Bengali grammar (Bengali: বাংলা ব্যাকরণBangla bêkôrôn) is the study of the morphology and syntax of Bengali, an Indo-European language spoken in the Indian subcontinent. Given that Bengali has two forms, Bengali: চলিত ভাষা (cholito bhasha) and Bengali: সাধু ভাষা (shadhu bhasha), it is important to note that the grammar discussed below applies fully only to the Bengali: চলিত (cholito) form. Shadhu bhasha is generally considered outdated and no longer used either in writing or in normal conversation. Although Bengali is typically written in the Bengali script, a romanization scheme[which?] is also used here to suggest the pronunciation.
Pronouns
Personal pronouns
Bengali personal pronouns are somewhat similar to English pronouns, having different words for first, second, and third person, and also for singular and plural (unlike for verbs, below). Bengali pronouns do not differentiate for gender; that is, the same pronoun may be used for "he" or "she". However, Bengali has different third-person pronouns for proximity. The first are used for someone who is present in the discussion, and the second are for those who are nearby but not present in the discussion. The third are usually for those who are not present. In daily speech, speakers may often ignore some of these distinctions. Additionally, each of the second- and third-person pronouns have different forms for the familiar and polite forms; the second person also has a "very familiar" form (sometimes called "despective"). It may be noted that the "very familiar" form is used when addressing particularly close friends or family as well as for addressing subordinates, or in abusive language.
In the following tables, the abbreviations used are as follows:
VF = very familiar,
F = familiar,
P = polite (honor);
H = here,
T = there,
E = elsewhere (proximity),
and I = inanimate.
The nominative case is used for pronouns that are the subject of the sentence, such as "I already did that" or "Will you please stop making that noise?"
Personal pronouns (nominative case)
Subject
Proximity
Honor
Singular
Plural
1
N/A
N/A
আমি (ami, I)
আমরা (amra, we)
2
VF
তুই (tui, you)
তোরা (tora, you)
F
তুমি (tumi, you)
তোমরা (tomra, you)
P
আপনি (apni, you)
আপনারা (apnara, you)
3
H
F
এ (e, he/she)
এরা (era, they)
P
ইনি (ini, he/she)
এঁরা (ẽra, they)
I
এটি/এটা (eţi/eţa, it)
এগুলো (egulo, these)
T
F
ও (o, he/she)
ওরা (ora, they)
P
উনি (uni, he/she)
ওঁরা/ওনারা/উনারা (õra/õnara/unārā, they)
I
ওটি/ওটা (oţi/oţa, it)
ওগুলো (ogulo, those)
E
F
সে (shey, he/she)
তারা (tara, they)
P
তিনি (tini, he/she)
তাঁরা (tãra, they)
I
সেটি/সেটা (sheţi/sheţa, it)
সেগুলো (shegulo, those)
The objective case is used for pronouns serving as the direct or indirect objects, such as "I told him to wash the dishes" or "The teacher gave me the homework assignment". The inanimate pronouns remain the same in the objective case.
Personal pronouns (objective case)
Subject
Proximity
Honor
Singular
Plural
1
N/A
N/A
আমাকে (amake, to me)
আমাদেরকে (amaderke, to us)
2
VF
তোকে (toke, to you)
তোদেরকে (toderke, to you)
F
তোমাকে (tomake, to you)
তোমাদেরকে (tomaderke, to you)
P
আপনাকে (apnake, to you)
আপনাদেরকে (apnaderke, to you)
3
H
F
একে (eke, to him/her)
এদেরকে (ederke, to them)
P
এঁকে (ẽke, to him/her)
এঁদেরকে (ẽderke, them)
I
এটিকে/এটাকে (eţike/eţake, to it)
এগুলোকে (eguloke, to these)
T
F
ওকে (oke, to him/her)
ওদেরকে (oderke, to them)
P
ওঁকে (õke, to him/her)
ওঁদেরকে (õderke, to them)
I
ওটিকে/ওটাকে (oţike/oţake, to it)
ওগুলোকে (oguloke, to those)
E
F
তাকে (take, to him/her)
তাদেরকে (taderke, to them)
P
তাঁকে (tãke, to him/her)
তাঁদেরকে (tãderke, to them)
I
সেটিকে/সেটাকে (sheţike/sheţake, to it)
সেগুলোকে (sheguloke, to those)
The genitive case is used to show possession, such as "Where is your coat?" or "Let's go to our house". In addition, sentences such as "I have a book" (আমার একটি বই আছে) or "I need money" (আমার টাকা দরকার) also use the genitive (the literal translation of the Bengali versions of these sentences would be "There is my book" and "There is my need for money" respectively).
Personal pronouns (genitive case)
Subject
Proximity
Honor
Singular
Plural
1
N/A
N/A
আমার (amar, my/mine)
আমাদের (amader, our)
2
VF
তোর (tor, your)
তোদের (toder, your)
F
তোমার (tomar, your)
তোমাদের (tomader, your)
P
আপনার (apnar, your)
আপনাদের (apnader, your)
3
H
F
এর (er, his/her)
এদের (eder, their)
P
এঁর (ẽr, his/her)
এঁদের (ẽder, their)
I
এটির/এটার (eţir/eţar, its)
এগুলোর (egulor, of these)
T
F
ওর (or, his/her)
ওদের (oder, their)
P
ওঁর (õr, his/her)
ওঁদের (õder, their)
I
ওটির/ওটার (oţir/oţar, its)
ওগুলোর (ogulor, of those)
E
F
তার (tar, his/her)
তাদের (tader, their)
P
তাঁর (tãr, his/her)
তাঁদের (tãder, their)
I
সেটির/সেটার (sheţir/sheţar, its)
সেগুলোর (shegulor, of those)
Indefinite and negative pronouns
Bengali has no negative pronouns (such as no one, nothing, none). These are typically represented by adding the negative particle না (na) to indefinite pronouns, which are themselves derived from their corresponding question words. Common indefinite pronouns are listed below.
Question word
Indefinite pronoun
Indefinite negative pronoun
কে (ke, who)
কেউ (keu, someone)
কেউ না (keu na, no one)
কার (kar, whose)
কারও (karo, someone's)
কারও না (karo na, no one's)
কাকে (kake, to whom)
কাউকে (kauke, to someone)
কাউকে না (kauke na, to no one)
কোন (kon, which)
কোনো (kono, any)
কোনো না (kono na, none)
কি (ki, what)
কিছু (kichu, some/something)
কিছু না (kichu na, nothing)
Relative pronouns
The relative pronoun যে (je) and its different variants, as shown below, are commonly employed in complex sentences. The relative pronouns for animate objects change for number and honor, but those for inanimate objects stay the same.
Animacy
Case
Honor
Singular
Plural
Animate
Nominative
F
যে (je)
যারা (jara)
P
যিনি (jini)
যাঁরা (jãra)
Objective
F
যাকে (jake)
যাদের (jader)
P
যাঁকে (jãke)
যাঁদের (jãder)
Genitive
F
যার (jar)
যাদের (jader)
P
যাঁর (jãr)
যাঁদের (jãder)
Inanimate
Nominative
N/A
যা (ja)
Genitive
N/A
যার (jar)
Locative
N/A
যাতে (jate)
Nouns
Case
Nouns are also inflected for case, including nominative, objective (accusative), genitive (possessive), and locative. The marking pattern for each noun being inflected depends on the noun's degree of animacy. The objective case cannot be inflected upon nouns which are inanimate, and the locative case cannot be inflected upon nouns which are animate. When a definite article such as -ţa (টা, for singular nouns) or -gulo (গুলো, for plural nouns) is added, nouns are also inflected for number. In formal contexts, especially in writing, the definite article -ţa is replaced by -ţi (টি). There is also an alternative way of using the plural definite article, -gulo, by making it -guli (গুলি). For animate nouns, -gulo/-guli are often replaced by -ra (রা) Below are two tables which show the inflections of an animate noun, ছাত্র chhatrô (student), and an inanimate noun, জুতা juta (shoe).
Noun inflection
Case
Animacy
Singular
Plural
Nominative
Animate
ছাত্রটি/
chhatrô-ţi/
ছাত্রটা
chhatrô-ţa
ছাত্রটি/ ছাত্রটা
chhatrô-ţi/ chhatrô-ţa
the student
ছাত্ররা
chhatrô-ra
ছাত্ররা
chhatrô-ra
the students
Objective
ছাত্রটিকে/
chhatrô-ţi-ke/
ছাত্রটাকে
chhatrô-ţa-ke
ছাত্রটিকে/ ছাত্রটাকে
chhatrô-ţi-ke/ chhatrô-ţa-ke
(to) the student
ছাত্রদেরকে
chhatrô-der-ke
ছাত্রদেরকে
chhatrô-der-ke
(to) the students
Genitive
ছাত্রটির/
chhatrô-ţi-r/
ছাত্রটার
chhatrô-ţa-r
ছাত্রটির/ ছাত্রটার
chhatrô-ţi-r/ chhatrô-ţa-r
the student's
ছাত্রদের
chhatrô-der
ছাত্রদের
chhatrô-der
the students'
Nominative
Inanimate
জুতাটি/
juta-ţi/
জুতাটা
juta-ţa
জুতাটি/ জুতাটা
juta-ţi/ juta-ţa
the shoe
জুতাগুলো
juta-gulo
জুতাগুলো
juta-gulo
the shoes
Genitive
জুতাটির/
juta-ţi-r/
জুতাটার
juta-ţa-r
জুতাটির/ জুতাটার
juta-ţi-r/ juta-ţa-r
the shoe's
জুতাগুলোর
juta-gulo-r
জুতাগুলোর
juta-gulo-r
the shoes'
Locative
জুতাটিতে/
juta-ţi-te/
জুতাটায়
juta-ţa-y
জুতাটিতে/ জুতাটায়
juta-ţi-te/ juta-ţa-y
on/in the shoe
জুতাগুলোতে
juta-gulo-te
জুতাগুলোতে
juta-gulo-te
on/in the shoes
All of the inflected nouns above have a definite article preceding their case markers. There are some basic rules to keep in mind about the cases, apart from the "default" nominative.
For the objective case, the ending -রে -re may be used in certain non-standard dialects of Bengali. For example, the non-standard ছাত্রটারেchhatrô-ţa-re may be used instead of the standard ছাত্রটাকেchhatrô-ţa-ke.
For the genitive case, the ending may change, though never with a definite article attached. A noun (without an article) which ends in a consonant or the inherent vowel, অ ô, is inflected by adding – ের -er to the end of the word (and deleting the inherent vowel if applicable). An example of this would be the genitive of মাংস mangshô "meat" being মাংসেরmangsher "of meat" or "(the) meat's". A noun which ends in any vowel apart from the inherent vowel will just have a -র -r following it, as in the genitive of ছেলে chhele being ছেলেরchheler "(the) boy's". The genitive ending is also applied to verbs (in their verbal noun forms), which is most commonly seen when using postpositions (for example: শেখার জন্য shekharjonno, "to/for learning").
For the locative case, the marker also changes in a similar fashion to the genitive case, with consonants and the inherent vowel having their own ending, – ে -e, and all other vowels having another ending, -তে -te, with one exception. If a noun ends with – া -a, then its locative case marker would be -য় -y, as in কলকাতায় Kolkata-y "to Kolkata". However, this special exception for -a ending nouns is often ignored, and colloquially many will say কলকাতাতে Kolkata-te instead of the proper Kolkata-y.
Measure words
When counted, nouns must also be accompanied by the appropriate measure word. As in many eastern Asian languages (e.g. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc.), nouns in Bengali cannot be counted directly by adding the numeral directly adjacent to the noun. The noun's measure word (MW) must be used in between the numeral and the noun. Most nouns take the generic measure word ţa, although there are many more specific measure words, such as jon, which is only used to count humans.
Measure words
Bengali
Nôy-ţa
Nine-MW
ghoŗi
clock
Nôy-ţa ghoŗi
Nine-MW clock
Nine clocks
Kôy-ţa
How many-MW
balish
pillow
Kôy-ţa balish
{How many-MW} pillow
How many pillows
Ônek-jon
Many-MW
lok
person
Ônek-jon lok
Many-MW person
Many people
Char-pañch-jon
Four-five-MW
shikkhôk
teacher
Char-pañch-jon shikkhôk
Four-five-MW teacher
Four or five teachers
Measuring nouns in Bengali without their corresponding measure words (e.g. aţ biŗal instead of aţ-ţa biŗal "eight cats") would typically be considered ungrammatical. However, omitting the noun and preserving the measure word is grammatical and not uncommon to hear. For example, Shudhu êk-jon thakbe. (lit. "Only one-MW will remain.") would be understood to mean "Only one person will remain.", since jon can only be used to count humans. The word lok "person" is implied.
Adjectives
Adjectives do not inflect for case, gender, or number in Bengali and are placed before the noun they modify.
Some adjectives form their opposites by prefixing অ- (before consonants) or অন- (before vowels): for example, the opposite of সম্ভব (sômbhôb, "possible") is অসম্ভব (asômbhôb, "impossible").
Demonstrative adjectives – this and that – correspond to এই and ওই respectively, with the definite article attached to the following noun. Their plural forms (these/those) remain the same, with the plurality denoted by the definite article or the classifier. Thus, this book would translate to এই বইটি, while those books would translate to ওই বইগুলো.
Comparatives and superlatives
Bengali adjectives form their comparative forms with আরও (aaro, "more"), and their superlative forms with সবচেয়ে (shôbcheye, "than all"). Comparisons are formed by using genitive form of the object of comparison, followed by the postposition চেয়ে (cheye, "than") or the postposition মতো (môto, "like") and then by আরও ("more") or কম (kôm, "less"). The word for "more" is optional, but the word for "less" is required, so in its absence "more" is inferred. Adjectives can be additionally modified by using অনেক (ônek, "much") or অনেক বেশি (ônek beshi, "much more"), which are especially useful for comparing quantities.
Bengali
সুভাষ
Subhāṣh
Subhash
আব্দুর রাহীমের
abdur-rahīmēr
Abdur Raheem’s
চেয়ে
cēẏē
than
লম্বা
lombā
tall
সুভাষ {আব্দুর রাহীমের} চেয়ে লম্বা
Subhāṣh abdur-rahīmēr cēẏē lombā
Subhash {Abdur Raheem’s} than tall
Subhash is taller than Abdur Raheem
সুভাষ
Subhāṣh
Subhash
আব্দুর রাহীমের
abdur-rahīmēr
of Abdur Raheem
চেয়ে
cēẏē
than
আরও
ār'ō
more
লম্বা
lombā
tall
সুভাষ {আব্দুর রাহীমের} চেয়ে আরও লম্বা
Subhāṣh abdur-rahīmēr cēẏē ār'ō lombā
Subhash {of Abdur Raheem} than more tall
Subhash is taller than Abdur Raheem
সুভাষ
Subhāṣh
Subhash
আব্দুর রাহীমের
abdur rahīmēr
of Abdur Raheem
চেয়ে
cēẏē
than
কম
kom
less
লম্বা
lombā
tall
সুভাষ {আব্দুর রাহীমের} চেয়ে কম লম্বা
Subhāṣh {abdur rahīmēr} cēẏē kom lombā
Subhash {of Abdur Raheem} than less tall
Subhash is less tall than Abdur Raheem
সুভাষ
Subhāṣh
Subhash
আব্দুর রাহীমের
abdur rahīmēr
of Abdur Raheem
মতো
motō
like
লম্বা
lombā
tall
সুভাষ {আব্দুর রাহীমের} মতো লম্বা
Subhāṣh {abdur rahīmēr} motō lombā
Subhash {of Abdur Raheem} like tall
Subhash is as tall as Abdur Raheem
সুভাষ
Subhāṣh
Subhash
আব্দুর রাহীমের
abdur rahīmēr
of Abdur Raheem
চেয়ে
cēẏē
than
অনেক
onēk
much
লম্বা
lombā
tall
সুভাষ {আব্দুর রাহীমের} চেয়ে অনেক লম্বা
Subhāṣh {abdur rahīmēr} cēẏē onēk lombā
Subhash {of Abdur Raheem} than much tall
Subhash is much taller than Abdur Raheem
Verbs
Bengali verbs are highly inflected and are regular with only few exceptions. They consist of a stem and an ending; they are traditionally listed in Bengali dictionaries in their "verbal noun" form, which is usually formed by adding -a to the stem: for instance, করা (kôra, to do) is formed from the stem কর. The stem can end in either a vowel or a consonant. Verbs are conjugated for tense and person by changing the endings, which are largely the same for all verbs. However, the stem vowel can often change as part of the phenomenon known as "vowel harmony", whereby one vowel can be influenced by other vowels in the word to sound more harmonious. An example would be the verb "to write", with stem lekh-: লেখো (lekho, you all write) but also লিখি (likhi, we write). In general, the following transformations take place: ô → o, o → u, æ → e, e → i, and a → e (the latter only in the perfect tenses), where the verbal noun features the first vowel but certain conjugations use the second. In addition, the verbs দেওয়া (dêoa , to give) and নেওয়া (nêoa, to take) switch between e, i, a, and æ. If verbs are classified by stem vowel and if the stem ends in a consonant or vowel, there are nine basic classes in which most verbs can be placed; all verbs in a class will follow the same pattern. A prototype verb from each of these classes will be used to demonstrate conjugation for that class; bold will be used to indicate mutation of the stem vowel. Additionally, there are irregular verbs, such as যাওয়া (jaoa, to go) that change the first consonant in their stem in certain conjugations, or such as চাওয়া (chaoa, to want) that add an extra ই -i- to the stem in the future, present progressive, simple past, and past habitual.
Like many other Indo-Aryan languages (such as Hindi or Marathi), nouns can be turned into verbs by combining them with select auxiliary verbs. In Bengali, the most common such auxiliary verb is করা (kôra, to do); thus, verbs such as joke are formed by combining the noun form of joke (রসিকতা) with to do (করা) to create রসিকতা করা. When conjugating such verbs the noun part of such a verb is left untouched, so in the previous example, only করা would be inflected or conjugated (e.g.: "I will make a joke" becomes আমি রসিকতা করব; see more on tenses below). Other auxiliary verbs include দেওয়া and নেওয়া, but the verb করা enjoys significant usage because it can be combined with foreign verbs to form a native version of the verb, even if a direct translation exists. Most often this is done with English verbs: for example, "to vote" is often referred to as ভোট দেওয়া (bhot dæoa, where bhot is the transliteration of "vote").
Copula
Bengali is considered a zero copula language in some aspects.
In the simple present tense, there is no verb connecting the subject to the predicative (the "zero-verb" copula). There is one notable exception, however, which is when the predicative takes on the existential, locative, or genitive aspects; for such purposes, the incomplete verb আছ- (ach) is used, which is conjugated according to the rules given below. Whereas the verb হওয়া (howa) means "to be", the verb আছ- can be roughly translated as "to exist" or "to be present".
In the past tense, the incomplete verb আছ- is always used as the copula, regardless of the nature of the predicative.
For the future tense and non-finite structures, the copula is supplied by the verb হওয়া (howa), with the exceptions being the genitive and locative predicatives for which the verb থাকা (thaka, "to remain") is utilized.
Possession: Bengali does not have a verb for possession (i.e. "to have", "to own"). Instead of the sentence "You have a book", possession in Bengali is expressed by the verb আছ- (for present and past tenses) and the verb থাকা (for future tense) inflected with the possessed object ("book") and a genitive (genitive) case for the possessor (i.e. তুমি → তোমার, you → your). For example: তোমার একটা বই আছে (Tōmāra ēkaṭā ba'i āchē, "You have a book"; Literally: "Your one book exists").
The following table demonstrates the rules above with some examples.
English
Bengali
Notes
Simple assertive
I am happy
আমি সুখী
Simple present: No verb used to denote the copula
I was happy
আমি সুখী ছিলাম
Simple Past: আছ- is used as the copula (with past inflection)
I will be happy
আমি সুখী হব
Simple future: হওয়া is used as the copula
Locative aspect
I am at home
আমি বাড়িতে আছি
Present: আছ- is used to connect to a locative predicative
I was at home
আমি বাড়িতে ছিলাম
Past: আছ- is used
I will be at home
আমি বাড়িতে থাকব
Future: থাকা is used
Genitive aspect
I have a book
আমার একটা বই আছে
Present: আছ- is used to connect to a genitive predicative
I had a book
আমার একটা বই ছিল
Past: আছ- is used
I will have a book
আমার একটা বই থাকবে
Future: থাকা is used
Existential aspect
There is time
সময় আছে
Present: আছ- is used to connect to an existential predicative
There was time
সময় ছিল
Past: আছ- is used
There will be time
সময় থাকবে
Future: থাকা is used
Negation
There are four sentence negators employed in Bengali:
The zero verb copula is negated using the incomplete negator ন-, which is conjugated as নই (1), নও (2F), নন (2P), নয় (3).
Existential sentences that use the verb আছ- are negated with নেই (nei), which does not need to be conjugated.
All other verbs (with the exceptions of the ones listed above) are negated using the universal negative particle না (na), which can also refer to "no" in yes–no questions. না is typically placed after the finite verb (see examples below), but can also be placed at the end of the sentence, which negates the whole sentence. না can be used in all tenses except two: the present perfect and the past perfect.
Verbs in the present perfect and the past perfect tenses are negated using the suffix -নি (ni) attached to the simple present verb form; this naturally means that in negative sentences the distinction between the two tenses is lost, since they both use the same verb form.
Negating verbs
English
Bengali
Notes
I am not happy
আমি সুখী নই
Incomplete negator ন- conjugated for first-person
We don't have a car
আমাদের গাড়ি নেই
নেই used to negate আছ-, which is completely replaced
I don't work
আমি কাজ করি না
না is used to negate all other finite verbs
I didn't help him
আমি তাকে সাহায্য করিনি
The suffix -নি is attached to the simple present form of করা to negate the past perfect form
Person
Verbs are inflected for person and honour, but not for number. There are five forms: first person, second person (very familiar), second person (familiar), third person (familiar), and second/third person (polite). The same sample subject pronouns will be used for all the example conjugation paradigms: ami (Bengali: আমি), tui (তুই), tumi (তুমি), she (সে) and apni (আপনি). These have the following plurals respectively: amra (আমরা), tora (তোরা), tomra (তোমরা), tara (তারা) and apnara (আপনারা).
Mood
There are two moods for Bengali verbs: the indicative and the imperative. The indicative mood is used for statements of fact; its various tenses are given below.
The imperative mood is used to give commands. Just as in other Indo-Aryan languages, the imperative form of a verb differs on the basis of honorifics. The three sets of second-person pronouns – তুই/তোরা (2 (VF)), তুমি/তোমরা (2 (F)), আপনি/আপনারা (2/3 (P)) – combined with slight modifications to the stem of any verb form the imperatives for that verb; these are described in the table below. Bengali also has a 3rd person imperative, using the pronouns সে/তারা (3 (F)). Note that the plural command forms change the pronoun but not the verb ending. The 2nd person familiar and very familiar don't take stem transformations, while the others do.
Imperative mood
Verb
2 (VF)
2 (F)
3 (F)
2/3 (P)
বলা
বলা
bôla
তুই
tui
বল্
bôl
তুই বল্
tui bôl
তুমি
tumi
বল
bôlo
তুমি বল
tumi bôlo
সে
she
বলুক
boluk
সে বলুক
she boluk
আপনি
apni
বলুন
bolun
আপনি বলুন
apni bolun
খোলা
khola
খোলা
khola
তুই
tui
খোল্
khol
তুই খোল্
tui khol
তুমি
tumi
খোল
kholo
তুমি খোল
tumi kholo
সে
she
খুলুক
khuluk
সে খুলুক
she khuluk
আপনি
apni
খুলুন
khulun
আপনি খুলুন
apni khulun
খেলা
khêla
খেলা
khêla
তুই
tui
খেল্
khêl
তুই খেল্
tui khêl
তুমি
tumi
খেল
khêlo
তুমি খেল
tumi khêlo
সে
she
খেলুক
kheluk
সে খেলুক
she kheluk
আপনি
apni
খেলুন
khelun
আপনি খেলুন
apni khelun
চেনা
chena
চেনা
chena
তুই
tui
চেন্
chen
তুই চেন্
tui chen
তুমি
tumi
চেন
cheno
তুমি চেন
tumi cheno
সে
she
চিনুক
chinuk
সে চিনুক
she chinuk
আপনি
apni
চিনুন
chinun
আপনি চিনুন
apni chinun
জানা
jana
জানা
jana
তুই
tui
জান্
jan
তুই জান্
tui jan
তুমি
tumi
জান
jano
তুমি জান
tumi jano
সে
she
জানুক
januk
সে জানুক
she januk
আপনি
apni
জানুন
janun
আপনি জানুন
apni janun
হওয়া
hôoa
হওয়া
hôoa
তুই
tui
হ
hô
তুই হ
tui hô
তুমি
tumi
হও
hôo
তুমি হও
tumi hôo
সে
she
হোক
hok
সে হোক
she hok
আপনি
apni
হোন
hon
আপনি হোন
apni hon
ধোয়া
dhoa
ধোয়া
dhoa
তুই
tui
ধো
dho
তুই ধো
tui dho
তুমি
tumi
ধোও
dhoo
তুমি ধোও
tumi dhoo
সে
she
ধুক
dhuk
সে ধুক
she dhuk
আপনি
apni
ধুন
dhun
আপনি ধুন
apni dhun
খাওয়া
khaoa
খাওয়া
khaoa
তুই
tui
খা
kha
তুই খা
tui kha
তুমি
tumi
খাও
khao
তুমি খাও
tumi khao
সে
she
খাক
khak
সে খাক
she khak
আপনি
apni
খান
khan
আপনি খান
apni khan
দেওয়া
deoa
দেওয়া
deoa
তুই
tui
দে
de
তুই দে
tui de
তুমি
tumi
দাও
dao
তুমি দাও
tumi dao
সে
she
দিক
dik
সে দিক
she dik
আপনি
apni
দিন
din
আপনি দিন
apni din
Bangla also has a future imperative. In the second person familiar, this is formed by changing the vowel in the present imperative. In the second person very familiar, it's the same as the simple present form for that person. For the rest of the persons, the future imperative is the same as the future.
আঁকলে ãkle – conditional participle ("if X draws/ drew/ had drawn")
এঁকে ẽke – perfect participle ("having drawn")
এঁকে-এঁকে ẽke-ẽke – iterative participle ("having drawn many times")
For non-causative verbs (see more on causative verbs below), the verbal infinitive and perfect participle forms require stem transformations according to the principles of vowel harmony. Causative verbs only require stem transformations for forming their perfect participles.
The verbal noun can act like a regular noun, and can therefore take case-endings and classifier particles; additionally it can also function as an adjective. Both the verbal noun and the verbal infinitive are often used in constructions where the infinitive is needed.
The perfect participle can be combined with some verbs to denote a slight change in meaning for the first verb (as opposed to two verbs.) For example, (এটা) করে দাও (kore dao, 'do it (for us)'), করে নাও (kore nao, 'do it (for yourself)'), করে ফেল (kore phêlo, 'do it (with an emphasis on getting it done)'), etc. Many of these are similar to the light verbs used in other Indo-Aryan languages, though formed slightly differently.
Impersonal structures
Many common sentence constructions, such as those involving obligation, need, and possibility ("I have to", "We must", "He is supposed to", etc.) are built in Bengali without using nominative subjects; instead, the subject is omitted, or often put into the genitive case. These are typically constructed using the verbal noun (or the verbal infinitive in some cases) along with other nouns or verbs.
Obligation is expressed using the verbal infinitive and a third-person form of হওয়া (in any tense, but present tense also uses the future tense conjugation), with the subject in the objective case. For example: আমাকে খেতে হবে ("I have to eat"; হবে is the future tense conjugation for হওয়া).
Need is expressed by using the verbal noun with the noun দরকার (dôrkar, need), and the subject in the genitive. For example: আমার কথা বলা দরকার ("I need to talk").
Constructions involving "should", "ought to", or "must" are constructed with the verbal noun and the adjective উচিত (uchit, appropriate), and the subject in the genitive. For example: আমাদের যাওয়া উচিত ("We ought to go").
Passive
Any active verb can be turned into a passive one by attaching the auxiliary হওয়া to the verbal noun aspect of the verb in question. Only this suffix is conjugated, using the third-person endings for the various tenses. For example: "to eat" is খাওয়া, so "to be eaten" becomes খাওয়া হওয়া; in the future tense, "will be eaten" would be খাওয়া হবে, where হবে is the third-person conjugation for হওয়া in the future tense (more information on tenses below).
Causative
Most verbs (not all verbs have causative forms) can be made causative by adding the suffix -ন/নো to it. For example: "to do" is করা, which takes the -নো suffix to become করানো, or "to cause to do". The stem of such a causative verb – to be used when conjugating it – is thus the verbal noun form of the base verb (করা in the case of করানো). For the most part, such stems do not undergo any vowel transformations when conjugating for tenses. However, in the perfective participle (and thus, the perfect tenses), the -a at the end of the base gets removed, the -iye suffix is added, and the stem vowel changes, while the second person familiar future imperative is the same but with an -iyo and not an -iye.
Tense
Bengali has four simple tenses: the present tense, the past tense, the conditional or habitual past tense, and the future tense. These combine with mood and aspect to form more complex conjugations: the perfect tenses, for example, are formed by combining the perfect participles with the corresponding tense endings.
Aspect
There are three aspects for Bengali verbs: simple aspect, the progressive/continuous aspect, and the perfect. The progressive aspect is denoted by adding prefix the regular tense endings with ছ (for stems ending with consonants) or চ্ছ (for stems ending with vowels), while the perfect aspect requires the use of the perfect participle. These are combined with the different tenses described below to form the various verbal conjugations possible.
Simple present tense
The present tense in Bengali is similar to that of English: I eat, you run, he reads. The endings are -i, -(i)sh, -o, -e, and -(e)n, and only the 1st-person and the VF forms require stem transformations for vowel harmony.
Verb
1
2 (VF)
2 (F)
3 (F)
2/3 (P)
bôla
ami boli
tui bolish
tumi bôlo
she bôle
apni bôlen
বলা
আমি বলি
তুই বলিস
তুমি বল
সে বলে
আপনি বলেন
khola
ami khuli
tui khulish
tumi kholo
she khole
apni kholen
খোলা
আমি খুলি
তুই খুলিস
তুমি খোল
সে খোলে
আপনি খোলেন
khêla
ami kheli
tui khelish
tumi khêlo
she khêle
apni khêlen
খেলা
আমি খেলি
তুই খেলিস
তুমি খেল
সে খেলে
আপনি খেলেন
chena
ami chini
tui chinish
tumi cheno
she chene
apni chenen
চেনা
আমি চিনি
তুই চিনিস
তুমি চেন
সে চেনে
আপনি চেনেন
jana
ami jani
tui janish
tumi jano
she jane
apni janen
জানা
আমি জানি
তুই জানিস
তুমি জান
সে জানে
আপনি জানেন
hôoa
ami hoi
tui hosh
tumi hôo
she hôe
apni hôn
হওয়া
আমি হই
তুই হোস
তুমি হও
সে হয়
আপনি হন
dhoa
ami dhui
tui dhush
tumi dhoo
she dhoe
apni dhon
ধোয়া
আমি ধুই
তুই ধুস
তুমি ধোও
সে ধোয়
আপনি ধোন
khaoa
ami khai
tui khash
tumi khao
she khae
apni khan
খাওয়া
আমি খাই
তুই খাস
তুমি খাও
সে খায়
আপনি খান
deoa
ami dii
tui dish
tumi dao
she dêe
apni dên
দেওয়া
আমি দিই
তুই দিস
তুমি দাও
সে দেয়
আপনি দেন
Present progressive tense
The present progressive tense in also similar to that of English: I am eating, you are running, he is reading, etc. This tense is formed by combining the progressive aspect suffix (ছ/চ্ছ) with the present tense endings; we thus get -chhi, -chhish, -chho, -chhe and -chhen, and all forms require stem transformations for vowel harmony.
Verb
1
2 (VF)
2 (F)
3 (F)
2/3 (P)
bôla
ami bolchhi
tui bolchish
tumi bolchho
she bolchhe
apni bolchhen
বলা
আমি বলছি
তুই বলছিস
তুমি বলছ
সে বলছে
আপনি বলছেন
khola
ami khulchhi
tui khulchhish
tumi khulchho
she khulchhe
apni khulchhen
খোলা
আমি খুলছি
তুই খুলছিস
তুমি খুলছ
সে খুলছে
আপনি খুলছেন
khêla
ami khelchhi
tui khelchhish
tumi khelchho
she khelchhe
apni khelchhen
খেলা
আমি খেলছি
তুই খেলছিস
তুমি খেলছ
সে খেলছে
আপনি খেলছেন
chena
ami chinchhi
tui chinchhish
tumi chinchho
she chinchhe
apni chinchhen
চেনা
আমি চিনছি
তুই চিনছিস
তুমি চিনছ
সে চিনছে
আপনি চিনছেন
jana
ami janchhi
tui janchhish
tumi janchho
she janchhe
apni janchhen
জানা
আমি জানছি
তুই জানছিস
তুমি জানছ
সে জানছে
আপনি জানছেন
hôoa
ami hochhi
tui hochhish
tumi hochho
she hochhe
apni hochhen
হওয়া
আমি হচ্ছি
তুই হচ্ছিস
তুমি হচ্ছ
সে হচ্ছে
আপনি হচ্ছেন
dhoa
ami dhuchhi
tui dhuchhish
tumi dhuchho
she dhuchhe
apni dhuchhen
ধোয়া
আমি ধুচ্ছি
তুই ধুচ্ছিস
তুমি ধুচ্ছ
সে ধুচ্ছে
আপনি ধুচ্ছেন
khaoa
ami khachhi
tui khachhish
tumi khachho
she khachhe
apni khachhen
খাওয়া
আমি খাচ্ছি
তুই খাচ্ছিস
তুমি খাচ্ছ
সে খাচ্ছে
আপনি খাচ্ছেন
deoa
ami dichhi
tui dichhish
tumi dichho
she dichhe
apni dichhen
দেওয়া
আমি দিচ্ছি
তুই দিচ্ছিস
তুমি দিচ্ছ
সে দিচ্ছে
আপনি দিচ্ছেন
Present perfect tense
The present perfect tense is used to relate events that happened fairly recently, or even past events whose effects are still felt in the present. It is formed by adding the present progressive tense suffixes (see above) with the perfect participle of the verb.
Verb
1
2 (VF)
2 (F)
3 (F)
2/3 (P)
bôla
ami bolechhi
tui bolechhish
tumi bolechho
she bolechhe
apni bolechhen
বলা
আমি বলেছি
তুই বলেছিস
তুমি বলেছ
সে বলেছে
আপনি বলেছেন
khola
ami khulechhi
tui khulechhish
tumi khulechho
she khulechhe
apni khulechhen
খোলা
আমি খুলেছি
তুই খুলেছিস
তুমি খুলেছ
সে খুলেছে
আপনি খুলেছেন
khêla
ami khelechhi
tui khelechhish
tumi khelechho
she khelechhe
apni khelechhen
খেলা
আমি খেলেছি
তুই খেলেছিস
তুমি খেলেছ
সে খেলেছে
আপনি খেলেছেন
chena
ami chinechhi
tui chinechhish
tumi chinechho
she chinechhe
apni chinechhen
চেনা
আমি চিনেছি
তুই চিনেছিস
তুমি চিনেছ
সে চিনেছে
আপনি চিনেছেন
jana
ami jenechhi
tui jenechhish
tumi jenechho
she jenechhe
apni jenechhen
জানা
আমি জেনেছি
তুই জেনেছিস
তুমি জেনেছ
সে জেনেছে
আপনি জেনেছেন
hôoa
ami hoyechhi
tui hoyechhish
tumi hoyechho
she hoyechhe
apni hoyechhen
হওয়া
আমি হয়েছি
তুই হয়েছিস
তুমি হয়েছ
সে হয়েছে
আপনি হয়েছেন
dhoa
ami dhuyechhi
tui dhuyechhish
tumi dhuyechho
she dhuyechhe
apni dhuyechhen
ধোয়া
আমি ধুয়েছি
তুই ধুয়েছিস
তুমি ধুয়েছ
সে ধুয়েছে
আপনি ধুয়েছেন
khaoa
ami kheyechhi
tui kheyechhish
tumi kheyechho
she kheyechhe
apni kheyechhen
খাওয়া
আমি খেয়েছি
তুই খেয়েছিস
তুমি খেয়েছ
সে খেয়েছে
আপনি খেয়েছেন
deoa
ami diyechhi
tui diyechhish
tumi diyechho
she diyechhe
apni diyechhen
দেওয়া
আমি দিয়েছি
তুই দিয়েছিস
তুমি দিয়েছ
সে দিয়েছে
আপনি দিয়েছেন
Simple past tense
The (simple) past tense differs from its use in English in that it is usually reserved for events that have occurred recently; for instance, less than a day ago. It would be translated into the English simple past tense: I ate, you ran, he read. The endings are -lam, -li, -le, -lo, -len (notice that the vowels for the second and third [familiar] persons are the reverse of those in the present tense), and all forms require stem transformations for vowel harmony. For example: ami dekhlam, tui dekhli, tumi dekhle, se dekhlo, apni dekhlen. In non-rarhi varieties of Bengali, that is to say northern and eastern dialects, "a" is substituted for "e" in second-person familiar forms; thus tumi bolla, khulla, khella etc. which is the original inflection, the “e” in contrast is a vowel-harmonised variant of the former, having gone through a process called abhisruti.
Verb
1
2 (VF)
2 (F)
3 (F)
2/3 (P)
bôla
ami bollam
tui bolli
tumi bolle
she bollo
apni bollen
বলা
আমি বললাম
তুই বললি
তুমি বললে
সে বলল
আপনি বললেন
khola
ami khullam
tui khulli
tumi khulle
she khullo
apni khullen
খোলা
আমি খুললাম
তুই খুললি
তুমি খুললে
সে খুলল
আপনি খুললেন
khêla
ami khellam
tui khelli
tumi khelle
she khello
apni khellen
খেলে
আমি খেললাম
তুই খেললি
তুমি খেললে
সে খেলল
আপনি খেললেন
chena
ami chinlam
tui chinli
tumi chinle
she chinlo
apni chinlen
চেনা
আমি চিনলাম
তুই চিনলি
তুমি চিনলে
সে চিনল
আপনি চিনলেন
jana
ami janlam
tui janli
tumi janle
she janlo
apni janlen
জানা
আমি জানলাম
তুই জানলি
তুমি জানলে
সে জানল
আপনি জানলেন
hôoa
ami holam
tui holi
tumi hole
she holo
apni holen
হওয়া
আমি হলাম
তুই হলি
তুমি হলে
সে হল
আপনি হলেন
dhooa
ami dhulam
tui dhuli
tumi dhule
she dhulo
apni dhulen
ধোওয়া
আমি ধুলাম
তুই ধুলি
তুমি ধুলে
সে ধুল
আপনি ধুলেন
khaoa
ami khelam
tui kheli
tumi khele
she khelo
apni khelen
খাওয়া
আমি খেলাম
তুই খেলি
তুমি খেলে
সে খেল
আপনি খেলেন
dêoa
ami dilam
tui dili
tumi dile
she dilo
apni dilen
দেওয়া
আমি দিলাম
তুই দিলি
তুমি দিলে
সে দিল
আপনি দিলেন
Past progressive tense
The past progressive tense is similar to that of English: I was eating, you were running, he was reading, etc. This tense is formed by combining the progressive aspect suffix (ছ/চ্ছ) with the past tense endings, but with an extra -i- inserted in between; we thus get -chhilam, -chhili, -chhile, -chhilo and -chhilen, and all forms require stem transformations for vowel harmony.
Verb
1
2 (VF)
2 (F)
3 (F)
2/3 (P)
bôla
ami bolchhilam
tui bolchili
tumi bolchhile
she bolchhilo
apni bolchhilen
বলা
আমি বলছিলাম
তুই বলছিলি
তুমি বলছিলে
সে বলছিল
আপনি বলছিলেন
khola
ami khulchhilam
tui khulchhili
tumi khulchhile
she khulchhilo
apni khulchhilen
খোলা
আমি খুলছিলাম
তুই খুলছিলি
তুমি খুলছিলে
সে খুলছিল
আপনি খুলছিলেন
khêla
ami khelchhilam
tui khelchhili
tumi khelchhile
she khelchhilo
apni khelchhilen
খেলা
আমি খেলছিলাম
তুই খেলছিলি
তুমি খেলছিলে
সে খেলছিল
আপনি খেলছিলেন
chena
ami chinchhilam
tui chinchhili
tumi chinchhile
she chinchhilo
apni chinchhilen
চেনা
আমি চিনছিলাম
তুই চিনছিলি
তুমি চিনছিলে
সে চিনছিল
আপনি চিনছিলেন
jana
ami janchhilam
tui janchhili
tumi janchhile
she janchhilo
apni janchhilen
জানা
আমি জানছিলাম
তুই জানছিলি
তুমি জানছিলে
সে জানছিল
আপনি জানছিলেন
hôoa
ami hochhilam
tui hochhili
tumi hochhile
she hochhilo
apni hochhilen
হওয়া
আমি হচ্ছিলাম
তুই হচ্ছিলি
তুমি হচ্ছিলে
সে হচ্ছিল
আপনি হচ্ছিলেন
dhoa
ami dhuchhilam
tui dhuchhili
tumi dhuchhile
she dhuchhilo
apni dhuchhilen
ধোয়া
আমি ধুচ্ছিলাম
তুই ধুচ্ছিলি
তুমি ধুচ্ছিলে
সে ধুচ্ছিল
আপনি ধুচ্ছিলেন
khaoa
ami khachhilam
tui khachhili
tumi khachhile
she khachhilo
apni khachhilen
খাওয়া
আমি খাচ্ছিলাম
তুই খাচ্ছিলি
তুমি খাচ্ছিলে
সে খাচ্ছিল
আপনি খাচ্ছিলেন
deoa
ami dichhilam
tui dichhili
tumi dichhile
she dichhilo
apni dichhilen
দেওয়া
আমি দিচ্ছিলাম
তুই দিচ্ছিলি
তুমি দিচ্ছিলে
সে দিচ্ছিল
আপনি দিচ্ছিলেন
Past perfect tense
The past perfect tense differs from its usage in English. It's usually used for events that didn't happen recently; over a day ago, for instance, unlike Bangla's simple past (see above). It would usually be translated with English's simple past: I ate, you ran, he read, etc. but it can also be translated with English's past perfect tense: I had eaten, you had run, he had read, etc. It's formed by adding the past progressive tense suffixes (see above) to the perfect participle of the verb.
Verb
1
2 (VF)
2 (F)
3 (F)
2/3 (P)
bôla
ami bolechhilam
tui bolechhili
tumi bolechhile
she bolechhilo
apni bolechhilen
বলা
আমি বলেছিলাম
তুই বলেছিলি
তুমি বলেছিলে
সে বলেছিল
আপনি বলেছিলেন
khola
ami khulechhilam
tui khulechhili
tumi khulechhile
she khulechhilo
apni khulechhilen
খোলা
আমি খুলেছিলাম
তুই খুলেছিলি
তুমি খুলেছিলে
সে খুলেছিল
আপনি খুলেছিলেন
khêla
ami khelechhilam
tui khelechhili
tumi khelechhile
she khelechhilo
apni khelechhilen
খেলা
আমি খেলেছিলাম
তুই খেলেছিলি
তুমি খেলেছিলে
সে খেলেছিল
আপনি খেলেছিলেন
chena
ami chinechhilam
tui chinechhili
tumi chinechhile
she chinechhilo
apni chinechhilen
চেনা
আমি চিনেছিলাম
তুই চিনেছিলি
তুমি চিনেছিলে
সে চিনেছিল
আপনি চিনেছিলেন
jana
ami jenechhilam
tui jenechhili
tumi jenechhile
she jenechhilo
apni jenechhen
জানা
আমি জেনেছিলাম
তুই জেনেছিলি
তুমি জেনেছিলে
সে জেনেছিল
আপনি জেনেছিলেন
hôoa
ami hoyechhilam
tui hoyechhili
tumi hoyechhile
she hoyechhilo
apni hoyechhilen
হওয়া
আমি হয়েছিলাম
তুই হয়েছিলি
তুমি হয়েছিলে
সে হয়েছিল
আপনি হয়েছিলেন
dhoa
ami dhuyechhilam
tui dhuyechhili
tumi dhuyechhile
she dhuyechhilo
apni dhuyechhilen
ধোয়া
আমি ধুয়েছিলাম
তুই ধুয়েছিলি
তুমি ধুয়েছিলে
সে ধুয়েছিল
আপনি ধুয়েছিলেন
khaoa
ami kheyechhilam
tui kheyechhili
tumi kheyechhile
she kheyechhilo
apni kheyechhilen
খাওয়া
আমি খেয়েছিলাম
তুই খেয়েছিলি
তুমি খেয়েছিলে
সে খেয়েছিল
আপনি খেয়েছিলেন
deoa
ami diyechhilam
tui diyechhili
tumi diyechhile
she diyechhilo
apni diyechhilen
দেওয়া
আমি দিয়েছিলাম
তুই দিয়েছিলি
তুমি দিয়েছিলে
সে দিয়েছিল
আপনি দিয়েছিলেন
Habitual past tense
The habitual past tense has a few different uses. It is used for events that happened regularly, such as "I used to eat out every day" or "He wrote poems when he was young", the equivalent of an imperfect. It may also be used as a sort of conditional, such as the following: "If you asked I would come" or "If you had asked I would have come" (তুমি যদি বলতে আমি আসতাম tumi jodi bolte ami ashtam). It is easy to form the habitual past tense: simply start with the simple past tense and change the l to t (except in the tui [2 VF] form). The endings are -tam, -tish, -te, -to, -ten, and all forms require stem transformations for vowel harmony. For example: ami dekhtam, tui dekhtish, tumi dekhte, she dekhto, apni dekhten. In less standard varieties of Bengali, "a" is substituted for "e" in second-person familiar forms; thus tumi bolta, khulta, khelta etc.
Verb
1
2 (VF)
2 (F)
3 (F)
2/3 (P)
bôla
ami boltam
tui boltish
tumi bolte
she bolto
apni bolten
বলা
আমি বলতাম
তুই বলতিস
তুমি বলতে
সে বলত
আপনি বলতেন
khola
ami khultam
tui khultish
tumi khulte
she khulto
apni khulten
খোলা
আমি খুলতাম
তুই খুলতিস
তুমি খুলতে
সে খুলত
আপনি খুলতেন
khêla
ami kheltam
tui kheltish
tumi khelte
she khelto
apni khelten
খেলে
আমি খেলতাম
তুই খেলতিস
তুমি খেলতে
সে খেলত
আপনি খেলতেন
chena
ami chintam
tui chintish
tumi chinte
she chinto
apni chinten
চেনা
আমি চিনতাম
তুই চিনতিস
তুমি চিনতে
সে চিনত
আপনি চিনতেন
jana
ami jantam
tui jantish
tumi jante
she janto
apni janten
জানা
আমি জানতাম
তুই জানতিস
তুমি জানতে
সে জানত
আপনি জানতেন
hôoa
ami hotam
tui hotish
tumi hote
she hoto
apni hoten
হওয়া
আমি হতাম
তুই হতিস
তুমি হতে
সে হত
আপনি হতেন
dhooa
ami dhutam
tui dhutish
tumi dhute
she dhuto
apni dhuten
ধোওয়া
আমি ধুতাম
তুই ধুতিস
তুমি ধুতে
সে ধুত
আপনি ধুতেন
khaoa
ami khetam
tui kheltish
tumi khete
she kheto
apni kheten
খাওয়া
আমি খেতাম
তুই খেতিস
তুমি খেতে
সে খেত
আপনি খেতেন
dêoa
ami ditam
tui ditish
tumi dite
she dito
apni diten
দেওয়া
আমি দিতাম
তুই দিতিস
তুমি দিতে
সে দিত
আপনি দিতেন
Future tense
In less standard varieties of Bengali, "a" is substituted for "e" in second-person familiar forms; thus tumi bolba, khulba, khelba etc. The endings are -bo, -bi, -be, -be, -ben; the তুমি and সে conjugations are identical in this tense. Forms ending in a consonant do require stem transformations for vowel harmony, but ones ending in a vowel don't.
Verb
1
2 (VF)
2 (F)
3 (F)
2/3 (P)
bôla
ami bolbo
tui bolbi
tumi bolbe
she bolbe
apni bolben
বলা
আমি বলব
তুই বলবি
তুমি বলবে
সে বলবে
আপনি বলবেন
khola
ami khulbo
tui khulbi
tumi khulbe
she khulbe
apni khulben
খোলা
আমি খুলব
তুই খুলবি
তুমি খুলবে
সে খুলবে
আপনি খুলবেন
khêla
ami khelbo
tui khelbi
tumi khelbe
she khelbe
apni khelben
খেলে
আমি খেলব
তুই খেলবি
তুমি খেলবে
সে খেলবে
আপনি খেলবেন
chena
ami chinbo
tui chinbi
tumi chinbe
she chinbe
apni chinben
চেনা
আমি চিনব
তুই চিনবি
তুমি চিনবে
সে চিনবে
আপনি চিনবেন
jana
ami janbo
tui janbi
tumi janbe
she janbe
apni janben
জানা
আমি জানব
তুই জানবি
তুমি জানবে
সে জানবে
আপনি জানবেন
hôoa
ami hôbo
tui hôbi
tumi hôbe
she hôbe
apni hôben
হওয়া
আমি হব
তুই হবি
তুমি হবে
সে হবে
আপনি হবেন
dhooa
ami dhobo
tui dhobi
tumi dhobe
she dhobe
apni dhoben
ধোওয়া
আমি ধোব
তুই ধোবি
তুমি ধোবে
সে ধোবে
আপনি ধোবেন
khaoa
ami khabo
tui khabi
tumi khabe
she khabe
apni khaben
খাওয়া
আমি খাব
তুই খাবি
তুমি খাবে
সে খাবে
আপনি খাবেন
dêoa
ami debo
tui debi
tumi debe
she debe
apni deben
দেওয়া
আমি দেব
তুই দেবি
তুমি দেবে
সে দেবে
আপনি দেবেন
Prepositions and postpositions
Whereas English features prepositions, Bengali typically uses postpositions. That is, while these modifying words occur before their object in English (beside him, inside the house), they typically occur after their object in Bengali (or pashe, baŗir bhitore). Some postpositions require their object noun to take the genitive case, while others require the objective case (which is unmarked for inanimate nouns); this distinction must be memorised. Most postpositions are formed by taking nouns referring to a location and inflecting them for the locative case. They can also be applied to verbal nouns.
Postpositions that require genitive case
আগে aage 'before': সকালের আগেshôkal-er age 'before the morning'
পরে pôre 'after': সন্ধ্যার পরেshondha-r pôre 'after the evening'
উপরে upore 'on top of', 'above': বিছানার উপরেbichhana-r upore 'on top of the bed'
নিচে niche 'below', 'under': বইয়ের নিচেboi-er niche 'under the book'
পিছনে pichhone 'behind': আলমারির পিছনেalmari-r pichhone 'behind the cupboard'
সামনে shamne 'in front of': গাড়ির সামনেgaŗi-r shamne 'in front of the car'
ওই পারে oi pare 'across': নদীর ওই পারেnodi-r oi pare 'across the river'
কাছে kachhe 'near': জানালার কাছেjanala-r kachhe 'near the window'
পাশে pashe 'beside': চুলার পাশেchula-r pashe 'beside the stove'
জন্য jonno 'for': শিক্ষকের জন্যshikkhôk-er jonno 'for the teacher'
কাছ থেকে kachh theke 'from' (people): বাবার কাছ থেকেbaba-r kachh theke 'from father'
দিকে dike 'towards': বাসার দিকেbasha-r dike 'towards the house'
বাইরে baire 'outside': দেশের বাইরেdesh-er baire 'outside the country'
ভিতরে bhitore 'inside': দোকানের ভিতরেdokan-er bhitore 'inside the store'
মধ্যে moddhe 'in the middle of': সমুদ্রের মধ্যেshomudr-er moddhe 'in the middle of the ocean'
ভিতর দিয়ে bhitor die 'through': শহরের ভিতর দিয়ে shôhorer bhitor die 'through the city'
মতো môto 'like': তোমার মতোtom-ar môto 'like you'
সঙ্গে shôngge 'with': আমার সঙ্গেam-ar shôngge 'with me'
কথা kôtha 'about': সেটার কথাsheţa-r kôtha 'about that'
সম্মন্ধে shômmondhe 'about': ইতিহাসের সম্মন্ধেitihash-er shômmondhe 'about history'
সাথে shathe 'with' (animate): মায়ের সাথে'ma-er 'shathe 'with Mother'
Postpositions that require objective case
করে kore 'by means of': ট্যাক্সিকরে'ţêksi kore 'by taxi'
ছাড়া chhaŗa 'without', 'aside from': আমাকে ছাড়াama-ke chhaŗa 'aside from me'
থেকে theke 'from' (places): বাংলাদেশ থেকেBangladesh theke 'from Bangladesh'
