Introducing Yourself

This unit focuses on introducing yourself and exchanging basic personal information. You will learn the full set of personal pronouns, possessive forms, and how to form noun phrases with postpositions. The unit covers asking and answering “What is your name?”—a fundamental exchange in diplomatic introductions and social encounters.

Basic Sentences

Bengali (romanized)	English
Apnar naam ki?	What is your name?
Amar naam James.	My name is James.
Apni ke?	Who are you?
Ami ekjon diplomat.	I am a diplomat.
Amar bari Dhaka-te.	My house is in Dhaka.
Tomar naam ki?	What is your name? (informal)
She amar bondhu.	He/She is my friend.
Apnar desh kothay?	Where is your country?

Key Vocabulary

Bengali	English
naam	name
ki	what
amar	my
apnar	your (formal)
tomar	your (informal)
ke	who
ekjon	one (person classifier)
diplomat	diplomat
bari	house, home
bondhu	friend
desh	country
kothay	where

Grammar Notes

Personal Pronouns: ami, apni, tumi, she, tini

Pronoun	Meaning	Usage
ami	I	first person singular
apni	you	formal second person
tumi	you	informal second person
tui	you	very informal
she	he/she	informal third person
tini	he/she	formal third person
amra	we	first person plural
tara	they	informal third person plural
tinira	they	formal third person plural

Possessive Forms: amar, apnar, tomar

Possessives are formed by adding -r to the pronoun: ami → amar (my), apni → apnar (your formal), tumi → tomar (your informal). She → tar (his/her), tini → tini-r (his/her formal).

Noun Phrases and Postpositions

Bengali uses postpositions (after the noun) rather than prepositions. Common postpositions:

• -te – in, at, on (locative): Dhaka-te (in Dhaka)
• -ke – to, for (dative/accusative): amake (to me)
• -er – of (genitive): desher naam (name of the country)
• -diye – with, by means of

Asking/Answering “What is your name?”

Apnar naam ki? (What is your name?) — ki is the question word for “what.” The response: Amar naam [name]. or Ami [name]. For “And yours?” use Apnar? or Tomar naam ki? (informal).

Drills

Drill 1: Possessive Formation

Pronoun	Possessive	Example
ami	amar	Amar naam James.
apni	apnar	Apnar naam ki?
tumi	tomar	Tomar bari kothay?
she	tar	Tar bondhu Dhaka-te.

Drill 2: Introduction Questions

Bengali	English
Apnar naam ki?	What is your name?
Apni kothay achhen?	Where are you?
Apnar desh ki?	What is your country?
Apni ke?	Who are you?

Drill 3: Postposition Usage

Phrase	Postposition	Meaning
Dhaka-te	-te	in Dhaka
amar sathe	sathe	with me
desher naam	-er	name of the country
apnake	-ke	to you

Drill 4: Full Introduction

Bengali	English
Namaskar. Amar naam Sarah.	Hello. My name is Sarah.
Apnar naam ki?	What is your name?
Amar naam Karim. Ami Dhaka-te thaki.	My name is Karim. I live in Dhaka.
Tomar bari kothay?	Where is your house? (informal)

Narrative

Ekjon byaktir sathe apni mukh khulechhen. Apni bollen, “Namaskar. Amar naam James. Ami Amrika theke. Apnar naam ki?” She bollen, “Amar naam Fatima. Ami Bangladesh theke. Ami Dhaka-te thaki. Apni kothay thaken?” Apni bollen, “Ami o Dhaka-te thaki. Amar bari embassy-te.”

You have met someone. You said, “Namaskar. My name is James. I am from America. What is your name?” They said, “My name is Fatima. I am from Bangladesh. I live in Dhaka. Where do you live?” You said, “I also live in Dhaka. My house is at the embassy.”