Negating Action with 'Güi'
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
To make a verb negative in Mongolian, simply add the particle 'güi' after the verb stem.
- Identify the verb stem: 'id-' (eat).
- Add the negative particle: 'id-eh güi' (not eating).
- Ensure the verb ends in the correct suffix before adding 'güi'.
Meanings
The particle 'güi' is the standard way to negate verbs in Mongolian, indicating that an action is not happening or did not happen.
Simple Negation
Denying an action in the present or future.
“Би идэхгүй.”
“Тэр ирэхгүй.”
Past Negation
Denying an action that occurred in the past.
“Би яваагүй.”
“Тэр идээгүй.”
Negation Formation
| Tense | Suffix | Negative Particle | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present/Future | -h | güi | yav-ah güi |
| Past | -aa/-ee/-oo | güi | yav-aa güi |
Common Contractions
| Full Form | Short Form |
|---|---|
| Явахгүй байна | Явахгүй |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Verb + Suffix | Би явна. |
| Negative | Verb + Suffix + güi | Би явахгүй. |
| Question | Verb + Suffix + güi + uu? | Чи явахгүй юу? |
| Past Negative | Verb + Past Suffix + güi | Би яваагүй. |
| Short Answer | Verb + güi | Явахгүй. |
| Future Negative | Verb + Future Suffix + güi | Би явахгүй. |
Espectro de formalidad
Би явахгүй. (Declining an invitation)
Би явахгүй. (Declining an invitation)
Явахгүй ээ. (Declining an invitation)
Явахгүй шүү. (Declining an invitation)
Negation Map
Tense
- Future Present/Future
- Past Past
Examples by Level
Би явахгүй.
I am not going.
Тэр ирэхгүй.
He is not coming.
Бид идэхгүй.
We are not eating.
Чи унтахгүй.
You are not sleeping.
Би өчигдөр яваагүй.
I did not go yesterday.
Тэр ном уншаагүй.
He did not read the book.
Бид кино үзээгүй.
We did not watch the movie.
Тэр ажиллаагүй.
He did not work.
Тэр ирэхгүй гэж хэлсэн.
He said he would not come.
Би үүнийг хийгээгүй.
I did not do this.
Тэд яагаад ирээгүй юм бэ?
Why didn't they come?
Би энэ хоолыг идэхгүй.
I will not eat this food.
Тэр ирэхгүй байх магадлалтай.
It is likely he will not come.
Би үүнийг хийгээгүй байсан.
I had not done this.
Тэр явахгүй гэж шийдсэн.
He decided not to go.
Биднийг ирэхэд тэр яваагүй байсан.
When we arrived, he had not left.
Тэр ирэхгүй нь тодорхой.
It is clear that he will not come.
Би үүнийг хийгээгүй гэдгээ хүлээн зөвшөөрсөн.
I admitted that I had not done this.
Тэр явахгүй байхыг хүссэн.
He wanted not to go.
Биднийг ирэхэд тэр аль хэдийн яваагүй байсан.
When we arrived, he had already not left (remained).
Тэр ирэхгүй байх нь зүйтэй.
It is appropriate that he not come.
Би үүнийг хийгээгүй байх боломжгүй.
It is impossible that I did not do this.
Тэр явахгүй гэж зүтгэсэн.
He insisted on not going.
Тэр ирээгүй байсан бол бид явах байсан.
Had he not come, we would have gone.
Easily Confused
Learners use them interchangeably for all negation.
Learners use the wrong tense suffix.
Learners forget to add the question particle.
Errores comunes
Би явах биш
Би явахгүй
Би яваа
Би яваагүй
Би идэхгүй байна
Би идэхгүй
Би идэхгүй биш
Би идэхгүй
Би явахгүй байсан
Би яваагүй
Би ирэхгүй байлаа
Би ирээгүй
Тэр ирэхгүй юм
Тэр ирэхгүй
Би явахгүй гэж бодсон
Би явахгүй гэж бодсон (correct, but check context)
Тэр ирэхгүй байх ёстой
Тэр ирэхгүй байх ёстой (correct, but check context)
Би идэхгүй байсан
Би идээгүй
Тэр ирэхгүй нь байсан
Тэр ирэхгүй байсан
Би идэхгүй байхыг хүсээгүй
Би идэхгүй байхыг хүсээгүй (correct)
Тэр явахгүй нь тодорхой биш
Тэр явахгүй нь тодорхойгүй
Sentence Patterns
Би ___гүй.
Тэр ___гүй.
Бид ___гүй.
Чи ___гүй юу?
Real World Usage
Би мах идэхгүй.
Явахгүй ээ.
Би үүнийг хийгээгүй.
Би тийшээ явахгүй.
Тэр ирэхгүй.
Сонгиногүй.
Vowel Harmony
Don't mix with 'bish'
Listen for the suffix
Be direct
Smart Tips
Always add 'güi' after the tense suffix.
Use 'bish' instead of 'güi'.
Use the past suffix before 'güi'.
Add 'uu' to the end of 'güi'.
Pronunciación
Güi
Pronounced like 'gwee' with a soft 'g'.
Falling
Би явахгүй. ↘
Finality/Statement
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Güi is like 'Go-away'—it pushes the verb into the negative.
Visual Association
Imagine a giant red stop sign with the word 'GÜI' written on it. Every time you see a verb, imagine this sign blocking it.
Rhyme
To say no to what you do, just add the word güi to the view.
Story
Bat is a very stubborn boy. When his mom tells him to eat, he says 'Id-eh güi'. When she tells him to sleep, he says 'Unt-ah güi'. He just loves saying güi!
Word Web
Desafío
Write 5 things you are NOT doing today using the 'güi' structure.
Notas culturales
Mongolians are very direct. Using 'güi' is not considered rude, just clear.
Derived from the negative existential 'ügei'.
Conversation Starters
Чи ирэх үү?
Чи хоол идсэн үү?
Чи маргааш явах уу?
Тэр ирэхгүй гэж хэлсэн үү?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
Би явах___.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Би явах биш.
Би явна.
Güi is used for nouns.
Чи ирэх үү? - ___.
явахгүй / Би
Идэх (Negative)
Score: /8
Ejercicios de practica
8 exercisesБи явах___.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Би явах биш.
Би явна.
Güi is used for nouns.
Чи ирэх үү? - ___.
явахгүй / Би
Идэх (Negative)
Score: /8
Preguntas frecuentes (8)
Yes, for verbs. Use 'bish' for nouns.
No, use 'bish' for adjectives.
No, it is standard and direct.
Add 'uu' after 'güi'.
No, it is invariant.
Yes, but use the past suffix first.
It is often written as a separate word.
The sentence will be grammatically incorrect.
In Other Languages
no + verb
Word order is the main difference.
ne + verb + pas
French uses a circumfix; Mongolian uses a suffix.
nicht
German negation is often an adverb; Mongolian is a particle.
nai
Both are agglutinative languages.
la
Positioning is pre-verbal.
bu
Pre-verbal vs post-verbal.
