Getting to Know a Family

This unit expands on family vocabulary with extended family terms and expressions for age and birth order. You will learn how to describe where family members live using thaken and bari, and practice conversation patterns commonly used when getting to know a family. These skills support social engagement in Bengali-speaking communities and diplomatic receptions.

Basic Sentences

Bengali (romanized)	English
Aamar boro bhai ofis-e kaj koren.	My elder brother works at an office.
Aamar chhoto bon school-e pore.	My younger sister studies at school.
Apnar dada-dadi kothay thaken?	Where do your grandparents live?
Aamar nana-nani Sylhet-e bari koren.	My maternal grandparents have a house in Sylhet.
Aamar bhai-r boyosh koto?	How old is your brother?
Aamar ma-r boyosh panchash.	My mother is fifty years old.
Aamra shobai ek bari-te thaki.	We all live in one house.
Apnar bhai apnar theke boro na chhoto?	Is your brother older or younger than you?
Aamar chacha-r bari Dhaka-r uttor dike.	My uncle’s house is in the north of Dhaka.
Apnar poribar-e koy jon thaken?	How many people live in your family?

Key Vocabulary

Bengali	English
boro	big, elder
chhoto	small, younger
dada	paternal grandfather; elder brother
dadi	paternal grandmother
nana	maternal grandfather
nani	maternal grandmother
boyosh	age
koto	how much, how many
bari	house, residence
thaken	they/you (formal) live
thaki	I/we live
pore	study (he/she studies)
uttor	north
dike	direction, side
shobai	everyone, all
ek	one
theke	from, than
na	or (in “X na Y” = X or Y)

Grammar Notes

Extended Family Terms

Dada and dadi refer to paternal grandparents; nana and nani to maternal grandparents. Boro bhai means elder brother; chhoto bhai means younger brother. The same pattern applies to bon (sister). Chacha, chachi, mama, mami cover uncles and aunts. Bari is used for a house or residence, often implying ownership or long-term residence.

Age and Birth Order Expressions

To ask age: Apnar boyosh koto? (How old are you?) or Aamar bhai-r boyosh koto? (How old is your brother?). To state age: Aamar boyosh bish. (I am twenty.) Birth order: boro bhai (elder brother), chhoto bon (younger sister). For comparison: Apnar theke boro (older than you), Aamar theke chhoto (younger than me).

Describing Where People Live (thaken, bari)

Thaken is the formal/honorific form for “live” (they/you formal); thaki for I/we. Bari can mean “house” or “have a house”: bari koren (they have a house), bari achhe (there is a house). Location: Dhaka-te thaken (they live in Dhaka), Sylhet-e bari achhe (there is a house in Sylhet).

Conversation Patterns About Families

Common exchanges: Apnar poribare koy jon? (How many in your family?), Apnar baba ki kaj koren? (What does your father do?), Apnar bhai kothay thaken? (Where does your brother live?). Respond with Aamar… (My…) and appropriate details. Use bhalo (good) and kemon achhen (how are they) for polite follow-ups.

Drills

Drill 1: Birth Order

Bengali	English
Aamar boro bhai ofis-e kaj koren.	My elder brother works at an office.
Aamar chhoto bhai school-e pore.	My younger brother studies at school.
Aamar boro bon biye hoyechhe.	My elder sister is married.
Aamar chhoto bon ekhon college-e pore.	My younger sister now studies at college.

Drill 2: Age Questions and Answers

Question	Response
Apnar boyosh koto?	Aamar boyosh trish.
Apnar bhai-r boyosh koto?	Aamar bhai-r boyosh pachish.
Apnar ma-r boyosh koto?	Aamar ma-r boyosh ponchash.
Apnar dada-r boyosh koto?	Aamar dada-r boyosh attosh.

Drill 3: Where People Live

Bengali	English
Aamar dada-dadi Dhaka-te thaken.	My grandparents live in Dhaka.
Aamar chacha-r bari Chittagong-e.	My uncle’s house is in Chittagong.
Aamra shobai ek bari-te thaki.	We all live in one house.
Apnar nana-nani kothay thaken?	Where do your maternal grandparents live?

Drill 4: Family Conversation

Speaker A	Speaker B
Apnar poribare koy jon achhen?	Aamar poribare cha jon achhe.
Apnar baba ki kaj koren?	Aamar baba bank-e kaj koren.
Apnar bhai apnar theke boro?	Haan, aamar bhai aamar theke boro.
Apnar ma kemon achhen?	Bhalo achhen, dhonyobaad.

Narrative

Aamar poribar boro. Aamar baba, ma, dui jon bhai, ek jon bon, aar aamar dada-dadi. Aamra shobai Dhaka-te ek bari-te thaki. Aamar boro bhai-r naam Rahim. Tar boyosh bish atto. Tini ofis-e kaj koren. Aamar chhoto bhai-r naam Karim. Tar boyosh pachish. Tini engineer. Aamar bon-er naam Ayesha. Tar boyosh bish. Tini medical college-e pore. Aamar dada-dadi-r bari Sylhet-e achhe. Tara shokal shokal oikhane thaken. Aami poribar niye khub bhalo achhi.

My family is large. My father, mother, two brothers, one sister, and my grandparents. We all live in one house in Dhaka. My elder brother’s name is Rahim. He is twenty-eight years old. He works at an office. My younger brother’s name is Karim. He is twenty-five. He is an engineer. My sister’s name is Ayesha. She is twenty. She studies at medical college. My grandparents have a house in Sylhet. They live there sometimes. I am very happy with my family.