Хамтын тийн ялгал: -тай/-тэй/-той
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Би найзтай явна.
I will go with a friend.
Сүүтэй цай уу.
Drink tea with milk.
Би машинтай.
I have a car. (lit. I am with a car.)
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Хамтын тийн ялгал: -тай/-тэй/-той
Comitative case = with or having.
-тай (back vowels а/о/у), -тэй (front э/е/ү/и), -той (back о/у after consonant clusters).
Common Error Patterns
Wrong vowel harmony in comitative (e.g., *найзтэй instead of найзтай).
Using байна instead of -тай/-тэй/-той for possession (e.g., *Машин надад байна vs. Би машинтай).
Би найзтай явна.
I will go with a friend.
найз + тай = 'friend-with'. Back vowel а → -тай.
Сүүтэй цай уу.
Drink tea with milk.
сүү + тэй = 'milk-with'. Front vowel ү → -тэй.
Би машинтай.
I have a car. (lit. I am with a car.)
Comitative doubles as possession: Noun-тай/тэй/той = 'have noun'.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises