Language/Marathi/Grammar/Verbs

Marathi → Grammar → Verbs

As a Marathi language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I have seen the struggle many students encounter when learning Marathi verbs. It is common to feel intimidated by the various forms and conjugations, but with time and patience, anyone can master Marathi verbs. In this lesson, we will introduce you to the basics of Marathi verbs, including conjugation, tenses, and forms.

Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: Negation nakaar नकार & How to Use Be.

Marathi verbs

Verbs are essential elements of any language, including Marathi. They are used to indicate action, occurrence, or state of being in a sentence. In Marathi, verbs are often inflected, meaning that they change form to indicate tense, mood, voice, person, and number.

Here is an example of a Marathi verb in its present tense form:

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
खाणे (khāṇē)	khaa-ne	to eat

In this example, the Marathi verb "khāṇē" means "to eat." The pronunciation column includes the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription and the transliteration in the Latin script.

Conjugation

In Marathi, verb conjugation often changes the verb's stem or base form. There are three main types of conjugation in Marathi: regular, irregular, and defective. Regular verbs usually follow specific rules for tense and mood endings, while irregular verbs have unique conjugations. Defective verbs have missing or incomplete conjugations, making them challenging to use.

Here is an example of Marathi verb conjugation for the present tense:

Person	Marathi	Pronunciation	English
First singular	माझं खातो (mājhaṁ khātō)	maa-jhan khaa-to	I eat
Second singular	तू खातेस (tū khātēs)	too khaa-tes	you eat
Third singular	तो खातो (tō khātō)	to khaa-to	he/she/it eats
First plural	आम्ही खातो (āmhī khātō)	aam-hi khaa-to	we eat
Second plural	तुम्ही खातो (tumhī khātō)	tum-hi khaa-to	you all eat
Third plural	त्यांना खातो (tyāṁnā khātō)	tyaa-nnaa khaa-to	they eat

In this example, we see how the Marathi verb "khāṇē" is conjugated in the present tense for different persons. The verb changes form depending on the grammatical subject of the sentence.

Tenses

Tenses are another aspect of Marathi verbs that can be daunting for beginners. There are five main tenses in Marathi: present, past, future, present perfect, and past perfect. Each tense indicates the time of occurrence or state of being of the verb.

Here is an example of Marathi verb tense for the past tense:

Person	Marathi	Pronunciation	English
First singular	माझं खाले (mājhaṁ khālē)	maa-jhan khaa-le	I ate
Second singular	तू खालास (tū khālās)	too khaa-laas	you ate
Third singular	तो खाला (tō khālā)	to khaa-laa	he/she/it ate
First plural	आम्ही खाले (āmhī khālē)	aam-hi khaa-le	we ate
Second plural	तुम्ही खालात (tumhī khālāt)	tum-hi khaa-la-at	you all ate
Third plural	त्यांना खाले (tyāṁnā khālē)	tyaa-nnaa khaa-le	they ate

In this example, we see the conjugation of the Marathi verb "khāṇē" in the past tense for different persons.

Forms

Marathi verbs can also take different forms, including imperative, infinitive, and gerund. Each form serves a unique function in a sentence, such as indicating a command, expressing habituality, or functioning as an object or subject.

Here is an example of Marathi verb forms for the imperative:

Person	Marathi	Pronunciation	English
Second singular	खाऊन घ्या (khāūna ghȳā)	khaa-u-nnaa gh-yaa	Eat it
Second plural	खाऊन घ्या (khāūna ghȳā)	khaa-u-nnaa gh-yaa	Eat them

In this example, we see the imperative form of the Marathi verb "khāṇē" for the second singular and plural persons.

Conclusion

Learning Marathi verbs can be challenging, but it is essential to become proficient in the language. By understanding the basics of Marathi verb conjugation, tenses, and forms, you can begin to build a solid foundation for learning the language. In the next lesson, we will cover Marathi adjectives and how to use them in sentences.

Excellent job on conquering this lesson! Consider delving into these related pages: Questions & Compound words.

Other Lessons

• Future Tense
• Conditional Mood
• Adverbs
• Gender
• Causative verbs
• Adjectives
• Nouns
• Give your Opinion
• Compound words

Sources

• Marathi grammar - Wikipedia
• Marathi Verbs | POLYMATH.ORG
• Marathi Verbs - First Person Singular, Present... - Survive to Read

Template:Marathi-Page-Bottom