For autodidact students of Bhojpuri, the first thing to know about "be" is that English uses one verb for several jobs and Bhojpuri shares them out among several small words. English says "I am at home", "I am tired", "I am a teacher" and "there is milk" with the same am and is. Bhojpuri has one family of forms for the first, second and fourth of these, and another family for the third. This lesson teaches the commonest family, which is built on बा (bā), "is":
- लइकवा घर में बा (laikvā ghar mẽ bā): the boy is at home - पानी ठंडा बा (pānī ṭhaṇḍā bā): the water is cold - बहिन के नौकरी बा (bahin ke naukarī bā): the sister has a job, literally "the sister's job is"
Lesson 1 used बा in almost every example without stopping to describe it. This is the lesson that does.
बा itself is the form for a thing, an animal or a child. The form changes with the person who is speaking, the person who is spoken to and the person who is spoken about: - हम बानी (ham bānī): I am - तू बाड़ू (tū bāṛū): you are, to a friend, a child or a junior - रउरा बानी (raurā bānī): you are, to an elder or a stranger; the form is the same as for "I" - ऊ बा (ū bā): he, she or it is, for a thing, animal or child - ऊ बाड़े (ū bāṛe), ऊ बाड़ी (ū bāṛī): he is, she is, of a person; ऊ लोग बाड़े (ū log bāṛe): they are - बाबूजी बाड़न (bābūjī bāṛan): Father is, with the honorific form that Lesson 1 met
The negative is नइखे (naikhe), "is not": दूध गरम नइखे (dūdh garam naikhe), "the milk is not hot". The speaker's own "I am not" is नइखी (naikhī).
The second family is for saying what something is. It is ह (ha), and its forms are ह, हई (haī) and हईं (haī̃): ई हमार किताब ह (ī hamār kitāb ha), "this is my book"; ई हमार बेटी हई (ī hamār beṭī haī), "this is my daughter". In the sources checked for this lesson, a noun that names what a thing is takes ह, and a place, a state or a quality takes बा. Bhojpuri is spoken over a wide area, and the choice of be-word is one of the places where the varieties differ, so this course follows the Bihar usage of its sources.
Two more words complete the picture. The past is रहे (rahe), "was", and the future is होई (hoī), "will be". Grammars of Bhojpuri give five bases for its be-words: ha, ho, hokh, bāṭ and rah. बा and its longer forms such as बाड़े, बाड़न and बाड़ी are placed on the bāṭ- base. The future होई and the past भइल (bhail, "became", Lesson 1: साँझ भइल, "evening fell") belong to the verb "to become", the same verb as Hindi होना (honā).
Script note: बा is the consonant ब (ba) with the long vowel sign ा (-ā). In बाड़ू and बाड़े the letter ड़ is ड with a dot under it (the nukta), a flapped sound and not the plain ड. Some writers end the second-person form with the sign ऽ (बाड़ऽ); this course writes बाड़ू throughout. In नइखे the letters न and इ are read together as one sound, nai.
Key Takeaways: - "Be" is a family of words: बा for place, state and having, ह for what a thing is - Present forms: हम बानी, तू बाड़ू, रउरा बानी, ऊ बा, ऊ बाड़े / बाड़ी, honorific बाड़न - The negative is नइखे, and नइखी with हम; the negative of ह is ना: ना ह - The past is रहे and the future is होई - के ... बा says "has": बहिन के नौकरी बा, "the sister has a job"
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2.1a लइकवा the-boy घर house में in बा is
2.1b laikvā (LAIK-vaa) boy-DEF ghar (GHAR) house mẽ (MEN) in-LOC bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG
2.2a हम I घर house में in बानी am
2.2b ham (HAM) I ghar (GHAR) house mẽ (MEN) in-LOC bānī (BAA-nee) be-PRES.1SG
2.3a तू you कहाँ where बाड़ू are
2.3b tū (TOO) you-2SG kahā̃ (ka-HAA) where bāṛū (BAA-roo) be-PRES.2SG
2.4a पानी water ठंडा cold बा is
2.4b pānī (PAA-nee) water ṭhaṇḍā (THAN-daa) cold bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG
2.5a दूध milk गरम hot नइखे is-not
2.5b dūdh (DOODH) milk garam (GA-ram) hot naikhe (NAI-khe) NEG.be-PRES.3SG
2.6a हम I आज today घर house में in नइखी am-not
2.6b ham (HAM) I āj (AAJ) today ghar (GHAR) house mẽ (MEN) in-LOC naikhī (NAI-khee) NEG.be-PRES.1SG
2.7a बाबूजी Father खेत field में in बाड़न is माई Mother बजार market में in बाड़ी is
2.7b bābūjī (BAA-boo-jee) father.HON khet (KHET) field mẽ (MEN) in-LOC bāṛan (BAA-ran) be-PRES.3HON māī (MAA-ee) mother.HON bajār (ba-JAAR) market mẽ (MEN) in-LOC bāṛī (BAA-ree) be-PRES.3HON.F
2.8a ऊ they लोग people आज today गाँव village में in बाड़े are बाकिर but हम I बजार market में in बानी am
2.8b ū (OO) they log (LOG) people āj (AAJ) today gā̃v (GAANV) village mẽ (MEN) in-LOC bāṛe (BAA-re) be-PRES.3PL bākir (BAA-kir) but ham (HAM) I bajār (ba-JAAR) market mẽ (MEN) in-LOC bānī (BAA-nee) be-PRES.1SG
2.9a बहिन sister के of नौकरी job बा is बाकिर but भाई brother के of नौकरी job नइखे is-not
2.9b bahin (BA-hin) sister ke (KE) of-GEN naukarī (NAU-ka-ree) job bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG bākir (BAA-kir) but bhāī (BHAA-ee) brother ke (KE) of-GEN naukarī (NAU-ka-ree) job naikhe (NAI-khe) NEG.be-PRES.3SG
2.10a का QUESTION रउरा you आज today घर house में in बानी are
2.10b kā (KAA) QUESTION raurā (RAU-raa) you-RESP āj (AAJ) today ghar (GHAR) house mẽ (MEN) in-LOC bānī (BAA-nee) be-PRES.2RESP
2.11a का what हाल state बा is हम I ठीक fine बानी am
2.11b kā (KAA) what hāl (HAAL) state bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG ham (HAM) I ṭhīk (THEEK) fine bānī (BAA-nee) be-PRES.1SG
2.12a ई this त indeed एगो one बढ़िया good विचार idea बा is
2.12b ī (EE) this ta (TA) indeed ego (E-go) one-CL baṛhiyā (BA-rhi-yaa) good vicār (vi-CHAAR) idea bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG
2.13a ई this हमार my बेटी daughter हई is आ and ऊ she स्कूल school में in बाड़ी is
2.13b ī (EE) this hamār (ha-MAAR) my beṭī (BE-tee) daughter haī (HA-ee) be-IDENT.3F ā (AA) and ū (OO) she skūl (SKOOL) school mẽ (MEN) in-LOC bāṛī (BAA-ree) be-PRES.3F
2.14a कुकुर dog मर die गइल went बा is
2.14b kukur (KU-kur) dog mar (MAR) die gail (GA-il) go-PAST.3SG bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG
2.15a हम I तब then बजार market में in रहनी was बाकिर but घरवा the-house में in केहू anyone ना not रहे was
2.15b ham (HAM) I tab (TAB) then bajār (ba-JAAR) market mẽ (MEN) in-LOC rahnī (RAH-nee) be-PAST.1SG bākir (BAA-kir) but gharvā (GHAR-vaa) house-DEF mẽ (MEN) in-LOC kehū (ke-HOO) anyone nā (NAA) NEG rahe (RA-he) be-PAST.3SG
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2.1 लइकवा घर में बा। — laikvā ghar mẽ bā. — "The boy is at home."
2.2 हम घर में बानी। — ham ghar mẽ bānī. — "I am at home."
2.3 तू कहाँ बाड़ू? — tū kahā̃ bāṛū? — "Where are you?"
2.4 पानी ठंडा बा। — pānī ṭhaṇḍā bā. — "The water is cold."
2.5 दूध गरम नइखे। — dūdh garam naikhe. — "The milk is not hot."
2.6 हम आज घर में नइखी। — ham āj ghar mẽ naikhī. — "I am not at home today."
2.7 बाबूजी खेत में बाड़न, माई बजार में बाड़ी। — bābūjī khet mẽ bāṛan, māī bajār mẽ bāṛī. — "Father is in the field; Mother is in the market."
2.8 ऊ लोग आज गाँव में बाड़े, बाकिर हम बजार में बानी। — ū log āj gā̃v mẽ bāṛe, bākir ham bajār mẽ bānī. — "They are in the village today, but I am in the market."
2.9 बहिन के नौकरी बा, बाकिर भाई के नौकरी नइखे। — bahin ke naukarī bā, bākir bhāī ke naukarī naikhe. — "The sister has a job, but the brother has no job."
2.10 का रउरा आज घर में बानी? — kā raurā āj ghar mẽ bānī? — "Are you at home today?" (to someone to be respected)
2.11 का हाल बा? हम ठीक बानी। — kā hāl bā? ham ṭhīk bānī. — "How are you? I am fine."
2.12 ई त एगो बढ़िया विचार बा। — ī ta ego baṛhiyā vicār bā. — "That is a good idea."
2.13 ई हमार बेटी हई, आ ऊ स्कूल में बाड़ी। — ī hamār beṭī haī, ā ū skūl mẽ bāṛī. — "This is my daughter, and she is at school."
2.14 कुकुर मर गइल बा। — kukur mar gail bā. — "The dog is dead."
2.15 हम तब बजार में रहनी, बाकिर घरवा में केहू ना रहे। — ham tab bajār mẽ rahnī, bākir gharvā mẽ kehū nā rahe. — "I was in the market then, but there was no one in the house."
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2.1 लइकवा घर में बा।
2.2 हम घर में बानी।
2.3 तू कहाँ बाड़ू?
2.4 पानी ठंडा बा।
2.5 दूध गरम नइखे।
2.6 हम आज घर में नइखी।
2.7 बाबूजी खेत में बाड़न, माई बजार में बाड़ी।
2.8 ऊ लोग आज गाँव में बाड़े, बाकिर हम बजार में बानी।
2.9 बहिन के नौकरी बा, बाकिर भाई के नौकरी नइखे।
2.10 का रउरा आज घर में बानी?
2.11 का हाल बा? हम ठीक बानी।
2.12 ई त एगो बढ़िया विचार बा।
2.13 ई हमार बेटी हई, आ ऊ स्कूल में बाड़ी।
2.14 कुकुर मर गइल बा।
2.15 हम तब बजार में रहनी, बाकिर घरवा में केहू ना रहे।
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These are the grammar rules for expressing "be" in Bhojpuri.
"Be" is a family of words. Bhojpuri does not have one verb "to be" with one set of endings. Grammars give five bases for its be-words: ha, ho, hokh, bāṭ and rah. This lesson teaches the family of बा, which is used for where something is, how it is, and what someone has. The other families are met as they come: ह for what a thing is, रह- for the past and होख- / हो- for the future and for "become".
The present of बा, by person. - हम (I): बानी (bānī). हम घर में बानी (2.2, 2.6, 2.8, 2.11) - तू (you, familiar): बाड़ू (bāṛū). तू कहाँ बाड़ू? (2.3, 2.26) - रउरा (you, respectful): बानी (bānī), the same form as for "I". का रउरा आज घर में बानी? (2.10) - ऊ / ई (he, she, it) of a thing, animal or child: बा (bā). पानी ठंडा बा (2.4); लइकवा घर में बा (2.1) - of a person: बाड़े (bāṛe) and बाड़ी (bāṛī), and for "they" बाड़े. ऊ लोग गाँव में बाड़े (2.8); ऊ स्कूल में बाड़ी (2.13) - of a person to be honoured: बाड़न (bāṛan); बाड़ी (bāṛī) for a woman. बाबूजी खेत में बाड़न (2.7, 2.20); माई बजार में बाड़ी (2.7, 2.18, 2.19)
A person is placed on a scale of respect by the noun and by the verb, as Lesson 1 showed. Speakers do not all draw the scale in the same place. The safe rule to begin with is this: a thing, an animal or a child takes बा; a person takes a longer form; Father and Mother take the honorific.
The negative: नइखे. The negative of बा is not ना plus बा. It is a word of its own: नइखे (naikhe) for the third person, नइखी (naikhī) with हम. दूध गरम नइखे (2.5); हम घर में नइखी (2.6); घर में केहू नइखे (2.21); भाई के नौकरी नइखे (2.9). The other persons have negative forms of their own, which this lesson does not teach. ना (nā) negates the ह-forms and the past: ना ह, ना रहे (2.15).
What बा says. The same word does four things in this lesson: - Place: लइकवा घर में बा (2.1), बाबूजी खेत में बाड़न (2.7). The place comes before the verb, with में, पर or से after it. - State or quality: पानी ठंडा बा (2.4), ई त एगो बढ़िया विचार बा (2.12). The adjective comes before बा, as in Lesson 1. - Having: the owner + के + the thing + बा. बहिन के नौकरी बा (2.9), "the sister has a job". There is no word for "have". - There is: घरवा के पीछे एगो गाय बा (2.22), आकाश में चान बा (2.24); and the negative घर में केहू नइखे (2.21), "there is no one at home".
बा is also the helping word that stands after a verb. After the stem + -त it says "is -ing": खात बा (Lesson 1). After a participle it says that a state now holds: कुकुर मर गइल बा (2.14), "the dog has died, and is dead".
ह is for what a thing is. ई हमार बेटी हई (2.13) names the person; ई हमार किताब ह names the book. The forms are ह (3rd person), हई (a woman or girl) and हईं (with हम): हम एगो विद्यार्थी हईं, "I am a student". ह belongs to nouns that say what the subject is. The second-person form is left for a later lesson.
Questions. A statement becomes a yes-or-no question by का (kā) in front, or by the voice alone: का रउरा बानी? (2.10); तब घर में केहू नइखे? (2.21). Question words stand where the answer would stand: तू कहाँ बाड़ू? (2.3); माई कहाँ बाड़ी? (2.18). का हाल बा? (2.11) is "how are you?", literally "what condition is?".
बा with से: "since". Bhojpuri says "I am (here) since a while" where English says "I have been here for a while": हम तनी देर से बानी (2.27), तू कब से बाड़ू? (2.26). The verb stays in the present.
Past and future. - The past of बा is रहे (rahe) for the third person: घरवा में केहू ना रहे (2.15). With हम it ends in -नी: हम बजार में रहनी (2.15), like देखनी and किननी in Lesson 1. - The future is होई (hoī): काल्ह दिन नीक होई (2.30), "tomorrow the day will be good".
Common Mistakes: - Using बा for what a thing is when ह is wanted: ई हमार बेटी हई, not a बा-form. - Using बाड़ू to someone to be respected. To an elder or a stranger, say रउरा बानी. - Forgetting that हम and रउरा both take बानी. - Using बा for a person who has to be honoured. Father and Mother take बाड़न and बाड़ी, not बा. - Making the negative with ना and बा. Use नइखे, नइखी. - Looking for a verb "have". Say owner + के + thing + बा. - Writing ड for ड़ in बाड़ू, बाड़े, बाड़न and बाड़ी.
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बा is one of the most heard words in Bhojpuri. A speaker is recognised by it as much as by the -वा of Lesson 1.
The everyday greeting is का हाल बा? (kā hāl bā?), "how are you?", and the plain reply is हम ठीक बानी, "I am fine". It is a real question about how the other person is, and not only a formula. To someone to be respected, the pronoun changes, as in 2.10: का रउरा ठीक बानी?
The other short question that Bhojpuri speakers know is का बा? (kā bā?), "what is there?" It came into the news in 2020. A Bhojpuri song, "Bambai Mein Ka Ba", associated with the actor Manoj Bajpayee, was adapted by the singer Neha Singh Rathore as "Bihar Mein Ka Ba" ("what is there in Bihar?") during the Bihar election of that year. The question is built on the same बा as this lesson's examples.
The forms vary from place to place. Some speakers and writers use longer forms such as बाटे (bāṭe) beside बा, and the sources checked for this lesson use बाड़े of "my father" where Lesson 1 has बाड़न for Father. A learner will hear all of these. This course writes the forms it teaches, and the ear will soon find the rest.
The choice between तू बाड़ू and रउरा बानी matters socially. तू and बाड़ू are for a friend, a child or a junior, and to use them to an elder is not polite. रउरा बानी is safe with anyone, and a learner who is unsure should use it.
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भिखारी ठाकुर (Bhikhari Thakur), बिदेसिया (Bidesiya), as the couplet stands in the texts on Wikisource and Hindi Samay
The lines:
नाच तमासा कीर्त्तन जेते। होखत बा सब जग मँह तेते॥
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a नाच dance तमासा spectacle कीर्त्तन kirtan जेते as-many
F.1b nāc (NAAC) dance tamāsā (ta-MAA-saa) spectacle kīrttan (KEER-ttan) kirtan jete (JE-te) as-many
F.2a होखत happening बा is सब all जग world मँह in तेते that-many
F.2b hokhat (HO-khat) happen-PROG bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG sab (SAB) all jag (JAG) world mãh (MAH) in tete (TE-te) that-many
F-B: Original and Translation
नाच तमासा कीर्त्तन जेते, / होखत बा सब जग मँह तेते।
"As many dances, spectacles and kirtans as there are, / so many are going on in all the world." (Translation: Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Original
नाच तमासा कीर्त्तन जेते। होखत बा सब जग मँह तेते॥
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The word बा (bā) is the word of this lesson, and it does the work of the second line. होखत बा (hokhat bā) is "is happening, is going on": होखत is the stem होख- (hokh-, one of the five bases of "to be") with -त, the ending of the continuing action that Lesson 1 met in पढ़त बा and खात बा, and बा is the helping word that stands after it. Here बा does not say where or how something is. It says that something is going on now, and the whole world is its place.
The couplet balances two words: जेते (jete) and तेते (tete), "as many" and "that many". They are a pair, as English "as many ... so many". They are glossed here from the sense of the couplet. The subject is plural in sense, all those dances and kirtans, and the verb is still the plain बा: the same form as in पानी ठंडा बा (2.4). मँह (mãh) is "in", an older spelling of the postposition में (mẽ) that the lesson's examples use.
The poet puts the verb late, after सब ("all"), and puts the two correlatives at the ends of the two lines, where they rhyme. The three nouns are bare, with no -वा, as बिदेस and साजन are in the lines quoted in Lesson 1: they are not particular things that speaker and hearer both know, but kinds of thing, and many of them.
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A short story of an evening in a village. Ramesh comes home from the market and finds the house shut. The story uses the present of बा for what is, the negative नइखे for what is not, and the past रहे and the future होई. Watch the honorific forms बाड़न and बाड़ी for Father and Mother, and the plain बा for the daughter, the door and the moon.
2.16a साँझ evening भइल became रमेश Ramesh बजार market से from आइल came
2.16b sā̃jh (SAANJH) evening bhail (BHA-il) become-PAST.3SG rameś (RA-mesh) Ramesh bajār (ba-JAAR) market se (SE) from-ABL āil (AA-il) come-PAST.3SG
2.17a घरवा the-house के of केवाड़ door बंद closed बा is
2.17b gharvā (GHAR-vaa) house-DEF ke (KE) of-GEN kevāṛ (ke-VAAR) door band (BAND) closed bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG
2.18a रमेश Ramesh पड़ोसी neighbour से from पूछलस asked माई Mother कहाँ where बाड़ी is
2.18b rameś (RA-mesh) Ramesh paṛosī (PA-ro-see) neighbour se (SE) from-ABL pūchlas (POOCH-las) ask-PAST.3SG māī (MAA-ee) mother.HON kahā̃ (ka-HAA) where bāṛī (BAA-ree) be-PRES.3HON.F
2.19a पड़ोसी neighbour कहलस said माई Mother मंदिर temple में in बाड़ी is
2.19b paṛosī (PA-ro-see) neighbour kahlas (KAH-las) say-PAST.3SG māī (MAA-ee) mother.HON mandir (MAN-dir) temple mẽ (MEN) in-LOC bāṛī (BAA-ree) be-PRES.3HON.F
2.20a बाबूजी Father खेत field में in बाड़न is आ and बेटिया the-daughter सखी friend के of घर house में in बा is
2.20b bābūjī (BAA-boo-jee) father.HON khet (KHET) field mẽ (MEN) in-LOC bāṛan (BAA-ran) be-PRES.3HON ā (AA) and beṭiyā (BE-ti-yaa) daughter-DEF sakhī (SA-khee) friend ke (KE) of-GEN ghar (GHAR) house mẽ (MEN) in-LOC bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG
2.21a रमेश Ramesh कहलस said तब then घर house में in केहू anyone नइखे is-not
2.21b rameś (RA-mesh) Ramesh kahlas (KAH-las) say-PAST.3SG tab (TAB) then ghar (GHAR) house mẽ (MEN) in-LOC kehū (ke-HOO) anyone naikhe (NAI-khe) NEG.be-PRES.3SG
2.22a पड़ोसी neighbour कहलस said घरवा the-house के of पीछे behind एगो one गाय cow बा is बस that's-all
2.22b paṛosī (PA-ro-see) neighbour kahlas (KAH-las) say-PAST.3SG gharvā (GHAR-vaa) house-DEF ke (KE) of-GEN pīche (PEE-che) behind ego (E-go) one-CL gāy (GAAY) cow bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG bas (BAS) that's-all
2.23a दुआर yard पर on कुरसिया the-chair बा is रमेश Ramesh कुरसिया the-chair पर on बइठल sat
2.23b duār (du-AAR) yard par (PAR) on-LOC kursiyā (KUR-si-yaa) chair-DEF bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG rameś (RA-mesh) Ramesh kursiyā (KUR-si-yaa) chair-DEF par (PAR) on-LOC baiṭhal (BAI-thal) sit-PAST.3SG
2.24a हवा air ठंडा cool बा is आ and आकाश sky में in चान moon बा is
2.24b havā (ha-VAA) air ṭhaṇḍā (THAN-daa) cool bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG ā (AA) and ākāś (AA-kaash) sky mẽ (MEN) in-LOC cān (CHAAN) moon bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG
2.25a तनी a-little देर while में in माई Mother मंदिर temple से from अइली came
2.25b tanī (TA-nee) a-little der (DER) while mẽ (MEN) in-LOC māī (MAA-ee) mother.HON mandir (MAN-dir) temple se (SE) from-ABL ailī (AI-lee) come-PAST.3HON.F
2.26a माई Mother कहली said रमेश Ramesh तू you कब when से since बाड़ू are
2.26b māī (MAA-ee) mother.HON kahlī (KAH-lee) say-PAST.3HON.F rameś (RA-mesh) Ramesh tū (TOO) you-2SG kab (KAB) when se (SE) since-ABL bāṛū (BAA-roo) be-PRES.2SG
2.27a रमेश Ramesh कहलस said हम I तनी a-little देर while से since बानी am
2.27b rameś (RA-mesh) Ramesh kahlas (KAH-las) say-PAST.3SG ham (HAM) I tanī (TA-nee) a-little der (DER) while se (SE) since-ABL bānī (BAA-nee) be-PRES.1SG
2.28a तब then बाबूजी Father खेत field से from अइलन came आ and बेटिया the-daughter सखी friend के of घर house से from आइल came
2.28b tab (TAB) then bābūjī (BAA-boo-jee) father.HON khet (KHET) field se (SE) from-ABL ailan (AI-lan) come-PAST.3HON ā (AA) and beṭiyā (BE-ti-yaa) daughter-DEF sakhī (SA-khee) friend ke (KE) of-GEN ghar (GHAR) house se (SE) from-ABL āil (AA-il) come-PAST.3SG
2.29a अब now घरवा the-house में in सब all केहू anyone बा is
2.29b ab (AB) now gharvā (GHAR-vaa) house-DEF mẽ (MEN) in-LOC sab (SAB) all kehū (ke-HOO) anyone bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG
2.30a आज today के of रात night नीक good बा is काल्ह tomorrow दिन day नीक good होई will-be
2.30b āj (AAJ) today ke (KE) of-GEN rāt (RAAT) night nīk (NEEK) good bā (BAA) be-PRES.3SG kālh (KAALH) tomorrow din (DIN) day nīk (NEEK) good hoī (HO-ee) be-FUT.3SG
2.16 साँझ भइल, रमेश बजार से आइल। — sā̃jh bhail, rameś bajār se āil. — "Evening fell; Ramesh came from the market."
2.17 घरवा के केवाड़ बंद बा। — gharvā ke kevāṛ band bā. — "The door of the house is shut."
2.18 रमेश पड़ोसी से पूछलस, "माई कहाँ बाड़ी?" — rameś paṛosī se pūchlas, "māī kahā̃ bāṛī?" — "Ramesh asked the neighbour, 'Where is Mother?'"
2.19 पड़ोसी कहलस, "माई मंदिर में बाड़ी।" — paṛosī kahlas, "māī mandir mẽ bāṛī." — "The neighbour said, 'Mother is at the temple.'"
2.20 "बाबूजी खेत में बाड़न, आ बेटिया सखी के घर में बा।" — "bābūjī khet mẽ bāṛan, ā beṭiyā sakhī ke ghar mẽ bā." — "'Father is in the field, and the daughter is at her friend's house.'"
2.21 रमेश कहलस, "तब घर में केहू नइखे?" — rameś kahlas, "tab ghar mẽ kehū naikhe?" — "Ramesh said, 'Then there is no one at home?'"
2.22 पड़ोसी कहलस, "घरवा के पीछे एगो गाय बा, बस।" — paṛosī kahlas, "gharvā ke pīche ego gāy bā, bas." — "The neighbour said, 'Behind the house there is a cow, and that is all.'"
2.23 दुआर पर कुरसिया बा, रमेश कुरसिया पर बइठल। — duār par kursiyā bā, rameś kursiyā par baiṭhal. — "The chair is in the yard; Ramesh sat down on it."
2.24 हवा ठंडा बा, आ आकाश में चान बा। — havā ṭhaṇḍā bā, ā ākāś mẽ cān bā. — "The air is cool, and the moon is in the sky."
2.25 तनी देर में माई मंदिर से अइली। — tanī der mẽ māī mandir se ailī. — "In a little while Mother came from the temple."
2.26 माई कहली, "रमेश, तू कब से बाड़ू?" — māī kahlī, "rameś, tū kab se bāṛū?" — "Mother said, 'Ramesh, how long have you been here?'"
2.27 रमेश कहलस, "हम तनी देर से बानी।" — rameś kahlas, "ham tanī der se bānī." — "Ramesh said, 'I have been here a little while.'"
2.28 तब बाबूजी खेत से अइलन, आ बेटिया सखी के घर से आइल। — tab bābūjī khet se ailan, ā beṭiyā sakhī ke ghar se āil. — "Then Father came from the field, and the daughter came from her friend's house."
2.29 अब घरवा में सब केहू बा। — ab gharvā mẽ sab kehū bā. — "Now everyone is in the house."
2.30 आज के रात नीक बा, काल्ह दिन नीक होई। — āj ke rāt nīk bā, kālh din nīk hoī. — "Tonight is good; tomorrow the day will be good."
2.16 साँझ भइल, रमेश बजार से आइल।
2.17 घरवा के केवाड़ बंद बा।
2.18 रमेश पड़ोसी से पूछलस, "माई कहाँ बाड़ी?"
2.19 पड़ोसी कहलस, "माई मंदिर में बाड़ी।"
2.20 "बाबूजी खेत में बाड़न, आ बेटिया सखी के घर में बा।"
2.21 रमेश कहलस, "तब घर में केहू नइखे?"
2.22 पड़ोसी कहलस, "घरवा के पीछे एगो गाय बा, बस।"
2.23 दुआर पर कुरसिया बा, रमेश कुरसिया पर बइठल।
2.24 हवा ठंडा बा, आ आकाश में चान बा।
2.25 तनी देर में माई मंदिर से अइली।
2.26 माई कहली, "रमेश, तू कब से बाड़ू?"
2.27 रमेश कहलस, "हम तनी देर से बानी।"
2.28 तब बाबूजी खेत से अइलन, आ बेटिया सखी के घर से आइल।
2.29 अब घरवा में सब केहू बा।
2.30 आज के रात नीक बा, काल्ह दिन नीक होई।
Where each person is. Four people are placed in the story, and each has the form that suits them. बा (a thing, or a child): केवाड़ बंद बा (2.17), बेटिया ... बा (2.20), गाय बा (2.22), कुरसिया बा (2.23), हवा ठंडा बा (2.24), चान बा (2.24). बाड़ी and बाड़न (Mother and Father): माई बाड़ी (2.18, 2.19), बाबूजी बाड़न (2.20). बाड़ू (Ramesh, to whom Mother says तू): तू कब से बाड़ू (2.26). बानी (Ramesh of himself): हम तनी देर से बानी (2.27).
"There is" and "there is not". Existence is बा, and non-existence is नइखे: एगो गाय बा (2.22), "there is a cow"; घर में केहू नइखे (2.21), "there is no one at home". In 2.29 the two come together: सब केहू बा is "everyone is there". The story starts with a house in which केहू नइखे and ends with one in which सब केहू बा.
The honorific past. The past of a person who is honoured ends in -ली (a woman) or -लन (a man): अइली (2.25) and कहली (2.26) for Mother, अइलन (2.28) for Father. They are built like दिहली in Lesson 1. Ramesh, the daughter and the neighbour take the plain endings: -लस with an object (पूछलस, कहलस), -ल without one (आइल 2.16, 2.28; बइठल 2.23).
से: "from" and "since". से marks the place that someone comes from: बजार से (2.16), मंदिर से (2.25), खेत से (2.28). It also marks time that continues up to now, as in 2.26 and 2.27: कब से, तनी देर से. The two uses sit side by side in 2.25 and 2.27.
Genitive for position and for "'s". घरवा के पीछे (behind the house, 2.22) and सखी के घर (the friend's house, 2.20, 2.28) use के, as in Lesson 1, and the possessed noun has no ending of its own. आज के रात (tonight, 2.30) is the same: "the night of today".
The three times. The story is told in the past (भइल, आइल, कहलस), but what people say in it is in the present (बा, बाड़ी, बानी), and the last line looks ahead: काल्ह दिन नीक होई (2.30), होई being the future of "be". The tenses of the verb "be" are met together in this one story: बा, रहे and होई.
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The respellings follow Lesson 1: AA is the long vowel of English "father", EE of "feet", OO of "food", and AI a short "uh" gliding to "ee". The syllable written in capitals is the one to lean on.
बा (bā) — IPA: [baː] — the vowel is long, as in "father". बानी (bānī) — IPA: [baːniː] — two long vowels, with the weight on the first. बाड़ू (bāṛū) — IPA: [baːɽuː] — ड़ is a flap, a quick tap of the tongue behind the ridge, and is not the English "r". बाड़े (bāṛe) — IPA: [baːɽe] — the final vowel is a pure [e], with no glide. बाड़न (bāṛan) — IPA: [baːɽən] — the last vowel is a short [ə], hardly heard. नइखे (naikhe) — IPA: [nəikʰe] — अइ is one sound, a short [ə] gliding to [i]; ख is an aspirate, with a breath of air after the k. हई (haī) — IPA: [ɦəiː] — ह is a breathy h; the vowel pair is a short [ə] and a long [iː]. रहे (rahe) — IPA: [rəɦe] — the first vowel is short, and the ह between the vowels is a light breath. होई (hoī) — IPA: [ɦoiː] — both vowels are pure, and the second is long. का (kā) — IPA: [kaː] — a long vowel, as in "father". केहू (kehū) — IPA: [kehuː] — the final vowel is long, as in "food". रउरा (raurā) — IPA: [rəuraː] — अउ is one sound, a short [ə] gliding to [u].
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