Personal pronouns: би (I), чи (you inf.), та (you formal), тэр (he/she — no gender!), бид (we), та нар (you pl.), тэд (they)
Can use all 7 Mongolian personal pronouns correctly, including formal та and gender-neutral тэр
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Би оюутан байна. Тэр багш байна.
I am a student. He/She is a teacher.
Та хаанаас ирсэн бэ?
Where are you from? (formal)
Бид Монголд байна. Тэд Хятадад байна.
We are in Mongolia. They are in China.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Mongolian has no grammatical gender — тэр means he, she, or it.
| Mongolian | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| би | I | |
| чи | you (informal) | friends, family |
| та | you (formal) | polite singular |
| тэр | he / she / it | no gender distinction! |
| бид | we | |
| та нар | you (plural) | та + нар (plural suffix) |
| тэд | they |
Key: та is formal singular; та нар is plural (any register).
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesUses separate he/she pronouns (doesn't exist in Mongolian)
Mongolian has only тэр for he/she/it. Context or a noun clarifies gender.
Confuses та (formal) and чи (informal) registers
Use та with strangers, elders, professionals. Use чи with friends, peers, family.
Би оюутан байна. Тэр багш байна.
I am a student. He/She is a teacher.
тэр covers both 'he' and 'she'. Context tells you the gender if needed.
Та хаанаас ирсэн бэ?
Where are you from? (formal)
та is used for formal/polite address. Use чи with friends: 'Чи хаанаас ирсэн бэ?'
Бид Монголд байна. Тэд Хятадад байна.
We are in Mongolia. They are in China.
бид = we, тэд = they. Note the dative-locative suffix -д (in/at) after place names.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises