The copula ཡིན་ functions as an essential stative verb, normally associated with the first person, and is generally translated by “I am.” The attribute of the subject may be a substantive (equative sense) or an adjective (attributive sense).

• ང་ཐུབ་བསྟན་ཡིན། “I am Tupten.”
• ང་འབྲོག་པ་ཡིན། “I am a nomad.”
• ང་བདེ་པོ་ཡིན། “I am fine.”

In rare cases, they may express an intention or an insistence on the part of the speaker.

• ཁྱེད་རང་གི་ཇ་ཡིན། “It’s your tea (that I’m intending to give you).”
• དེ་ངའི་ལྡེ་མིག་ཡིན། “That’s my key.”