Burmese Verbs

Welcome to the 10th lesson about verbs in Burmese. We will first learn about the present tense, followed by the past tense, and future tense. We will also analyze some grammar rules, and finally practice how to ask for direction in Burmese.

Verbs are used to express an action (I swim) or a state of being (I am). The present tense in Burmese conveys a situation or event in the present time. Here are some examples:

Present Tense - Burmese
I speak English kyun note ingalait sagar pyaw thie
you speak French thin pyin thit sagar pyaw thie
he speaks German thu german sagar pyaw thie
she speaks Italian thu ma italy sagar pyaw tnie
we speak Arabic kyun note don ar rub sagar pyaw thie
they speak Chinese thu doh ta yoak sagar pyaw thie

The past tense in Burmese conveys a situation or event in the past time. Here are some examples:

Past Tense - Burmese
I visited France kyun note pyin thit naing ngan ko a le thwar khe de
you visited Italy thu italy naing ngan ko a le thwar khe de
he visited Morocco thu maw ro co naing ngan ko a le thwar khe de
she visited China thu ma ta yoak naing ngan ko a le thwar khe de
we visited Mexico kyun note doh mexico naing ngan ko a le thwar khe de
they visited Kenya thu doh kenya naing ngan ko a le thwar khe de

The future tense in Burmese conveys a situation or event which is anticipated to happen in the future. Here are some examples:

Future Tense - Burmese
I will drink milk kyun note nwar noh thauk me
you will drink coffee thin coffee thauk lain me
he will drink tea thu le phat ye thauk lain me
she will drink water thu ma yay thauk lain me
we will drink apple juice kyun note doh pan thee phyaw ye thauk lain me
they will drink tea thu doh le phat ye thauk lain me

Now let's take a break and refresh our vocabulary by learning the body parts.

ear nar

eye myat si

mouth ba zat

nose hna khaung

hair zabin

face myat hnar

head gaung

heart hna lone

hand lat

fingers lat chaung myar

leg chay htauk

feet chay htauk myar

Travel Phrases in Burmese

Imagine yourself in some Burmese speaking country. The following travel phrases are highly important and can help you avoid misunderstanding. Try to memorize them and practice!

English - Burmese
Can you help me? thin kyun note ko ku nyi naing ba tha lar
Can I help you? kyun note thin ko ku nyi naing ba tha lar
Where is the airport? lay sait ka be hmar le
Go straight te te thwar
Then pyi yin dot
Turn left be bat ko choe/kwait
Turn right nyar bat ko choe/kwait

I hope this lesson about the verbs in Burmese was not hard for you. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.