কি হ’ল
ki hol
To ask what happened in Assamese, use কি হ’ল (ki hol). It asks about something that has just occurred.
কি হ’ল works on its own as a question or inside a longer sentence, such as asking someone to tell you what happened.
What does it mean word for word?
কি (ki) means what, and হ’ল (hol) is the past tense of the verb meaning to happen or to be.
Which one should you use?
কি হ’ল refers to a completed event. কি হৈছে asks what is happening now or what has just occurred in the immediate present.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
কি হ’ল is neutral and works in formal and informal settings. কি ঘটিছে? is a formal way to ask, while কি হৈছে? is colloquial. If you follow it with a request, use the polite verb কওক rather than the informal one.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced ki hol.
Did you know?
- The word কি descends from the Sanskrit word kim meaning 'what' or 'which'.
- The phrase কি হ’ল can act as a standalone sentence that functions both as a direct question and an empathetic exclamation of concern when seeing someone in distress.
- In Assamese, the distinction between a 'happening' and a 'state of being' is often blurred in the verb হ’ল, making 'what happened' and 'what was' grammatically similar.
Examples in context
- কি হ’ল মোক কওক।Tell me what happened.কি হ’ল is followed by the polite কওক, meaning please tell me.Tatoeba #8765379 by Mohsin_Ali, translation #2444 by CK
- কি হ’ল? তুমি কিয় কান্দি আছা?What happened? Why are you crying?কি হ’ল? stands alone as a question before asking why someone is crying.Tatoeba #13103918 by Mohsin_Ali, translation #6637324 by Hybrid
- কি ঘটিছে?What happened?
- তাত কি হ’ল?tat ki hol?What happened there?
Example conversation
Ananya sees Akash looking worried.
- অনন্যা Ananyaআকাশ, কি হ’ল?Akash, ki hol?Akash, what happened?
- আকাশ Akashমোৰ ফোনটো হেৰাইছে।mor phonto heraise.I lost my phone.
- অনন্যা Ananyaক’ত হেৰালে?kot herale?Where did you lose it?
- আকাশ Akashমই নাজানো।moi najano.I don't know.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries কি, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
