Masculine Vowels (A, O, U)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Mongolian words group vowels into 'Hard' (A, O, U) and 'Soft' (E, Ö, Ü) sets; suffixes must match the word's base vowel.
- If a word contains A, O, or U, it is a masculine word. Example: 'Aav' (father).
- Suffixes for masculine words must use A, O, or U. Example: 'Aav-tai' (with father).
- Never mix masculine and feminine vowels in a single root word. Example: 'Oron' (country).
Masculine Suffix Matching
| Root Vowel | Suffix Type | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
|
A
|
Hard
|
Aav-tai
|
With father
|
|
O
|
Hard
|
Oron-d
|
In country
|
|
U
|
Hard
|
Us-tai
|
With water
|
|
A
|
Hard
|
Aav-nuud
|
Fathers
|
|
O
|
Hard
|
Oron-nuud
|
Countries
|
|
U
|
Hard
|
Us-nuud
|
Waters
|
Meanings
Vowel harmony is a phonological constraint where vowels in a word must share the same 'backness' or 'roundness' features. In Mongolian, this dictates which vowels appear in suffixes.
Root Harmony
The requirement for root words to contain only one set of vowels.
“Аав (Father)”
“Орон (Country)”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Root(A/O/U) + Suffix(A/O/U)
|
Aav-tai
|
|
Negative
|
Root(A/O/U) + Neg(A/O/U)
|
Aav-gui
|
|
Question
|
Root(A/O/U) + Q(A/O/U)
|
Aav-uu?
|
|
Plural
|
Root(A/O/U) + Pl(A/O/U)
|
Aav-nuud
|
|
Possessive
|
Root(A/O/U) + Poss(A/O/U)
|
Aav-min
|
|
Case
|
Root(A/O/U) + Case(A/O/U)
|
Aav-d
|
Espectro de formalidade
Аав байна. (General)
Аав байна. (General)
Аав байна. (General)
Аав байна. (General)
The Masculine Vowel Family
Examples
- Аав Father
- Орон Country
- Ус Water
Exemplos por nível
Аав байна.
Father is here.
Орон гоё.
The country is beautiful.
Ус уу.
Drink water.
Амттай.
It is tasty.
Аавнууд явсан.
The fathers went.
Орондоо ор.
Go to bed.
Ус уух уу?
Will you drink water?
Амттай хоол.
Tasty food.
Аавтайгаа ярилцлаа.
I talked with my father.
Орон орны хүмүүс.
People of many countries.
Ус уух дуртай.
I like to drink water.
Амттай байлаа.
It was tasty.
Аав маань ажиллаж байна.
My father is working.
Орон сууцны үнэ.
Housing price.
Ус уух хэрэгтэй.
Need to drink water.
Амттай хоол идлээ.
I ate tasty food.
Аавтайгаа хамт явлаа.
I went together with my father.
Орон нутгийн засаг.
Local government.
Ус уух нь чухал.
Drinking water is important.
Амттай сайхан хоол.
Delicious food.
Аав минь ажилсаг хүн.
My father is a hardworking person.
Орон зайг тодорхойлох.
Defining the space.
Ус уух зуршил.
Habit of drinking water.
Амттай хоолны жор.
Recipe for tasty food.
Fácil de confundir
Learners mix them up.
Erros comuns
Aav-tei
Aav-tai
Oron-tei
Oron-toi
Us-tei
Us-tai
Aav-nuud (if root was feminine)
Aav-nuud (correct here, but check root)
Padrões de frases
___ байна.
Real World Usage
Аав ирсэн.
Check the last vowel
Smart Tips
Check the root.
Pronúncia
Back Vowels
Keep your tongue back for A, O, U.
Statement
Аав байна. ↓
Falling tone for statements.
Memorize
Mnemônico
A, O, U are the 'Hard' guys; they only hang out with their own kind.
Associação visual
Imagine a big, tough 'A' wearing a leather jacket. He only lets other 'A', 'O', and 'U' characters into his club.
Rhyme
A, O, U are hard and strong, they keep the suffix where they belong.
Story
A father (Aav) went to the country (Oron) to drink water (Us). He only brought his hard-vowel friends with him. They refused to talk to anyone with soft vowels.
Word Web
Desafio
Find 5 words in a Mongolian dictionary that contain A, O, or U and write them down.
Notas culturais
Vowel harmony is strictly observed in formal speech.
Ancient Mongolic.
Iniciadores de conversa
Аав чинь хаана байна?
Temas para diário
Erros comuns
Test Yourself
Аав ___ (with).
Score: /1
Exercicios praticos
1 exercisesАав ___ (with).
Score: /1
Perguntas frequentes (1)
All Mongolian words have vowels.
Scaffolded Practice
1
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Vowel Harmony
Turkish has 8 vowels.
