Infinitives (করতে - korte, করার জন্য - korar jonno)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the suffix '-te' for 'to do' and '-ar jonno' for 'for the purpose of doing' in Bengali.
- Add '-te' to the verb root for basic infinitives: 'korte' (to do).
- Use '-ar jonno' for explicit intent: 'korar jonno' (for doing).
- Watch for vowel shifts in the root: 'khawa' becomes 'khete' (to eat).
Formation of the Bengali Infinitive (-te)
| Verb Type | Root | Infinitive Form | English Translation | Vowel Shift Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular
|
কর (kor)
|
করতে (korte)
|
To do
|
None
|
|
Regular
|
দেখ (dekh)
|
দেখতে (dekhte)
|
To see
|
None
|
|
Vowel Shift (a -> e)
|
খা (kha)
|
খেতে (khete)
|
To eat
|
a becomes e
|
|
Vowel Shift (a -> e)
|
পা (pa)
|
পete (pete)
|
To get
|
a becomes e
|
|
Vowel Shift (o -> u)
|
শোন (shon)
|
শুনতে (shunte)
|
To hear
|
o becomes u
|
|
Vowel Shift (e -> i)
|
কেন (ken)
|
কিনতে (kinte)
|
To buy
|
e becomes i
|
|
Regular
|
বল (bol)
|
বলতে (bolte)
|
To say
|
None
|
|
Regular
|
বস (bosh)
|
বসতে (boshte)
|
To sit
|
None
|
Purposive Form (-ar jonno)
| Verb | Genitive Verbal Noun | Purposive Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
|
করা (kora)
|
করার (korar)
|
করার জন্য (korar jonno)
|
For doing
|
|
খাওয়া (khawa)
|
খাওয়ার (khawar)
|
খাওয়ার জন্য (khawar jonno)
|
For eating
|
|
যাওয়া (jawa)
|
যাওয়ার (jawar)
|
যাওয়ার জন্য (jawar jonno)
|
For going
|
|
দেখা (dekha)
|
দেখার (dekhar)
|
দেখার জন্য (dekhar jonno)
|
For seeing
|
Meanings
The infinitive in Bengali primarily functions to connect two verbs or to express the purpose of an action, similar to the English 'to' + verb construction.
Verbal Complement
Used with verbs like 'want', 'can', 'start', or 'try' to complete the thought.
“সে খেলতে শুরু করল (Se khelte shuru korlo) - He started to play.”
“আমি আসতে পারি? (Ami ashte pari?) - Can I come?”
Simple Purpose
Expressing why someone is performing an action.
“আমি জল খেতে রান্নাঘরে গেলাম (Ami jol khete rannaghore gelam) - I went to the kitchen to drink water.”
“সে বই কিনতে বাজারে গেছে (Se boi kinte bajare geche) - He went to the market to buy a book.”
Explicit Intent (-ar jonno)
A more formal or emphatic way to say 'for the purpose of'.
“ভালো ফল করার জন্য পড়াশোনা করো (Bhalo phol korar jonno porashona koro) - Study for the purpose of getting good results.”
“আমি তোমাকে সাহায্য করার জন্য এসেছি (Ami tomake shahajjo korar jonno eshechi) - I have come (for the purpose of) helping you.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example | Usage Context |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative Infinitive
|
Root + তে
|
আমি শিখতে চাই (I want to learn)
|
General use
|
|
Negative Infinitive
|
Infinitive + না (or main verb negative)
|
আমি যেতে চাই না (I don't want to go)
|
Negation
|
|
Purposive
|
Genitive + জন্য
|
পড়ার জন্য বই (Book for reading)
|
Specific purpose
|
|
Interrogative
|
Infinitive + Verb + ?
|
তুমি কি আসতে পারবে? (Can you come?)
|
Questions
|
|
With 'Hole' (If)
|
Infinitive + হলে
|
জিততে হলে খেলতে হবে (To win, one must play)
|
Conditions
|
|
With 'Giye' (While)
|
Infinitive + গিয়ে
|
বলতে গিয়ে থেমে গেল (He stopped while going to speak)
|
Interrupted action
|
Spectre de formalité
আমি গৃহে গমন করতে ইচ্ছুক। (Ami grihe gomon korte icchuk.) (Expressing desire to leave)
আমি বাড়ি যেতে চাই। (Ami bari jete chai.) (Expressing desire to leave)
বাড়ি যাব। (Bari jabo - implied infinitive intent) (Expressing desire to leave)
বাড়ি সটকাতে চাই। (Bari shotkate chai.) (Expressing desire to leave)
The Roles of the Bengali Infinitive
Purpose
- কিনতে to buy
- দেখতে to see
Ability
- করতে পারা can do
- বলতে পারা can speak
Desire
- যেতে চাওয়া want to go
- খেতে চাওয়া want to eat
Casual vs. Formal Purpose
Choosing the Right Form
Is it a simple 'to do'?
Is it for a specific reason/sake?
Exemples par niveau
আমি খেতে চাই।
I want to eat.
সে ঘুমাতে যায়।
He goes to sleep.
তুমি কি আসতে পারো?
Can you come?
ওরা খেলতে ভালোবাসে।
They love to play.
আমি বই পড়তে লাইব্রেরিতে যাই।
I go to the library to read books.
মা রান্না করতে শুরু করেছেন।
Mother has started to cook.
আমরা সিনেমা দেখতে যাব।
We will go to see a movie.
সে গান গাইতে চেষ্টা করছে।
He is trying to sing a song.
ভাষাটি শিখতে অনেক সময় লাগে।
It takes a lot of time to learn the language.
সুস্থ থাকার জন্য ব্যায়াম করা উচিত।
One should exercise to stay healthy.
আমি আপনার সাথে কথা বলতে এসেছি।
I have come to speak with you.
বৃষ্টির কারণে আমরা বাইরে যেতে পারলাম না।
We couldn't go out because of the rain.
বিষয়টি বুঝতে হলে আপনাকে ধৈর্য ধরতে হবে।
To understand the matter, you must be patient.
সে নিজেকে প্রমাণ করার জন্য কঠোর পরিশ্রম করছে।
He is working hard to prove himself.
এই কাজটি করতে পারা আমার জন্য গর্বের।
Being able to do this work is a matter of pride for me.
তাকে আসতে দেখে আমি অবাক হলাম।
I was surprised to see him coming.
সত্যকে গোপন করতে চাওয়া বৃথা চেষ্টা মাত্র।
Wanting to hide the truth is but a futile effort.
দেশের সেবা করার জন্য তিনি জীবন উৎসর্গ করেছেন।
He dedicated his life to serving the country.
সাহিত্য চর্চা করতে গিয়ে তিনি অনেক বাধা পেয়েছেন।
While practicing literature, he faced many obstacles.
সমস্যাটি সমাধান করতে আমাদের নতুন করে ভাবতে হবে।
To solve the problem, we must think anew.
মনুষ্যত্বের বিকাশ ঘটাতে শিক্ষার বিকল্প নেই।
There is no alternative to education for the development of humanity.
অতীতকে আঁকড়ে ধরে রাখতে চাওয়া মানুষের স্বভাব।
It is human nature to want to cling to the past.
প্রকৃতির রহস্য উন্মোচন করতে বিজ্ঞানীরা নিরলস কাজ করছেন।
Scientists are working tirelessly to unveil the mysteries of nature.
নিজের অস্তিত্ব রক্ষা করার জন্য সংগ্রাম অপরিহার্য।
Struggle is essential for protecting one's existence.
Facile à confondre
Both link verbs, but '-te' shows purpose/intent while '-e' shows sequence.
They sound very similar (korte vs korle).
Both can sometimes translate as 'to do'.
Erreurs courantes
Ami khawa chai
Ami khete chai
Ami jate chai
Ami jete chai
Ami to jete chai
Ami jete chai
Se khelte parlo
Se khelte parlo
Boi kinte jonno
Boi kinar jonno / Boi kinte
Ami shonte chai
Ami shunte chai
Kore jete chai
Korte jete chai
Bujhte hole
Bujhte hole
Korte giye
Korte giye
Shahajjo korte jonno
Shahajjo korar jonno
Structures de phrases
আমি ___ করতে চাই।
সে ___ করার জন্য এখানে এসেছে।
___ করতে হলে আপনাকে ___ করতে হবে।
আমি ___ করতে গিয়ে ___ দেখলাম।
Real World Usage
Oi, khelte ashbi? (Hey, coming to play?)
Ami ei prokolpoti somponno korar jonno utshahi. (I am eager to complete this project.)
Ami ekta biryani khete chai. (I want to eat a biryani.)
Howrah jete kon bus-e uthbo? (Which bus should I take to go to Howrah?)
Ghurte jawa... (Going to travel...)
Amar nishwash nite kosto hochhe. (I am having trouble breathing/to take breath.)
The 'Want' Rule
Vowel Shift Alert
Purpose Shortcut
Politeness
Smart Tips
Check if the first one should be an infinitive. If it's the 'purpose' of the second verb, add '-te'.
Remember the 'o' to 'u' shift. It's 'shunte' and 'ghumute'.
Use '-ar jonno' to sound more professional and precise in your reasoning.
Use the 'Infinitive + hole' structure. It's the most native way to express necessity.
Prononciation
The 'te' suffix
The 't' in 'te' is dental, meaning the tongue touches the back of the upper teeth.
Vowel Harmony
When 'a' shifts to 'e', it is a sharp 'e' like in 'bed'.
Purpose Emphasis
Ami KHETE jachhi (I am going to EAT)
Stress the infinitive to emphasize the purpose.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Remember 'Te for To'. Just like English uses 'to' before a verb, Bengali uses '-te' after the root.
Association visuelle
Imagine a bridge connecting two islands. One island is the subject, the other is the main verb. The bridge is the '-te' infinitive that allows you to cross from one action to the next.
Rhyme
Root plus 'te', purpose you'll see. Change 'a' to 'e', easy as can be!
Story
A traveler wanted to 'go' (jete) to the mountains to 'see' (dekhte) the sunrise. He had to 'walk' (hante) for hours, but he didn't 'want' (chaite) to stop because he needed to 'reach' (pouchate) the top.
Word Web
Défi
Write down 5 things you want to do today using the '-te' form (e.g., 'Ami bhat khete chai').
Notes culturelles
In Kolkata, the vowel shifts are very pronounced and standard. 'Khete' and 'shunte' are strictly followed.
In some Bangladeshi dialects, the '-te' form might be used more frequently in continuous senses, though standard 'Shuddho' follows the same rules.
In older literature (Sadhu Bhasha), the infinitive was '-ite' instead of '-te'.
The '-te' suffix originates from the Old Indo-Aryan locative case ending '-asmin' or '-e', which evolved through Prakrit into the modern Bengali infinitive marker.
Amorces de conversation
আপনি কি বাংলা শিখতে চান? (Do you want to learn Bengali?)
ছুটিতে আপনি কোথায় যেতে ভালোবাসেন? (Where do you love to go on holidays?)
ভালো চাকরি পাওয়ার জন্য কি করা উচিত? (What should one do to get a good job?)
নিজেকে উন্নত করতে আপনি কি কি করেন? (What do you do to improve yourself?)
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
Ami bhat ___ chai.
Kaaj-ta ___ jonno ami eshechi.
Find and fix the mistake:
Is there an error in this sentence?
chai / ami / jete / bajare
Select the infinitive form.
A: Tumi ki amar shathe ___ parbe? B: Ha, jabo.
I am trying to learn.
Answer starts with: Ami...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesAmi bhat ___ chai.
Kaaj-ta ___ jonno ami eshechi.
Find and fix the mistake:
Is there an error in this sentence?
chai / ami / jete / bajare
Select the infinitive form.
A: Tumi ki amar shathe ___ parbe? B: Ha, jabo.
I am trying to learn.
Match: 1. Dekha, 2. Shona, 3. Pawa
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
'-te' is the general 'to do' form used as a verb complement or simple purpose. '-ar jonno' is more specific, meaning 'for the purpose of' or 'for the sake of'.
This is due to vowel harmony. In Bengali, an 'a' in the root often shifts to 'e' when followed by a suffix containing 'i' or 'e' sounds.
Yes! 'Ami korte pari' means 'I can do'. It is very common.
Yes, you can say 'Ami khelte bhalobashi' (I love to play) or use the verbal noun 'Ami khela bhalobashi' (I love playing).
Usually, you negate the main verb: 'Ami jete chai na' (I don't want to go).
No, the infinitive is non-finite. It stays the same regardless of the subject.
Yes, but in very formal 'Sadhu Bhasha', it becomes '-ite'. In modern standard Bengali, '-te' is perfectly acceptable in all contexts.
Forgetting the vowel shift (e.g., saying 'shonte' instead of 'shunte') is the most common error for intermediate learners.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Infinitivo (-ar, -er, -ir)
Spanish infinitives can act as nouns easily; Bengali usually uses a separate verbal noun for that.
Infinitif
Bengali has no separate prepositions for infinitives.
zu + Infinitiv
German word order moves the infinitive to the end; Bengali does this too as it is SOV.
Verb stem + に (ni) + iku/kuru
Japanese has different forms for 'want to' (tai) vs purpose (ni).
Masdar or An + Subjunctive
Arabic infinitives often conjugate for person in the subjunctive; Bengali's never do.
No specific form
Bengali is morphological (uses suffixes), Chinese is isolating.
