Test of Mongolian as a Foreign Language flashcards

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Vowel harmony

Mongolian suffixes change their vowels to match the stem: back-vowel stems take а, о, у endings; front-vowel stems take э, ө, ү endings. This rule governs nearly all inflection.

Accusative case ending

The suffix -ыг or -ийг marks a definite direct object. It attaches after the noun stem, with the allomorph chosen by the stem's final sound and vowel class.

Genitive case ending

The suffix -ын, -ийн, -ны, or -ний marks possession. The form depends on the stem's final consonant or vowel and on vowel harmony.

Dative-locative ending

The suffix -д or -т marks 'to' or 'at' a place or recipient. After voiceless consonants it surfaces as [t] in speech.

Ablative case ending

The suffix -аас or -ээс means 'from', marks comparison ('than'), and can express cause. Context selects which reading applies.

Comitative ending

The suffix -тай, -тэй, or -той means 'with' or 'having'. Combined with байна it forms the 'have' construction.

Verb-final word order

Mongolian is subject–object–verb. The predicate sits at the end of each clause, and subordinate clauses precede the main clause.

Topic particle нь

The particle нь marks information already known or established in discourse. It helps readers and listeners track which noun is the current topic.

Contrastive particle бол

The particle бол marks a contrasted topic, roughly 'as for'. It often pairs with нь or stands alone to shift the topic.

Quotative гэж

The word гэж introduces reported speech or thought. The quoted clause comes before гэж, and a verb of saying or thinking follows.

Habitual suffix -даг

The suffix -даг, -дэг, -дог, or -дөг marks habitual or repeated action in the present, similar to English simple present.

Progressive -ж байна

The suffix -ж or -ч followed by байна marks an action in progress. The past progressive uses -ж/-ч байсан instead.

Negative copula биш

The word биш negates a noun predicate ('is not'). It contrasts with байхгүй, which negates existence ('there is not').

Prohibitive битгий

The word битгий placed before a verb stem forms a negative command ('don't do'). It is distinct from the general negator -гүй.

Polite request suffix

The suffix -аарай, -ээрэй, -оорой, or -өөрөй softens a command into a request. Its vowel matches the stem by vowel harmony.

Permission -ж болно

The pattern verb + -ж/-ч болно means 'may do'. The negative counterpart -ж/-ч болохгүй means 'may not do'.

Joint action -ъя

The suffix -ъя or -ье on a verb stem means 'let's', inviting joint action. For example, явъя means 'let's go'.

Letters ө and ү

Mongolian Cyrillic adds ө and ү to the Russian alphabet, giving 35 letters. These are distinct from о and у and change word meaning.

Hard and soft signs

The letters ъ and ь carry no independent sound. They appear mainly in Russian loanwords and do not affect vowel harmony.

Formal letter closing

Formal Mongolian letters open with Эрхэм хүндэт plus the name and close with Хүндэтгэсэн followed by the signature and date.

Guillemets in punctuation

Mongolian writing uses « » for quotations, following Russian convention. A comma precedes conjunctions like гэхдээ and учир нь.

Long vowels

Long vowels are written doubled in Cyrillic (аа, ээ, оо, өө, уу, үү) and held roughly twice as long as short vowels. Length is phonemic.

Question intonation

Yes/no questions rise at the end and often carry the particle уу or үү. Wh-questions with юу, хэн, or хаана typically fall.

Diphthongs ай ой уй

The sequences ай, ой, уй, эй, and үй act as single syllable nuclei. They should not be split when parsing spoken words.

Numerals take singular nouns

After a numeral, Mongolian nouns normally stay singular: хоёр ном means 'two books'. Plural suffixes are not added in this context.

Plural suffixes

The general plural suffixes are -ууд and -үүд. For people, -нар and -нэр are common. Numerals normally take singular nouns instead.

Self-introduction formula

A standard introduction uses Намайг ___ гэдэг ('I am called ___'), then Би ___ -аас ирсэн ('I come from ___').

Ability чадна

The pattern verb + -ж/-ч чадна means 'can do'. The negative form -ж/-ч чадахгүй means 'cannot do'.

Relative clause participles

Relative clauses precede the noun and end in a participle: -сан/-сэн for past, -даг/-дэг for habitual, and -х for future or unrealized.

Loanword spelling

Russian-origin loanwords keep their Cyrillic spelling, such as театр and компьютер. They may not follow vowel harmony in derived forms.

Numbers above ten

Mongolian builds numbers compositionally: арван нэг is 11, хорь is 20, гуч is 30, зуу is 100, and мянга is 1000. Units are written separately.

Postpositions

Postpositions follow the noun: дээр (on), дор (under), дотор (inside), өмнө (before), дараа (after), ойр (near). Many take the genitive.