Learning pronouns in Mongolian, a language belonging to the Mongolic language family and primarily spoken in Mongolia and parts of China, is essential for mastering both spoken and written communication. Mongolian pronouns are characterized by their forms according to person, number, and case. This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns, providing detailed explanations and examples for each, including transliterations for pronunciation help.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Mongolian replace nouns referring to people or things and are used based on the person being referred to.

Subject Pronouns:

• Би (Bi) – I: “Би явж байна.” (Bi yavj baina) – I am going.
• Чи (Chi) – You (singular, informal): “Чи юу хийж байна?” (Chi yuu hiij baina?) – What are you doing?
• Тэр (Ter) – He/She: “Тэр уншж байна.” (Ter unshij baina) – He/She is reading.
• Бид (Bid) – We: “Бид сурч байна.” (Bid surch baina) – We are studying.
• Та (Ta) – You (singular, formal) or You (plural): “Та хаана байна?” (Ta haana baina?) – Where are you? / Where are you all?
• Тэд (Ted) – They: “Тэд тоглож байна.” (Ted togloj baina) – They are playing.

Object Pronouns:

Object pronouns in Mongolian often follow the verb and indicate the receiver of the action.

• Намайг (Namai) – Me: “Тэр намайг харж байна.” (Ter namai harj baina) – He/She is looking at me.
• Чамайг (Chamai) – You: “Би чамайг хүлээж байна.” (Bi chamai harj baina) – I am waiting for you.
• Түүнийг (Tüünii) – Him/Her: “Бид түүнийг уулзаж байна.” (Bid tüünii uulzaj baina) – We are meeting him/her.
• Биднийг (Bidnii) – Us: “Тэд биднийг урилаа.” (Ted bidnii urilaa) – They invited us.
• Таныг (Tany) – You (formal) or You (plural): “Тэр таныг магтаж байна.” (Ter tany magtaj baina) – He/She is praising you/you all.
• Тэднийг (Tednii) – Them: “Би тэднийг ажилд авах гэж байна.” (Bi tednii ajild avah gej baina) – I am going to hire them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Mongolian indicate ownership and are formed by adding “ийн” (iin) or “ын” (yn) depending on vowel harmony.

• Миний (Minii) – My: “Энэ миний ном.” (Ene minii nom) – This is my book.
• Чиний (Chinii) – Your: “Энэ чиний цүнх.” (Ene chinii tsünkh) – This is your bag.
• Түүний (Tüünii) – His/Her: “Энэ түүний машин.” (Ene tüünii mashin) – This is his/her car.
• Бидний (Bidnii) – Our: “Энэ бидний гэр.” (Ene bidnii ger) – This is our house.
• Таны (Tany) – Your (formal) or Your (plural): “Энэ таны бичиг.” (Ene tany bichig) – This is your document.
• Тэдний (Tednii) – Their: “Энэ тэдний ажил.” (Ene tednii ajil) – This is their work.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Mongolian point to specific nouns and vary based on distance.

• Энэ (Ene) – This: “Энэ сайхан.” (Ene saikhan) – This is beautiful.
• Тэр (Ter) – That: “Тэр алсын.” (Ter alsyn) – That is far.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns in Mongolian are used when the subject performs an action upon itself. Mongolian uses “өөрийгөө” (ööriigöö) for this purpose.

• Өөрийгөө (Ööriigöö) – Oneself: “Тэр өөрийгөө харж байна.” (Ter ööriigöö harj baina) – He/She is looking at himself/herself.

Interrogative Pronouns

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

• Хэн (Khen) – Who: “Хэн ирсэн бэ?” (Khen irsen be?) – Who came?
• Юу (Yuu) – What: “Чи юу хийж байна?” (Chi yuu hiij baina?) – What are you doing?
• Хаана (Khaana) – Where: “Та хаана явж байна?” (Ta khaana yavj baina?) – Where are you going?

Understanding and correctly using Mongolian pronouns is vital for navigating both simple and complex conversations. Practice forming sentences with each type of pronoun, and try to engage in conversations or writing exercises to apply these concepts actively. Remember, context and the nuances of Mongolian grammar play a significant role in choosing the correct pronoun form.