa.
aamaraa [ ] pitaamaataa.	We [ are ] parents.
God [ is ] love.	iishvar [ ] prem.
taaraa [ ] bandhu.	They [ are ] friends.

[Go to Grammar 1] [Go to Top] [Go to Contents]

GRAMMAR 1.3: Personal Pronouns

	Singular		Plural
Common	I	aami	we	aamaraa
	you	tumi	YOU	tomaraa
	he, she	se	they	taaraa
	it	taa	they	taaraa
Honorific	you	aapani	YOU	aapanaaraa
	he, she	tini	they	taa^raa

The above are the short colloquial (‘Chalito’) forms.  The classical (‘Sadhu’) forms are longer, as follows-:

Short / Chalito Form	(Long / Sadhu Form)
taa	(taahaa)
taa^	(taa^haa)
taaraa	(taahaaraa)
taa^raa	(taa^haaraa)

Practice
Translate:-

You [ are a] friend.	aapani [ ] bandhu.
taa [ ] rabi-baar.	it* [ is ] Sunday.
They [ are ] parents.	taa^raa [ ] pitaamaataa.
aapanaaraa [ ] pitaamaataa.	YOU [ are ] parents.
He [ is ] love.	tini [ ] prem.
aami [ ] bandhu.	I [am a] friend.

* Or “that”

Do Exercises 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
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GRAMMAR 1.4: Vocabulary – Nouns and Pronouns by Category

These are some useful words to learn — nouns and pronouns. These can be used for ‘Doers’ and for ‘Objects’

Some of the words shown below are used in this short course. The others can be used as you widen your conversations.

You will find a series of small vocabularies by category (Grammar 1.4.1 – Grammar 1.4.8) followed by two combined versions. One is from English into Bengali (Grammar 1.5) and one from Bengali into English (Grammar 1.6).

Grammar 1.4.1: Vocabulary – Persons

Grammar 1.4.1.1: Persons in the Family

boy, son	chele, putra
brother	bhaai
brother and sister	bhaaibon
children	chelemeye
daughter, girl	meye
family	paribaar
father	pitaa, baabaa
husband	swaamii (~“shaamii”)
husband and wife	swaam’strii
Jehovah	yihobaa (~“jihobaa”)
Jesus	yiishu (~“jiishu”) / iisaa
mother	maataa, maa
parents	pitaamaataa
sister	bon
son, boy	chele, putra
who	ye (~“je”)
who?	ke?
WHO (plural)	yaaraa(~“jaaraa”)
WHO? (plural)	kaaraa?
wife, woman	strii

Practice 1.4.1.1
Translate:-

WHO [are] the children?	chelemeye kaaraa [ ]?
yihobaa ke [ ]?	Who is Jehovah?
The brother [and] sister	bhaaibon
taaraa bandhu [ ].	They [are] friends.
Jehovah [is] love.	yihobaa prem [ ].
taa^raa paribaar [ ].	They [are] family.
Who [are] you?	aapani ke [ ]?

Grammar 1.4.1.2: Persons – Not in the Family

anyone, someone	keha / keu
Bengali person	baan¹gaalii
-doer	-kaarii
English person	in°rej
-er	-kaarii
friend	bandhu (~“båndhu”)
God (general Bengali)	iishvar (~“iish'shår”)
God (from Urdu)	khodaa
God’s	iishvarer, khodaar
individual, person	byakti (~“bekti”) / vyakti
leader	netaa
man	maanus
person, people	lok
person, individual	byakti (~“bekti”) / vyakti
plural ending “-s” (persons)	-eraa / -raa
Satan	shayataan
someone, anyone	keu / keha
terroriser	santraas-kaarii
witness	saaksii (~“sciàac’chii”)
woman, wife	strii (~“shaamii”)
worker	karma-kaarii

Practice 1.4.1.2
Translate:-

Someone[is the] leader.	keha neta [ ].
yiishu karma-kaarii [ ].	Jesus [is a] worker.
They [ are ] Bengalis.	taaraa baan¹gaalii [ ].
maanus in°rej [ ].	The man [is] an Englishman.
He [is] one who loves.	tini prem-kaarii [ ].
shayataan santraas-kaarii [ ].	Satan [is a] terroriser.
iishvarer paribaar	God’s family
Jesus [is] God’s Son.	yiishu iishvarer putra [ ].
We [are] Jehovah’s Witnesses	aamaraa yihobaar saaksii [ ].

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Grammar 1.4.2: Vocabulary – Questions and Answers

Grammar 1.4.2.1: Questions and Answers - Arrangements

answer	uttar
Bible	baaibel
book	bai (~“boy”), kitaab
chapter	adhyaay (~“åd-dhaay”)
magazine	patrikaa
meeting	sabhaa (~“shåbhaa”)
message	san°baad (~“shång-baad”)
name	naam
problem	samasyaa (~“shåmåsh'shaa”)
proof, evidence	pramaan
question	prashna
return visit	punahha saaksaat`
side of an issue	paksa
study	adhyayan (~“åd-dhåyån”)
that (thing)	ee
these (things)	e-gulo / e-guli
saying; word	kathaa (~“kåthaa”), baakya (~“baak'kå”)
this (thing)	e
those (things)	ee-gulo / ee-guli
verse (in a chapter)	pad (~“påd”)
visit	saaksaat` (~“shaak'kaat”)
what	yaa (~“jaa”)
what (one)?	kii?
what ones?	kii kii?
whether? is it so?	ki?
who	ye (~“je”)
who?	ke?
WHO (plural)	yaaraa
WHO? (plural)	kaaraa? (~“kaaraa”)
word spoken	baakya (~“baak'kå”), kathaa (~“kåthaa”)

Practice 1.4.2.1
Translate:-

What [is] that saying?	ee kathaa kii [ ]?
padgulo kii [ ]? / pad kii kii?	What [are] the versess?
What [is] God’s word?	iishvarer baakya kii [ ]?
kaaraa bandhu [ ]?	WHO [are] friends?
The study [is] today.	adhyayan aaj-ke.
WHO [are] God’s friends?	kaaraa iishvarer bandhu [ ]?
Those WHO [are] God’s witnesses!	taaraa yaaraa iishvarer saaksii!

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Grammar 1.4.2.2: Questions and Answers - Topics

attitude	manobhaab
belief	bishvaas (~“bish'shaash”)
evidence, proof	pramaan
manner, way	bhaab
mind	man (~“mån”)
purpose	uddeshya
religion	dharma (~“dhårmå”)
thought	man (~“mån”), mat
truth	satya (~“shåt'tå”)
will, desire	icchaa
world	jagat` (~“jågåt”), duniyaa

Practice 1.4.2.2
Translate:-

What [is] the will of God?	iishvarer icchaa kii [ ]?
bishvaas ki satya [ ]?	[Is] faith the truth?

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Grammar 1.4.3: Vocabulary – Animals

animal	pashu
bird	paakhi / paksi (~“påk'ki”)
dog	kukur
fish	maach

Grammar 1.4.4: Vocabulary – Things

article, thing	jinis
Bible	baaibel
book	bai (~“boy”), kitaab
chapter	adhyaay (~“åd-dhaay”)
creation	srristi
Earth	prrithibii
flesh, meat	maan°sa
food	khaadya, khaabaar
house	baarii, ghar, grriha
kingdom	raajya
Kingdom Hall	kin°dam hal
magazine	patrikaa
message	san°vaad (~“shång-baad”)
mind	man (~“mån”)
mother	maataa, maa
name	naam
picture	chabi (~“chhåbi”)
plural ending “-s” non-persons	-gulo / -guli
that (thing)	ee
these (things)	e-gulo / e-guli
thing, article	jinis
this (thing)	e
those (things)	ee-gulo / ee-guli
tree	gaach, brriksa (~“brik'kå”)
verse (in a chapter)	pad (~“påd”)
water	paani, jal
what	yaa (~“jaa”)
what (one)?	kii?
what (ones)?	kii kii?
world	jagat` (~“jågåt”), duniyaa

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Grammar 1.4.5: Vocabulary – Concepts

accurate knowledge	tatva jnaan (~“tåt'tå gyaan”)
answer	uttar
attitude	manobhaab
belief	bishvaas (~“bish'shaash”)
benefit	laabh, phaa'idaa
Bengali language	baan°laa
circumstances, situation	paristhiti
condition, state	abasthaa / avasthaa (~“åbåsthaa”)
desire, will	icchaa
direction, way	dik` / dig`, taraph
encouragement	ut`saaha
English language	in°rejii
evidence, proof	pramaan
faith	bishvaas (~“bish'shaash”)
freedom	mukti
happiness	sukh, aananda
hatred	ghrrinaa
help	saahaayya (~“shaahaaj'jå”)
hope	aashaa
kindness	dayaa (~“dåyaa”)
knowledge	jnaan (~“gyaan”)
lack, shortage	abhaab (~“åbhaab”)
life	jiiban
love	prem, bhaalabaasaa
manner, way	bhaab
mental spirit	man (~“mån”)
mind	man (~“mån”)
problem	samasyaa (~“shåmåsh'shaa”)
proof, evidence	pramaan
purpose	uddeshya
religion	dharma (~“dhårmå”)
rescue, survival	raksaa
righteousness	dhaarmikataa
salvation	paritraan
shortage, lack	abhaab (~“åbhaab”)
side of an issue	paksa
terrorism	santraas (~“shåntraash”)
saying; word	kathaa (~“kåthaa”), baakya (~“baak'kå”)
thought	man (~“mån”), mat
truth	satya (~“shåt'tå”)
way (direction)	dik`/ dig`, taraph
way (manner)	man (~“mån”), bhaab
wickedness	dustataa
will, desire	icchaa
word spoken	baakya (~“baak'kå”), kathaa (~“kåthaa”)

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Grammar 1.4.6: Vocabulary – States

benefit	laabh, phaa'idaa
circumstances, situation	paristhiti
condition, state	abasthaa / avasthaa (~“åbåsthaa”)
destruction	dhvan°sa (~“d'dhång-så”)
disturbance	ashaanti (~“åshaanti”)
encouragement	ut`saaha
freedom	mukti
happiness	sukh, aananda
hatred	ghrrinaa
hope	aashaa
kindness	dayaa (~“dåyaa”)
kingdom	raajya
lack, shortage	abhaab (~“åbhaab”)
last days	shes kaal
life	jiiban
manner, way	bhaab
peace	shaanti
problem	samasyaa (~“shåmåsh'shaa”)
proof, evidence	pramaan
purpose	uddeshya
rescue, survival	raksaa
righteousness	dhaarmikataa
salvation	paritraan
shortage, lack	abhaab (~“åbhaab”)
side of an issue	paksa
situation, circumstances	paristhiti
state, condition	abasthaa / avasthaa
survival, rescue	raksaa
terrorism	santraas (~“shåntraash”)
violence	dooraatmya (~“douraat'tå”), hin°saa
war	yuddha (~“jud'dhå”)
wickedness	dustataa

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Grammar 1.4.7: Vocabulary – Activities

answer	uttar
Bengali language	baan°laa
creation	srristi
crime	aparaadh (~“åpåraadh”)
desire, will	icchaa
destruction	dhvan°sa (~“d'dhång-så”)
to do	karaa (~“kåraa”)
-doer	-kaarii
doing	kar-te (~“kår-te”)
encouragement	ut`saaha
English language	in°rejii
-er	-kaarii
faith	bishvaas (~“bish'shaash”)
hatred	ghrrinaa
help	saahaayya (~“shaahaaj'jå”)
hope	aashaa
...ing / verbal: e.g. doing---	---kar-te (~“kår-te”)
...ing / verbal: e.g. seeing---	---dekh-te
kindness	dayaa (~“dåyaa”)
kingdom	raajya
love	prem, bhaalabaasaa
meeting	sabhaa (~“shåbhaa”)
proof, evidence	pramaan
question	prashna
rescue, survival	raksaa
return visit	punahha saaksaat`
study	adhyayan (~“åd-dhåyån”)
survival, rescue	raksaa
terrorism	santraas (~“shåntraash”)
to ... / verbal: e.g. to do---	---karaa (~“kåraa”)
to ... / verbal: e.g. to see---	---dekhaa
violence	dooraatmya (~“douraat'tå”), hin°saa
visit	saaksaat` (~“shaak'kaat”)
war	yuddha (~“jud'dhå”)
way (manner)	man (~“mån”), bhaab
wickedness	dustataa
will, desire	icchaa
witness (activity)	saaksa (~“shaak'kå”)
work	kaaj, kaam, karma (~“kårmå”)

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Grammar 1.4.8: Vocabulary – Time

day	din
day 1 : Monday	som-baar
day 2: Tuesday	man¹gal-baar
day 3: Wednesday	budh-baar
day 4: Thursday	brrihaspatibaar
day 5: Friday	shukrabaar
day 6: Saturday	shanibaar
day 7 : Sunday	rabi-baar / ravi-vaar
future	bhavisyat` (~“bhåbish'shåt”)
last days	shes kaal
time (measure)	samay (~“shåmoi”)
time (period, era)	kaal
today	aaj-ke
tomorrow	aagaamii kaal
week	saptaa (~“shåptaa”)
year ( in a date)	saal (~“shaal”)
year ( the period)	bat`sar (~“båt-sår”)
yesterday	gata kaal (~“gåtå kaal”)

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GRAMMAR 1.5: Nouns and Pronouns: Full List – English to Bengali

[Go to Full List – Bengali to English Nouns and Pronouns]

tomorrow	aagaamii kaal
today	aaj-ke
hope	aashaa
state, condition	abasthaa / avasthaa
condition, state	abasthaa / avasthaa (~“åbåsthaa”)
lack, shortage	abhaab (~“åbhaab”)
shortage, lack	abhaab (~“åbhaab”)
chapter	adhyaay (~“åd-dhaay”)
study	adhyayan (~“åd-dhåyån”)
crime	aparaadh (~“åpåraadh”)
disturbance	ashaanti (~“åshaanti”)
Bible	baaibel
word spoken	baakya (~“baak'kå”), kathaa (~“kåthaa”)
Bengali language	baan°laa
Bengali person	baan¹gaalii
house	baarii, ghar, grriha
book	bai (~“boy”), kitaab
friend	bandhu (~“båndhu”)
year ( the period)	bat`sar (~“båt-sår”)
manner, way	bhaab
brother	bhaai
future	bhavisyat` (~“bhåbish'shåt”)
belief	bishvaas (~“bish'shaash”)
faith	bishvaas (~“bish'shaash”)
sister	bon
day 4: Thursday	brrihaspatibaar
day 3: Wednesday	budh-baar
individual, person	byakti (~“bekti”) / vyakti
person, individual	byakti (~“bekti”) / vyakti
picture	chabi (~“chhåbi”)
boy, son	chele, putra
son, boy	chele, putra
kindness	dayaa (~“dåyaa”)
to ... / verbal: e.g. to see---	---dekhaa
...ing / verbal: e.g. seeing---	---dekh-te
righteousness	dhaarmikataa
religion	dharma (~“dhårmå”)
destruction	dhvan°sa (~“d'dhång-så”)
direction, way	dik` / dig`, taraph
way (direction)	dik`/ dig`, taraph
day	din
violence	dooraatmya (~“douraat'tå”), hin°saa
wickedness	dustataa
this (thing)	e
that (thing)	ee
those (things)	ee-gulo / ee-guli
these (things)	e-gulo / e-guli
plural ending “-s” (persons)	-eraa / -raa
tree	gaach, brriksa (~“brik'kå”)
yesterday	gata kaal (~“gåtå kaal”)
hatred	ghrrinaa
plural ending “-s” non-persons	-gulo / -guli
desire, will	icchaa
will, desire	icchaa
God (general Bengali)	iishvar (~“iish'shår”)
God’s	iishvarer, khodaar
English person	in°rej
English language	in°rejii
world	jagat` (~“jågåt”), duniyaa
life	jiiban
article, thing	jinis
thing, article	jinis
knowledge	jnaan (~“gyaan”)
work	kaaj, kaam, karma (~“kårmå”)
time (period, era)	kaal
WHO? (plural)	kaaraa? (~“kaaraa”)
-doer	-kaarii
-er	-kaarii
to do	karaa (~“kåraa”)
to ... / verbal: e.g. to do---	---karaa (~“kåraa”)
worker	karma-kaarii
doing	kar-te (~“kår-te”)
...ing / verbal: e.g. doing---	---kar-te (~“kår-te”)
saying; word	kathaa (~“kåthaa”), baakya (~“baak'kå”)
who?	ke?
anyone, someone	keha / keu
someone, anyone	keu / keha
food	khaadya, khaabaar
God (from Urdu)	khodaa
what ones?	kii kii?
what (one)?	kii?
Kingdom Hall	kin°dam hal
dog	kukur
benefit	laabh, phaa'idaa
person, people	lok
fish	maach
flesh, meat	maan°sa
man	maanus
mother	maataa, maa
mental spirit	man (~“mån”)
mind	man (~“mån”)
way (manner)	man (~“mån”), bhaab
thought	man (~“mån”), mat
day 2: Tuesday	man¹gal-baar
attitude	manobhaab
daughter, girl	meye
freedom	mukti
name	naam
leader	netaa
bird	paakhi / paksi (~“påk'ki”)
water	paani, jal
verse (in a chapter)	pad (~“påd”)
side of an issue	paksa
family	paribaar
circumstances, situation	paristhiti
situation, circumstances	paristhiti
salvation	paritraan
animal	pashu
magazine	patrikaa
fruit	phal
father	pitaa, baabaa
parents	pitaamaataa
evidence, proof	pramaan
proof, evidence	pramaan
question	prashna
love	prem, bhaalabaasaa
earth	prrithibii
return visit	punahha saaksaat`
kingdom	raajya
day 7: Sunday	rabi-baar / ravi-vaar
rescue, survival	raksaa
survival, rescue	raksaa
help	saahaayya (~“shaahaaj'jå”)
witness (activity)	saaksa (~“shaak'kå”)
visit	saaksaat` (~“shaak'kaat”)
witness (person)	saaksii (~“shaak'kii”)
year ( in a date)	saal (~“shaal”)
meeting	sabhaa (~“shåbhaa”)
problem	samasyaa (~“shåmåsh'shaa”)
time (measure)	samay (~“shåmoi”)
message	san°vaad (~“shång-baad”)
terrorism	santraas (~“shåntraash”)
terroriser	santraas-kaarii
week	saptaa (~“shåptaa”)
truth	satya (~“shåt'tå”)
peace	shaanti
day 6: Saturday	shanibaar
Satan	shayataan
last days	shes kaal
day 5: Friday	shukrabaar
day 1: Monday	som-baar
creation	srristi
wife, woman	strii (~“shaamii”)
woman, wife	strii (~“shaamii”)
happiness	sukh, aananda
husband	swaamii
accurate knowledge	tatva jnaan (~“tåt'tå gyaan”)
purpose	uddeshya
encouragement	ut`saaha
answer	uttar
what	yaa (~“jaa”)
WHO (plural)	yaaraa
who	ye (~“je”)
Jehovah	yihobaa (~“jihobaa”)
Jesus	yiishu (~“jiishu”) / iisaa
war	yuddha (~“jud'dhå”)

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GRAMMAR 1.6: Nouns and Pronouns: Full List – Bengali to English

[Go to Full List – English to Bengali Nouns and Pronouns]

--- dekhaa	to… / verbal: e.g. to see ---
--- dekh-te	…ing / verbal: e.g. seeing ---
--- karaa	to… / verbal: e.g. to do ---
--- kar-te	…ing / verbal: e.g. doing ---
aagaamii kaal	tomorrow
aaj-ke	today
aananda / sukh	happiness
aashaa	hope
abasthaa (~“åbåsthaa”)	condition, state
abhaab (~“åbhaab”)	lack, shortage
adhyaay (~“åd-dhaay”)	chapter
adhyayan (~“åd-dhåyån”)	study
aparaadh (~“åpåraadh”)	crime
ashaanti (~“åshaanti”)	disturbance
baaibel	Bible
baakya (~“baak'kå”), kathaa	word
baan°laa	Bengali language
baan¹gaalii	Bengali person
baarii, ghar, grriha