Language/Marathi/Grammar/Verbs

Marathi → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Verbs

Welcome to today's lesson on Marathi Verbs! Understanding verbs is crucial as they are the heart of any sentence. Verbs indicate actions, states, or occurrences, and are essential for expressing ideas clearly. In Marathi, verbs can be quite different from English, so it’s important to grasp their conjugation, tenses, and forms to build your sentences effectively.

In this lesson, we will cover:

• The importance of verbs in Marathi

• Conjugation of verbs

• Different tenses in Marathi

• Some common verbs and their usage

• Practice exercises to reinforce your learning

Let’s dive into the wonderful world of Marathi verbs!

Importance of Verbs in Marathi

In Marathi, verbs play a critical role in structuring sentences and conveying meaning. They help us express actions, such as "to eat," "to go," and "to see." Without verbs, our sentences would lack depth and clarity. Here are some key points about the importance of verbs:

• Action Indicators: Verbs indicate what the subject is doing.

• State of Being: They can express states, like feelings or conditions.

• Sentence Formation: Verbs are essential for forming complete sentences.

Conjugation of Verbs

Conjugation refers to the way verbs change form based on the subject, tense, and aspect. In Marathi, the verb conjugation is influenced by the gender and number of the subject. Here are the basic conjugation rules:

Present Tense

The present tense is used to describe actions happening now.

Here’s how we conjugate a common verb like "to eat" (खाणे - khāṇe):

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी खातो	mī khāto	I eat (male speaker)
मी खाते	mī khāte	I eat (female speaker)
तू खातोस	tū khātos	You eat (male, informal)
तू खातेस	tū khātes	You eat (female, informal)
तो खातो	to khāto	He eats
ती खाते	tī khāte	She eats
आपण खातो	āpaṇa khāto	We eat (inclusive, male)
आपण खातो	āpaṇa khāte	We eat (inclusive, female)
ते खातात	te khātāt	They eat (male/mixed)
ती खातात	tē khātāt	They eat (female)

Past Tense

The past tense describes actions that have already taken place.

Using the same verb "to eat" (खाणे - khāṇe) again, we have:

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी खाल्ले	mī khālle	I ate (male speaker)
मी खाल्ली	mī khāllī	I ate (female speaker)
तू खाल्लास	tū khāllās	You ate (male, informal)
तू खाल्लीस	tū khāllīs	You ate (female, informal)
तो खाल्ला	to khāllā	He ate
ती खाल्ली	tī khāllī	She ate
आपण खाल्ला	āpaṇa khāllā	We ate (inclusive, male)
आपण खाल्ली	āpaṇa khāllī	We ate (inclusive, female)
त्यांनी खाल्ले	tyānni khālle	They ate (male/mixed)
त्यांनी खाल्ली	tyānni khāllī	They ate (female)

Future Tense

The future tense indicates actions that will happen later.

Using "to eat" (खाणे - khāṇe) again, we see:

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी खाणार	mī khāṇār	I will eat (male speaker)
मी खाणार	mī khāṇār	I will eat (female speaker)
तू खाणारस	tū khāṇāras	You will eat (male, informal)
तू खाणारस	tū khāṇāras	You will eat (female, informal)
तो खाणार	to khāṇār	He will eat
ती खाणार	tī khāṇār	She will eat
आपण खाणार	āpaṇa khāṇār	We will eat (inclusive, male)
आपण खाणार	āpaṇa khāṇār	We will eat (inclusive, female)
ते खाणार	te khāṇār	They will eat (male/mixed)
ती खाणार	tē khāṇār	They will eat (female)

Common Verbs and Their Usage

Let’s explore some common verbs in Marathi, along with their conjugations in present, past, and future tenses.

Marathi Verb	Pronunciation	English Translation
बोलणे	bōlaṇe	to speak
चालणे	chālaṇe	to walk
पाहणे	pāhaṇe	to see
काम करणे	kāma karaṇe	to work
शिकणे	śikaṇe	to learn
लिहिणे	lihīṇe	to write
वाचणे	vāchaṇe	to read
खेळणे	khēḷaṇe	to play
गाणे	gāṇe	to sing
झोपणे	jhōpaṇe	to sleep

Now, let’s see the conjugation of these verbs in the present tense.

Conjugation Examples

Here we will conjugate some of the verbs listed above in the present tense.

• To Speak (बोलणे - bōlaṇe)

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी बोलतो	mī bōltō	I speak (male)
मी बोलते	mī bōltē	I speak (female)
तू बोलतोस	tū bōltōs	You speak (male, informal)
तू बोलतेस	tū bōltēs	You speak (female, informal)
तो बोलतो	to bōltō	He speaks
ती बोलते	tī bōltē	She speaks
आपण बोलतो	āpaṇa bōltō	We speak (inclusive, male)
आपण बोलतो	āpaṇa bōltē	We speak (inclusive, female)
ते बोलतात	te bōltāt	They speak (male/mixed)
ती बोलतात	tē bōltāt	They speak (female)

• To Walk (चालणे - chālaṇe)

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी चालतो	mī chāltō	I walk (male)
मी चालते	mī chāltē	I walk (female)
तू चालतोस	tū chāltōs	You walk (male, informal)
तू चालतेस	tū chāltēs	You walk (female, informal)
तो चालतो	to chāltō	He walks
ती चालते	tī chāltē	She walks
आपण चालतो	āpaṇa chāltō	We walk (inclusive, male)
आपण चालतो	āpaṇa chāltē	We walk (inclusive, female)
ते चालतात	te chāltāt	They walk (male/mixed)
ती चालतात	tē chāltāt	They walk (female)

• To See (पाहणे - pāhaṇe)

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी पाहतो	mī pāhtō	I see (male)
मी पाहते	mī pāhtē	I see (female)
तू पाहतोस	tū pāhtōs	You see (male, informal)
तू पाहतेस	tū pāhtēs	You see (female, informal)
तो पाहतो	to pāhtō	He sees
ती पाहते	tī pāhtē	She sees
आपण पाहतो	āpaṇa pāhtō	We see (inclusive, male)
आपण पाहतो	āpaṇa pāhtē	We see (inclusive, female)
ते पाहतात	te pāhtāt	They see (male/mixed)
ती पाहतात	tē pāhtāt	They see (female)

Practice Exercises

Now that we've covered the basics of Marathi verbs and their conjugations, let’s put your knowledge to the test! Here are some exercises for you to practice what you've learned.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verbs in brackets.

1. मी ________ (चालणे) रोज शाळेत.

2. तू ________ (पाहणे) चित्रपट?

3. तो ________ (काम करणे) आज.

4. ती ________ (वाचणे) पुस्तक.

5. आपण ________ (गाणे) एक गाणं.

Answers:

1. चालतो / चालते

2. पाहतोस / पाहतेस

3. काम करतो

4. वाचते

5. गातो / गाते

Exercise 2: Conjugate the Verbs

Conjugate the following verbs in the present tense for all subjects.

1. To write (लिहिणे - lihīṇe)

2. To sing (गाणे - gāṇe)

3. To eat (खाणे - khāṇe)

Answers:

1.

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी लिहितो	mī lihitō	I write (male)
मी लिहिते	mī lihitē	I write (female)
तू लिहितोस	tū lihitōs	You write (male, informal)
तू लिहितेस	tū lihitēs	You write (female, informal)
तो लिहितो	to lihitō	He writes
ती लिहिते	tī lihitē	She writes
आपण लिहितो	āpaṇa lihitō	We write (inclusive, male)
आपण लिहितो	āpaṇa lihitē	We write (inclusive, female)
ते लिहितात	te lihitāt	They write (male/mixed)
ती लिहितात	tē lihitāt	They write (female)

2.

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी गातो	mī gātō	I sing (male)
मी गाते	mī gātē	I sing (female)
तू गातोस	tū gātōs	You sing (male, informal)
तू गातेस	tū gātēs	You sing (female, informal)
तो गातो	to gātō	He sings
ती गाते	tī gātē	She sings
आपण गातो	āpaṇa gātō	We sing (inclusive, male)
आपण गातो	āpaṇa gātē	We sing (inclusive, female)
ते गातात	te gātāt	They sing (male/mixed)
ती गातात	tē gātāt	They sing (female)

3.

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी खातो	mī khāto	I eat (male)
मी खाते	mī khāte	I eat (female)
तू खातोस	tū khātos	You eat (male, informal)
तू खातेस	tū khātes	You eat (female, informal)
तो खातो	to khāto	He eats
ती खाते	tī khāte	She eats
आपण खातो	āpaṇa khāto	We eat (inclusive, male)
आपण खातो	āpaṇa khāte	We eat (inclusive, female)
ते खातात	te khātāt	They eat (male/mixed)
ती खातात	tē khātāt	They eat (female)

Exercise 3: Translate to Marathi

Translate the following sentences into Marathi.

1. I see the stars.

2. They sing a song.

3. We walk to the market.

Answers:

1. मी तारे पाहतो. / मी तारे पाहते.

2. ते गातात एक गाणं. / ती गातात एक गाणं.

3. आपण बाजारात चालतो. / आपण बाजारात चालते.

Exercise 4: Identify the Errors

Identify and correct the errors in the following sentences:

1. मी खातो गहू.

2. ते गातात गाणं.

3. तू चालतेस पार्कात.

Answers:

1. मी गहू खातो. (I eat wheat.)

2. ते गाणं गातात. (They sing a song.)

3. Correct: तू पार्कात चालतेस. (You walk in the park.)

Exercise 5: Match the Verbs

Match the Marathi verbs with their English meanings.

1. वाचणे

2. चालणे

3. शिकणे

4. बोलणे

Answers:

1. वाचणे - to read

2. चालणे - to walk

3. शिकणे - to learn

4. बोलणे - to speak

Exercise 6: Create Sentences

Create sentences using the following verbs.

1. खेळणे

2. झोपणे

3. काम करणे

Answers:

1. मी बॉल खेळतो. (I play with a ball.)

2. ती झोपते. (She sleeps.)

3. आपण काम करतो. (We work.)

Exercise 7: Verb Conjugation Challenge

Conjugate the following verbs in the past tense.

1. To eat (खाणे - khāṇe)

2. To see (पाहणे - pāhaṇe)

3. To write (लिहिणे - lihīṇe)

Answers:

1.

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी खाल्ले	mī khālle	I ate (male)
मी खाल्ली	mī khāllī	I ate (female)
तू खाल्लास	tū khāllās	You ate (male, informal)
तू खाल्लीस	tū khāllīs	You ate (female, informal)
तो खाल्ला	to khāllā	He ate
ती खाल्ली	tī khāllī	She ate
आपण खाल्ला	āpaṇa khāllā	We ate (inclusive, male)
आपण खाल्ली	āpaṇa khāllī	We ate (inclusive, female)
त्यांनी खाल्ले	tyānni khālle	They ate (male/mixed)
त्यांनी खाल्ली	tyānni khāllī	They ate (female)

2.

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी पाहिला	mī pāhila	I saw (male)
मी पाहिली	mī pāhilī	I saw (female)
तू पाहिलास	tū pāhilās	You saw (male, informal)
तू पाहिलीस	tū pāhilīs	You saw (female, informal)
तो पाहिला	to pāhila	He saw
ती पाहिली	tī pāhilī	She saw
आपण पाहिला	āpaṇa pāhila	We saw (inclusive, male)
आपण पाहिली	āpaṇa pāhilī	We saw (inclusive, female)
त्यांनी पाहिला	tyānni pāhila	They saw (male/mixed)
त्यांनी पाहिली	tyānni pāhilī	They saw (female)

3.

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी लिहिला	mī lihila	I wrote (male)
मी लिहिली	mī lihilī	I wrote (female)
तू लिहिलास	tū lihilās	You wrote (male, informal)
तू लिहिलीस	tū lihilīs	You wrote (female, informal)
तो लिहिला	to lihila	He wrote
ती लिहिली	tī lihilī	She wrote
आपण लिहिला	āpaṇa lihila	We wrote (inclusive, male)
आपण लिहिली	āpaṇa lihilī	We wrote (inclusive, female)
त्यांनी लिहिला	tyānni lihila	They wrote (male/mixed)
त्यांनी लिहिली	tyānni lihilī	They wrote (female)

Exercise 8: Create a Dialogue

Create a short dialogue using at least three different verbs in the present tense.

Answers:

A: तू काय करत आहेस? (What are you doing?)

B: मी पुस्तक वाचत आहे. (I am reading a book.)

A: तू गाणं गात आहेस का? (Are you singing a song?)

B: हो, मी गाणं गात आहे. (Yes, I am singing a song.)

Exercise 9: Verb Identification

Identify the verbs in the following sentences:

1. मी शाळेत जातो.

2. ती गाणं गात आहे.

3. ते काम करतात.

Answers:

1. जातो (to go)

2. गात (to sing)

3. करतात (to work)

Exercise 10: Conjugate to Future Tense

Conjugate the following verbs in the future tense.

1. To sing (गाणे - gāṇe)

2. To see (पाहणे - pāhaṇe)

3. To walk (चालणे - chālaṇe)

Answers:

1.

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी गाणार	mī gāṇār	I will sing (male)
मी गाणार	mī gāṇār	I will sing (female)
तू गाणारस	tū gāṇāras	You will sing (male, informal)
तू गाणारस	tū gāṇāras	You will sing (female, informal)
तो गाणार	to gāṇār	He will sing
ती गाणार	tī gāṇār	She will sing
आपण गाणार	āpaṇa gāṇār	We will sing (inclusive, male)
आपण गाणार	āpaṇa gāṇār	We will sing (inclusive, female)
ते गाणार	te gāṇār	They will sing (male/mixed)
ती गाणार	tē gāṇār	They will sing (female)

2.

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी पाहणार	mī pāhaṇār	I will see (male)
मी पाहणार	mī pāhaṇār	I will see (female)
तू पाहणारस	tū pāhaṇāras	You will see (male, informal)
तू पाहणारस	tū pāhaṇāras	You will see (female, informal)
तो पाहणार	to pāhaṇār	He will see
ती पाहणार	tī pāhaṇār	She will see
आपण पाहणार	āpaṇa pāhaṇār	We will see (inclusive, male)
आपण पाहणार	āpaṇa pāhaṇār	We will see (inclusive, female)
ते पाहणार	te pāhaṇār	They will see (male/mixed)
ती पाहणार	tē pāhaṇār	They will see (female)

3.

Marathi	Pronunciation	English
मी चालणार	mī chālaṇār	I will walk (male)
मी चालणार	mī chālaṇār	I will walk (female)
तू चालणारस	tū chālaṇāras	You will walk (male, informal)
तू चालणारस	tū chālaṇāras	You will walk (female, informal)
तो चालणार	to chālaṇār	He will walk
ती चालणार	tī chālaṇār	She will walk
आपण चालणार	āpaṇa chālaṇār	We will walk (inclusive, male)
आपण चालणार	āpaṇa chālaṇār	We will walk (inclusive, female)
ते चालणार	te chālaṇār	They will walk (male/mixed)
ती चालणार	tē chālaṇār	They will walk (female)

Congratulations on completing the lesson on Marathi verbs! Understanding verbs is a foundational step in your journey to speaking Marathi fluently. Remember to practice conjugating and using verbs in sentences. The more you practice, the more confident you will become!

Table of Contents - Marathi Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Basic Greetings and Introductions

• Greetings
• Introductions

  ---

Basic Sentence Structure

• Subject-Object-Verb
• Negation

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-20
• Telling Time

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Nouns
• Pronouns

  ---

Common Verbs and Adjectives

• Common Verbs
• Common Adjectives

  ---

Questions and Answers

• Question Words
• Answering Questions

  ---

Food and Dining

• Food Vocabulary
• Dining Phrases

  ---

Marathi Festivals and Traditions

• Festivals
• Traditions

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Transportation Vocabulary
• Accommodation Vocabulary

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationship Phrases

  ---

Marathi Literature and Cinema

• Literature
• Cinema

Sources

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

Other Lessons

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