Language/Plateau-malagasy/Grammar/Questions

Plateau Malagasy Grammar - Questions

Hi Plateau Malagasy learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on the Plateau Malagasy questions. We will learn how to form them, where to place them in a sentence, and some useful question words. Using questions is essential in communication, so let's get started!

Defining Questions

A question is a sentence that needs an answer. Questions form an important part of communication as they help elicit information from the receiver. Questions help you learn more about a person, a thing, or a situation.

In Plateau Malagasy, questions begin with "Manao ahoana" (how) or "Inona" (what). The word order in questions is the same as in statements, but the final word of the sentence should be raised in tone. Check out the examples below:

Plateau Malagasy	Pronunciation	English
Iza no sady tsy nivoaka tamin'ny andro lasa?	[it͡sa no sadʲ tsi nivoak daˈmin njanˈdro lasa]	Who didn't go out yesterday?
Inona no nataonao noho ny asany?	[inuˈnʲ na nataunaũ nũ ho ɲasani]	What did you do because of him?
Manao ahoana izy?	[maˈnaʊna ˈzij]	How is he doing?
Manao ahoana ny zavatra rehetra ?	[maˈnaʊna ni zaˈvatra reˈhetra]	How is everything going?

Question Words

In Plateau Malagasy language, there are many question words to help form questions. These words often begin with "I" or "A". Here are the most common question words you need to know:

English	Plateau Malagasy	Pronunciation
What	Inona	[inuˈna]
Who	Iza	[it͡sa]
Where	Aiza	[ajʲˈtsa]
When	Niaiza	[nʲajʲjʲaˈtsa]
Why	Nahoana	[naˈhʷanə]
Which	Ilay	[ilaj]
How	Manao ahoana	[maˈnaʊna ˈzij]

Use these question words at the beginning of a sentence to create a question. For example, "Ilay biby inona no namerenanao?" which means "What animal did you raise?"

Position of Questions

When asking questions, it's important to know where to place them in a sentence. In Plateau Malagasy, questions are usually placed at the beginning of a sentence. Alternatively, they may also be placed at the end of a sentence. The word order for questions is the same as in statements. The question mark is used to show it is a question, rather than a statement.

Here is an example of a question at the beginning of a sentence:

Plateau Malagasy	Pronunciation	English
Io omeo izao atao hoe ...	[iˈʷomew iˈzaw aˈtaw hʷe]	What do you call this?

Here is an example of a question at the end of a sentence:

Plateau Malagasy	Pronunciation	English
Hisy ratsy be izao aloha: Misy toaka tsy manan-kery, na milay aza.	[hisa ˈrat͡si be iˈzaw aluˈha misʲ tʷakat͡s manaŋkery, na miˈlaj ˈaza]	There were many bad things in the past: (Are there) any good things (now), even a little bit?

Examples in Dialogue

Here is a dialogue in Plateau Malagasy to help you practice asking questions:

• Person 1: Manao ahoana ny zavatra rehetra? ([How are things going?])
• Person 2: Tsara. Ilay mpitsara dia iza? ([Good. Who is the expert?])
• Person 1: Ny mpitsara dia izy hoe... ([The expert is...])
• Person 2: Inona no tetika? ([What is the topic?])
• Person 1: Fahalalahana ny fomba famoronana tantely. Inona no fitaovanao? ([It's about the traditional way of planting rice. What's your occupation?])

Conclusion

That's it for this lesson on Plateau Malagasy questions. Remember to apply what you have learned by practicing with a native speaker or finding one on Polyglot Club. In addition to questions, we also have other resources in Plateau Malagasy such as Grammar.

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Malagasy language
• Interrogative
• Types of Question