What does "back" mean in Bengali?
English "back" is a small adverb that goes with many verbs: "come back," "go back," "get it back," "look back," "give it back." Bengali has no single word that does all of this by itself. It uses ফিরে (phire), which is a verb form: the conjunctive participle (the -ে form) of the verb ফেরা (phera) "to return, to turn." Before another verb it works as an adverb, and the pair is learned as one unit: ফিরে আসা (phire asha) "to come back," ফিরে যাওয়া (phire jaoya) "to go back," ফিরে পাওয়া (phire paoya) "to get back, to recover," ফিরে তাকানো (phire takano) "to look back." The dictionaries we opened give "back, backward, again, in return" for ফিরে, and "having returned, having come back, having turned around" for the verb form. The same word is both. When it stands alone with no other verb near, as in স্কুল থেকে ফিরে (skul theke phire), it means "having come back (from school)."
Three other words are near it and are not the same. পিছনে (pichhone) is "behind, at the back," a place in space: আমার পিছনে (amar pichhone) "behind me." ফিরিয়ে (phiriye) is the causative form of the same verb, "making something go back": ফিরিয়ে দেওয়া (phiriye deoya) "to give back." And আবার (abar) is "again," a new doing of the action, where ফিরে is a return to where one was. Section D keeps them apart.
We chose ফিরে as the equivalent of "back" because it is the ordinary word for the movement of return, and the movement is what the vocabulary list names ("return/rear, movement/position"). The rear position, "at the back," is পিছনে, and it has its place in this lesson too. One dictionary derives the verb from a Hindi root, phir-; the other sources we opened give no history, and this lesson does not offer one.
A small point of spelling matters here. ফিরে (phire, with the short vowel sign ি) is the participle. ফেরে (phere, with ে) is the present tense of the same verb, "he or she returns." The two differ only in the first vowel, and a learner must keep them apart. The stress is on the first syllable: PHI-re.
The main work of this lesson is to put ফিরে before the right verb (এসেছি, গেল, পেয়েছি, তাকাল), to see that ফিরে alone can mean "having returned," and to keep ফিরে "back" apart from পিছনে "behind" and আবার "again."
- ফিরে (phire) = "back": the -ে form of ফেরা "to return," used before another verb - ফিরে আসা "to come back" · ফিরে যাওয়া "to go back" · ফিরে পাওয়া "to get back" · ফিরে তাকানো or ফিরে দেখা "to look back" - ফিরে comes before the verb: ফিরে এসেছি, ফিরে গেল - ফিরে alone = "having returned": স্কুল থেকে ফিরে, মাঠ থেকে ফিরে - ফিরে ফিরে = "again and again, repeatedly" (literary) - ফিরিয়ে দেওয়া "to give back" · ফিরিয়ে আনা "to bring back" · ফিরিয়ে নেওয়া "to take back" - পিছনে = "behind, at the back" (a place); ফিরে = "back" (a return); আবার = "again" - ফিরে (PHI-re) is the participle; ফেরে (PHE-re) is "he or she returns"
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55.1a আমি I ফিরে back এসেছি have-come
55.1b ami (AA-mi) I-NOM phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP eshechhi (E-she-chhi) come-PRES.PERF.1SG
55.2a সে he/she ফিরে back গেল went
55.2b she (SHE) he/she-3SG phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP gelo (GE-lo) go-PAST.3
55.3a মা mother ফিরে back এসেছেন has-come
55.3b ma (MAA) mother phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP eshechhen (E-she-chhen) come-PRES.PERF.3.HON
55.4a আমার my বন্ধু friend এখনও yet ফিরে back আসেনি has-not-come
55.4b amar (AA-mar) 1-GEN bondhu (BON-dhu) friend ekhono (EK-ho-no) yet phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP asheni (AA-she-ni) come-NEG.PERF.3
55.5a তুমি you কবে when ফিরে back আসবে will-come
55.5b tumi (TU-mi) you-2 kobe (KO-be) when phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP ashbe (ASH-be) come-FUT.2
55.6a আমরা we কাল tomorrow ফিরে back যাব will-go
55.6b amra (AAM-ra) we-NOM kal (KAAL) tomorrow phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP jabo (JAA-bo) go-FUT.1
55.7a হারানো lost বইটা book-the আমি I ফিরে back পেয়েছি have-got
55.7b harano (HAA-raa-no) lost boiṭa (BOI-ṭaa) book-the ami (AA-mi) I-NOM phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP peyechhi (PE-ye-chhi) get-PRES.PERF.1SG
55.8a সে he/she পিছনে behind ফিরে back তাকাল looked
55.8b she (SHE) he/she-3SG pichhone (PICH-ho-ne) behind-LOC phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP takalo (TAA-kaa-lo) look-PAST.3
55.9a স্কুল school থেকে from ফিরে having-returned ছেলেটা boy-the খেতে to-eat বসল sat
55.9b skul (SKUL) school theke (THE-ke) from phire (PHI-re) return-CONJ.PTCP chheleṭa (CHHE-le-ṭaa) boy-the khete (KHE-te) eat-INF boslo (BOS-lo) sit-PAST.3
55.10a তাকে him/her ডাকলাম called কিন্তু but সে he/she ফিরে back তাকাল looked না not
55.10b take (TAA-ke) 3-ACC daklam (DAK-laam) call-PAST.1SG kintu (KIN-tu) but she (SHE) he/she-3SG phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP takalo (TAA-kaa-lo) look-PAST.3 na (NAA) not
55.11a আপনি you কি QUESTION ফিরে back যেতে to-go চান want
55.11b apni (AAP-ni) you-HON ki (KI) Q phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP jete (JE-te) go-INF chan (CHAAN) want-PRES.2.HON
55.12a বৃষ্টি rain শুরু start হল became তাই so আমরা we ফিরে back এলাম came
55.12b brishṭi (BRISH-ṭi) rain shuru (SHU-ru) start holo (HO-lo) be-PAST.3 tai (TAAI) so amra (AAM-ra) we-NOM phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP elam (E-laam) come-PAST.1PL
55.13a অনেক many বছর year পরে after সে he/she নিজের own গ্রামে village-in ফিরে back এল came
55.13b onek (O-nek) many bochhor (BOCH-chhor) year pore (PO-re) after-LOC she (SHE) he/she-3SG nijer (NI-jer) own-GEN grame (GRAA-me) village-LOC phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP elo (E-lo) come-PAST.3
55.14a ফিরে back এসে having-come সে he/she দেখল saw ঘরের house-of দরজা door খোলা open
55.14b phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP eshe (E-she) come-CONJ.PTCP she (SHE) he/she-3SG dekhlo (DEKH-lo) see-PAST.3 ghorer (GHO-rer) house-GEN dorja (DOR-jaa) door khola (KHO-laa) open
55.15a সারারাত all-night পাখিটা bird-the ফিরে again ফিরে again ডাকছিল was-calling
55.15b shararat (SHAA-raa-raat) all-night pakhiṭa (PAA-khi-ṭaa) bird-the phire (PHI-re) again-CONJ.PTCP phire (PHI-re) again-CONJ.PTCP dakchhilo (DAK-chhi-lo) call-PAST.CONT.3
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55.1 আমি ফিরে এসেছি। Ami phire eshechhi. "I have come back."
55.2 সে ফিরে গেল। She phire gelo. "He (or she) went back."
55.3 মা ফিরে এসেছেন। Ma phire eshechhen. "Mother has come back."
55.4 আমার বন্ধু এখনও ফিরে আসেনি। Amar bondhu ekhono phire asheni. "My friend has not come back yet."
55.5 তুমি কবে ফিরে আসবে? Tumi kobe phire ashbe? "When will you come back?"
55.6 আমরা কাল ফিরে যাব। Amra kal phire jabo. "We will go back tomorrow."
55.7 হারানো বইটা আমি ফিরে পেয়েছি। Harano boiṭa ami phire peyechhi. "I have got the lost book back."
55.8 সে পিছনে ফিরে তাকাল। She pichhone phire takalo. "He (or she) turned round and looked back."
55.9 স্কুল থেকে ফিরে ছেলেটা খেতে বসল। Skul theke phire chheleṭa khete boslo. "Back from school, the boy sat down to eat."
55.10 তাকে ডাকলাম, কিন্তু সে ফিরে তাকাল না। Take daklam, kintu she phire takalo na. "I called him (or her), but he (or she) did not look back."
55.11 আপনি কি ফিরে যেতে চান? Apni ki phire jete chan? "Do you want to go back?"
55.12 বৃষ্টি শুরু হল, তাই আমরা ফিরে এলাম। Brishṭi shuru holo, tai amra phire elam. "It began to rain, so we came back."
55.13 অনেক বছর পরে সে নিজের গ্রামে ফিরে এল। Onek bochhor pore she nijer grame phire elo. "After many years he (or she) came back to his (or her) own village."
55.14 ফিরে এসে সে দেখল, ঘরের দরজা খোলা। Phire eshe she dekhlo, ghorer dorja khola. "On coming back, he (or she) saw that the door of the house was open."
55.15 সারারাত পাখিটা ফিরে ফিরে ডাকছিল। Shararat pakhiṭa phire phire dakchhilo. "All night long the bird kept calling, again and again."
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55.1 আমি ফিরে এসেছি।
55.2 সে ফিরে গেল।
55.3 মা ফিরে এসেছেন।
55.4 আমার বন্ধু এখনও ফিরে আসেনি।
55.5 তুমি কবে ফিরে আসবে?
55.6 আমরা কাল ফিরে যাব।
55.7 হারানো বইটা আমি ফিরে পেয়েছি।
55.8 সে পিছনে ফিরে তাকাল।
55.9 স্কুল থেকে ফিরে ছেলেটা খেতে বসল।
55.10 তাকে ডাকলাম, কিন্তু সে ফিরে তাকাল না।
55.11 আপনি কি ফিরে যেতে চান?
55.12 বৃষ্টি শুরু হল, তাই আমরা ফিরে এলাম।
55.13 অনেক বছর পরে সে নিজের গ্রামে ফিরে এল।
55.14 ফিরে এসে সে দেখল, ঘরের দরজা খোলা।
55.15 সারারাত পাখিটা ফিরে ফিরে ডাকছিল।
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1. What kind of word it is. ফিরে is the conjunctive participle (অসমাপিকা ক্রিয়া, osomapika kriya) of the verb ফেরা (phera) "to return, to turn." It does not change for person or number. Its two uses are:
- As an adverb, "back," before another verb: আমি ফিরে এসেছি (ami phire eshechhi), "I have come back." The two verbs act as one idea, and the tense, person and honorific are all on the second verb (এসেছি, এসেছেন, গেল, আসবে). - As a participle, "having returned," with a place word or alone: স্কুল থেকে ফিরে (skul theke phire), "back from school." The main verb of the sentence follows: ছেলেটা খেতে বসল.
2. The verb ফেরা. Learn the forms, because ফিরে is one of them. The first vowel changes between ে and ি, and the spelling follows it.
- Verbal noun: ফেরা (phera) "returning" · the genitive: ফেরার (pherar), as in ফেরার পথে (pherar pothe) "on the way back" - Present: আমি ফিরি (ami phiri) · তুমি ফেরো (tumi phero) · সে ফেরে (she phere) · আপনি ফেরেন (apni pheren) - Past: আমি ফিরলাম (ami phirlam) · সে ফিরল (she phirlo) - Future: আমি ফিরব (ami phirbo) · তুমি ফিরবে (tumi phirbe) - Perfect: আমি ফিরেছি (ami phirechhi) · সে ফিরেছে (she phirechhe) - Infinitive: ফিরতে (phirte) · conditional: ফিরলে (phirle) - Participle: ফিরে (phire)
Note that ফিরে (the participle) and ফিরেছি (the perfect) are different forms: ফিরে এসেছি "I have come back" uses the participle with the verb আসা, and আমি ফিরেছি "I have returned" is the verb ফেরা itself in the perfect.
3. ফিরে with আসা and যাওয়া. The two verbs of coming and going choose the direction. ফিরে আসা (phire asha) is a return towards the speaker or towards the place the speaker is in or thinks of as home. ফিরে যাওয়া (phire jaoya) is a return away from the speaker, to the place one came from.
- মা ফিরে এসেছেন (55.3): Mother has come back (here). - আমরা কাল ফিরে যাব (55.6): We will go back (there) tomorrow.
The place is in the locative (-এ/-তে) or with থেকে for "from": গ্রামে ফিরে এল (55.13), স্কুল থেকে ফিরে (55.9).
4. ফিরে পাওয়া "to get back." With পাওয়া (Lesson 33, "to get"), ফিরে means that what one had is again one's own: ফিরে পাওয়া (phire paoya) "to get back, to recover." আমি হারানো বইটা ফিরে পেয়েছি (55.7). The things one gets back may be things (a book), health, memory or a feeling (নিজেকে ফিরে পেয়েছি, "I have found myself again" in the story below).
5. ফিরে তাকানো and ফিরে দেখা, "to look back." The verb ফেরা also means "to turn round, to face a direction," and so ফিরে with তাকানো (takano) "to look" or দেখা (dekha) "to see" is "to turn and look back." পিছনে ফিরে তাকাল (55.8) says it in full: "turned (to the) rear and looked." Without পিছনে the meaning is the same: সে ফিরে তাকাল না (55.10), "he or she did not look back." ফিরে দেখা also means "to look back on the past, to review": ফিরে দেখলে মনে হয় সবই স্বপ্ন (phire dekhle mone hoy shobi shopno), "looking back, it all seems a dream."
6. ফিরে as "having returned." In 55.9 and in the story, ফিরে is the first of two actions in time: first the return, then the main verb. The same sense is given by ফিরে এসে (phire eshe), with a second participle: ফিরে এসে সে দেখল (55.14), "on coming back, he or she saw." The simple ফিরে is shorter and is used when the sense of coming or going is already clear from the rest of the sentence.
7. ফিরে ফিরে. The word said twice means "again and again, repeatedly." The dictionaries give it with the example of a line of Tagore's, and it is a literary use more than an everyday one. In plain speech বারবার (barbar) "time after time" is, in our judgement, the more usual word; the sources we opened do not say. We give ফিরে ফিরে in 55.15 as the written form.
8. ফিরিয়ে: the causative. When someone makes a thing go back, the verb takes the causative form, ফেরানো (pherano), and its participle is ফিরিয়ে (phiriye). The three compounds to learn whole are:
- ফিরিয়ে দেওয়া (phiriye deoya): "to give back, to return something." ধার নেওয়া বইটা ফিরিয়ে দাও (dhar neoya boiṭa phiriye dao), "give back the borrowed book." - ফিরিয়ে আনা (phiriye ana): "to bring back." - ফিরিয়ে নেওয়া (phiriye neoya): "to take back." কথা ফিরিয়ে নেওয়া (kotha phiriye neoya) is "to take back one's words."
Note the pair: ফিরে পাওয়া is "to get back (what was mine)," and ফিরিয়ে দেওয়া is "to give back (what is yours)."
9. ফিরে and পিছনে. পিছনে (pichhone) is the locative of পিছন (pichhon) "the rear, the back." It is a place word, with the genitive before it: ঘরের পিছনে (ghorer pichhone) "behind the house," আমার পিছনে (amar pichhone) "behind me." It does not mean "return." Also written পেছনে (pechhone). Both words can be in one sentence, as in 55.8: পিছনে "to the rear" and ফিরে "having turned."
10. ফিরে and আবার. আবার (abar) is "again": a new act of the same kind. ফিরে is the return to where one was. সে আবার এল (she abar elo) is "he or she came again" (a second visit). সে ফিরে এল (she phire elo) is "he or she came back" (home). The two can be used together: সে আবার ফিরে এল, "he or she came back again."
11. Negatives. The negative is on the second verb. In the past and the future, না follows the verb: সে ফিরে তাকাল না (55.10), আমি আর ফিরে যাব না (55.29). For a perfect, -নি is added to the verb: ফিরে আসেনি (55.4), "has not come back." ফিরে does not take না itself.
12. Word order. In prose ফিরে stands directly before its verb: ফিরে এল, ফিরে পেয়েছি. In verse the order is free: Tagore writes দাও ফিরে (dao phire) in the first line of the poem in Section F, where the prose of today says ফিরিয়ে দাও. That is our reading of the line; the sources we opened give the text and do not remark on the order.
1. Do not put ফিরে after the verb in prose. English says "come back." Bengali says ফিরে আসা, not আসা ফিরে. The verse order of a poet is not for the learner. 2. Do not write ফেরে for the participle. ফিরে (with ি) is "back, having returned." ফেরে (with ে) is "he or she returns" and takes the place of a finite verb: সে রোজ সন্ধ্যায় ফেরে (she roj shondhyay phere), "he or she comes home every evening." 3. Do not use ফিরে for a place "at the back." "Behind the school" is স্কুলের পিছনে, not স্কুলের ফিরে. 4. Do not use আবার for "back." আমি আবার এসেছি is "I have come again." For "I am back," say আমি ফিরে এসেছি. 5. Choose আসা or যাওয়া by the direction. Coming back to the speaker is ফিরে আসা, and going back to somewhere else is ফিরে যাওয়া. Mixing them changes the place. 6. Do not say ফিরে দেওয়া for "to give back" in ordinary speech. Use the causative: ফিরিয়ে দেওয়া. ফিরে পাওয়া is the right form for "to get back." 7. Say the final vowel. ফিরে is PHI-re, and the e is a full vowel, not a silent letter. 8. Do not leave out the place marker. "He came back to the village" is গ্রামে ফিরে এল, with -এ. "He came back from the village" is গ্রাম থেকে ফিরে এল.
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ফিরে is among the commonest words of everyday Bengali, because every return is said with it: ফিরে এসো (phire esho) "come back," কখন ফিরবে? (kokhon phirbe?) "when will you be back?", ফিরে এসে বলছি (phire eshe bolchhi) "I will tell you when I am back." The first thing a person says on coming in at the door is, simply, আমি ফিরে এসেছি.
The return home has a short name: ঘরে ফেরা (ghore phera), "coming home," the return to the house. It is said of the evening return from work, of a traveller, and of a son or daughter who has been away. The word for "on the way back" is ফেরার পথে (pherar pothe), and a person who is asked where they are can answer ফেরার পথে আছি (pherar pothe achhi), "I am on my way back." The story in the Genre Section is about this return, in the village setting.
ফিরে দেখা (phire dekha) is not only a movement of the head. It is also the phrase for a retrospective: looking back at one's life, at a year, at a work, as in 55.27. The plain turn of the head is পিছনে ফিরে তাকানো (55.8).
ফিরিয়ে দেওয়া (phiriye deoya) is the verb of returning what one has borrowed or been given: a book, a loan. It is most often heard in the imperative: ফিরিয়ে দাও (phiriye dao) to an equal, ফিরিয়ে দিন (phiriye din) to an elder or a stranger.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
The citation is from a poem of Rabindranath Tagore (রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর, 1861–1941), "সভ্যতার প্রতি" (Sobhyotar proti, "To Civilization"), in his book of poems চৈতালি (Chaitali). The poem is fourteen lines long. In it the poet turns on "new civilization" (নবসভ্যতা), which is cruel and devours all things, and asks it to take back its city and iron and stone and to give him back the ancient forest and its days. We cite two lines because ফিরে is in both: the first line, where it is "back" in "give back," and line twelve, where it is "back" in "to get back." The text of both lines is the same on the two pages we opened: the Bengali Wikisource page for the poem, which gives its date as 19 Chaitra 1302 of the Bengali calendar, and the page of the poem in the library section of ebanglalibrary.com. The two texts differ in a punctuation mark here and there and in one word of the second line (লহো on Wikisource, লও on ebanglalibrary.com); neither difference touches the lines we cite. The English is the Latinum Institute's own, kept close to the Bengali.
F.1a দাও give ফিরে back সে that অরণ্য forest লও take এ this নগর city
F.1b dao (DAO) give-IMP.2 phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP she (SHE) that-DEM oronyo (O-ron-no) forest lao (LAO) take-IMP.2 e (E) this-DEM nogor (NO-gor) city
F.2a বক্ষে chest-in ফিরে back পেতে to-get চাই want শক্তি strength আপনার own
F.2b bokkhe (BOK-khe) chest-LOC phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP pete (PE-te) get-INF chai (CHAAI) want-PRES.1SG shokti (SHOK-ti) strength apnar (AAP-nar) own-GEN
দাও ফিরে সে অরণ্য, লও এ নগর।
Dao phire she oronyo, lao e nogor.
"Give back that forest, take this city."
বক্ষে ফিরে পেতে চাই শক্তি আপনার।
Bokkhe phire pete chai shokti apnar.
"In my breast I want to get back my own strength."
— Rabindranath Tagore, "সভ্যতার প্রতি" (To Civilization), lines 1 and 12, in চৈতালি (Chaitali); texts checked against Bengali Wikisource and ebanglalibrary.com; translation: Latinum Institute
দাও ফিরে সে অরণ্য, লও এ নগর।
বক্ষে ফিরে পেতে চাই শক্তি আপনার।
- দাও ফিরে (dao phire). দাও is the তুমি-level imperative of দেওয়া "to give." ফিরে follows it. In the prose of today the pair is ফিরিয়ে দাও (phiriye dao), with the causative (Section D, rule 8); the verse puts the old participle after the verb. The sense is "give back, return." - সে অরণ্য (she oronyo). সে here is the demonstrative "that," not the pronoun "he or she." It points to the forest as one that is far off and already lost. অরণ্য (oronyo) is a literary word for "forest" (the everyday word is জঙ্গল, jongol). - লও এ নগর (lao e nogor). লও is the তুমি-level imperative of নেওয়া "to take" (today's prose says নাও); এ is "this," the short form of এই. The two halves of the line, "give back that // take this," are set against each other and form a balanced pair. - বক্ষে (bokkhe). The locative of বক্ষ (bokkho) "chest, breast," a word of verse. The ordinary word is বুক (buk), "in the chest" বুকে (buke). - ফিরে পেতে চাই (phire pete chai). Here ফিরে is in its second use, with পাওয়া: "to get back, to win back." চাই is "I want." The structure is the one in Section D, rule 4. পেতে is the infinitive, "to get," and চাই takes it: "I want to get." - আপনার (apnar). After a noun, আপনার means "one's own": শক্তি আপনার is "strength (that is) one's own." It is not the honorific "your." The last word of the line tells us that the strength is not borrowed: it is what the speaker had and lost.
The poem is an address to civilization, and ফিরে is in its first line. The poet does not ask for something new; he asks for something to be given back, and in the twelfth line he says that what he wants is to get back what was his own. In both lines the word is "back": a thing that was had and has been lost. The two lines show two sides of the word: দাও ফিরে is the thing that is returned to him by another, and ফিরে পেতে চাই is what he wins for himself. The poem is a good place to see why this lesson pairs ফিরে with both দেওয়া (through ফিরিয়ে দেওয়া) and পাওয়া.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
A short story told in the past tense. Every sentence has ফিরে in it, and the story follows a man called Kamal who comes back to his village after ten years in the city. His friend is Rahim; his mother is called only Ma.
55.16a কামাল Kamal দশ ten বছর year পরে after গ্রামে village-in ফিরে back এল came
55.16b Kamal (KAA-mal) Kamal dosh (DOSH) ten bochhor (BOCH-chhor) year pore (PO-re) after-LOC grame (GRAA-me) village-LOC phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP elo (E-lo) come-PAST.3
55.17a ট্রেন train চলে away গেল went কিন্তু but কামাল Kamal ফিরে back যাওয়ার going-of কথা matter ভাবল thought না not
55.17b ṭren (TREN) train chole (CHO-le) away-CONJ.PTCP gelo (GE-lo) go-PAST.3 kintu (KIN-tu) but Kamal (KAA-mal) Kamal phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP jaoyar (JAA-o-yaar) go-VN.GEN kotha (KO-thaa) matter bhablo (BHAB-lo) think-PAST.3 na (NAA) not
55.18a পথে road-on পুরোনো old বন্ধু friend রহিমের Rahim-of সঙ্গে with দেখা meeting হল became রহিম Rahim গত last মাসে month-in ফিরে back এসেছিল had-come
55.18b pothe (PO-the) road-LOC purono (PU-ro-no) old bondhu (BON-dhu) friend Rohimer (RO-hi-mer) Rahim-GEN shonge (SHON-ge) with dekha (DE-khaa) meeting holo (HO-lo) be-PAST.3 Rohim (RO-him) Rahim goto (GO-to) last mashe (MAA-she) month-LOC phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP eshechhilo (E-she-chhi-lo) come-PAST.PERF.3
55.19a রহিম Rahim বলল said সবাই everyone এখানে here ফিরে back আসে comes কেউ anyone চিরকাল for-ever দূরে far-away থাকে stays না not
55.19b Rohim (RO-him) Rahim bollo (BOL-lo) say-PAST.3 shobai (SHO-baai) everyone ekhane (E-khaa-ne) here-LOC phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP ashe (AA-she) come-PRES.3 keu (KEU) anyone chirokal (CHI-ro-kaal) for-ever dure (DU-re) far-LOC thake (THAA-ke) stay-PRES.3 na (NAA) not
55.20a কামাল Kamal হেসে having-laughed বলল said আমি I আর any-more শহরে city-to ফিরে back যাব will-go না not
55.20b Kamal (KAA-mal) Kamal hese (HE-she) laugh-CONJ.PTCP bollo (BOL-lo) say-PAST.3 ami (AA-mi) I-NOM ar (AAR) any-more shohore (SHO-ho-re) city-LOC phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP jabo (JAA-bo) go-FUT.1 na (NAA) not
55.21a উঠোনে yard-in মা mother দাঁড়িয়ে having-stood ছিলেন was ছেলেকে son-to ফিরে back আসতে to-come দেখে having-seen তাঁর her চোখে eye-in জল water এল came
55.21b uṭhone (U-ṭho-ne) yard-LOC ma (MAA) mother dā̃ṛiye (DAA-ṛi-ye) stand-CONJ.PTCP chhilen (CHHI-len) be-PAST.3.HON chheleke (CHHE-le-ke) son-ACC phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP ashte (ASH-te) come-INF dekhe (DE-khe) see-CONJ.PTCP tā̃r (TAAR) 3-GEN.HON chokhe (CHO-khe) eye-LOC jol (JOL) water elo (E-lo) come-PAST.3
55.22a মা mother বললেন said জানতাম I-knew তুই you একদিন one-day ফিরে back আসবি will-come
55.22b ma (MAA) mother bollen (BOL-len) say-PAST.3.HON jantam (JAAN-taam) know-PAST.HAB.1SG tui (TUI) you-2.FAM ekdin (EK-din) one-day phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP ashbi (ASH-bi) come-FUT.2.FAM
55.23a কামাল Kamal বলল said এতদিন so-long পরে after ফিরে back এসে having-come আমার my খুব very ভালো good লাগছে feels
55.23b Kamal (KAA-mal) Kamal bollo (BOL-lo) say-PAST.3 etodin (E-to-din) so-long pore (PO-re) after-LOC phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP eshe (E-she) come-CONJ.PTCP amar (AA-mar) 1-GEN khub (KHUB) very bhalo (BHAA-lo) good lagchhe (LAAG-chhe) feel-PRES.CONT.3
55.24a দুপুরে noon-at সে he নদীর river-of ধারে bank-at গেল went বিকেলে afternoon-in ফিরে back এল came
55.24b dupure (DU-pu-re) noon-LOC she (SHE) he-3SG nodir (NO-dir) river-GEN dhare (DHAA-re) bank-LOC gelo (GE-lo) go-PAST.3 bikele (BI-ke-le) afternoon-LOC phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP elo (E-lo) come-PAST.3
55.25a ছোটবেলার childhood-of দিনগুলো days-the যেন as-if ফিরে back এল came
55.25b chhotobelar (CHHO-to-be-laar) childhood-GEN dingulo (DIN-gu-lo) days-the jeno (JE-no) as-if phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP elo (E-lo) come-PAST.3
55.26a রাতে night-at ঘুমানোর sleeping-of আগে before সে he বলল said মনে mind-in হচ্ছে is-becoming আমি I নিজেকে self-to ফিরে back পেয়েছি have-got
55.26b rate (RAA-te) night-LOC ghumanor (GHU-maa-nor) sleep-VN.GEN age (AA-ge) before she (SHE) he-3SG bollo (BOL-lo) say-PAST.3 mone (MO-ne) mind-LOC hochchhe (HOCH-chhe) be-PRES.CONT.3 ami (AA-mi) I-NOM nijeke (NI-je-ke) self-ACC phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP peyechhi (PE-ye-chhi) get-PRES.PERF.1SG
55.27a ফিরে back দেখলে if-see কামালের Kamal-of মনে mind-in হল became শহরের city-of দশটা ten-CLF বছর year যেন as-if এক one রাতের night-of স্বপ্ন dream
55.27b phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP dekhle (DEKH-le) see-COND Kamaler (KAA-ma-ler) Kamal-GEN mone (MO-ne) mind-LOC holo (HO-lo) be-PAST.3 shohorer (SHO-ho-rer) city-GEN doshṭa (DOSH-ṭaa) ten-CLF bochhor (BOCH-chhor) year jeno (JE-no) as-if ek (EK) one rater (RAA-ter) night-GEN shopno (SHOP-no) dream
55.28a কয়েক few মাস month পরে after শহর city থেকে from এক one চিঠি letter এল came চিঠিতে letter-in লেখা written ছিল was ফিরে back এসো come তোমার your জন্য for কাজ work আছে is
55.28b koyek (KO-yek) few mash (MAASH) month pore (PO-re) after-LOC shohor (SHO-hor) city theke (THE-ke) from ek (EK) one chiṭhi (CHI-ṭhi) letter elo (E-lo) come-PAST.3 chiṭhite (CHI-ṭhi-te) letter-LOC lekha (LE-khaa) written chhilo (CHHI-lo) be-PAST.3 phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP esho (E-sho) come-IMP.2 tomar (TO-mar) 2-GEN jonyo (JON-no) for kaj (KAAJ) work achhe (AA-chhe) be-PRES.3
55.29a কামাল Kamal উত্তরে answer-in লিখল wrote আমি I ফিরে back এসেছি have-come আর any-more ফিরে back যাব will-go না not
55.29b Kamal (KAA-mal) Kamal uttore (UT-to-re) answer-LOC likhlo (LIKH-lo) write-PAST.3 ami (AA-mi) I-NOM phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP eshechhi (E-she-chhi) come-PRES.PERF.1SG ar (AAR) any-more phire (PHI-re) back-CONJ.PTCP jabo (JAA-bo) go-FUT.1 na (NAA) not
55.30a সন্ধ্যায় evening-in মাঠ field থেকে from ফিরে having-returned সে he মায়ের mother-of পাশে side-at বসে having-sat চা tea খেল drank
55.30b shondhyay (SHON-dhyaay) evening-LOC maṭh (MAATH) field theke (THE-ke) from phire (PHI-re) return-CONJ.PTCP she (SHE) he-3SG mayer (MAA-yer) mother-GEN pashe (PAA-she) side-LOC boshe (BO-she) sit-CONJ.PTCP cha (CHAA) tea khelo (KHE-lo) drink-PAST.3
55.16 কামাল দশ বছর পরে গ্রামে ফিরে এল। Kamal dosh bochhor pore grame phire elo. "After ten years Kamal came back to the village."
55.17 ট্রেন চলে গেল, কিন্তু কামাল ফিরে যাওয়ার কথা ভাবল না। Ṭren chole gelo, kintu Kamal phire jaoyar kotha bhablo na. "The train went away, but Kamal did not think of going back."
55.18 পথে পুরোনো বন্ধু রহিমের সঙ্গে দেখা হল, রহিম গত মাসে ফিরে এসেছিল। Pothe purono bondhu Rohimer shonge dekha holo, Rohim goto mashe phire eshechhilo. "On the road he met his old friend Rahim; Rahim had come back last month."
55.19 রহিম বলল, "সবাই এখানে ফিরে আসে, কেউ চিরকাল দূরে থাকে না।" Rohim bollo, "Shobai ekhane phire ashe, keu chirokal dure thake na." "Rahim said, 'Everyone comes back here; no one stays away for ever.'"
55.20 কামাল হেসে বলল, "আমি আর শহরে ফিরে যাব না।" Kamal hese bollo, "Ami ar shohore phire jabo na." "Kamal laughed and said, 'I will not go back to the city any more.'"
55.21 উঠোনে মা দাঁড়িয়ে ছিলেন, ছেলেকে ফিরে আসতে দেখে তাঁর চোখে জল এল। Uṭhone ma dā̃ṛiye chhilen, chheleke phire ashte dekhe tā̃r chokhe jol elo. "Mother was standing in the yard; seeing her son come back, she had tears in her eyes."
55.22 মা বললেন, "জানতাম, তুই একদিন ফিরে আসবি।" Ma bollen, "Jantam, tui ekdin phire ashbi." "Mother said, 'I knew you would come back one day.'"
55.23 কামাল বলল, "এতদিন পরে ফিরে এসে আমার খুব ভালো লাগছে।" Kamal bollo, "Etodin pore phire eshe amar khub bhalo lagchhe." "Kamal said, 'Now that I have come back after so long, I feel very good.'"
55.24 দুপুরে সে নদীর ধারে গেল, বিকেলে ফিরে এল। Dupure she nodir dhare gelo, bikele phire elo. "At noon he went to the river bank, and in the afternoon he came back."
55.25 ছোটবেলার দিনগুলো যেন ফিরে এল। Chhotobelar dingulo jeno phire elo. "It was as if the days of his childhood had come back."
55.26 রাতে ঘুমানোর আগে সে বলল, "মনে হচ্ছে আমি নিজেকে ফিরে পেয়েছি।" Rate ghumanor age she bollo, "Mone hochchhe ami nijeke phire peyechhi." "Before going to sleep at night he said, 'I feel that I have got myself back.'"
55.27 ফিরে দেখলে কামালের মনে হল, শহরের দশটা বছর যেন এক রাতের স্বপ্ন। Phire dekhle Kamaler mone holo, shohorer doshṭa bochhor jeno ek rater shopno. "Looking back, it seemed to Kamal that the ten years in the city were like the dream of one night."
55.28 কয়েক মাস পরে শহর থেকে এক চিঠি এল, চিঠিতে লেখা ছিল, "ফিরে এসো, তোমার জন্য কাজ আছে।" Koyek mash pore shohor theke ek chiṭhi elo, chiṭhite lekha chhilo, "Phire esho, tomar jonyo kaj achhe." "A few months later a letter came from the city; it said, 'Come back, there is work for you.'"
55.29 কামাল উত্তরে লিখল, "আমি ফিরে এসেছি, আর ফিরে যাব না।" Kamal uttore likhlo, "Ami phire eshechhi, ar phire jabo na." "Kamal wrote in answer, 'I have come back, and I will not go back.'"
55.30 সন্ধ্যায় মাঠ থেকে ফিরে সে মায়ের পাশে বসে চা খেল। Shondhyay maṭh theke phire she mayer pashe boshe cha khelo. "In the evening, back from the field, he sat down beside his mother and drank tea."
55.16 কামাল দশ বছর পরে গ্রামে ফিরে এল।
55.17 ট্রেন চলে গেল, কিন্তু কামাল ফিরে যাওয়ার কথা ভাবল না।
55.18 পথে পুরোনো বন্ধু রহিমের সঙ্গে দেখা হল, রহিম গত মাসে ফিরে এসেছিল।
55.19 রহিম বলল, "সবাই এখানে ফিরে আসে, কেউ চিরকাল দূরে থাকে না।"
55.20 কামাল হেসে বলল, "আমি আর শহরে ফিরে যাব না।"
55.21 উঠোনে মা দাঁড়িয়ে ছিলেন, ছেলেকে ফিরে আসতে দেখে তাঁর চোখে জল এল।
55.22 মা বললেন, "জানতাম, তুই একদিন ফিরে আসবি।"
55.23 কামাল বলল, "এতদিন পরে ফিরে এসে আমার খুব ভালো লাগছে।"
55.24 দুপুরে সে নদীর ধারে গেল, বিকেলে ফিরে এল।
55.25 ছোটবেলার দিনগুলো যেন ফিরে এল।
55.26 রাতে ঘুমানোর আগে সে বলল, "মনে হচ্ছে আমি নিজেকে ফিরে পেয়েছি।"
55.27 ফিরে দেখলে কামালের মনে হল, শহরের দশটা বছর যেন এক রাতের স্বপ্ন।
55.28 কয়েক মাস পরে শহর থেকে এক চিঠি এল, চিঠিতে লেখা ছিল, "ফিরে এসো, তোমার জন্য কাজ আছে।"
55.29 কামাল উত্তরে লিখল, "আমি ফিরে এসেছি, আর ফিরে যাব না।"
55.30 সন্ধ্যায় মাঠ থেকে ফিরে সে মায়ের পাশে বসে চা খেল।
- ফিরে আসা and ফিরে যাওয়া in the story. The story is built on the two directions of Section D, rule 3. Kamal "comes back" (ফিরে এল, 55.16) to the village, which the story treats as its home, and he does not think of "going back" (ফিরে যাওয়ার কথা, 55.17) to the city. In 55.28 the city writes "ফিরে এসো" meaning "come back to us," and in 55.29 Kamal answers with both directions in one line: ফিরে এসেছি (I have come back here) and ফিরে যাব না (I will not go back there). - ফিরে যাওয়ার (55.17). The verbal noun যাওয়া in the genitive, with কথা "matter, thought": ফিরে যাওয়ার কথা is "the thought of going back." ভাবা (Lesson 53) takes it as its object. - The past perfect (55.18). ফিরে এসেছিল is the past perfect, "had come," and it tells that Rahim's return came before the meeting on the road. - The timeless present (55.19). সবাই ফিরে আসে is the present tense for what is always so: "everyone comes back." With না, কেউ ... থাকে না, "no one stays." - A participle before the main verb (55.21). ছেলেকে ফিরে আসতে দেখে: the infinitive আসতে after ফিরে is the object of দেখা, "seeing him come back." The son is in the object form (ছেলেকে), and the tense is on the final verb এল. তাঁর (tā̃r) is the honorific "her," used of the mother. - Who says "you" how. The mother uses তুই (tui) and the verb আসবি (55.22) to her son, the familiar form, and the narrator puts her verbs in the honorific (দাঁড়িয়ে ছিলেন, বললেন). The city letter uses তোমার and এসো (55.28), the form for an equal. - ফিরে পাওয়া (55.26). নিজেকে ফিরে পেয়েছি is "I have got myself back." The object is নিজেকে (nijeke) "oneself" with the object ending -কে, as for a person. The perfect with -েছি is used for something that has just come true. - ফিরে দেখলে (55.27). ফিরে with the conditional দেখলে is "when one looks back." The thought is in the structure কামালের মনে হল, "it seemed to Kamal," where the person is in the genitive and মনে হওয়া means "to seem." - যেন (55.25 and 55.27). যেন is "as if." In 55.25 it goes before the verb ফিরে এল, and the days of childhood "came back" in the mind only, not in fact. - ফিরে alone (55.30). In 55.30 মাঠ থেকে ফিরে is "having returned from the field" and is the first of two participles: ফিরে ... বসে, then the main verb খেল. The two participles show the order of events: return, sit, drink. - Negatives. Every negative in the story puts না after the verb (ভাবল না, থাকে না, যাব না). The story has no negative perfect; compare 55.4 above, ফিরে আসেনি.
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- IPA: /pʰire/ (the first consonant is an aspirated p; the vowels are a close i and a close-mid e) - ফ (ph) is the aspirated stop /pʰ/, a p said with a clear puff of breath, as in the English pin. In much of speech, and especially in Bangladesh, it is said as an f or as a soft sound made with both lips. Either is understood. The Roman spelling in this course is ph. - ি (i) = /i/, as in machine, short. - র (r) = a quick tap of the tongue-tip, lighter than the English r. - ে (e) = /e/, a pure close-mid vowel, as in the first part of say without the glide to i. It is said fully at the end of the word. - Stress: on the first syllable, PHI-re.
- ফিরে /pʰire/ "back" vs ফেরে /pʰere/ "he or she returns": the first vowel is /i/ in one and /e/ in the other. In writing the sign is ি or ে. - ফিরে /pʰire/ vs ফিরিয়ে "giving back" (PHI-ri-ye): the second has an extra syllable. - ফিরে vs পিছনে (PICH-ho-ne) "behind": the first begins with the aspirated p, ph, and the second with an ordinary p followed by ছ (chh), a ch said with a puff of breath.
- The aspirated sounds ফ ছ ঠ ধ খ ঘ in ফিরে, পিছনে, ছিল, উঠোন, ধারে, খেতে, ঘরের: each is the stop with a clear breath after it. - The retroflex ট ṭ and ড় ṛ in বৃষ্টি, ছেলেটা, পাখিটা, ট্রেন, চিঠি, মাঠ, দাঁড়িয়ে: for ট the tongue-tip curls back against the roof of the mouth; ড় is a quick flap of the tongue-tip, like a very light r. - The nasal vowel ঁ in দাঁড়িয়ে and তাঁর: the vowel is said through the nose, dā̃-ṛi-ye, tā̃r. - The conjuncts স্ক in স্কুল (sk), ট্র in ট্রেন (ṭr), ষ্ট in বৃষ্টি (shṭ), ন্ধ in সন্ধ্যায় (ndh with the y), ক্ষ in বক্ষে (kkh), ক্ত in শক্তি (kt), ণ্য in অরণ্য (nyo, said as nno), স্ব in স্বপ্ন (a sh and then p, shop-no): each runs into the next with no vowel between. - ঋ in বৃষ্টি is said ri: BRISH-ṭi. - শ, ষ, স are all said /ʃ/, as sh in ship, in সে, শুরু, সঙ্গে, বসে, শহর, শক্তি, স্বপ্ন, সন্ধ্যায়.
ফিরে is said as one unit with the verb that follows it. ফিরে এসেছি is PHI-re E-she-chhi, and in quick speech the final e of ফিরে and the first vowel of the verb run together with a very light glide. In ফিরে ফিরে the two words are said with the same weight and the same rising pace, as when one says "again, again" in English. In a call, ফিরে এসো! the last vowel of এসো is often lengthened.
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