Changing the Voice for a Character
আপুনি, তুমি and তই are three ways to say “you”, and each has its own verb endings.
How It Works
| To whom | Pronoun | Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| an elder, a stranger | আপুনি | কৰে | কৰিলে | কৰিব |
| a friend, a younger person | তুমি | কৰা | কৰিলা | কৰিবা |
| a child, a very close friend | তই | কৰ | কৰিলি | কৰিবি |
The writer chooses the form to fit the scene. A teacher greets a visitor with আপুনি কেনে আছে?, a student greets a classmate with তুমি কেনে আছা?, and a mother may call a small child with তই.
তই can also show anger. তই addressed to a stranger or an elder is rude. Close friends of any age can use it. When a character moves from তুমি to তই in the middle of a scene, the reader knows the feeling in the room changed.
Examples (4)
- আপুনি কেনে আছে?
How are you? (to an elder or a person you do not know well)
আপুনি goes with the ending -ে.
- তুমি কেনে আছা?
How are you? (to a friend or a younger person)
তুমি goes with the ending -া.
- তই কেনে আছ?
How are you? (to a child or a very close friend)
তই goes with a verb that has no ending.
- ভাস্কৰে বন্ধুক ক’লে, “তুমি জিকিলা!” আৰু সৰু ভায়েকক ক’লে, “তই জিকিলি!”
Bhaskar told his friend, “You won!” and told his little brother, “You won!”
The English “you” is the same, but the Assamese shows two relationships.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Stories use the three words for “you” to show who is speaking, so learners need তই first.
Related Patterns
Practice Changing the Voice for a Character in Bubblegum
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