- ཡིན་
- Function: to identify, this is that.
- It’s like an
= sign
- I.e. a subject and predicate are equated with ཡིན་ (this = that).
- When you see ཡིན་, ask yourself: “What is what?” or “What equals what?” as a guiding question. Then try to identify the subject and predicate.
- Sometimes, ཡིན་ can be omitted from the sentence. ∴ when there is no verb it should be assumed that the verb is actually ཡིན་.
- Sometimes the particle ནི་ is used to mark or emphasize the subject. In that case it does not need to be translated but is useful for identifying the subject.
- Clarifying role, organizational device
- ཡིན་ is the positive/affirmative form and མིན་/མ་ཡིན་ are the negative forms.
- The structure of a sentence w/ ཡིན་ is: A (subject) + B (predicate) + ཡིན་ (
A=B)
← Tibetan Grammar