What does "now" mean in Bengali?
The Bengali word for "now" is এখন (ekhon). It names the present moment, and the stretch of time around it: "it is raining now," "I live in Dhaka now," "now I understand." It is an adverb of time (ক্রিয়াবিশেষণ, kriyabisheshon), and it is one of the small words that a learner needs on the first day and goes on using for life: to say what is happening, what is true at present, and what has changed since before.
English "now" usually sits at the front or the back of a sentence and can be dropped without harm. Bengali gives এখন more work, because the verb alone does not always separate "at this moment" from "in general." আমি পড়ছি (ami porchhi) "I am reading" is already about the present, but আমি এখন পড়ছি (ami ekhon porchhi) says "I am reading now," and the word at once sets this moment against another one. It nearly always carries a contrast with before (আগে, age) or later (পরে, pore). The word does not change its form. It takes no case endings: there is no "of now" made with -এর. For that, Bengali builds new words from it, এখনই, এখনও, এখনকার, and joins it to থেকে and পর্যন্ত.
এখন belongs to a small family of four time words that share the ending -খন: এখন (ekhon) "now," তখন (tokhon) "then," কখন (kokhon) "when?" and যখন (jokhon) "when, at the time that." The first letter chooses the meaning: এ- is "this, near," ত- is "that, far," ক- asks a question, and য- relates one clause to another. Learn the four together and a great part of Bengali time-talk follows.
The word is written with three letters, এ খ ন, and no conjuncts. The middle letter খ (kh) is aspirated: a k with a puff of breath, and it must not be written or said as plain ক. The final ন is pronounced with the "inherent vowel" of Bengali, which here sounds like o: ekhon, not "ekhn." The word is traditionally derived from the Sanskrit ক্ষণ (kṣaṇa), "moment," so that এখন is, at its root, "this moment"; a formal written form, এক্ষণে (ekkhone) "at this moment," keeps the older shape.
English "now" breaks into several Bengali words: "right now" is এখনই, "still, not yet" is এখনও, "nowadays" is আজকাল, "just now" is এইমাত্র, and "now (it is your turn)" is এবার. The main work of this lesson is to choose between them. Section D sets them out, and Common Mistakes shows what goes wrong when English "now" is carried over word for word.
- এখন (ekhon) = "now, at present": an adverb of time that never changes its form - The family: এখন (ekhon) "now" · তখন (tokhon) "then" · কখন (kokhon) "when?" · যখন (jokhon) "when (relative)" - It stands most often after the subject: আমি এখন যাচ্ছি (ami ekhon jachhi), "I am going now" - It goes with any tense: আমি এখন পড়ছি "I am reading now," আমি এখন বুঝেছি "I understand now (I have understood)," এখন কী হবে? "what will happen now?" - এখনই (ekhoni) = "right now, at once"; এখনও (ekhono) = "still" or, with a negative verb, "not yet" - এখন থেকে (ekhon theke) = "from now on"; এখন পর্যন্ত (ekhon porjonto) = "up to now"; এখনকার (ekhonkar) = "of now, today's" - Do not confuse এখন (ekhon) "now" with এখানে (ekhane) "here"
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51.1a এখন now বৃষ্টি rain হচ্ছে is-happening
51.1b ekhon (EK-hon) now brishṭi (BRISH-ti) rain hochhe (HOCH-che) happen-PRES.CONT.3
51.2a এখন now সকাল morning
51.2b ekhon (EK-hon) now shokal (SHO-kaal) morning
51.3a আমি I এখন now বাড়িতে house-in আছি am
51.3b ami (AA-mi) I-NOM ekhon (EK-hon) now baṛite (BAA-ri-te) house-LOC achhi (AA-chhi) be-PRES.1SG
51.4a সে he/she এখন now ঘুমাচ্ছে is-sleeping
51.4b she (SHE) he/she-3SG ekhon (EK-hon) now ghumachhe (GHU-maach-che) sleep-PRES.CONT.3
51.5a এখন now কটা how-many-the বাজে strikes
51.5b ekhon (EK-hon) now koṭa (KO-taa) how-many-CLF baje (BAA-je) strike-PRES.3
51.6a তুমি you এখন now কী what করছ are-doing
51.6b tumi (TU-mi) you-2 ekhon (EK-hon) now ki (KEE) what korchho (KOR-chho) do-PRES.CONT.2
51.7a এখন now আমার my সময় time নেই is-not
51.7b ekhon (EK-hon) now amar (AA-mar) my-GEN shomoy (SHO-moy) time nei (NAY) not-exist
51.8a চলো come-on এখন now যাই let-us-go
51.8b cholo (CHO-lo) come-on-IMP.2 ekhon (EK-hon) now jai (JAAY) go-1.HORT
51.9a বাবা father এখন now অফিসে office-in আছেন is
51.9b baba (BAA-baa) father ekhon (EK-hon) now ofishe (O-fi-she) office-LOC achhen (AA-chhen) be-PRES.3.HON
51.10a এখন now তার his/her বয়স age কত how-much
51.10b ekhon (EK-hon) now tar (TAR) 3-GEN boyosh (BO-yosh) age koto (KO-to) how-much
51.11a আগে before এখানে here-at মাঠ field ছিল was এখন now বাড়ি house
51.11b age (AA-ge) before ekhane (E-khaa-ne) here-LOC maṭh (MAATH) field chhilo (CHHI-lo) be-PAST.3 ekhon (EK-hon) now baṛi (BAA-ri) house
51.12a এখন now থেকে from আমি I রোজ daily সকালে morning-in হাঁটব will-walk
51.12b ekhon (EK-hon) now theke (THE-ke) from ami (AA-mi) I-NOM roj (ROJ) daily shokale (SHO-kaa-le) morning-LOC hãṭbo (HÃT-bo) walk-FUT.1SG
51.13a এখনই now-just বাড়ি home যাও go
51.13b ekhoni (EK-ho-ni) now-EMPH baṛi (BAA-ri) home jao (JAA-o) go-IMP.2
51.14a সে he/she এখনও yet আসেনি has-not-come
51.14b she (SHE) he/she-3SG ekhono (EK-ho-no) now-ADD asheni (AA-she-ni) come-PERF.NEG.3
51.15a এখন now যা what বুঝছি am-understanding আগে before তা that বুঝিনি did-not-understand
51.15b ekhon (EK-hon) now ja (JAA) what-REL bujhchhi (BUJH-chhi) understand-PRES.CONT.1SG age (AA-ge) before ta (TAA) that bujhini (BU-jhi-ni) understand-PERF.NEG.1SG
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51.1 এখন বৃষ্টি হচ্ছে। Ekhon brishṭi hochhe. "It is raining now."
51.2 এখন সকাল। Ekhon shokal. "It is morning now."
51.3 আমি এখন বাড়িতে আছি। Ami ekhon baṛite achhi. "I am at home now."
51.4 সে এখন ঘুমাচ্ছে। She ekhon ghumachhe. "He (or she) is sleeping now."
51.5 এখন কটা বাজে? Ekhon koṭa baje? "What time is it now?"
51.6 তুমি এখন কী করছ? Tumi ekhon ki korchho? "What are you doing now?"
51.7 এখন আমার সময় নেই। Ekhon amar shomoy nei. "I have no time now."
51.8 চলো, এখন যাই। Cholo, ekhon jai. "Come on, let's go now."
51.9 বাবা এখন অফিসে আছেন। Baba ekhon ofishe achhen. "Father is at the office now."
51.10 এখন তার বয়স কত? Ekhon tar boyosh koto? "How old is he (or she) now?"
51.11 আগে এখানে মাঠ ছিল, এখন বাড়ি। Age ekhane maṭh chhilo, ekhon baṛi. "There used to be a field here; now there is a house."
51.12 এখন থেকে আমি রোজ সকালে হাঁটব। Ekhon theke ami roj shokale hãṭbo. "From now on I will walk every morning."
51.13 এখনই বাড়ি যাও। Ekhoni baṛi jao. "Go home right now."
51.14 সে এখনও আসেনি। She ekhono asheni. "He (or she) has not come yet."
51.15 এখন যা বুঝছি, আগে তা বুঝিনি। Ekhon ja bujhchhi, age ta bujhini. "What I understand now, I did not understand before."
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51.1 এখন বৃষ্টি হচ্ছে।
51.2 এখন সকাল।
51.3 আমি এখন বাড়িতে আছি।
51.4 সে এখন ঘুমাচ্ছে।
51.5 এখন কটা বাজে?
51.6 তুমি এখন কী করছ?
51.7 এখন আমার সময় নেই।
51.8 চলো, এখন যাই।
51.9 বাবা এখন অফিসে আছেন।
51.10 এখন তার বয়স কত?
51.11 আগে এখানে মাঠ ছিল, এখন বাড়ি।
51.12 এখন থেকে আমি রোজ সকালে হাঁটব।
51.13 এখনই বাড়ি যাও।
51.14 সে এখনও আসেনি।
51.15 এখন যা বুঝছি, আগে তা বুঝিনি।
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1. What kind of word it is. এখন is an adverb of time. It is not inflected: it has no plural, no case endings and no gender. Where English would say "of now" or "until now," Bengali uses a derived or compound form (rule 5).
2. The family of -খন. Four time words are built on the same ending, and they are learnt as a set:
- এখন (ekhon): now - তখন (tokhon): then, at that time - কখন (kokhon): when? at what time? - যখন (jokhon): when, at the time that (it joins two clauses)
যখন and তখন work as a pair: যখন বৃষ্টি হচ্ছিল, তখন আমি বাড়িতে ছিলাম (jokhon brishṭi hochhilo, tokhon ami baṛite chhilam), "When it was raining, I was at home." The family of place words is built the same way on -খানে: এখানে (ekhane) "here," সেখানে (shekhane) "there," কোথায় (kothay) "where?"
3. Where it goes in the sentence. Bengali puts the verb last, and এখন has some freedom before it. - After the subject, the usual place: আমি এখন যাচ্ছি (ami ekhon jachhi), "I am going now." - At the front, when "now" is set against "before": এখন আমি যাচ্ছি (ekhon ami jachhi), "Now I am going." - After the verb, in easy speech: আমি যাচ্ছি এখন (ami jachhi ekhon), "I'm going now." - With no verb at all, where English would say "it is": এখন সকাল (ekhon shokal), "it is morning now." - In a refusal, with না: এখন না, পরে (ekhon na, pore), "not now, later."
4. With the tenses. এখন can stand with any of them, and each gives a different "now." - The present continuous, the commonest: আমি এখন পড়ছি (ami ekhon porchhi), "I am reading now." - The simple present for a state of affairs that holds at present: আমি এখন ঢাকায় থাকি (ami ekhon Ḍhakay thaki), "I live in Dhaka now." - The present perfect for a change that has taken place: আমি এখন বুঝেছি (ami ekhon bujhechhi), "I have understood now." - The simple past in the set phrase of sudden understanding: এখন বুঝলাম (ekhon bujhlam), "Now I see" (literally "now I understood"). - The future: এখন কী হবে? (ekhon ki hobe?), "What will happen now?"
The forms used in this lesson, written out:
- The present continuous of করা (kora) "to do": আমি করছি (ami korchhi), তুমি করছ (tumi korchho), আপনি করছেন (apni korchhen), সে করছে (she korchhe), তুই করছিস (tui korchhish). - The present of আছে (achhe) "to be, to be present": আমি আছি (ami achhi), তুমি আছ (tumi achho), আপনি আছেন (apni achhen), সে আছে (she achhe), তুই আছিস (tui achhish). Past: আমি ছিলাম (ami chhilam), সে ছিল (she chhilo). - The perfect of আসা (asha) "to come," negative: আমি আসিনি (ami asini), তুমি আসোনি (tumi asoni), আপনি আসেননি (apni ashenni), সে আসেনি (she asheni). - The perfect of বোঝা (bojha) "to understand," positive and negative: আমি বুঝেছি (ami bujhechhi), আমি বুঝিনি (ami bujhini); সে বুঝেছে (she bujhechhe), সে বোঝেনি (she bojheni).
5. The words made from it. - এখনই (ekhoni), with the emphatic -ই: "right now, at once." In speech it is often এখুনি (ekhuni) or এখনি (ekhoni). এখনই বাড়ি যাও, "Go home right now." - এখনও (ekhono), with -ও "also, even": "still, even now"; with a negative verb, "not yet." সে এখনও ঘুমাচ্ছে (she ekhono ghumachhe), "He is still sleeping." সে এখনও আসেনি, "He has not come yet." The spelling এখনো is also correct. - এখনকার (ekhonkar), with the adjectival ending -কার: "of now, today's." এখনকার দিন (ekhonkar din), "these days, the present day." এখনকার ছেলেমেয়েরা (ekhonkar chhelemeyera) "today's children." - এখন থেকে (ekhon theke), with the postposition থেকে "from": "from now on." এখন পর্যন্ত (ekhon porjonto), "up to now, so far." - The particle তো (to) often follows it, with the sense "but" or "after all": এখন তো বৃষ্টি নেই (ekhon to brishṭi nei), "But there is no rain now."
6. Other words for "now." - আজকাল (ajkal): nowadays, these days. আজকাল সবাই ফোন ব্যবহার করে (ajkal shobai phon byabohar kore), "Nowadays everyone uses a phone." - এইমাত্র (eimatro): just now, a moment ago. সে এইমাত্র গেল (she eimatro gelo), "He has just left." - এবার (ebar): this time, now (it is a turn or a stage). এবার তোমার পালা (ebar tomar pala), "Now it is your turn." - এতক্ষণে (etokkhone): by now, at last, after all this time. - বর্তমানে (bortomane): at present. A word of print and official language. - অধুনা (odhuna) and এক্ষণে (ekkhone): "at present, at this moment." Literary words, met in older prose and in verse.
1. এখন (ekhon) "now" and এখানে (ekhane) "here" are two words. They begin alike and an English ear mixes them. আমি এখানে আছি (ami ekhane achhi) is "I am here." আমি এখন আছি (ami ekhon achhi) is "I am (around) now." One tells time and the other place; the -ানে ending is the place ending. 2. "Not yet" is not এখন + a negative. "He has not come yet" is সে এখনও আসেনি (she ekhono asheni). সে এখন আসেনি does not give the sense of "yet." Use এখনও for "still" and "not yet." 3. "Nowadays" is আজকাল, not এখন. এখন points at this moment, or at the short stretch around it. For a way things generally are these days, say আজকাল. 4. The family of -খন must not be mixed. যখন (jokhon) joins clauses and does not ask a question. "When did you come?" is তুমি কখন এসেছ? (tumi kokhon eshechho?). "When you came, ..." is তুমি যখন এসেছিলে, ... (tumi jokhon eshechhile, ...). 5. No case endings. There is no "এখনের" or "এখনকে." For "of now" use এখনকার, for "from now" এখন থেকে, for "until now" এখন পর্যন্ত. 6. Spell the aspirate. The second letter is খ (kh), not ক (k). কখন (kokhon, "when?") has both; এখন has only the aspirate.
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এখন is among the commonest words in Bengali, in West Bengal and in Bangladesh alike. It is the word of the clock and the telephone: এখন কটা বাজে? "What time is it now?"; আমি এখন রাস্তায় (ami ekhon rastay), "I am on the road now," which is the usual answer to a call on a mobile phone. It is the word of a first question to someone who has been ill: এখন কেমন আছেন? (ekhon kemon achhen?), "How are you now?" and its answer এখন একটু ভালো (ekhon ekṭu bhalo), "A little better now."
A flat "no" is blunt in Bengali. A speaker who is busy will often say এখন একটু ব্যস্ত আছি (ekhon ekṭu byasto achhi), "I'm a bit busy just now," or এখন না, পরে (ekhon na, pore), "not now, later," and leave it to the listener to understand. এখন is the hinge of such sentences: it turns a refusal into a postponement.
The pair আগে… এখন… (age… ekhon…), "before… now…," is the natural way to speak about change, whether of a neighbourhood, a village or a person. Sentence 51.11 is a sentence of that kind. It is much used in talk about how the old Calcutta or the old Dhaka has changed.
In everyday speech and in modern prose the word is always এখন. In older and formal writing the learner meets এক্ষণে (ekkhone) and অধুনা (odhuna), and in official language বর্তমানে (bortomane), "at present." Some eastern dialects of Bangladesh say the word with a different first sound, as এহন or অহন (ehon, ohon); the written form is the same everywhere.
এখন আর কিছু করার নেই (ekhon ar kichhu korar nei), "There is nothing more to be done now," is a sentence you will hear at the end of an argument, and of many a repair. It is a plain sentence made out of the words of this lesson, with আর "any more" doing the work that the English "now" cannot do alone.
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The citation is the opening of a song by Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), এখন আর দেরি নয় (ekhon ar deri noy), "No More Delay Now." It belongs to the Swadesh ("Homeland") section of the Gitabitan, where it is number 32, and it is dated Kartik 1312 in the Bengali calendar, which is the autumn of 1905. We quote two couplets of the song: its opening, and a later couplet that begins again with এখন (the lines between them are left out). The wording follows the Gitabitan text as it is given on Tagoreweb and in the Bengali online archive at majantali.github.io. The sources agree, and the spelling of ধর্ and ভর্ with the visible hasanta is theirs. The English is the Latinum Institute's own, kept close to the Bengali.
F.1a এখন now আর any-more দেরি delay নয় is-not ধর্ hold গো O তোরা you-all হাতে hand-in হাতে hand-in ধর্ hold গো O
F.1b ekhon (EK-hon) now ar (AAR) any-more deri (DE-ri) delay noy (NOY) be.NEG.3 dhor (DHOR) hold-IMP.2.INTIMATE go (GO) O-VOC tora (TO-raa) you-PL.INTIMATE hate (HAA-te) hand-LOC hate (HAA-te) hand-LOC dhor (DHOR) hold-IMP.2.INTIMATE go (GO) O-VOC
F.2a আজ today আপন own পথে path-on ফিরতে to-return হবে will-be সামনে ahead মিলন-স্বর্গ union-heaven
F.2b aj (AAJ) today apon (AA-pon) own pothe (PO-the) path-LOC phirte (PHIR-te) return-INF hobe (HO-be) be-FUT.3 samne (SAAM-ne) ahead milon-shorgo (MI-lon-SHOR-go) union-heaven
F.3a এখন now যার whose যা-কিছু whatever আছে is ঘরে house-in সাজা arrange পূজার worship-of থালার plate-of 'পরে on
F.3b ekhon (EK-hon) now jar (JAAR) whose-REL.GEN ja-kichhu (jaa-KI-chhu) whatever achhe (AA-chhe) be-PRES.3 ghore (GHO-re) house-LOC saja (SAA-jaa) arrange-IMP.2.INTIMATE pujar (PU-jaar) worship-GEN thalar (THAA-lar) plate-GEN 'pore (PO-re) on
F.4a আত্মদানের self-giving-of উৎসধারায় spring-stream-in মঙ্গলঘট auspicious-pot ভর্ fill গো O
F.4b attodaner (AT-to-daa-ner) self-giving-GEN utsodharay (UT-so-dhaa-ray) spring-stream-LOC mongolghoṭ (MON-gol-ghot) auspicious-pot bhor (BHOR) fill-IMP.2.INTIMATE go (GO) O-VOC
এখন আর দেরি নয়, ধর্ গো তোরা হাতে হাতে ধর্ গো। আজ আপন পথে ফিরতে হবে সামনে মিলন-স্বর্গ। এখন যার যা-কিছু আছে ঘরে সাজা পূজার থালার 'পরে, আত্মদানের উৎসধারায় মঙ্গলঘট ভর্ গো।
Ekhon ar deri noy, dhor go tora hate hate dhor go. Aj apon pothe phirte hobe samne milon-shorgo. Ekhon jar ja-kichhu achhe ghore saja pujar thalar 'pore, attodaner utsodharay mongolghoṭ bhor go.
"No more delay now: take hold, all of you, hand in hand! Today we must turn back to our own road; ahead of us is the heaven of union. Now, whatever each of you has at home, lay it on the worship-plate, and fill the auspicious pot from the spring-stream of self-giving."
— Rabindranath Tagore, "Ekhon ar deri noy," Gitabitan, Swadesh no. 32 (Kartik 1312 / 1905); translation: Latinum Institute
এখন আর দেরি নয়, ধর্ গো তোরা হাতে হাতে ধর্ গো। আজ আপন পথে ফিরতে হবে সামনে মিলন-স্বর্গ। এখন যার যা-কিছু আছে ঘরে সাজা পূজার থালার 'পরে, আত্মদানের উৎসধারায় মঙ্গলঘট ভর্ গো।
- এখন আর দেরি নয় (ekhon ar deri noy). "There is no more delay now," that is, "no more delay." নয় (noy) is the negative "is not" for a noun or an adjective, and আর (ar) with a negative means "any more." এখন stands first in the line, where it is a call to act. - ধর্ গো (dhor go). ধর্ (dhor) is the imperative "hold," in the intimate form that goes with তুই/তোরা (tui/tora): the hasanta shows that the sound is a bare dhor. গো (go) is a particle of address, "O," "come now," which turns a command into a summons. - হাতে হাতে (hate hate). "Hand in hand." The word is doubled, as Bengali doubles a noun to give a sense of "each," "one after another." - আপন পথে ফিরতে হবে (apon pothe phirte hobe). "We must turn back to our own path." The infinitive in -তে with হবে gives obligation: "it will have to be done." - এখন যার যা-কিছু আছে ঘরে (ekhon jar ja-kichhu achhe ghore). "Now, whatever each one has at home." The second এখন opens the second couplet quoted. যার (jar) "whose" is the relative that is answered by an unspoken "that person." - থালার 'পরে (thalar 'pore). "On the plate"; the apostrophe stands for the lost first vowel of উপরে (upore) "on top of." - সাজা (saja), ভর্ (bhor). Both are intimate imperatives: "arrange," "fill."
The song was written in the autumn of 1905, in the Swadeshi movement against the partition of Bengal, when Tagore wrote many such songs of public action. The word এখন opens the song and returns at the start of the second couplet quoted, and both times it does the same work: it sets the present moment against the delay that the first line refuses. The "now" of the song is not a point on a clock but a decision, and the whole of the lesson's grammar can be heard in it: এখন at the front, standing alone in an emphatic place, followed by আর and a negative. The opposite of this "now" is not "later" but দেরি (deri), "delay," the thing that the first line refuses.
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A short scene told in the present tense, as if it were happening before our eyes. Every sentence carries এখন, which here works like the ticking of a clock.
51.16a এখন now সকাল morning সাতটা seven-o'clock
51.16b ekhon (EK-hon) now shokal (SHO-kaal) morning shatṭa (SHAT-taa) seven-CLF
51.17a রিনা Rina এখন now স্টেশনের station-of দিকে toward দৌড়াচ্ছে is-running
51.17b Rina (RI-naa) Rina ekhon (EK-hon) now steshoner (STE-sho-ner) station-GEN dike (DI-ke) toward douṛachhe (DOU-raach-che) run-PRES.CONT.3
51.18a তার her হাতে hand-in এখন now একটা one-the ব্যাগ bag আর and একটা one-the ছাতা umbrella
51.18b tar (TAR) 3-GEN hate (HAA-te) hand-LOC ekhon (EK-hon) now ekṭa (EK-taa) one-CLF byag (BYAAG) bag ar (AAR) and ekṭa (EK-taa) one-CLF chhata (CHHAA-taa) umbrella
51.19a বৃষ্টি rain এখন now জোরে hard পড়ছে is-falling
51.19b brishṭi (BRISH-ti) rain ekhon (EK-hon) now jore (JO-re) hard-ADV poṛchhe (POR-chhe) fall-PRES.CONT.3
51.20a রাস্তা road এখন now পিছল slippery
51.20b rasta (RAAS-taa) road ekhon (EK-hon) now pichhol (PI-chhol) slippery
51.21a ঘড়িতে clock-on এখন now সাতটা seven-o'clock দশ ten
51.21b ghoṛite (GHO-ri-te) clock-LOC ekhon (EK-hon) now shatṭa (SHAT-taa) seven-CLF dosh (DOSH) ten
51.22a ট্রেন train এখন now প্ল্যাটফর্মে platform-in ঢুকছে is-entering
51.22b ṭren (TREN) train ekhon (EK-hon) now plyaṭphorme (PLYAAT-phor-me) platform-LOC ḍhukchhe (DHUK-chhe) enter-PRES.CONT.3
51.23a রিনা Rina এখন now আরও even-more জোরে fast ছোটে runs
51.23b Rina (RI-naa) Rina ekhon (EK-hon) now aro (AA-ro) even-more jore (JO-re) fast-ADV chhoṭe (CHHO-te) run-PRES.3
51.24a সিঁড়ি stairs এখন now তার her সামনে in-front
51.24b sĩṛi (SĨ-ri) stairs ekhon (EK-hon) now tar (TAR) 3-GEN samne (SAAM-ne) in-front
51.25a সে she এখন now তাড়াতাড়ি quickly সিঁড়ি stairs দিয়ে by-way-of উঠছে is-going-up
51.25b she (SHE) she-3SG ekhon (EK-hon) now taṛataṛi (TAA-raa-taa-ri) quickly sĩṛi (SĨ-ri) stairs diye (DI-ye) by-way-of uṭhchhe (UTH-chhe) go-up-PRES.CONT.3
51.26a দরজা door এখন now বন্ধ closed হচ্ছে is-becoming
51.26b dorja (DOR-jaa) door ekhon (EK-hon) now bondho (BON-dho) closed hochhe (HOCH-che) become-PRES.CONT.3
51.27a রিনা Rina এখন now এক one লাফে leap-in ভেতরে inside ঢোকে enters
51.27b Rina (RI-naa) Rina ekhon (EK-hon) now ek (EK) one lafe (LAA-fe) leap-LOC bhetore (BHE-to-re) inside-LOC ḍhoke (DHO-ke) enter-PRES.3
51.28a ট্রেন train এখন now ছাড়ছে is-leaving
51.28b ṭren (TREN) train ekhon (EK-hon) now chhaṛchhe (CHHAR-chhe) leave-PRES.CONT.3
51.29a রিনা Rina এখন now জানালার window-of পাশে beside বসে sitting হাঁপাচ্ছে is-panting
51.29b Rina (RI-naa) Rina ekhon (EK-hon) now janalar (JAA-naa-lar) window-GEN pashe (PAA-she) side-LOC boshe (BO-she) sit-CONJ.PTCP hãpachhe (HÃ-paach-che) pant-PRES.CONT.3
51.30a এখন now সে she হাসছে is-smiling বাইরে outside বৃষ্টি rain এখনও still পড়ছে is-falling
51.30b ekhon (EK-hon) now she (SHE) she-3SG haschhe (HAS-chhe) smile-PRES.CONT.3 baire (BAA-i-re) outside-LOC brishṭi (BRISH-ti) rain ekhono (EK-ho-no) now-ADD poṛchhe (POR-chhe) fall-PRES.CONT.3
51.16 এখন সকাল সাতটা। Ekhon shokal shatṭa. "It is seven in the morning now."
51.17 রিনা এখন স্টেশনের দিকে দৌড়াচ্ছে। Rina ekhon steshoner dike douṛachhe. "Rina is running toward the station now."
51.18 তার হাতে এখন একটা ব্যাগ আর একটা ছাতা। Tar hate ekhon ekṭa byag ar ekṭa chhata. "In her hands she now has a bag and an umbrella."
51.19 বৃষ্টি এখন জোরে পড়ছে। Brishṭi ekhon jore poṛchhe. "The rain is falling hard now."
51.20 রাস্তা এখন পিছল। Rasta ekhon pichhol. "The road is slippery now."
51.21 ঘড়িতে এখন সাতটা দশ। Ghoṛite ekhon shatṭa dosh. "On the clock it is now ten past seven."
51.22 ট্রেন এখন প্ল্যাটফর্মে ঢুকছে। Ṭren ekhon plyaṭphorme ḍhukchhe. "The train is now coming into the platform."
51.23 রিনা এখন আরও জোরে ছোটে। Rina ekhon aro jore chhoṭe. "Rina now runs even faster."
51.24 সিঁড়ি এখন তার সামনে। Sĩṛi ekhon tar samne. "The stairs are now in front of her."
51.25 সে এখন তাড়াতাড়ি সিঁড়ি দিয়ে উঠছে। She ekhon taṛataṛi sĩṛi diye uṭhchhe. "She is now going up the stairs quickly."
51.26 দরজা এখন বন্ধ হচ্ছে। Dorja ekhon bondho hochhe. "The door is now closing."
51.27 রিনা এখন এক লাফে ভেতরে ঢোকে। Rina ekhon ek lafe bhetore ḍhoke. "In one leap Rina now gets inside."
51.28 ট্রেন এখন ছাড়ছে। Ṭren ekhon chhaṛchhe. "The train is now leaving."
51.29 রিনা এখন জানালার পাশে বসে হাঁপাচ্ছে। Rina ekhon janalar pashe boshe hãpachhe. "Rina now sits by the window, panting."
51.30 এখন সে হাসছে, বাইরে বৃষ্টি এখনও পড়ছে। Ekhon she haschhe, baire brishṭi ekhono poṛchhe. "Now she is smiling; outside, the rain is still falling."
51.16 এখন সকাল সাতটা।
51.17 রিনা এখন স্টেশনের দিকে দৌড়াচ্ছে।
51.18 তার হাতে এখন একটা ব্যাগ আর একটা ছাতা।
51.19 বৃষ্টি এখন জোরে পড়ছে।
51.20 রাস্তা এখন পিছল।
51.21 ঘড়িতে এখন সাতটা দশ।
51.22 ট্রেন এখন প্ল্যাটফর্মে ঢুকছে।
51.23 রিনা এখন আরও জোরে ছোটে।
51.24 সিঁড়ি এখন তার সামনে।
51.25 সে এখন তাড়াতাড়ি সিঁড়ি দিয়ে উঠছে।
51.26 দরজা এখন বন্ধ হচ্ছে।
51.27 রিনা এখন এক লাফে ভেতরে ঢোকে।
51.28 ট্রেন এখন ছাড়ছে।
51.29 রিনা এখন জানালার পাশে বসে হাঁপাচ্ছে।
51.30 এখন সে হাসছে, বাইরে বৃষ্টি এখনও পড়ছে।
- The present tense of a scene. Bengali, like English, tells a scene as it happens by using the present continuous (দৌড়াচ্ছে, পড়ছে, ঢুকছে, ছাড়ছে) for what is going on, and the simple present (ছোটে, ঢোকে) for a quick action that is over in a moment. Both are used here with এখন, which gives each sentence its own tick of the clock. - Telling the time. The hour takes the counting-word -টা: সাতটা (shatṭa), "seven o'clock." Minutes come after the hour, without any word for "past": সাতটা দশ (shatṭa dosh), literally "seven-o'clock ten," ten past seven. "On the clock" is ঘড়িতে (ghoṛite), with the locative -তে. - Sentences without a verb. Where English says "is," Bengali says nothing: রাস্তা এখন পিছল (rasta ekhon pichhol), "the road is slippery now"; সিঁড়ি এখন তার সামনে (sĩṛi ekhon tar samne), "the stairs are now in front of her." - The directing words. স্টেশনের দিকে (steshoner dike) "toward the station" takes the genitive before দিকে "direction." সিঁড়ি দিয়ে (sĩṛi diye) "by way of the stairs" takes দিয়ে after the noun. জানালার পাশে (janalar pashe) "beside the window" takes the genitive before পাশে "side." - The conjunctive participle বসে. বসে হাঁপাচ্ছে (boshe hãpachhe), "sitting, panting": বসে (boshe) is "having sat," and it says that the second action goes on in that position. - Adverbs of manner. জোরে (jore) "hard, fast" and তাড়াতাড়ি (taṛataṛi) "quickly" come before the verb, and আরও (aro) "even more" can be set before them. - এখনও in the last line. In 51.30 the two words stand together: এখন "now" for her smile, এখনও "still" for the rain. The first marks the turn of the scene, and the second says that, outside, nothing has changed.
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- IPA: /ekʰon/ (the vowels are approximate and vary a little from speaker to speaker) - এ (e) = /e/, a mid front vowel, close to the vowel of bet. - খ (kh) = /kʰ/, an aspirated k: the k of kill said with a clear puff of breath. - ন (n) = /n/. The inherent vowel অ in the last syllable is pronounced as /o/, as in go but short, so that the word ends in -on and not in -ən. - Stress: EK-hon. In Bengali the stress falls on the first syllable of a word, and the rest are said lightly; এখনই is EK-ho-ni and এখনকার is EK-hon-kaar.
- খ /kʰ/ in খাল (khal, "canal") vs ক /k/ in কাল (kal, "yesterday, tomorrow, time"): the first has a puff of breath after it, the second has none. Hold a hand before your mouth and feel the difference. - ছ /tʃʰ/ in ছাল (chhal, "bark, skin") vs চ /tʃ/ in চাল (chal, "rice"): the same contrast between a breathy and a plain consonant. - ট /ʈ/ in পাট (paṭ, "jute") vs ত /t̪/ in পাত (pat, "leaf, sheet"): the tongue is curled back for ট and set against the teeth for ত.
- The retroflex sounds ট ঠ ঢ in সাতটা, মাঠ, ঢুকছে: the tongue-tip is curled back against the roof of the mouth. They are written ṭ, ṭh, ḍh in the Roman spelling. - ড় (ṛ) in বাড়ি, পড়ছে, ছাড়ছে, তাড়াতাড়ি: a quick flap of the tongue-tip, like a very light r, between the English r and d. - The breathy sounds ঘ ঝ ধ ভ থ in ঘুমাচ্ছে, বুঝছি, ধর্, ভেতরে, থেকে: a gh, jh, dh, bh, th with a clear breath after the consonant. - The nasal vowels, marked with চন্দ্রবিন্দু ঁ, in হাঁটব, সিঁড়ি, হাঁপাচ্ছে: the vowel is said through the nose and mouth together, as in French vin but lighter. - শ, ষ, স are all said /ʃ/, as sh in ship, in সকাল, বয়স, সময়. In loanwords like স্টেশন and স্টেশনের the letter keeps its plain /s/ sound. - Vowel glides in বাইরে (baire), where আ and ই run together as ai, and in দৌড়াচ্ছে (douṛachhe), where the sign ৌ is ou.
In the pair আগে… এখন… (age… ekhon…), the two clauses are usually separated by a short pause, which tells the listener that a contrast follows. The word এখন itself is said lightly, and is rarely the stressed word of a sentence unless the speaker means to set this moment against another.
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