There are two suffixes in Mongolian that mean “please” in Mongolian: -aач and -аарай. However, make sure to follow the rules for vowel harmony when making sentences using these suffixes. Vowel harmony is a crucial rule to follow when practicing making sentences with the Mongolian verb.
The Rules of -аач
The use of -aач in the Mongolian language may seem a little tricky to comprehend at first, however, once you understand the rule and know where to place it in a sentence, everything will start to make sense. You’ll see!
-аач is often added to the end of a verb. It is used to express demands or urgent requests such as “translate this!” or “Look here!” This suffix is often accompanied with the modifying verb “өгөх.”
Here are some examples to get you started:
Орчуулаад өгөөч! (Please translate to me)
Хувцсаа солиоч! (Please change your clothes)
Өөрийгөө хараач (Look at yourself)
Надад энэ номноос 5 ширхэгийг өгөөч. (Please give me 5 of these books)
Та надад энэ үгийг тайлбарлаад өгөөч. (Please explain this word to me)
5 бууз өгөөч (Please give me 5 dumplings)
The Rules of -аарай
The suffix, -аарай, also denotes the word, please, when asking for something from someone. However, it is used for more demanding requests. It only differs from -aач how the level of demand it infers. I like to think of this suffix as the parental suffix for you only need to use it when asking people to do things to help them live better, take care of people or even simply guide people into acting like responsible adults.
A famous example of this suffix in use is the simple phrase of wishing someone a good night.
Сайхан амар+аарай= Сайхан амраарай= (Please have a) good night.
Some more examples of this suffix include:
•Хоолоо идээрэй (Please eat your food)
•Гараа угаагаарай (Please wash your hands)
•Биеэ бодоорой (Please take care of yourself)
•Сайн яваарай (Please travel safely)
•Дахиад ирээрэй (Please come again)
•Сайн бодоорой (Please think about it)
•Хурдан эдгээрэй (Please get well soon)
•Гэрээ цэвэрлээрэй (Please clean your home).
Now here are a few more complex sentences with -аарай in action!
•Энэ эмийг өдөрт 2 удаа уугаарай (Please take this medicine twice a day).
•Монгол явхаараа надтай холбогдоорой (Please contact me when you go to Mongolia).
Interchanging -аарай and -aач in a sentence.
However, there are occasions where you can freely interchange -аарай and -aач together.
Here are a few more examples to show you.
Өглөөний цайг миний өрөөнд авчирч өгөөрөй/өгөөч (Please bring the breakfast to my room).
Гараа угаагаач/ угаагаарай. (Please wash your hands).
All in all, have some using these suffixes in your daily life. I recommend writing a list of phrases that use these suffixes and memorizing them. It may also be helpful to practice these suffixes around your home and with yourself. When I was first learning these suffixes, I would practice “bossing myself around” using certain phrases like “Go wash your hands” around the house.
I hope this post was helpful! Stay tuned for future posts on grammar and other tips and tricks for learning the Mongolian language.
Cheers!