8. Grammar

8.1. Pronouns

Here are the basic pronouns in Hmong.

Point of View	English	Single	Double	Multiple
First Person	Me	Kuv	Wb	Peb
Second Person	You	Koj	Neb	Nej
Third Person	Him/Her	Nws	Nkawv	Lawv

8.2. Classifiers

Classifiers are basically metrics. For example, in the phrase, an ounce of gold, the word ounce is a metric. Here are some Hmong classifiers.

Classifier	Application
rab	long, straight object; masculine
lub	round, circular object; feminine
txoj	string or line like
tsob	plant or bush
leeg	living thing (self-referential)
phau	book
daim	sheet or flat object
tug	generic for living things
zaj	song, poem, instrumental
qho	generic classifier with non-trivial usage

Note

The zaj classifier is used to refer to a lot of artistic work. The word zaj means dragon in English. In Hmong creation stories, it is said that Hmong people learned of art, culture and technology from the Old Dragon, Zaj Laug. Hence, many things are classified as zaj.

• zaj nkauj : song

• zaj qeej: reed pipe instrumental

• zaj tshoob: wedding ceremonial song

• zaj dab neeg: Hmong pre-history story

• zaj txiv xaiv: proverbial funeral ritual song

Note

The qho or qhov classifier has non-trivial usage. In the simplest case, it can be used for hole-like things such as door qhov rooj, eye qhov muag or ground holes qhov av. In other cases, you can denote generic items in a list such as first item qhov ib, second item qhov ob and so on.

8.3. Sentence structures

The best way to understand sentence structures is just to observe and study a variety of sentences. Here’s a few examples.

Warning

Part-of-Speech POS tagging is a very difficult machine learning and natural language processing NLP task. There may be mistakes in tagging the parts of speech in these examples. As a human task, POS tagging is not any easier.

8.3.1. Basic

The basic sentence structure in Hmong is like English.

subject	verb	object
Kuv	haus	dej
I	drink	water

8.3.2. Time

What about time? Time may be placed at the start or end of a sentence. Noticed that the time specifies the verb tense (past, present or future).

time	subject	verb	object
Nag hmo	kuv	haus	dej
Yesterday	I	drank	water

subject	verb	object	time
Kuv	haus	dej	nag hmo
I	drank	water	yesterday

Here’s how time may change the tense of a verb to future.

Tag kis	kuv	haus	dej
Tomorrow	I	will drink	water

Drop the time to imply present tense.

subject	verb	object
Kuv	haus	dej
I	am drinking	water

The auxillary word lawm is identical to the Mandarin le. When used, it may also signal past tense.

pronoun	verb	object	auxillary
Kuv	haus	dej	lawm
I	drank	water	already

Here are some more grammatical aspects that modifies the verb over time.

Kuv	tab tom	haus	dej
I	just started	to drink	water

Kuv	yuav	haus	dej
I	am going to	drink	water

Kuv	mam li	haus	dej
I	will then	drink	water

8.3.3. Adjectives

Typically, unlike English, adjectives come after nouns. The sentence below translate into English as I like red cars. Note also that singular or plural (for cars in this case) is derived from the context. To be clear, you may add quantifiers and modifiers.

pronoun	verb	noun	adjective
Kuv	nyiam	cheb	liab
I	like	cars	red

The following sentence uses a quantity and classifier to specify singularity with cars. The English translation is I like a red car.

pronoun	verb	quantity	classifier	noun	adjective
Kuv	nyiam	ib	lub	cheb	liab
I	like	one	<class>	car	red

Sometimes, adjectives may also come before nouns, and the meaning is very different. The following sentence translates to He is a good seed. Note that the word nws has no implied gender (it could be he or she), although we simply imputed he.

pronoun	verb	adjective	noun
Nws	yog	zoo	noob
He	is	good	seed

Now, swap the adjective and noun positions. The following sentence translates to He is from a good family.

pronoun	verb	noun	adjective
Nws	yog	noob	zoo
He	is	seed	good

If you are a noob zoo, it does not necessarily mean you are a good person, just that you are from a good family. If you are a zoo noob, it means you are a good person, but not necessarily from a good family.

8.3.4. Adverbs

How about adverbs? The following sentence translates to I like to eat shrimp a lot.

pronoun	verb	verb	noun	adverb
Kuv	nyiam	noj	cws	heev
I	like	to eat	shrimp	much

The following sentence translates to I like to eat jumbo shrimps a lot. The adverb heev modifies the verb nyiam, and is quite a distance away from it.

pronoun	verb	verb	noun	adverb	adverb
Kuv	nyiam	noj	cws	loj	heev
I	like	to eat	shrimp	big	much

8.3.5. Classifiers

Let’s have fun with classifiers. The following sentences translates to His ambition is very big. However, notice how we change the classifier from lub to rab? The lub classifier is feminine, and the rab classifier is masculine. Sometimes, these two classifiers may be swapped (they are not interchangeable, since they are not equal). The ambition lub peev xwm is different from the ambition rab peev xwm. In this case, rab peev xwm is dominant over lub peev xwm.

pronoun	classifier	noun	adjective	adverb
Nws	lub	peev xwm	loj	heev
Nws	rab	peev xwm	loj	heev
His	<class>	ambition	big	much

Note

A woman may have rab peev xwm or lub peev xwm (and likewise for a man). The classifier may genderize the noun, but it does not constrain the associated pronoun.

8.3.6. Verbs in depth

Verbs are well-behaved until you have to start describing how you wear clothes. In English, you

• wear a hat,

• wear a scarf,

• wear gloves,

• wear shoes,

• wear glasses,

• wear a shirt,

• wear a pants, and

• wear shoes.

No matter what you wear in English, you wear it. In Hmong, verbs used denote wearing clothing changes depending on the body part or clothing particle. Here are the right verbs to use when referring to wearing clothing.

Wearing Verbs

Items	Hmong Verb
hat	ntoo
watch, bracelet, necklace, glasses, earrings	coj
gloves, socks	looj
belt, backpack	sia
pants, shirt	hnav
shoes	rau

Observe these verbs in action (no pun intended). Also, pay attention to the classifiers.

I wear a hat

Kuv	ntoo	ib	lub	kaus mom
I	wear	a	<class>	hat

I wear two earrings

Kuv	coj	ob	lub	qhwv ntsej
I	wear	two	<class>	earrings

You wear two socks

Koj	looj	ob	qho	thoom khwm
You	wear	two	<class>	socks

You wear a belt

Koj	sia	ib	txoj	siv tawv
You	wear	a	<class>	belt

She wears a pair of pants

Nws	hnav	ib	lub	ris
She	wears	a	<class>	pants

They are wearing two shoes that are the same

Nkawv	rau	ob	nkawg	khau	ib yam
They	wear	two	<class>	shoes	the same

8.3.7. Questions

One way to ask questions is to simply present a choice and the negation of that choice. The word los means or in English; a longer form of los is los sis (and may be substituted).

Do you want to drink water?

Koj	huas	los	tsis haus	dej	?
You	drink	or	not drink	water	?

Do you want to go?

Koj	mus	los	tsis mus	?
You	go	or	not go	?

Another way to ask these questions is to use puas (before the verb) which means will you.

Do you want to drink water?

Koj	puas	haus	dej	?
You	will	drink	water	?

Do you want to go?

Koj	puas	mus	?
You	will	go	?

The particles ma and ne may also be added to end of a sentence to make a question.

How much does it cost?

Pes tsawg	ma	?
How much	<particle>	?

And him?

Nws	ne	?
Him	<particle>	?

The 5W1H are asked as follows.

English	Hmong
Who?	Leej twg?
What?	Dab tsi?
When?	Thaum twg?
Where?	Qhov twg?
Why?	Vim li cas?
How?	Ua li cas?