Introduce yourself and learn the names of your new Rohingya friends: Ãr nam …. . Tũwarar nam ki? “My name is …. . What are your names?“
Below is a set of example questions and answers.
| Q: | Ãr nam Anna. Tũwar nam ki (nam)? "My name is Anna. What is your name?" |
| A: | Ãr nam Noorullah. "My name is Noorullah." |
| Q: | Hibar nam ki? "What is her name?" |
| A: | Hibar nam Mary. "Her name is Mary." |
| Q: | Tũwarar nam ki? "What are your names?" |
| A: | Ãrar nam Tom ar Mary. "Our names are Tom and Mary." |
| Q: | Hitarar nam ki? "What are their names?" |
| A: | Hitarar nam Salim ar Ayeša. "Their names are Salim and Ayesha." |
By the use of demonstrative adjectives, such iba “this”, hiba “that” (used for Noun Class 1, which includes humans among other things), and personal pronouns you can introduce yourself and your family to others. You will learn more about how to use Rohingya demonstratives in lesson 7.
| Iba ãr bou. | "This is my wife." |
| Hibar nam Mary. | "Her name is Mary." |
| Iba ãr zamai. | "This is my husband." |
| Hitar nam Tom. | "His name is Tom." |
| Tũwarattu fuwain ase ne? | "Do you (pl) have children?" |
| Oi, ase. | "Yes, (we) have." |
| Ãrattu tinzon fuwain ase. | "We have three children." |
nam /nɑm/– “name”
bou / boᵘ/ – “wife”
zamai /zɑmɑⁱ/ – “husband”
fuwain /fʊˈwɑⁱn/ – “children”
ki /cʰi/ – “what”
| Personal pronouns in Rohingya | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Ergative | Genitive -r |
|
| 1p | ãi | ãr | |
| 2p | non-honorific | tui | tor |
| honorific | tũi | tũwar | |
| 3p | masc. | hite | hitar |
| fem. | hiba | hibar | |
| Plural | |||
| 1p | ãra | ãrar | |
| 2p | tũwara | tũwarar | |
| 3p | hitara | hitarar | |
NOTE: tui “you (singular, non-honorific)” is reserved for someone who is younger than you or for children. Tũi “you (singular, honorific)” is used by younger generation addressing their elders, and is the more respective form of addressing. The pronoun one “you (singular, very respective)” is less used than tũi.
| Ãr nam ……………………………. . (my name) |
| Tũwar nam …………………….. . (your name) |
| Hibar / hitar nam …………… . (her / his name) |
| Ãrar nam …………………………. . (our names) |
| Tũwarar nam ………………….. . (your names) |
| Hitarar nam …………………….. . (their names) |