Lesson Overview
12 exercises · Level 2
Grammar Explanation
Conjunctions
Conjunctions are the glue that turns short sentences into real speech.
The Common Ones
| Phonetic | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| va / -o | and | man-o to (me and you) |
| ammaa / vali | but | oomad vali naraft |
| chon | because | naraftam chon khaste boodam |
| ke | that / which | goft ke miaad |
| yaa | or | chaai yaa ghahve? |
| pas | so | pas berim |
| ham | also / too | man ham miam |
Key Points
- va means "and" and is used in writing and speech. In everyday speech, a short -o is also common, attached to the previous word: "man-o to", "aab-o naan".
- vali and ammaa both mean "but"; vali is the everyday one.
- chon starts the reason clause, and unlike English it can come first or second.
- ke is extremely common, it introduces reported speech and relative clauses alike.
- ham follows the word it emphasises: "man ham" = me too.
Examples
| Phonetic | Translation |
|---|---|
| man-o to | me and you |
| oomad ammaa naraft | He came but didn't leave |
| naraftam chon khaste boodam | I didn't go because I was tired |
| chaai yaa ghahve mikhaay? | Do you want tea or coffee? |
| man ham miam | I'm coming too |