Language/Telugu/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have

Telugu Grammar - How to Use "Have"

Hi Telugu learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "have" in Telugu. "Have" is a very important verb that is used in many different contexts in English. Similarly, "ఉంది" (undhi) and "పడుకోవడం" (padukovadam) are the two Telugu words that translate to "have".

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Subject, Object, and Verb & Pronouns.

The Simple Present Tense

In English, we use "have" to describe possession or ownership in the simple present tense. For example, "I have a car" or "she has a dog". Similarly, in Telugu, we use "ఉంది" (undhi) to describe possession in the simple present tense.

Let's look at some examples below:

Telugu	Pronunciation	English
నాకు ఒక ప్రపంచం ఉంది	nāku oka prapaṃcaṃ undhi	I have a world
మనం చిన్న మనుషులు ఉన్నారు	manaṃ chinna manuṣhulu unnāru	We have small people

However, in Telugu, we also have a unique way of expressing possession using the verb "పడుకోవడం" (padukovadam). Instead of saying "నాకు ఒక ప్రపంచం ఉంది" (nāku oka prapaṃcaṃ undhi), we could also say "నాకు ఒక ప్రపంచము పడుకొనుట" (nāku oka prapaṃcamu padukonuṭa) which also means "I have a world".

Let's see an example dialogue below to understand the difference between "ఉంది" (undhi) and "పడుకోవడం" (padukovadam).

• Person 1: నీకు అసలు నైజమైన పేరు ఉందా? (Nīku asalu naijamaina pēru undā?) (Do you have a real name?)
• Person 2: ఉంది, నా పేరు సింహాన్న (Undhi, nā pēru sinhānna) (Yes, my name is Sinhan)

In the above dialogue, we use "ఉంది" (undhi) to express possession of a name.

The Present Continuous Tense

In English, we use "have" in the present continuous tense to describe actions that are happening now. For example, "I am having lunch". In Telugu, we would use "పడుకొనుట" (padukonuṭa) instead of "ఉంది" (undhi) to describe the same action.

Let's look at some examples below:

Telugu	Pronunciation	English
నేను ఊహార్థం పడుకొంది	nēnu ūhārtham padukonndi	I am having breakfast
అమ్మ తయారీ పడుకొనుటకు ఉంది	amma tayārī padukonuṭaku undhi	Mom has (is having) to cook

We use "పడుకొనుట" (padukonuṭa) in the second example to emphasize that cooking is an action in progress.

Past Tense

In English, we use the past tense of "have" to describe completed actions in the past. For example, "I had breakfast at 8 AM". In Telugu, we use "పడుకొనుట ఉంది" (padukonuṭa undhi) or "పడుకొన్నాను" (padukonnānu) to describe the same action in the past tense.

Let's look at some examples below:

Telugu	Pronunciation	English
నేను ముందుగా ఊహార్థం పడుకున్నాను	nēnu muṃdugā ūhārtham padukunnānu	I had breakfast earlier
కాని అమ్మాయిని చుడమని రాత్రి పడుకొనుట ఉంది	kāni ammāyini chuḍamanɨ rātri padukonuṭa undhi	I had to see the girl at night

In the second example, we use "పడుకొనుట ఉంది" (padukonuṭa undhi) to indicate that it was a habitual action. We also use the word "కాని" (kāni) to indicate a contrast - that there was a reason for the action.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You now know how to use "have" in Telugu. Remember that "ఉంది" (undhi) and "పడుకొనుట" (padukovadam) are the two words that translate to "have" in Telugu, and they are used in different contexts. To improve your Telugu Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

💡 Interesting Fact: The most commonly spoken language in Telangana is Telugu!

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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. 😎

Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: How to Use Be & Negation.

Other Lessons

• Conditional Mood
• Give your Opinion
• Questions
• Plurals
• Adverbs
• Future Tense
• Gender
• How to Use Be
• Nouns
• Pronouns

Sources

• Telugu language - Wikipedia
• A Progressive Grammar of the Telugu Language with Copious ...
• Telugu grammar - Wikipedia