Making Requests and Offers

This unit teaches how to make requests and offers in Bengali. You will learn imperative forms at three levels of formality (tui, tumi, apni), conditional requests with jodi, and how to offer help with ki korte pari? Modal particles pari (can) and parben (you can, formal) are introduced for expressing ability and permission.

Basic Sentences

Bengali (romanized)	English
Doya kore bosun.	Please sit. (formal)
Bosho.	Sit. (informal)
Bos.	Sit. (very informal)
Jodi apni paren, doya kore asun.	If you can, please come.
Ki korte pari?	What can I do? / How can I help?
Apni ki amake sahayyo korben?	Will you help me?
Ami parbo.	I can.
Apni parben.	You can. (formal)
Doya kore eta din.	Please give this.

Key Vocabulary

Bengali	English
bosun	sit (formal imperative)
bosho	sit (informal)
bos	sit (very informal)
jodi	if
paren	you can (formal)
asun	come (formal imperative)
korte	to do
pari	I can
parbo	I can (future/ability)
parben	you can (formal)
sahayyo	help
korben	you will do (formal)
din	give (formal imperative)
dao	give (informal)
de	give (very informal)

Grammar Notes

Imperative Forms at Three Levels: tui, tumi, apni

Imperatives vary by formality. For bos- (to sit):

• apni level: bosun (please sit)
• tumi level: bosho (sit)
• tui level: bos (sit)

For de- (to give): din (formal), dao (informal), de (very informal). Add doya kore for politeness: Doya kore bosun.

Conditional Requests with jodi

Jodi introduces a condition. Jodi apni paren, doya kore asun (If you can, please come). Jodi somoy thake, asun (If you have time, come). The main request follows the condition.

Offering Help: ki korte pari?

Ki korte pari? literally means “What can I do?” and is used to offer help. Ami ki korte pari? (What can I do? / How can I help?) Response: Doya kore amake sahayyo korun (Please help me).

Modal Particles: pari, parben

Pari (I can), paro (you can, informal), parben (you can, formal). Ami eta parbo (I can do this). Apni ki ashte parben? (Can you come?) Haan, ami parbo (Yes, I can).

Drills

Drill 1: Imperative Levels

Level	Sit	Give	Come
Formal (apni)	bosun	din	asun
Informal (tumi)	bosho	dao	aasho
Very informal (tui)	bos	de	aash

Drill 2: Conditional Requests

Bengali	English
Jodi apni paren, asun.	If you can, come.
Jodi somoy thake, doya kore asun.	If you have time, please come.
Jodi bhalo lage, khaben.	If you like it, eat.
Jodi chai, din.	If you want, I’ll give.

Drill 3: Offers and Responses

Bengali	English
Ki korte pari?	What can I do? / How can I help?
Doya kore amake sahayyo korun.	Please help me.
Ami parbo.	I can.
Apni ki eta korte parben?	Can you do this?

Drill 4: Polite Request Sequence

Bengali	English
Doya kore bosun.	Please sit.
Doya kore ekta paani din.	Please give me some water.
Doya kore bollen.	Please say it.
Jodi apni paren, doya kore asun.	If you can, please come.

Narrative

Apni ekjon mohamaner sathe kotha bolchhen. Apni bollen, “Doya kore bosun. Ki korte pari? Apni ki cha khaben?” She bollen, “Haan, doya kore ekta cha din. Ami onek thakchi.” Apni bollen, “Thik achhe. Jodi apni paren, ekhane bosun. Ami cha niye aschi.” She bollen, “Onek dhonnobad. Apni bhalo lok.”

You are talking with an honored guest. You said, “Please sit. How can I help? Would you like some tea?” They said, “Yes, please give me some tea. I am very tired.” You said, “Okay. If you can, sit here. I am bringing tea.” They said, “Thank you very much. You are a good person.”