What does "also" mean in Bengali?
English "also" is a free word that moves about the sentence: "I also went," "I went also," "Also, I forgot." Everyday Bengali has no word of that kind. It uses ও (o), a very small particle that is written on the end of the word it points at, with no space. আমি (ami) "I" becomes আমিও (amio) "I also, I too"; বই (boi) "book" becomes বইও (boio) "the book too." Dictionaries list ও in this use as a suffix that stands for "also, even, indeed." The word it is joined to is the word that is "also": আমিও যাব (amio jabo) says that I, as well as someone else, will go. The particle never changes its form. It has no gender, number, case or tense, and it is not a verb.
The same particle does more than "also." After a time word it means "still" (এখনও, ekhono, "still, yet"). After a participle or a conditional verb it means "even though" or "even if" (জেনেও, jeneo, "even knowing"; এলেও, eleo, "even if you come"). With a question word it makes an indefinite word: কোথা (kotha) "where" gives কোথাও (kothao) "somewhere, anywhere." It sits inside many everyday words: আরও (aro) "more, further," এছাড়াও (echhaṛao) "besides this," তবুও (tobuo) "even so," যদিও (jodio) "although." Section D sets out the pattern.
We chose ও as the equivalent of "also" because it is the ordinary way to add one more person, thing, place or time to what has just been said. Two other words are near it and are not the same. আরও means "more." আবার (abar) means "again." The English "and" is another ও, a separate word with spaces on both sides: ছেলে ও মেয়ে (chhele o meye), "boy and girl." Section D keeps the two apart. The sources we opened give no history for the particle, and this lesson does not offer one.
The particle is written with the independent vowel letter ও. After a word that ends in a consonant letter, the consonant is said with the vowel o after it: আমার (amar) "my" and আমারও (amaro) "my also"; আজ (aj) "today" and আজও (ajo) "today also, even today." After a word that ends in a vowel, ও is a syllable of its own: আমিও is AA-mi-o. In older books and in some modern print the vowel sign ো is written on the host word instead (আজো, কখনো, আমারো); it is said the same way, and this course writes ও. The stress stays on the first syllable of the host word, so the particle never takes the stress: AA-mi-o, AA-ma-ro.
The main work of this lesson is to put ও on the right word: the subject (আমিও), the object (তাকেও), a time or place word (আজও, ঘরেও), and a verb form (জেনেও, এলেও). It is also to keep ও "also" apart from ও "and," and from ই "just, only."
- ও (o) = "also, too, even": a particle written on the word it points at, with no space (আমিও, তাকেও, আজও) - It never changes. It follows the case ending: আমাকেও · আমারও · ঘরেও · বইটাও - Two in one sentence: ও … ও = "both … and": মাছও খাই, মাংসও খাই - Time words: এখনও "still, yet" · তখনও "even then" · আজও "even today" - After a participle or condition: জেনেও "even knowing" · বললেও "even if one says so" - Question word + ও: কোথাও "somewhere, anywhere" · কখনও "ever; never, with না" · কোনো "any" - Common words with ও: আরও "more" · এছাড়াও "besides this" · তবুও "even so" · যদিও "although" - ও "also" is joined to the word (আমিও); ও "and" stands alone (আমি ও তুমি). ই means "just, only" (আমিই)
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54.1a আমিও I-also যাব will-go
54.1b amio (AA-mi-o) I-NOM-also jabo (JAA-bo) go-FUT.1SG
54.2a তুমিও you-also এসো come
54.2b tumio (TU-mi-o) you-2-also esho (E-sho) come-IMP.2
54.3a সেও he/she-also ডাক্তার doctor
54.3b sheo (SHE-o) he/she-3SG-also daktar (DAK-taar) doctor
54.4a আমারও my-also খিদে hunger পেয়েছে has-got
54.4b amaro (AA-ma-ro) 1-GEN-also khide (KHI-de) hunger peyechhe (PE-ye-chhe) get-PRES.PERF.3
54.5a আজও today-also বৃষ্টি rain হচ্ছে is-happening
54.5b ajo (AA-jo) today-also brishṭi (BRISH-ṭi) rain hochchhe (HOCH-chhe) be-PRES.CONT.3
54.6a আমি I চা tea খাই drink কফিও coffee-also খাই drink
54.6b ami (AA-mi) I-NOM cha (CHAA) tea khai (KHAAI) drink-PRES.1SG kophio (KO-phi-o) coffee-also khai (KHAAI) drink-PRES.1SG
54.7a আমরা we মাছও fish-also খাই eat মাংসও meat-also খাই eat
54.7b amra (AAM-ra) we-NOM machho (MAA-chho) fish-also khai (KHAAI) eat-PRES.1PL mangsho (MAANG-sho) meat-also khai (KHAAI) eat-PRES.1PL
54.8a শুধু only আমি I নয় is-not তুমিও you-also জানো know
54.8b shudhu (SHU-dhu) only ami (AA-mi) I-NOM noy (NOY) be-NEG tumio (TU-mi-o) you-2-also jano (JAA-no) know-PRES.2
54.9a আপনি you আরও more একটু a-little চা tea নিন take
54.9b apni (AAP-ni) you-HON aro (AA-ro) more ektu (EK-tu) a-little cha (CHAA) tea nin (NIN) take-IMP.2.HON
54.10a গতকাল yesterday আমিও I-also ওখানে there-in ছিলাম was
54.10b gotokal (GO-to-kaal) yesterday amio (AA-mi-o) I-NOM-also okhane (O-khaa-ne) there-LOC chhilam (CHHI-laam) be-PAST.1SG
54.11a যেমন as তুমি you ক্লান্ত tired তেমনি likewise আমিও I-also ক্লান্ত tired
54.11b jemon (JE-mon) as-REL tumi (TU-mi) you-2 klanto (KLAN-to) tired temoni (TE-mo-ni) likewise amio (AA-mi-o) I-NOM-also klanto (KLAN-to) tired
54.12a ঘরের house-of কাজ work শেষ end করে having-done আমি I রান্নাও cooking-also করলাম did
54.12b ghorer (GHO-rer) house-GEN kaj (KAAJ) work shesh (SHESH) end kore (KO-re) do-CONJ.PTCP ami (AA-mi) I-NOM rannao (RAAN-naa-o) cooking-also korlam (KOR-laam) do-PAST.1SG
54.13a কথাটা matter-the জেনেও having-known-even সে he/she কিছু anything বলল said না not
54.13b kothaṭa (KO-thaa-ṭaa) matter-the jeneo (JE-ne-o) know-CONJ.PTCP-even she (SHE) he/she-3SG kichhu (KI-chhu) anything bollo (BOL-lo) say-PAST.3 na (NAA) not
54.14a তুমি you না not এলেও if-come-even আমি I যাব will-go
54.14b tumi (TU-mi) you-2 na (NAA) not eleo (E-le-o) come-COND-even ami (AA-mi) I-NOM jabo (JAA-bo) go-FUT.1SG
54.15a এছাড়াও besides-this-also আমার my একটা one কথা matter আছে is
54.15b echhaṛao (E-chhaa-ṛa-o) besides-this-also amar (AA-mar) 1-GEN ekṭa (EK-ṭaa) one kotha (KO-thaa) matter achhe (AA-chhe) be-PRES.3
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54.1 আমিও যাব। Amio jabo. "I will go too."
54.2 তুমিও এসো। Tumio esho. "You come too."
54.3 সেও ডাক্তার। Sheo daktar. "He (or she) is a doctor too."
54.4 আমারও খিদে পেয়েছে। Amaro khide peyechhe. "I am hungry too."
54.5 আজও বৃষ্টি হচ্ছে। Ajo brishṭi hochchhe. "It is raining today too." (It is raining even today.)
54.6 আমি চা খাই, কফিও খাই। Ami cha khai, kophio khai. "I drink tea, and I drink coffee too."
54.7 আমরা মাছও খাই, মাংসও খাই। Amra machho khai, mangsho khai. "We eat both fish and meat."
54.8 শুধু আমি নয়, তুমিও জানো। Shudhu ami noy, tumio jano. "Not only I; you know it too."
54.9 আপনি আরও একটু চা নিন। Apni aro ektu cha nin. "Please take a little more tea."
54.10 গতকাল আমিও ওখানে ছিলাম। Gotokal amio okhane chhilam. "Yesterday I was there too."
54.11 যেমন তুমি ক্লান্ত, তেমনি আমিও ক্লান্ত। Jemon tumi klanto, temoni amio klanto. "Just as you are tired, so am I."
54.12 ঘরের কাজ শেষ করে আমি রান্নাও করলাম। Ghorer kaj shesh kore ami rannao korlam. "After finishing the housework, I cooked as well."
54.13 কথাটা জেনেও সে কিছু বলল না। Kothaṭa jeneo she kichhu bollo na. "Although he (or she) knew about it, he (or she) said nothing."
54.14 তুমি না এলেও আমি যাব। Tumi na eleo ami jabo. "Even if you do not come, I will go."
54.15 এছাড়াও আমার একটা কথা আছে। Echhaṛao amar ekṭa kotha achhe. "Besides this, I have one more thing to say."
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54.1 আমিও যাব।
54.2 তুমিও এসো।
54.3 সেও ডাক্তার।
54.4 আমারও খিদে পেয়েছে।
54.5 আজও বৃষ্টি হচ্ছে।
54.6 আমি চা খাই, কফিও খাই।
54.7 আমরা মাছও খাই, মাংসও খাই।
54.8 শুধু আমি নয়, তুমিও জানো।
54.9 আপনি আরও একটু চা নিন।
54.10 গতকাল আমিও ওখানে ছিলাম।
54.11 যেমন তুমি ক্লান্ত, তেমনি আমিও ক্লান্ত।
54.12 ঘরের কাজ শেষ করে আমি রান্নাও করলাম।
54.13 কথাটা জেনেও সে কিছু বলল না।
54.14 তুমি না এলেও আমি যাব।
54.15 এছাড়াও আমার একটা কথা আছে।
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1. What kind of word it is. ও "also" is an invariable particle (অব্যয়, obyoy). It has no forms. It is not a separate word in the sentence: it is written directly on the word before it, as the last letter of that word. The word it is joined to is the one that is "also." Move it and the meaning moves with it. With the sentence আমি তাকে দেখেছি (ami take dekhechhi), "I have seen him":
- আমিও তাকে দেখেছি (amio take dekhechhi): "I, too, have seen him" (someone else has seen him, and I have as well). - আমি তাকেও দেখেছি (ami takeo dekhechhi): "I have seen him too" (I have seen others, and him as well).
2. How it is joined. The particle comes last on the word, after any case ending or the article -টা.
- Pronouns: আমি → আমিও (amio) · আমাকে → আমাকেও (amakeo) · আমার → আমারও (amaro) · তুমি → তুমিও (tumio) · তোমাকে → তোমাকেও (tomakeo) · তোমার → তোমারও (tomaro) · সে → সেও (sheo) · তাকে → তাকেও (takeo) · তার → তারও (taro) · আপনি → আপনিও (apnio) · আপনাকে → আপনাকেও (apnakeo) · আপনার → আপনারও (apnaro) · আমরা → আমরাও (amrao) · তারা → তারাও (tarao) · এটা → এটাও (eṭao). - Nouns: ঘরে → ঘরেও (ghoreo) "in the house too" · বই → বইটাও (boiṭao) "the book too" · বন্ধুদের → বন্ধুদেরও (bondhudero) "the friends' too." - After a consonant, the consonant is said with o after it: আজ → আজও (ajo) · ঘর → ঘরও (ghoro). After a vowel, ও is a syllable of its own: মা → মাও (mao) · সে → সেও (sheo).
3. Both … and; neither … nor. Two ও in one sentence give "both … and": আমরা মাছও খাই, মাংসও খাই (amra machho khai, mangsho khai), "we eat both fish and meat." With না the pair is "neither … nor": মাছও খাই না, মাংসও খাই না (machho khai na, mangsho khai na), "I eat neither fish nor meat." The verb can be said twice, as in 54.7, or once: আমরা মাছও মাংসও খাই (amra machho mangsho khai).
4. Time words: "still," "even." ও on a time word makes it stronger.
- আজও (ajo): "today too," and so "even today, still today." - এখনও (ekhono): "still" in a positive sentence, "not yet" in a negative one. সে এখনও ঘুমাচ্ছে (she ekhono ghumachchhe), "he (or she) is still sleeping." সে এখনও আসেনি (she ekhono ashe ni), "he (or she) has not come yet." This is এখন (Lesson 51) with ও. - তখনও (tokhono): "even then, still then." This is তখন (Lesson 52) with ও. - আবারও (abaro): "once more, yet again." আগেও (ageo) "before too, even before" and পরেও (poreo) "even after."
5. "Even" with a participle or a condition. ও on the conjunctive participle (the -ে form) means "even though, although" and on a conditional verb (the -লে form) "even if."
- জেনেও (jeneo): "even knowing, although he or she knew." কথাটা জেনেও সে কিছু বলল না. - বললেও (bolleo): "even if one says so, even though one said so." - এলেও (eleo): "even if you come." তুমি না এলেও আমি যাব.
With a verb in the -লে form the clause is a condition; the context and the tense of the main verb say whether it is "even if" (future) or "even though" (past). Two set words are made in the same way: যদিও (jodio) "although" and তবুও (tobuo) "even so, still." যদিও বৃষ্টি হচ্ছিল, তবুও তারা গেল (jodio brishṭi hochchhilo, tobuo tara gelo): "although it was raining, still they went."
6. Question word + ও. A question word with ও becomes an indefinite word.
- কোথা (kotha) "where" → কোথাও (kothao): "somewhere" in a positive sentence, "anywhere" with না. আমি কোথাও যাইনি (ami kothao jaini), "I did not go anywhere." - কখন (kokhon) "when" → কখনও (kokhono): "at some time, ever." With না it is "never": আমি কখনও যাইনি (ami kokhono jaini), "I have never gone." The doubled কখনও কখনও means "sometimes." Both spellings, কখনও and কখনো, are in use. - কোন (kon) "which" → কোনো (kono): "any, some, a." কোনো ভয় নেই (kono bhoy nei), "there is no fear."
7. Set words with ও. Learn these whole.
- আরও (aro): "more, still more, further." আরও একটু (aro ektu), "a little more." - এছাড়াও (echhaṛao): "besides this, in addition." The shorter form is এ ছাড়া. - তাছাড়াও (tachhaṛao): "besides that." - তবুও (tobuo): "even so, still." The short form তবু (tobu) is also used. - যদিও (jodio): "although."
8. ও "also" and ও "and" are two words. ও "also" is joined to its host. ও "and" is a separate word, with a space on each side, and it joins two nouns or phrases of the same kind: ছেলে ও মেয়ে (chhele o meye), "boy and girl"; আমি ও তুমি (ami o tumi), "you and I." It is the more written and more formal form; in speech, আর (ar) or no word at all is more usual: ছেলে আর মেয়ে. A third ও is the pronoun "he, she," used of a person near or just spoken of, in the informal register: ও আসবে (o ashbe), "he (or she) will come." With the particle added it is ওও (oo), "he (or she) too." Last, ও is also the interjection that calls or marks surprise: ও মা! (o ma!), "oh, mother!"
9. ও and ই. ই (i) is the particle of exact pointing, "just, only, the very." ও adds, ই isolates. আমিও যাব (amio jabo) is "I will go too." আমিই যাব (amii jabo) is "I will go, I and no one else." Lesson 53 had ই in কথাই and যাওয়াই. Both are written on the host word.
10. Negatives. ও follows the same rules in a negative sentence. আমিও যাইনি (amio jaini), "I did not go either." The short reply "me neither" is আমিও না (amio na). Note the difference in English: "also" in a positive sentence and "either" in a negative one are both ও in Bengali.
1. Do not put a space before ও "also." আমি ও যাব reads as "I and will go," which is not a sentence. For "also," write আমিও যাব. 2. Do not use the separate ও "and" for "also." The separate ও goes between two nouns and means "and": আমি ও তুমি যাব, "you and I will go." It cannot stand after one pronoun to mean "too." 3. Put ও on the noun, pronoun or time word, not on a finite verb. English puts "also" before the verb ("I will also go"). Bengali moves the "also" to the thing that is added: আমিও যাব, not আমি যাবও. An ending in -ও on a finite verb is rare and strong, and a learner should not use it. 4. Say which word is "also." আমি তাকেও দেখেছি and আমিও তাকে দেখেছি are different statements (Section D, rule 1). Choose the word that is the addition. 5. Do not forget the negative with কখনও and কোথাও. আমি কখনও যাইনি is "I have never gone"; আমি কখনও গিয়েছি, without না, means "I have gone sometime." Likewise কোথাও যাইনি, "I went nowhere," and কোথাও গিয়েছি, "I went somewhere." 6. Do not confuse ও with ই. আমিও "I too" is not আমিই "I myself, I alone." 7. Do not drop the final o. আমারও is AA-ma-ro, not AA-mar. The particle is a full syllable. 8. Move an English "also" that ends the sentence onto the word it adds. "I like this also" is আমি এটাও পছন্দ করি (ami eṭao pochhondo kori), with ও on the object.
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ও is among the most frequent sounds in Bengali, because it is on so many everyday words: আমিও, আরও, কোথাও, কখনও, এখনও. The simplest use is the answer that says "same here": আমারও খিদে পেয়েছে, আমিও যাব, আমারও তাই মনে হয় (amaro tai mone hoy), "I think so too." The short reply to a negative remark is আমিও না, "me neither."
When someone wishes you well, the reply is the same wish with ও on the person. To the greeting of a festival, the answer is আপনাকেও (apnakeo), "to you too," sometimes in full: আপনাকেও শুভ নববর্ষ (apnakeo shubho nobobarsho), "a happy new year to you too." A guest who is thanked says তোমাকেও ধন্যবাদ (tomakeo dhonyobad), "thanks to you too." The form of the pronoun is the one that fits the person (তোমাকেও for an equal, আপনাকেও for an elder or a stranger, তোকেও for a child or close friend), so the particle carries the politeness of the pronoun it sits on.
আরও (aro) is the word of the host. A host at table offers আরও একটু (aro ektu), "a little more," as in 54.9, and a guest who has had enough answers আর না (ar na), "no more." Note the pair: আরও "more" has ও, and আর in আর না has none.
In reports and in verse, ও gives the sense of persistence: এখনও চলছে (ekhono cholchhe), "it is still going on"; আজও (ajo), "even today." The particle is the same in the older literary style, the sadhu bhasha, and in everyday speech: আমিও and এখনও do not change. Section F is in the everyday style.
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The citation is a Bengali proverb (প্রবাদ, probad), সাপও মরে লাঠিও না ভাঙে (shapo more laṭhio na bhange), "the snake dies and the stick does not break": a hard task done with no loss. It is a saying of the people and we have not traced it to a named author or to a first printing. Its wording is the same on two Bengali dictionary pages opened for this lesson (the dictionary section of ebanglalibrary.com and the Bengali-to-Bengali dictionary at freebanglafont.com), and both give the same sense: বিনা ক্ষতিতে কঠিন কার্যসাধন হওয়া; দুই দিক বজায় থাকা, "a hard task done without loss; both sides kept whole." A third page, a Bengali opinion article on the news site tbsnews.net, turns the saying round in its title, লাঠিও ভাঙবে না, সাপও মরবে, and uses it again in its last line, in the past tense (লাঠি না হয় ভাঙল না, সাপও মরল, "the stick did not break, and the snake died"). The two dictionary pages may draw on one lexicon, so we count them as one witness and the article as a second source for the saying. The proverb is chosen because ও is in both halves, and the two ও stand side by side, as in the "both … and" pattern of Section D, rule 3. The English is the Latinum Institute's own, kept close to the Bengali.
F.1a সাপও snake-also মরে dies
F.1b shapo (SHAA-po) snake-also more (MO-re) die-PRES.3
F.2a লাঠিও stick-also না not ভাঙে breaks
F.2b laṭhio (LAA-ṭhi-o) stick-also na (NAA) not bhange (BHAA-nge) break-PRES.3
সাপও মরে লাঠিও না ভাঙে।
Shapo more laṭhio na bhange.
"The snake dies, and the stick does not break."
— Bengali proverb (প্রবাদ), traditional, author unknown; recorded in the two Bengali dictionary entries named above, and used in a Bengali news article; translation: Latinum Institute
সাপও মরে লাঠিও না ভাঙে।
- সাপও (shapo). সাপ "snake" with ও: "the snake also." The ও makes the snake one item of two, and it calls for the second item in the next half. - মরে (more). The present tense of মরা "to die." The present here is not "is dying now" but the timeless present of a proverb and of a plan, "the snake dies." - লাঠিও (laṭhio). লাঠি "stick" with ও, "the stick also." It matches সাপও in form, so that the two halves balance. The ṭh in লাঠি is the retroflex ঠ. - না ভাঙে (na bhange). ভাঙা "to break" in the present, with না before the verb. In an ordinary sentence of the present না follows the verb (ভাঙে না, as in Section D). In this proverb it stands before, and the clause reads as an aim: "and the stick does not break" in the sense of "let it not break." The variant of the newspaper title has the future and the usual order, ভাঙবে না. The reason for the older order is our reading of the line; the sources we opened do not state it.
The proverb has the shape of a pair: "snake (also) dies // stick (also) not breaks." The two ও stand in the same place in each half, and the halves are of nearly the same length, so that the saying is easy to remember. The image is of a person who must kill a snake with a stick and who wants the stick whole afterwards. A result with no loss is rare, and that is the point: the saying names the lucky case, or the skilful one, and the dictionaries give it as "both sides kept whole." The two ও set the two results side by side, as two things that are both wanted.
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A short story told in the past tense, as a storyteller would tell it. Every sentence has ও in it, and the scene follows a sister and her little brother through a morning at the market. The sister is called Rina and the brother Tuhin.
54.16a রবিবার Sunday সকালে morning-in রিনা Rina বাজারে market-to গেল went তুহিনও Tuhin-also সঙ্গে with গেল went
54.16b robibar (RO-bi-baar) Sunday shokale (SHO-kaa-le) morning-LOC Rina (RI-naa) Rina bajare (BAA-jaa-re) market-LOC gelo (GE-lo) go-PAST.3 Tuhino (TU-hi-no) Tuhin-also shonge (SHON-ge) with gelo (GE-lo) go-PAST.3
54.17a আকাশে sky-in মেঘ cloud ছিল was বাতাসও wind-also ঠান্ডা cold ছিল was
54.17b akashe (AA-kaa-she) sky-LOC megh (MEGH) cloud chhilo (CHHI-lo) be-PAST.3 batasho (BAA-taa-sho) wind-also ṭhanḍa (THAN-da) cold chhilo (CHHI-lo) be-PAST.3
54.18a রিনা Rina মাছ fish কিনল bought সবজিও vegetables-also কিনল bought
54.18b Rina (RI-naa) Rina machh (MAACHH) fish kinlo (KIN-lo) buy-PAST.3 shobjio (SHOB-ji-o) vegetables-also kinlo (KIN-lo) buy-PAST.3
54.19a তুহিন Tuhin বলল said দিদি sister আমিও I-also কিছু something কিনব will-buy
54.19b Tuhin (TU-hin) Tuhin bollo (BOL-lo) say-PAST.3 didi (DI-di) elder-sister amio (AA-mi-o) I-NOM-also kichhu (KI-chhu) something kinbo (KIN-bo) buy-FUT.1SG
54.20a রিনা Rina হেসে having-laughed বলল said তোর your জন্য for মিষ্টিও sweets-also নেব will-take
54.20b Rina (RI-naa) Rina hese (HE-she) laugh-CONJ.PTCP bollo (BOL-lo) say-PAST.3 tor (TOR) 2-GEN.FAM jonyo (JON-no) for mishṭio (MISH-ṭi-o) sweets-also nebo (NE-bo) take-FUT.1SG
54.21a দোকানি shopkeeper বলল said ডিমও eggs-also আছে are নেবেন will-take
54.21b dokani (DO-kaa-ni) shopkeeper bollo (BOL-lo) say-PAST.3 dimo (DI-mo) eggs-also achhe (AA-chhe) be-PRES.3 neben (NE-ben) take-FUT.2.HON
54.22a রিনা Rina এক one ডজন dozen ডিমও eggs-also নিল took
54.22b Rina (RI-naa) Rina ek (EK) one dojon (DO-jon) dozen dimo (DI-mo) eggs-also nilo (NI-lo) take-PAST.3
54.23a তারপর after-that বৃষ্টি rain নামল came-down ঝড়ও storm-also শুরু start হল became
54.23b tarpor (TAR-por) after-that brishṭi (BRISH-ṭi) rain namlo (NAAM-lo) descend-PAST.3 jhoṛo (JHO-ro) storm-also shuru (SHU-ru) start holo (HO-lo) be-PAST.3
54.24a তুহিন Tuhin ভয়ও fear-also পেল got মজাও fun-also পেল got
54.24b Tuhin (TU-hin) Tuhin bhoyo (BHO-yo) fear-also pelo (PE-lo) get-PAST.3 mojao (MO-jaa-o) fun-also pelo (PE-lo) get-PAST.3
54.25a তারা they চায়ের tea-of দোকানে shop-in ঢুকল entered সেখানে there-in আরও more কয়েকজন few-people ছিল were
54.25b tara (TAA-raa) they-NOM chayer (CHAA-yer) tea-GEN dokane (DO-kaa-ne) shop-LOC ḍhuklo (DHUK-lo) enter-PAST.3 shekhane (SHE-khaa-ne) there-LOC aro (AA-ro) more koyekjon (KO-yek-jon) few-people chhilo (CHHI-lo) be-PAST.3
54.26a রিনা Rina এক one কাপ cup চা tea নিল took তুহিনও Tuhin-also নিল took
54.26b Rina (RI-naa) Rina ek (EK) one kap (KAAP) cup cha (CHAA) tea nilo (NI-lo) take-PAST.3 Tuhino (TU-hi-no) Tuhin-also nilo (NI-lo) take-PAST.3
54.27a অনেকক্ষণ long-time পরেও after-even বৃষ্টি rain থামল stopped না not
54.27b onekkhon (O-nek-khon) long-time poreo (PO-re-o) after-LOC-even brishṭi (BRISH-ṭi) rain thamlo (THAAM-lo) stop-PAST.3 na (NAA) not
54.28a বৃষ্টি rain থামল stopped না not তবুও even-so তারা they বাড়ির house-of দিকে direction-in রওনা departure হল became
54.28b brishṭi (BRISH-ṭi) rain thamlo (THAAM-lo) stop-PAST.3 na (NAA) not tobuo (TO-bu-o) even-so tara (TAA-raa) they-NOM baṛir (BAA-ṛir) house-GEN dike (DI-ke) direction-LOC rawna (RAW-naa) departure holo (HO-lo) be-PAST.3
54.29a পথে road-on জলও water-also ছিল was কাদাও mud-also ছিল was
54.29b pothe (PO-the) road-LOC jolo (JO-lo) water-also chhilo (CHHI-lo) be-PAST.3 kadao (KAA-daa-o) mud-also chhilo (CHHI-lo) be-PAST.3
54.30a বাড়ি home ফিরে having-returned তারা they ভিজে wet কাপড়ে clothes-in হাসল laughed মাও mother-also হাসলেন laughed
54.30b baṛi (BAA-ṛi) home phire (PHI-re) return-CONJ.PTCP tara (TAA-raa) they-NOM bhije (BHI-je) wet-CONJ.PTCP kapoṛe (KAA-po-ṛe) clothes-LOC haslo (HAAS-lo) laugh-PAST.3 mao (MAA-o) mother-also haslen (HAS-len) laugh-PAST.3.HON
54.16 রবিবার সকালে রিনা বাজারে গেল, তুহিনও সঙ্গে গেল। Robibar shokale Rina bajare gelo, Tuhino shonge gelo. "On Sunday morning Rina went to the market, and Tuhin went along too."
54.17 আকাশে মেঘ ছিল, বাতাসও ঠান্ডা ছিল। Akashe megh chhilo, batasho ṭhanḍa chhilo. "There were clouds in the sky, and the wind was cold too."
54.18 রিনা মাছ কিনল, সবজিও কিনল। Rina machh kinlo, shobjio kinlo. "Rina bought fish, and she bought vegetables too."
54.19 তুহিন বলল, "দিদি, আমিও কিছু কিনব।" Tuhin bollo, "Didi, amio kichhu kinbo." "Tuhin said, 'Didi, I will buy something too.'"
54.20 রিনা হেসে বলল, "তোর জন্য মিষ্টিও নেব।" Rina hese bollo, "Tor jonyo mishṭio nebo." "Rina laughed and said, 'I will take some sweets for you as well.'"
54.21 দোকানি বলল, "ডিমও আছে, নেবেন?" Dokani bollo, "Dimo achhe, neben?" "The shopkeeper said, 'We have eggs too; will you take some?'"
54.22 রিনা এক ডজন ডিমও নিল। Rina ek dojon dimo nilo. "Rina took a dozen eggs as well."
54.23 তারপর বৃষ্টি নামল, ঝড়ও শুরু হল। Tarpor brishṭi namlo, jhoṛo shuru holo. "Then the rain came down, and a storm began too."
54.24 তুহিন ভয়ও পেল, মজাও পেল। Tuhin bhoyo pelo, mojao pelo. "Tuhin was frightened, and he also had fun."
54.25 তারা চায়ের দোকানে ঢুকল, সেখানে আরও কয়েকজন ছিল। Tara chayer dokane ḍhuklo, shekhane aro koyekjon chhilo. "They went into a tea shop; there were a few more people there."
54.26 রিনা এক কাপ চা নিল, তুহিনও নিল। Rina ek kap cha nilo, Tuhino nilo. "Rina took a cup of tea, and Tuhin took one too."
54.27 অনেকক্ষণ পরেও বৃষ্টি থামল না। Onekkhon poreo brishṭi thamlo na. "Even after a long time the rain did not stop."
54.28 বৃষ্টি থামল না, তবুও তারা বাড়ির দিকে রওনা হল। Brishṭi thamlo na, tobuo tara baṛir dike rawna holo. "The rain did not stop; even so, they set out for home."
54.29 পথে জলও ছিল, কাদাও ছিল। Pothe jolo chhilo, kadao chhilo. "On the road there was water, and mud too."
54.30 বাড়ি ফিরে তারা ভিজে কাপড়ে হাসল, মাও হাসলেন। Baṛi phire tara bhije kapoṛe haslo, mao haslen. "Back home they laughed in their wet clothes, and Mother laughed too."
54.16 রবিবার সকালে রিনা বাজারে গেল, তুহিনও সঙ্গে গেল।
54.17 আকাশে মেঘ ছিল, বাতাসও ঠান্ডা ছিল।
54.18 রিনা মাছ কিনল, সবজিও কিনল।
54.19 তুহিন বলল, "দিদি, আমিও কিছু কিনব।"
54.20 রিনা হেসে বলল, "তোর জন্য মিষ্টিও নেব।"
54.21 দোকানি বলল, "ডিমও আছে, নেবেন?"
54.22 রিনা এক ডজন ডিমও নিল।
54.23 তারপর বৃষ্টি নামল, ঝড়ও শুরু হল।
54.24 তুহিন ভয়ও পেল, মজাও পেল।
54.25 তারা চায়ের দোকানে ঢুকল, সেখানে আরও কয়েকজন ছিল।
54.26 রিনা এক কাপ চা নিল, তুহিনও নিল।
54.27 অনেকক্ষণ পরেও বৃষ্টি থামল না।
54.28 বৃষ্টি থামল না, তবুও তারা বাড়ির দিকে রওনা হল।
54.29 পথে জলও ছিল, কাদাও ছিল।
54.30 বাড়ি ফিরে তারা ভিজে কাপড়ে হাসল, মাও হাসলেন।
- The subject with ও. In 54.16 and 54.26 the second subject carries the particle: তুহিনও, "Tuhin as well." The verb is then repeated (গেল … গেল, নিল … নিল), which is how Bengali says "and he did it too." In 54.30 মাও is "Mother too," and the verb changes to the honorific, হাসলেন, because it is the mother. - The object with ও. In 54.18, 54.20, 54.22 the particle sits on the thing added: সবজিও, মিষ্টিও, ডিমও. There is no accusative ending on these objects, since the things are indefinite; with a person it would be -কেও (Section D, rule 2). - Both … and. 54.24 (ভয়ও … মজাও) and 54.29 (জলও … কাদাও) are the pair pattern of Section D, rule 3. In 54.24 the two feelings are opposed, and ও … ও says that both were true at once. - A time word with ও. পরেও (54.27) is "even after": অনেকক্ষণ পরে is "after a long time," and the ও makes the sentence say that the rain did not stop even then. - Even so. তবুও (54.28) opens the second clause and ties it to the first: the rain did not stop, and they went anyway. - আরও. In 54.25 আরও is "more, in addition": আরও কয়েকজন, "a few more people." - Who says "you" how. Rina speaks to her younger brother with তোর (tor) in 54.20, the familiar form. The shopkeeper uses নেবেন (neben) to Rina, the honorific form for a customer. Tuhin calls his sister দিদি (didi), a word for an elder sister. The narrator puts the mother's verb in the honorific, হাসলেন (54.30), and the children's in the plain form, হাসল. - The tenses of a story. The simple past gives the events (গেল, কিনল, নিল, নামল, থামল). The past of "to be" (ছিল) gives the scene: the clouds, the cold, the mud. In the clause with ও, the particle does not alter the tense. - The participle with and without ও. Section D, rule 5 has জেনেও "even knowing"; the story does not use that pattern. Its participles (হেসে, ফিরে, ভিজে) are bare, with no ও, and mean only "having laughed, having returned, wet."
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- IPA: /o/ (the vowel is a pure, short close-mid o; it varies a little from speaker to speaker) - ও (o) = /o/, like the o of go or so, but without the closing glide to u that English adds. Round the lips and hold them still. - Stress: the particle is never stressed. The stress stays on the first syllable of the word it is joined to: AA-mi-o, AA-ma-ro, AA-jo, EK-ho-no. In আমিও the i and o run together, with a light y glide between them. - After a consonant: the last consonant of the host word now has a vowel after it, so it is said fully: আমার /amar/ becomes আমারও /amaro/, and আজ /adʒ/ becomes আজও /adʒo/. A word that ended in a consonant sound ends in o.
- ও /o/ vs অ /ɔ/: the particle is a closed o, as in আজও (AA-jo). The vowel of অ is the open o of hot, as in the first syllable of অনেক (O-nek, "many"). The letter অ is not what the particle is written with. - ও "also" vs ই "just, only": আমিও /amio/ and আমিই /amii/ differ only in the last vowel. - আরও /aro/ "more" vs আর /ar/ "and, else, more": the second has no final vowel. আর না /ar na/ is "no more."
- The retroflex sounds ট ঠ ঢ ড় in বৃষ্টি, ঠান্ডা, ঢুকল, বাড়ি, ঝড়ও, লাঠিও, কাপড়ে: the tongue-tip is curled back against the roof of the mouth. In the Roman spelling they are ṭ, ṭh, ḍh, ṛ. The ড় is a quick flap of the tongue-tip, like a very light r. - The breathy sounds ঘ ঝ ধ থ ভ in ঘর, ঝড়ও, শুধু, কথা, ভয়ও: a g, j, d, t or b said with a clear breath after the consonant. - ছ (chh) in ছিল, কিছু, মাছও, আছে, এছাড়াও: an aspirated ch, the ch of church with a clear puff of breath. Between vowels it is often said long. - The conjuncts ক্ত in ডাক্তার (k-t), ন্ত in ক্লান্ত (n-t, after kl), ষ্ট in বৃষ্টি and ষ্টি in মিষ্টিও (shṭ), ংস in মাংসও (ngsh), ক্ষ in অনেকক্ষণ (kkh): each run into the next, with no vowel between them. - ঋ in বৃষ্টি is said ri: BRISH-ṭi. - শ, ষ, স are all said /ʃ/, as sh in ship, in সে, সঙ্গে, সবজিও, শুরু, শেষ, মাংসও.
In speech the particle makes one unit with the word before it, and the pair is said without a break: আমিও যাব is AA-mi-o JAA-bo, with the first stress on আমি. Where ও … ও is used (মাছও খাই, মাংসও খাই), the two halves are said at the same pace, as in a list in English, "fish, and meat." In a reply, আমিও! "me too!", the last vowel is often lengthened.
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