This guide adapts rules and examples from Microsoft’s 58-page Assamese Localization Style Guide (India variant, originally written for software/UI localization). The underlying linguistic rules apply universally — to legal contracts, medical documents, marketing copy, and any Assamese translation work. Restructured and reformatted as a general Assamese translator reference by ChatsControl.

Assamese Translation Style Guide — Voice, Word Choice & Common Pitfalls (Legal, Medical, Marketing, IT)¶

TL;DR¶

• Assamese uses postpositions (পৰা, দ্বাৰা, কাৰযৰ্, বাযব, ওপৰত), not prepositions — placed after the genitive form of the noun, never before.
• Address users with second-person honorific আপুৰন (with possessive আযপানাৰ); avoid রস/তাই which sound informal; use neutral চতওঁ for gender-unknown reference.
• Genitive marker is suffix -ৰ (ৰামৰ ৰকতাপ = Ram’s book); avoid attaching genitive to trademarked product names (write “Microsoft Word document” not “Microsoft Word’s document”).
• Use period ৷ (Devanagari danda) at sentence end, not Latin period; ৷ has no space before, single space after; quotation marks are ” ” (double) for direct speech, ’ ’ (single) for nested quotes.
• Articles (a/an/the) don’t exist in Assamese — write “icon” not “an icon” (আইকন), “folder” not “the folder” (ফ’ল্ডাৰ); loan words inflect with Assamese plural suffixes (িাযয়ণ্টসকল, ৰ্াউনযলাৰ্সমূহ).

Register and tone for modern Assamese translation¶

Register is the level of formality, warmth, and conversational ease the target text projects. Modern Assamese readers across consumer-facing spheres expect a register that feels respectful but human — formal Sanskritized Assamese with archaic morphology carries institutional distance.

Three principles define the modern register:

• Warm and relaxed. Natural language. Less formal, more grounded in honest conversations.
• Crisp and clear. Written for scanning first, reading second.
• Ready to lend a hand. Anticipates what the reader needs and offers it at the right moment.

Why this matters: Sanskritized formal register damages outcomes across spheres. In marketing copy it kills conversion in modern Assamese consumer markets. In patient-facing medical materials it reduces comprehension. In software UI it creates friction. In consumer-facing legal documents plain Assamese improves understandability. Sworn legal documents, government correspondence, and academic texts retain the formal register.

Words and phrases to avoid¶

en-US source	as-IN old word/phrase	as-IN new word/phrase
Attempt	চেষ্টা	প্ৰয়াস
In addition	সংয াগত	ইয়াৰ উপৰৰও
Give/provide guidance, give/provide information	পথ-প্ৰদৰ্শক, তথয প্ৰদান কৰা	ৰনযদশৰ্না প্ৰদান/তথয প্ৰদান

Why this matters: These archaic forms appear in legal templates and government forms but feel alien in modern consumer-facing text. Marketing copy with old forms loses warmth. Medical patient leaflets with formal vocabulary reduce comprehension.

Word choice¶

Terminology¶

Use approved terminology from Microsoft Terminology — Globalization for key terms, technical terms, and product names.

Short word forms and everyday words¶

en-US source	as-IN word	Usage notes
Share (verb)	ভাগবতৰা কৰক	Use instead of ভাগ-বতৰা কৰক
Pick, choose	পেন্দ বাছক, পেন্দ কৰক
Drive	ড্ৰাইভ	Use in all general mentions of “Drive”

Sample voice usage¶

Addressing the user to take action¶

US English	Assamese target
The password isn’t correct, so please try again. Passwords are case-sensitive.	পাছৱৰ্শ য া শুদ্ধ নহয়, চসযয়যহ অনুগ্ৰহ কৰৰ পুনৰাই চেষ্টা কৰক৷ পাছৱৰ্শ সমূহ বৰ্-শ সংযবদনৰ্ীল।
This product key didn’t work. Please check it and try again.	এই প্ৰৰ্াক্ট কীয াযৱ কাম নকৰৰযল৷ অনুগ্ৰহ কৰৰ এইয া পৰীক্ষা কৰৰ পুনৰাই চেষ্টা কৰক৷
All ready to go	সম্পূৰ্শৰূযপ সাজু
Would you like to continue?	আপুৰন অবযাহত ৰাৰিব ৰবোযৰযন?
Give your PC a name — any name you want. If you want to change the background color, turn high contrast off in PC settings.	আযপানাৰ PC-চ াক এ া নাম ৰদয়ক - আপৰুন ৰবেৰা ৰ যকাযনা নাযমই ৰদব পাযৰ৷ ৰদ আপৰুন পষ্ঠৃ ভূৰমৰ ৰং সলৰন কৰৰব ৰবোযৰ, চতযে PC চছটংছত উচ্চ ৰবষমতাক অফ কৰক৷

Explanatory text¶

US English	Assamese target
The updates are installed, but Windows Setup needs to restart for them to work. After it restarts, we’ll keep going from where we left off.	আপযৰ্ সমহূ ইনষ্টল কৰা হহযছ, ৰকন্তু চসইযবাযৰ কাম কৰৰবলল Windows চছ আপয া পুনঃআৰম্ভ কৰৰব লাৰগব৷ ইয়াৰ ৰপছত পুনঃআৰম্ভ কযৰ, আৰম ‘যতই এৰৰ হথ আৰহৰছযলা তাৰপৰাই আৰম্ভ কৰৰম৷
If you restart now, you and any other people using this PC could lose unsaved work.	ৰদ আপুৰন এৰতয়া পুনঃআৰম্ভ কযৰ, চতযে আপৰুন বা এই PC-চ া বযৱহাৰ কৰৰ থকা অনয বযৰিযয় সংৰক্ষৰ্ কৰৰ চনাযথাৱা কামৰিৰন চহৰুৱাব পাযৰ৷
This document will be automatically moved to the right library and folder after you correct invalid or missing properties.	আপুৰন অশুদ্ধ বা চহযৰাৱা ধমশসমূহ শুদ্ধ কৰাৰ পাছত এই নৰথপত্ৰিন স্বয়ংৰিয়ভাযৱ সঠিক লাইযেৰী আৰু ফ’ল্ডাৰলল াব৷
Something bad happened! Unable to locate downloaded files to create your bootable USB flash drive.	ৰকবা ভুল হ’ল। আযপানাৰ বু কৰৰব পৰা USB ফ্লাে ড্ৰাইভ সৃৰষ্ট কৰৰবলল ৰ্াউনযলাৰ্ কৰৰ চথাৱা ফাইলসমূহ ৰেনাি কৰৰবলল অক্ষম৷

Promoting a feature¶

US English	Assamese target
Picture password is a new way to help you protect your touchscreen PC. You choose the picture — and the gestures you use with it — to create a password that’s uniquely yours.	আযপানাৰ াচ্চ স্ক্ৰীৰ্ PC-চ াক সুৰক্ষা প্ৰদান কৰাত সহায় কৰৰবলল ৰেত্ৰ পাছৱৰ্শ য া হহযছ এট নতুন উপায়, এ া অননয পাছৱৰ্শ ৰ য া চকৱল আযপানাৰ চসইয া সৃৰষ্ট কৰৰবলল, আপুৰন ৰেত্ৰিন আৰ ু ইয়াৰ হসযত বযৱহাৰ কৰা চজশ্চাৰসমূহ পেন্দ কৰক।
Let apps give you personalized content based on your PC’s location, name, account picture, and other domain info.	আযপানাৰ PC-ৰ অৱস্থান, নাম, একাউণ্ট ৰেত্ৰ আৰ ু অনয ৰ্যমইনৰ তথযৰ ওপৰত ৰভৰি কৰৰ এপ্প সমূযহ আযপানাক বযৰিগত কৰৰ চথাৱা সামগ্ৰী প্ৰদান কযৰ৷

How-to guidelines¶

US English	Assamese target
To go back and save your work, click Cancel and finish what you need to.	পুনৰাই ঘূৰৰ হগ আযপানাৰ কামৰিৰন সংৰক্ষৰ্ কৰৰবলল, বাৰতল কৰক ৰিক কৰৰ আপৰুন ৰ য া কৰৰব ৰবোৰৰযছ চসইয া কৰক৷
To confirm your current picture password, just watch the replay and trace the example gestures shown on your picture.	আযপানাৰ সাম্প্ৰৰতক ৰেত্ৰ পাছৱৰ্শ ৰনৰশ্চত কৰৰবলল, চকৱল প্ৰতুযিৰ োওক আৰু আযপানাৰ ৰেত্ৰত চদিুওৱা চজশ্চাৰসমহূ চেে কৰক৷
It’s time to enter the product key. When you connect to the Internet, we’ll activate Windows for you.	প্ৰৰ্াক্ট কীয া প্ৰৰবষ্ট কৰাৰ সময় এইয়াই৷ চ ৰতয়া আপুৰন ইণ্টাৰযন ৰ হসযত সংয াগ স্থাপন কযৰ, আৰম আযপানাৰ বাযব Windows সৰিয় কৰৰম৷

Inclusive language¶

Microsoft technology reaches every part of the globe. Communications must be inclusive and diverse.

General guidelines¶

• Comply with local language laws.
• Use plain language. Use straightforward, concrete, and familiar words.
• Be mindful when referring to various parts of the world. Don’t use politically disputed cities, countries, or regions in examples.
• In text and images, represent diverse perspectives.
• Don’t generalize or stereotype people by region, culture, age, or gender.
• Don’t use profane or derogatory terms.
• Don’t use slang that could be cultural appropriation.
• Don’t use terms with unconscious racial bias or military/political/historical associations.

English	Not this	Assamese	Not this (Assamese)
primary/subordinate	master/slave	প্ৰাথৰমক/অধীনস্থ	মাৰলক/দাস
perimeter network	demilitarized zone (DMZ)	পৰৰৰধ চন ৱকশ	অসামৰৰক চক্ষত্ৰ (DMZ)
stop responding	Hang	সঁহাৰৰ ৰদয়া বন্ধ কৰা/কৰক	চহং কৰা/ৰিাই চথাৱা
expert	Guru	ৰবযৰ্ষজ্ঞ	গুৰু
meeting	pow wow	সভা/ৰমটং	চমল/যমল-ৰমটং
colleagues; everyone; all	guys; ladies and gentlemen	সহকমী; সকযলাযৱ; সকযলা	বন্ধুসকল; মৰহলা আৰু পুৰুষসকল
learning session	brown bag session	দুপৰীয়াৰ আহাৰ গ্ৰহৰ্ আৰু ৰৰ্ক্ষৰ্; ৰৰ্ক্ষৰ্ হবঠক	োউন চবগ চছশ্বন
parent	mother or father	অৰভভাৱক	ৰপতৃ বা মাতৃ

Avoid gender bias¶

Use gender-neutral alternatives. Avoid compounds containing gender-specific terms (পুৰুষ, মৰহলা).

Use this	Not this	Comment
চতওঁ অ’ৰফেলল গ’ল।	ৰস অ’ৰফে গ’ল।	Always use respectful tone.
চতওঁ দস্তাযবজিন বনাযল।	তাই দস্তাযবজিন বনাইৰছল।
ভাল মানুহ	ভাল মৰহলা
মহান বযৰি	মহান পুৰুষ
চতওঁ পাছৱৰ্শ সলৰন কৰা নাৰছল।	ৰস পাছৱৰ্শ সলৰন কৰা নাৰছল।
সকযলাযক শুযভচ্ছা জনাযলাঁ।	পুৰুষ মৰহলা সকযলাযক শুযভচ্ছা জনাযলাঁ।

When presenting generalizations, use non-gendered noun forms (চলাকসকল, বযৰিসকল, ৰৰ্ক্ষাথীসকল).

Don’t use gendered pronouns (পুৰুষ, মৰহলা, ৰস, তাই, তাক) in generic references. Instead:

• Rewrite using second/third person (আপুৰন or চকাযনা বযৰি).
• Avoid gender-specific pronouns (use উি দস্তাযবজ/নৰথপত্ৰ/নৰথ instead of চতওৰঁ দস্তাযবজ/তাইৰ নৰথপত্ৰ/চতযিতৰ নৰথ).
• Refer to a person’s role (পাঠক, কমশোৰী, গ্ৰাহক, িাইণ্ট).
• Use মানুহ or বযৰি.

If you can’t write around the problem, use a respectful pronoun (চতওঁ/চতওঁযলাক) in generic references. Don’t use constructions like ৰস/তাই.

English	Not this	Assamese	Not this (Assamese)
A user with the appropriate rights can set other users’ passwords.	If the user has the appropriate rights, he can set other users’ passwords.	উপযুি অৰধকাৰ থকা বযৱহাৰকাৰীযয় অনয বযৱহাৰকাৰীৰ পাছৱৰ্শ চছ কৰৰব পাযৰ।	ৰদ বযৱহাৰকাৰীজনৰ উপ ুি অৰধকাৰ আযছ, চতযে চতওঁ আনৰ পাছৱৰ্শ চছ কৰৰব পাযৰ।
Developers need access to servers in their development environments, but they don’t need access to the servers in Azure.	A developer needs access to servers in his development environment, but he doesn’t need access to the servers in Azure.	ৰবকাৰ্কতশাসকলক চতওঁযলাকৰ ৰবকাৰ্ পৰৰযৱৰ্ত ছাভশাৰসমূহত এযেছৰ প্ৰযয়াজন, ৰকন্তু চতওঁযলাকক Azure-ৰ ছাভশাৰসমূহত এযেছৰ প্ৰযয়াজন নহয়।	এগৰাকী ৰবকাৰ্কতশাক চতওঁৰ ৰবকাৰ্ পৰৰযৱৰ্ত এযেছৰ প্ৰযয়াজন হয়, ৰকন্তু চতওঁক Azure-ৰ ছাভশাৰসমূহত এযেছৰ প্ৰযয়াজন নহয়।
When the author opens the document…	When the author opens her document…	চ ৰতয়া চলিকজযন নৰথপত্ৰিন চিাযল…	চ ৰতয়া চলৰিকাগৰাকীযয় তাইৰ নৰথপত্ৰিন চিাযল…

When writing about a real person, use the pronouns that the person prefers.

Accessibility¶

Focus on people, not disabilities. Don’t use words that imply pity (চলযেৰা/অন্ধ/বৰধৰ/কলা or ৰুগীয়া/সমসযাগ্ৰস্ত). Don’t mention disability unless relevant.

English	Not this	Assamese	Not this (Assamese)
person with a disability	handicapped	ৰবযৰ্ষভাযৱ সক্ষম বযৰি	প্ৰৰতবন্ধী
person without a disability	normal person; healthy person	অক্ষমতা নথকা বযৰি	সাধাৰৰ্ বযৰি; সুস্থ বযৰি
Select	Click	বাছৰন কৰক	ৰিক কৰক

Keep paragraphs short. Aim for one verb per sentence. Spell out words like আৰু, লগযত, ৰবষযয়. Screen readers can misread special characters (& + ~).

Language-specific standards¶

Abbreviations¶

Formed by taking the first letter (followed by a full stop) or the first syllable. Use non-breaking space in abbreviations.

English	Assamese
Profile	প্ৰ’ফা.
Insert	আেঃস.
Layout	চলআউ.

Common Assamese expressions:

Assamese	Acceptable abbreviation
ৰবযৰ্ষ দ্ৰষ্টবয	ৰব.দ্ৰ.
অনুকাৰ ৰ্ব্দ	অনুক.
অনুযৰাপ ৰ্ব্দ	অনুযৰা.
অবযয়	অবয.
কৃদে ৰবযৰ্ষৰ্	কৃদ. ৰবৰ্.
ৰিয়া ৰবযৰ্ষৰ্	ৰি. ৰবৰ্.
ধাতু	ধা.
ৰবযৰ্ষয	ৰব.
সবশনাম	সবশ.
স্ত্ৰীৰলঙ্গ	স্ত্ৰী.
সহকাৰী	সহঃ

Technical measurement abbreviations:

English	Assamese	Example
Gigabyte (GB)	ৰজ.ৰব.	চমাৰ ম’বাইলত 1 ৰজ.ৰব. চমম’ৰী আযছ৷
Gigabit (GBit)	ৰজ.ৰবট্
Kilobyte (KB)	চক.ৰব.	মই 256 চক.ৰব. ৰ্াউনল’ৰ্ কৰৰযলাঁ৷
Kilobit (KBit)	চক.ৰবট্
Megabyte (MB)	এম.ৰব.	ৰৰ্স্ক িনত আৰু 25 এম.ৰব. িালী আযছ৷
Megabit (MBit)	এম.ৰবট্
Terabyte (TB)	ট.ৰব.
Terabit (TBit)	ট.ৰবট্
Bits per second (Bit/s)	ৰবট্./যছ
Megabits per second (MBit/s or Mbps)	এম.ৰবট্/যছ or এমৰবৰপএছ
Kilobits per second (KBit/s or Kbps)	চক.ৰবট্/যছ or চকৰবৰপএছ
Megahertz (MHz)	এম.হা শজ
Hertz (Hz)	হা শজ

Don’t abbreviate Pound (পাউণ্ড), Degree (ৰৰ্গ্ৰী), Ruble (ৰুবল), Yuan (য়ুআন), Yen (চয়ন).

Leave a non-breaking space between number and measurement: 10 KB (not 10KB), 48 MB RAM (not 48MB RAM).

Why this matters: Legal translation of contracts uses standardized abbreviations (ৰব.দ্ৰ. for ৰবযৰ্ষ দ্ৰষ্টবয/N.B.) consistently. Medical translation of dosing units (এম.ৰব., ৰজ.ৰব. for storage; mg, mL for medication) requires strict abbreviation. IT translation uses standard storage and bandwidth abbreviations.

Acronyms¶

Acronyms formed by taking initial letters of compound term words.

Localized acronyms¶

Examples: চবঘনীযসহাসু (rainbow colors), লসাগু (LCM), গসাউ (HCF), গসাগু, অগপ (Asom Gana Parishad), অভাউসা (Assam Bhasha Unnati Sadhini Sabha).

Unlocalized acronyms¶

Standardized international acronyms remain in English: ANSI, ISO, PDF, IP, GPS.

Adjectives¶

Assamese adjectives modify nouns or pronouns by describing, identifying, or quantifying. The adjective usually precedes the noun or pronoun it modifies. Types:

1. Proper adjective — beautiful (সুন্দৰ), ugly (চলযতৰা)
2. Verbal adjective — edited (সম্পাৰদত), drawn (অংৰকত)
3. Adjective — very much, too much, too many (অৰত, অৰধক)
4. Adverb — quickly (দ্ৰুতভাযৱ)

Examples: ৰাম ভাল ল’ৰা, সুন্দৰ ৰকতাপ, সম্পাৰদত ফাইলয া চিালক, ফয ািন অৰত সুন্দৰ, দ্ৰুতভাযৱ প্ৰযৱৰ্ কৰক.

Possessive adjectives¶

Subject pronoun	Possessive adjective
মই (I)	চমাৰ (my)
তুৰম (you, familiar)	চতামাৰ (your)
ৰস (he, informal)	তাৰ (his)
তাই (she, informal)	তাইৰ (her)
আৰম (we)	আমাৰ (our)
ৰসঁহত (they)	ৰসঁহতৰ (their)

For honorific forms: আপুৰন → আযপানাৰ, চতওঁ → চতওঁৰ.

English	Assamese
That’s my folder.	এইয া চমাৰ ফ’ল্ডাৰ
What is your phone number?	চতামাৰ চফান নম্বৰ চকানয া?

Articles¶

Articles “a”, “an”, and “the” do not exist in Assamese.

English	Assamese
an icon	আইকন
a filename	ফাইলনাম
The folder	ফ’ল্ডাৰ

Unlocalized feature names¶

Microsoft product names and non-translated feature names are treated as proper nouns:

English	Assamese
Windows Mail shares your Internet Connection settings with Microsoft Edge	Windows Mail-এ আযপানাৰ ইণ্টাৰযন সংয াগ চছটংছ Microsoft Edge-ৰ হসযত ভাগ-বতৰা কযৰ৷
Website addresses will be sent to Microsoft	চৱবছাই ঠিকনা Microsoft-হল চপ্ৰৰৰ্ কৰা হ’ব৷

Localized feature names¶

Translated feature names use definite/indefinite-like markers via context:

English	Assamese
Activate a window by hovering over it with the mouse	মাউযেযৰ ইয়াৰ ওপযৰযৰ হ’ভাৰৰং কৰৰ চকাযনা উইণ্ড’ সৰিয় কৰক
Select a location closest to your office.	আযপানাৰ অৰফেৰ কাষৰ চকাযনা অৱস্থান েয়ন কৰক৷
The Homepage	মুিযপৃষ্ঠা

Compounds¶

Compounds should be understandable. Avoid overly long or complex compounds.

English	Assamese
Internet Accounts	ইণ্টাৰযন একাউণ্টসমূহ
Logon script processing	ৰলৰপ পৰিয়াকৰৰ্ লগ অন কৰক
Workgroup Administrator	ৱকশগ্ৰুপ বযৱস্থাপক
Internet News Server Name	ইণ্টাৰযন বাতৰৰ ছাভশাৰৰ নাম

Assamese compound examples: ইণ্টাৰযন, মৃতুযদণ্ড, হতাহৰত, মৰামৰৰ, গুৰুভৰি.

Conjunctions¶

Use of conjunctions helps convey conversational tone. Starting a sentence with a conjunction can convey informal tone.

en-US source	as-IN old conjunctions	as-IN new conjunctions
As <product> gains features, there is a risk that older content may not display correctly.	ৰদ এই সুৰবধা দ ু া আযপানাৰ এই কৰম্পউ াৰত নাই, চতযে নতুন ফাইলয া ইয়াত চিাল নািাব৷	কৰম্পউ াৰয াত এই নতুন সুৰবধা নথকাৰ কাৰযৰ্ ফাইলয া িুৰলব চনাৱাযৰ৷

Gender¶

Gender in Assamese is not grammatical. Only animate subjects distinguish gender, indicated by:

1. Qualifying terms “মতা” (male) and “মাইকী” (female). Example: মতা গৰু (male cow / he-cow), মাইকী গৰু (female cow / she-cow).
2. Different lexemes: ল’ৰা (boy) / চছাৱালী (girl); দাদা/ককাই (elder brother) / চবৌ/ন-যবৌ (sister-in-law).
3. Feminine suffixes -ঈ, -নী. Suffix -ঈ added to masculine consonant-ending forms: পগলা (mad man) / পাগলী (mad woman). Suffix -নী added to masculine forms: কৰলতা (man of Kalita caste) / কৰলতানী (woman of Kalita caste).

Always recognize audience sensitivity. Use neutral language. Use general terms like “people”, “users”, “persons” instead of separately mentioning genders.

Avoid sentences referring to a single person whose gender is unknown — rewrite plurally. Avoid “he or she”, “him or her”, “his or hers”. Avoid gender slashes.

Method	Example	Context
Use a neutral noun	বযৰি, চনতা, দলপৰত, পালকত, কমশোৰী, বযৱহাৰকতশা	Concept descriptions, explanations
Write gender separately	চতওঁ, চতযিত	Only in exceptional cases (License Terms, table headers). Use respectful pronoun (চতওঁ/চতওঁযলাক) if you can’t rewrite. Don’t use ৰস/তাই.

Genitive¶

In Assamese, “ৰ” is the genitive case marker.

Examples: - Nominal: ৰামৰ ৰকতাপ (Ram-GEN book / Ram’s book) - Pronominal: আমাৰ ঘৰ (our-GEN house / our house)

Don’t attach genitive “s” or “ৰ” to trademarked product names. Example: Microsoft Office Word — write “Microsoft Office Word”, not “Microsoft Office Word’s“.

Localizing colloquialism, idioms, and metaphors¶

• Don’t substitute Assamese colloquialism for source unless it’s a perfect natural fit.
• Translate the intended meaning of the source idiom (not literally) if it’s essential to the text.
• If the colloquialism can be omitted without affecting meaning, omit it.

English source	Assamese translation
Let’s see if you have to do anything first.	আপুৰন প্ৰথযম ৰকবা কৰৰবলগীয়া হয়যন নহয় োই লওক।
Pick the people and apps you can share stuff with	চসইসকল বযৰি আৰু এপ্প বাছক ৰ সকলৰ লগত আপৰুন বস্তু ভাগ-বতৰা কৰৰব পাযৰ।
Here are some nearby networks — pick one to get online right away.	ইয়াত কাষৰীয়া ৰকছুমান চন ৱকশ আযছ - তৎক্ষৰ্াত অনলাইন হ’বলল এ া লওক।
Here’s how to change your password.	আযপানাৰ পাছৱৰ্শ এযনলক পৰৰৱতশন কৰক৷
You’re almost done customizing these settings.	আপুৰন এই চছটংছক কাষ্টমাইজ কৰা প্ৰায় সমাপ্ত কৰৰযল৷

Modifiers¶

Modifiers provide description. In Assamese, adverbs and adjectives function as modifiers but also have other functions.

Examples: - Adjective modifier: The file selected is either too big or too small → েয়ৰনত ফাইল হয় অৰত ৰ্ােৰ নহয় অৰত সৰু. - Adverb modifier: Microsoft Edge automatically archived this message → Microsoft Edge-এ স্বয়ংৰিয়ভাযৱ এই বাতশায া আকশাইভ কযৰ।

Nouns¶

Many languages differentiate noun classes based on animacy, shape, gender. English loan words must integrate into the Assamese noun class system.

English	Assamese
Delete it from server.	ছাভশাৰৰ পৰা ৰবযলাপ কৰক৷
Enter a password to log into the server	ছাভশাৰত লগ ইন কৰৰবলল এ া পাছৱৰ্শ প্ৰৰৱষ্ট কৰক৷
DNS cannot resolve the server IP address	DNS-এ ছাভশাৰৰ IP ঠিকনায া সমাধান কৰৰব চনাৱাযৰ৷
Verify the name of the server’s certificate	ছাভশাৰৰ প্ৰমাৰ্-পত্ৰৰ নাম সতযাপন কৰক৷

Plural formation¶

Plural is formed from singular by adding suffixes: ফাইলৰবলাক, বযৱহাৰকাৰীসকল, ফ’ল্ডাৰসমূহ.

English loan words inflect with Assamese plural suffixes:

English	Assamese
Clients	িাযয়ণ্টসকল
Websites	চৱবছাই সমূহ
Downloads	ৰ্াউনযলাৰ্সমূহ
Proxies	প্ৰৰেসমহূ

Prepositions (postpositions)¶

Assamese uses postpositions where English uses prepositions. Postpositions occur after the possessive case forms of the concerned nouns or pronouns.

English	Assamese postposition example
for me	চমাৰ বাযব / চমাৰ কাৰযৰ্
on the table	চমজৰ ওপৰত

Common Assamese postpositions: পৰা (from), দ্বাৰা (by), হতুৱাই (through), হসযত (with), চ াযগৰদ (via), কাৰযৰ্ (for), বাযব (for), ৰনৰমযি (for the sake of), তলত (under), ওপৰত (on/above), পাছত (after), ৰনৰেনা (like), দযৰ (like).

US English	Assamese expression
migrate to	…হল প্ৰৱজন
migrate from	…ৰ পৰা প্ৰৱজন
import to	…হল আমদাৰন
import from	…ৰ পৰা আমদাৰন
export to	…হল ৰপ্তাৰন
export from	…ৰ পৰা ৰপ্তাৰন
update to	…হল উন্নীত
upgrade to	…হল উদ্ধশগৰত
change to	…হল সলৰন
click on	…ৰিক কৰক
connect to	…হসযত সংয াগ কৰক
welcome to	…হল স্বাগতম

Frequently occurring noun phrases:

US English	Assamese
in the toolbar	সঁজুৰল দৰণ্ডকাত
on the tab	চ বত
by the menu	তাৰলকাৰদ্বাৰা
on the net	চন ত
from the Internet	ইণ্টাৰযন ৰপৰা
on the Web	চৱবত
on a web site	চৱবছাই ত
on a web page	চৱবৰ পৃষ্ঠাত

The concept of prepositions does not exist in Assamese.

Why this matters: Preposition errors are the most common Assamese translation bug. Legal translation “from the date” vs “to the date” — wrong postposition (পৰা vs হল) flips meaning. Medical translation “transfer to” vs “transfer from” — wrong postposition is patient-safety risk. IT translation “export to file” vs “import from file” — wrong direction.

Pronouns¶

Three persons: first, second, third.

Person	Singular	Plural
1st (প্ৰথম পুৰুষ)	I (মই)	We (আৰম)
2nd (ৰদ্বতীয় পৰু ুষ)	You (তই)	You (তহঁত)
2nd respected form	You (তুৰম)	You (চতামাযলাক)
3rd (তৃতীয় পৰু ুষ)	He/she (ৰস, তাই)	They (ৰসঁহত)
3rd respected form	He/she (আপুৰন)	They (আযপানাযলাক)

Use direct second-person style: “You” (আপুৰন), “Your” (আযপানাৰ), “My” (চমাৰ). Depending on status/rank of addressee, “You” has three manifestations: আপুৰন (honorific), তুৰম (equal), তই (inferior/intimate). আপুৰন is recommended for Microsoft voice.

as-IN old user reference	as-IN new user reference
নতুন উন্নীতসমূহ স্থাপন হ’যল বযৱহাৰকতশাই নতুন পৰৰবতশন কৰৰব পাৰৰব৷	আপযৰ্ সমূহ ইনষ্টল হ’চল আপুৰন পৰৰৱতশন কৰৰব পাৰৰব৷
এই চছটংযছ বযৱহাৰকতশাসকলক উৎকৃষ্ট প্ৰদৰ্নশ প্ৰদান কযৰ৷	এই স্কীমসমূহৰ চকাযনাবা এ া পেন্দ কৰক বা ৰনযজ এ া হতয়াৰ কৰক৷

Punctuation¶

Assamese-specific punctuation:

• ৷ ends a sentence (Devanagari danda)
• , separates items in lists and indicates short pauses
• ! used after interjection or exclamation
• ? marks interrogation
• ; binds two sentences more closely than a full stop
• : informs that what follows proves, clarifies, explains
• ’ marks omissions
• ” ” denote speech or quotation
• ’ ’ denote nested speech or quotation
• ( ) contain optional or additional material
• • joins words

Comma¶

Comma separates items in lists. No comma before the final conjunction.

Assamese examples
মানুহজযন ক’যল, চতওঁ তাক ঘৰত চদৰি আৰহযছ৷
আমাৰ ঘৰলল ৰাম, হৰৰ, দুজ আৰু মধুও আৰহব

Colon¶

Two uses: syntactical-deductive (introduces logical consequence) and syntactical-descriptive (introduces description).

Use	Example
Deductive	অসমৰ বানপানী সমসযা এ া ৰাষ্ট্ৰীয় সমসযা: মুিযমন্ত্ৰী
Descriptive	মূলয: পাঁে কা

Don’t use colon where Assamese uses ৰকন্তু (but):

English	Correct Assamese	Comment
Man proposes: God disposes.	মানুযহ প্ৰস্তাৱ ৰদযয় ৰকন্তু ভগৱাযন ৰনষ্পৰি কযৰ৷	Use ৰকন্তু against colon.

Dashes and hyphens¶

Three different dash characters used in English.

Hyphen. Divides words between syllables, links compound word parts. In Assamese, indicates sudden break or that something follows.

Example
তুৰম ভালদযৰ পঢা-শুনা কৰা – এযয় চমাৰ কামনা।

Used to join words: সু-িবৰ, ভাত-পানী.

En dash. Used as minus sign or to express range. In Assamese also expresses range: 6–10 years.

Em dash. Used in English to set off parenthetical elements. Em dash is not used in Assamese sentences.

Ellipses (suspension points)¶

The triple-dot (…) indicates pause, unfinished thought, or trailing off.

Example
জীৱন নদীৰ দুট পাযৰ…

Period¶

Use the period [৷] at the end of a sentence making a statement. No space between the last letter and period. One space between period and the next sentence.

Example
আপুৰন ৰনৰদশষ্ট কৰৰ চথাৱা নতুন ৰপ্ৰণ্টাৰ চছটংছয াযৱ প্ৰভাৱ ল’ব পৰা নাই৷ ৰপ্ৰণ্টাৰ ড্ৰাইভাৰয া স্থাপন বা পুনৰ স্থাপন কৰক৷

Occasionally a statement ends with a question. Use [?] in that case.

Example
ইয়াৰ পৰৰৱযতশ আপুৰন ফ’ল্ডাৰত সংৰক্ষৰ্ কৰৰবলল ৰবোযৰ চনৰক?

Quotation marks¶

• Use double inverted commas ” ” for direct speech: মানুহজযন ক’যল, “মই আৰজ কামলল না াও৷ঁ”
• Use single inverted commas ’ ’ for nested phrases inside a quoted sentence: এজযন আযলােনা প্ৰসংগত ৰলৰিযছ, “মাধৱ কন্দৰল প্ৰাকৰ্ঙ্কৰী কৰব আৰছল৷ ৰ্ঙ্কৰযদযৱ ৰলিা ‘পূব শ কৰব অপ্ৰমাদী মাধৱ কন্দৰল আৰদ’ কথাষাযৰই তাৰ প্ৰমাৰ্৷”
• Use single inverted commas for play or book names: ‘ৰাম ৰবজয়’ ৰ্ঙ্কৰযদযৱ ৰেনা কৰৰৰছল৷

Parentheses¶

No space between parentheses and text inside.

Example
পৰণ্ডতমনয (ৰ ৰনজযক পৰণ্ডত বুৰল ভাযব)

Why this matters: Assamese-specific punctuation is the most visible authenticity signal. Legal translation with Latin periods reads as untranslated. Medical translation with wrong colons changes statement meaning. IT translation must use ৷ at sentence end for native feel.

Sentence fragments¶

Use short, to-the-point sentences.

en-US source	as-IN long form	as-IN sentence fragment
Use the following steps.	এই কাৰ্শ যা কৰৰবলল তলত ৰদয়া পদযক্ষপসমূহ অনুসৰৰ্ কৰক	এযনলক কৰক

Subjunctive¶

The subjunctive expresses doubt, uncertainty, denial, desire/wish, commands, reactions, or strong emotional attitude. In Assamese, subjunctive mood is associated with past tense + হ্ররযতন (চহযতন).

Example
If my father was a teacher he would teach me. → ৰদ চমাৰ চদউতা ৰৰ্ক্ষক হ’ল চহযতন চতওঁ চমাক ৰৰ্কাযল চহযতন

Symbols and non-breaking spaces¶

Symbols represent something else by association, resemblance, or convention.

Symbol	Meaning
☺	হাঁৰহ
☼	সূর্য
♥	চপ্ৰম
=D>	হাততাৰল
♀	পুৰুষ
♫	সঙ্গীত

Non-breaking space (  in HTML) keeps words together:  চলাৰ্ হহ আযছ…,  অথশাৎ ৰ তথয আযপানাক লাযগ তাক ৰবোৰক.

Verbs¶

Assamese verbs inflect for person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), degrees of politeness (intimate, familiar, respectful), and tense (past, present, future).

Present tense¶

Formed by adding -o, -e, -a to the stem.

Person	Ending	Example
1st	-o	মই কযৰাঁ
2nd	-e	ৰস/তাই কযৰ
respectful 2nd	-ā	তুৰম কৰা
3rd	-e	ৰসঁহযত কযৰ

Past tense¶

For recent past actions, formed by adding -(i)lo, -(i)sil, -(i)le to the stem.

Person	Ending	Example
1st	-(i)lo	মই কৰৰৰছযলাঁ
2nd	-(i)sil	ৰস/তাই কৰৰৰছল
respectful 2nd	-ā	তুৰম কৰৰৰছলা
3rd	-(i)sil	ৰসঁহযত কৰৰৰছল
respectful 3rd	-(i)le	আপুৰন কৰৰৰছল

Present and past continuous¶

For ongoing actions.

Person	Present continuous	Example
1st	-o	মই কৰৰ আযছাঁ
2nd	-e	ৰস/তাই কৰৰ আযছ
3rd	-e	ৰসঁহযত কৰৰ আযছ

Person	Past continuous	Example
1st	-(i)lo	মই কৰৰ আৰছযলাঁ
2nd	-(i)sil	ৰস/তাই কৰৰ আৰছল
3rd	-(i)sil	ৰসঁহযত কৰৰ আৰছল

Future tense¶

Formed by adding -(i)m, -bo to the stem.

Person	Ending	Example
1st	-(i)m	মই কৰৰম
2nd	-bo	ৰস/তাই কৰৰব
respectful 2nd	-(i)bā	তুৰম কৰৰবা
3rd	-bo	ৰসঁহযত কৰৰব
respectful 3rd	-(i)ba	আপুৰন কৰৰব

Loan word verbs¶

English verbs used as loan words follow Assamese syntactic and morphological rules. Loan word verbs are not translated.

English	Present command	Past	Continuous
chat	ো কৰক	ো কৰৰযছ	ো কৰৰ আযছ
debug	ৰৰ্বাগ কৰক	ৰৰ্বাগ কৰৰযছ	ৰৰ্বাগ কৰৰ আযছ

Use simple present and present perfect for Assamese. Avoid future tense unless describing a real future event.

en-US source	as-IN old verb tense	as-IN new verb tense
After you are finished installing the tool, the icon will appear on your desktop.	আপুৰন এই সঁজুৰলক ইনষ্টল কৰৰ চথাৱাৰ ৰপছত, আইকনয া আযপানাৰ চৰ্স্ক পত প্ৰক হ’ব৷	আপুৰন এই সঁজুৰলয া ইনষ্টল কৰাৰ ৰপছত, আইকনয া আযপানাৰ চৰ্স্ক পত প্ৰক হয়৷

Localization considerations¶

Applications, products, and features¶

Application/product names are often trademarked and rarely translated. Feature names occasionally trademarked (IntelliSense™).

Version numbers¶

US English	Assamese target
WCAG 6.2	WCAG 6.2

Translation of version strings¶

Version strings containing copyright information should always be translated. Consult Microsoft Terminology for “All rights reserved” and “Microsoft Corporation”.

Trademarks¶

Trademarked names and the name Microsoft Corporation should not be localized unless local laws require translation.

Software considerations¶

Error messages¶

Error messages inform the user of an error that must be corrected. Use voice principles to ensure target translation is natural, empathetic, not robot-like.

English	Correct Assamese
Oops, that can’t be blank…	(this section in source not provided in detail)
Not enough memory to process this command.	এই হুকুম প্ৰৰিয়াকৰৰ্ কৰৰবলল চমম’ৰী য থষ্ট নহয়৷

Standard phrases in error messages¶

English	Translation
Cannot … / Could not … / Failed to … / Failure of …	…কৰৰব চনাৱাৰৰ / কৰৰবলল ৰবফল
Cannot find … / Could not find … / Unable to find … / Unable to locate …	…ৰবোৰৰ চপাৱা নগ’ল / িুৰেব চনাৱাৰৰ
Not enough memory / Insufficient memory / There is not enough memory / There is not enough memory available	চমম’ৰী য থষ্ট নহয়
… is not available / … is unavailable	…উপলব্ধ নহয়

Keys¶

Key names appear in normal text.

English key name	Assamese key name
Alt	Alt
Backspace	Backspace
Caps Lock	Caps Lock
Ctrl	Ctrl
Delete	Delete
Down Arrow	তললল কাঁড়
End	End
Enter	Enter
Esc	Esc
Home	Home
Insert	Insert
Left Arrow	বাওঁফাযল কাঁড়
Num Lock	Num Lock
Page Down	Page Down
Page Up	Page Up
Pause	Pause
Right Arrow	চসাঁফাযল কাঁড়
Scroll Lock	Scroll Lock
Shift	Shift
Spacebar	Spacebar
Tab	Tab
Up Arrow	ওপৰলল কাঁড়
Windows key	Windows key

Voice video considerations¶

English terms and product names left unlocalized should be pronounced the English way. If your language has an established pronunciation for a common term (“server”), use the local pronunciation.

Acronyms pronounced like real words adapted to local pronunciation. Other abbreviations pronounced letter by letter.

FAQ¶

How should I address users in Assamese?¶

Use the honorific second-person আপুৰন (you, honorific) with possessive আযপানাৰ (your). Avoid রস/তাই (informal/inferior) and তুৰম (familiar/equal) for software UI, marketing, medical, and consumer-facing legal text. Use the gender-neutral honorific pronoun চতওঁ (he/she, honorific) for third-person reference; avoid রস/তাই in generic third-person references.

How is gender handled in Assamese translation?¶

Gender in Assamese is not strictly grammatical — only animate subjects distinguish gender, marked by qualifying terms (মতা/মাইকী), different lexemes (ল’ৰা/চছাৱালী), or feminine suffixes (-ঈ, -নী). Use gender-neutral nouns (বযৰি, কমশোৰী, বযৱহাৰকতশা, মানুহ) in generic references. Avoid gendered pronouns রস/তাই; use respectful চতওঁ/যতওঁযলাক if you cannot rewrite around the issue.

How does the Assamese postposition system work?¶

Assamese uses postpositions where English uses prepositions. Postpositions follow the possessive form of the noun: “for me” = চমাৰ বাযব or চমাৰ কাৰযৰ্; “on the table” = চমজৰ ওপৰত. Common postpositions: পৰা (from), দ্বাৰা (by), হতুৱাই (through), হসযত (with), কাৰযৰ্/বাযব (for), ৰনৰমযি (for the sake of), তলত (under), ওপৰত (on/above), পাছত (after), ৰনৰেনা/দযৰ (like).

How do articles work in Assamese?¶

Articles “a”, “an”, “the” do not exist in Assamese. “An icon” renders as just আইকন; “a filename” renders as ফাইলনাম; “the folder” renders as ফ’ল্ডাৰ. Unlocalized Microsoft product names are treated as proper nouns without articles (Windows Mail-এ); localized feature names use definite/indefinite-like markers via context (চকাযনা = some/any).

What punctuation marks are Assamese-specific?¶

৷ (Devanagari danda, U+0964) ends a sentence — no space before, single space after. Commas (,) separate list items without a comma before the final conjunction. Em dash is not used in Assamese sentences. Hyphens (-) join words and divide syllables. Bullets are the same as English. Quotation marks are “…” for direct speech, ‘…’ for nested quotes within a quote.

How are verbs structured in Assamese?¶

Assamese verbs inflect for person (1st/2nd/3rd), politeness degree (intimate/familiar/respectful), and tense (past/present/future). Present tense endings: -ো (1st), -ৰ (2nd, 3rd), -া (respectful 2nd). Past tense: -রিো (1st), -রিি (2nd/3rd), -রিিো (respectful 2nd), -রিি (respectful 3rd ‘আপুরন কৰৰৰছল’). Use simple present and present perfect; avoid future tense unless describing a real future event.

Which Assamese acronyms are unlocalized?¶

Commonly understood international acronyms remain in English: ANSI, ISO, PDF, IP, GPS. Localized Assamese acronyms exist (চবঘনীযসহাসৰু for rainbow colors, লসাগু for LCM, গসাউ for HCF, অগপ for Asom Gana Parishad). For loan-word integration into Assamese noun classes, consult Microsoft Terminology.

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guides hub
• Microsoft Terminology — Globalization
• Xobdo.org — Assamese online dictionary
• Microsoft Trademarks list