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Bengali Grammar and Language

Part of the DU Admission (Bangladesh) study roadmap. Bangla topic bangla-010 of Bangla.

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Bengali Grammar and Language

A thorough understanding of Bengali grammar is essential for success in the DU Admission examination. The Bengali language (বাংলা ভাষা) is an Indo-Aryan language with approximately 265 million speakers, making it the second most spoken language in the Indian subcontinent after Hindi. The examination tests candidates on their knowledge of Bengali grammar, syntax, vocabulary, and literary usage, including the differences between Sadhu Bhasha (literary/formal Bengali) and Cholti Bhasha (colloquial/spoken Bengali).

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Key Grammar Concepts:

  • Sambad: Sentence
  • Bakyapad: Subject
  • Karmapad: Object
  • Kriya: Verb
  • Bisheshan: Adjective
  • Kari: Adverb
  • Shabd: Word formation

Two Main Literary Forms:

  • Sadhu Bhasha (সাধু ভাষা): Literary/formal Bengali; uses the Sanskrit-inflected forms
  • Cholti Bhasha (চলিত ভাষা): Colloquial/spoken Bengali; the form used in everyday conversation

The Sadhu-Cholti Distinction:

  • Verbs: ” করেছি (karëchi, I have done) in Sadhu vs করেছি (karëchi) in Cholti — but conjugation differs
  • Pronouns: Sadhu uses এই (ëi) for demonstratives; Cholti uses এই (ëi) or shortened forms

⚡ Exam Tip: The DU exam frequently tests the difference between Sadhu and Cholti forms, particularly in verb conjugation and pronominal usage. Be prepared for questions requiring you to identify which form is used in a given sentence.

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1. Parts of Speech in Bengali

Nouns (বিশেষ্য): Bengali nouns are inflected for:

  • Number: Singular and plural (plural marker: গুলা -gula or এরা -era)
  • Gender: Masculine and feminine (largely natural gender)
  • Case: Six cases: nominative, accusative, instrumental, dative, ablative, genitive

Pronouns (সর্বনাম):

  • Personal: আমি (ami, I), তুমি (tumi, you), সে (se, he/she), আমরা (amra, we), তারা (tara, they)
  • Demonstrative: এই (ëi, this), ওই (oi, that)
  • Relative/Interrogative: যে (je, who/which/that), কে (ke, who), কি (ki, what)

Verbs (ক্রিয়া): Bengali verbs conjugate for:

  • Person: First, second, third
  • Number: Singular, plural
  • Tense: Present, past, future
  • Mood: Imperative, conditional, subjunctive
  • Aspect: Simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous

Verb Tenses — Key Conjugations:

Tenseকরা (to do) - First Person Singular
Presentকরি (kari)
Pastকরলাম (karlam)
Futureকরব (karbo)
Present Continuousকরছি (karëchi)
Past Continuousকরছিলাম (karëchilam)

2. Sentence Structure

Bengali follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, similar to other Indo-Aryan languages and Japanese.

Basic Patterns:

  • Subject + Object + Verb: আমি ভাত খাই (ami bhat khai — I eat rice)
  • Adjectives precede nouns: সুন্দর মেয়ে (sundar meye — beautiful girl)

Case Markers:

  • Nominative: No marker or -রা (-ra) for plural
  • Accusative: -কে (-ke) for animate objects
  • Instrumental: -দ্বারা (-dbara) or -এ (-e)
  • Dative: -কে (-ke) or -এ (-e)
  • Ablative: -হতে (-hote)
  • Genitive: -র (-r) or -এর (-er)

3. Vocabulary and Sanskrit Influence

Bengali vocabulary is derived from multiple sources:

  • Tatsama (তদ্ভব): Sanskrit words adopted without change (e.g., পুরুষ purush — man)
  • Tadbhav (তদ্ভব): Sanskrit words modified in pronunciation (e.g., মাছ mach — fish from matsya)
  • Deshi (দেশী): Indigenous Bengali words (e.g., ঘাস ghash — grass)
  • Bideshi (বিদেশী): Loanwords from Persian, Arabic, Portuguese, English (e.g., আলমারি almari — cupboard from Portuguese almario)

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4. Figures of Speech (Alankar)

Bengali literature employs various figures of speech (alankar):

Anupras (Alliteration): Repetition of the same consonant sound: “ধীরে ধীরে” (dhire dhire — slowly slowly)

Yamak (Internal Rhyme): Same sound at the end of words within a line: বাজে বাজে বাজে তার বাজে (baje baju bajë tar baju — the sound of the anklets plays)

Utpreksha (Metaphor/Simile): Comparison without using “like” or “as”: “সে আমার প্রদীপ” (se amar prodip — she is my lamp)

Shlesh (Double Entendre): Punning or playing on words: “মনে মনে বনে বনে” (mane mane bone bone — in the mind, and in the forest)

5. Prosody and Poetic Forms

Chanda (Metre): Bengali poetry follows specific metrical patterns based on the number and length of syllables.

Payar (পয়ার): The most common metre in Bengali narrative poetry; couplet form with rhyming endings.

Pushpanguja: An ancient metre; each line contains 10 syllables with specific patterns.

Exam Watch: Bengali grammar questions in the DU exam often focus on: verb conjugation (especially present vs past), the distinction between Sadhu and Cholti bhasha, the correct use of case markers, and the classification of vocabulary (tatsama, tadbhav, deshi, bideshi).

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