Learning pronouns in Bengali, an Indo-Aryan language spoken primarily in Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura, is crucial for mastering both basic and advanced aspects of the language. Bengali pronouns are rich and vary based on person, number, gender (to some extent), and formality level. This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns, providing examples and transliterations for each.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Bengali change based on the subject or object of the sentence. They indicate who is performing an action or to whom the action is directed.

Subject Pronouns:

• আমি (Ami) – I: “আমি যাচ্ছি।” (Ami yacchi) – I am going.
• তুমি (Tumi) – You (informal): “তুমি কি করছ?” (Tumi ki korcho?) – What are you doing?
• আপনি (Aponi) – You (formal): “আপনি কেমন আছেন?” (Aponi kemon achen?) – How are you?
• সে (Se) – He/She/It: “সে যাচ্ছে।” (Se yacche) – He/She/It is going.
• আমরা (Amra) – We: “আমরা খেলব।” (Amra khelbo) – We will play.
• তোমরা (Tomra) – You (plural, informal): “তোমরা রেডি হও।” (Tomra ready hao) – You all get ready.
• আপনারা (Aponara) – You (plural, formal): “আপনারা আসুন।” (Aponara asun) – You all come.
• তারা (Tara) – They: “তারা গান গাইছে।” (Tara gaan gaiche) – They are singing.

Object Pronouns:

Object pronouns often follow the verb and can vary slightly in form.

• আমাকে (Amake) – Me: “তুমি আমাকে ডাকো।” (Tumi amake dako) – You call me.
• তোমাকে (Tomake) – You (informal): “আমি তোমাকে ভালোবাসি।” (Ami tomake bhalobashi) – I love you.
• আপনাকে (Aponake) – You (formal): “আমি আপনাকে সম্মান করি।” (Ami aponake somman kori) – I respect you.
• তাকে (Take) – Him/Her: “আমি তাকে দেখেছি।” (Ami take dekhechi) – I have seen him/her.
• আমাদের (Amader) – Us: “তারা আমাদের ডাকছে।” (Tara amader dakche) – They are calling us.
• তোমাদের (Tomader/Tomake) – You (plural, informal): “আমি তোমাদের চিনি।” (Ami tomader chini) – I know you all.
• আপনাদের (Aponader) – You (plural, formal): “আমি আপনাদের সাহায্য করব।” (Ami aponader sahay karbo) – I will help you all.
• তাদেরকে (Taderke) – Them: “আমি তাদেরকে চিনি না।” (Ami taderke chini na) – I do not know them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Bengali indicate ownership or a relationship to something or someone.

• আমার (Amar) – My: “আমার বই।” (Amar boi) – My book.
• তোমার (Tomar) – Your (informal): “তোমার ঘর।” (Tomar ghor) – Your house.
• আপনার (Apanar) – Your (formal): “আপনার কলম।” (Apanar kolom) – Your pen.
• তার (Tar) – His/Her: “তার গাড়ি।” (Tar gari) – His/Her car.
• আমাদের (Amader) – Our: “আমাদের দেশ।” (Amader desh) – Our country.
• তোমাদের (Tomader) – Your (plural, informal): “তোমাদের বাড়ি।” (Tomader bari) – Your home.
• আপনাদের (Aponader) – Your (plural, formal): “আপনাদের সমস্যা।” (Aponader somossa) – Your problem.
• তাদের (Tader) – Their: “তাদের কাজ।” (Tader kaj) – Their work.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Bengali are used to point out specific nouns.

• এই (Ei) – This: “এই বইটি।” (Ei boiti) – This book.
• ওই (Oi) – That: “ওই গাছটি।” (Oi gachti) – That tree.
• এগুলো (Egulo) – These: “এগুলো ফল।” (Egulo phol) – These fruits.
• ওগুলো (Ogulo) – Those: “ওগুলো পাখি।” (Ogulo pakhi) – Those birds.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns in Bengali indicate the subject performs an action upon itself, often using “নিজে” (Nije).

• নিজে (Nije) – Myself/Yourself/Himself/Herself: “আমি নিজে করব।” (Ami nije korbo) – I will do it myself.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, places, or things.

• কে (Ke) – Who: “কে এসেছে?” (Ke esheche?) – Who has come?
• কি (Ki) – What: “তুমি কি খেতে চাও?” (Tumi ki khete chao?) – What do you want to eat?
• কোথায় (Kothay) – Where: “তুমি কোথায় যাচ্ছ?” (Tumi kothay jaccho?) – Where are you going?
• কেন (Keno) – Why: “তুমি কেন কাঁদছ?” (Tumi keno kandcho?) – Why are you crying?

Understanding and correctly using Bengali pronouns is essential for effective communication. Practice these pronouns in sentences, and try to engage in conversations to improve your grasp of their usage. Remember, the context and the level of formality are crucial in choosing the correct pronoun form in Bengali.