Rohingya Grammar
The core rules of Rohingya — word order, noun classes, case endings, verb conjugation, questions, and negation. Examples use Rohingyalish spelling consistent with our dictionary.
Word order: Subject–Object–Verb
The verb always comes at the end of the clause:
- Aññí faní fiyo. — "I water drink" → I drink water.
- Tuñí ki goró? — "You what do?" → What are you doing?
Rohingya uses postpositions (after the noun) instead of prepositions: gór bútore (inside the house), gór baáre (outside the house).
Pronouns
| English | Rohingya | my/your/… (genitive) |
|---|---|---|
| I | aññí | añár |
| you (respectful) | tuñí | tuáñr |
| you (familiar) | tui | tor |
| he | íte / te | hitar / tar |
| she | íba | ibár |
| we | añára | añárar |
| you (plural) | tuáñra | tuáñrar |
| they | tará / itará | tarár |
Case endings
Grammatical roles are marked with short suffixes on the noun or pronoun:
| Ending | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -r | of (possession) | babor kitab — father's book |
| -re | to (indirect object) | tuáñre cúkuria — thanks to you |
| -ttu | from / for feelings & having | añáttu — to/for me |
| -t / -ot | in, at | górot — in the house |
| -lla | for (benefit) | añáralla — for us |
Feelings and possession use the -ttu form with the verb at the end: Añáttu buk lager (I feel hungry — literally "to-me hunger feels"); Añáttu tin bóin asé (I have three sisters — "to-me three sisters exist").
Two noun classes & counting words
Rohingya nouns fall into two classes that take different counting words (classifiers):
- Animate (people, animals): one person = ekzon, one (animal/being) = uggwá — uggwá kitab also covers hand-held objects like books.
- Inanimate (things, ideas): one = ekkán — ekkán gór (one house).
The plural word ókkol works for every noun: kitab ókkol (books), manúic ókkol (people).
Demonstratives also follow the class: ibá (this — animate), yián (this — thing), uián (that — thing).
Verb conjugation
Verbs agree with the person of the subject. The verb gor- (to do):
| aññí (I) | tuñí (you) | íte / tará (he / they) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | gorí | goró | goré |
| Right now (progressive) | gorír | gorór | gorér |
| Done (perfect) | goijjí | goijjó | goijjé |
| Will do (future) | goríyum | goríba | goríbo |
You will see these endings throughout the dictionary: amól goijjé (acted), ejazot diyé (allowed).
Questions: the particle "ne"
Yes/no questions add ne at the end of the sentence:
- Bála aso ne? — Are you well?
- Bát haiyó ne? — Have you eaten (rice)? (a common friendly greeting)
Question words: ki (what), hoçé (where), kengóri (how), hoóñtte (when).
Negation: "no" before the verb
Unlike Bengali, the negative word usually comes before the verb:
- Añáttu buk lager — I feel hungry → Añáttu buk no lager — I'm not hungry.
- nái negates existence: gaat gom nái — (I'm) not well.
- noó is the word for "no" on its own; ói is "yes".