Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken predominantly by people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Like many other languages, Marathi relies heavily on verb conjugations to convey different tenses, moods, and aspects of actions. Understanding Marathi verb conjugations is essential for mastering the language, as verbs form the backbone of communication. This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide to Marathi verb conjugations, breaking down their complexities into manageable parts for English speakers.
Basic Structure of Marathi Verbs
Before diving into the conjugations, it’s crucial to understand the basic structure of Marathi verbs. A verb in Marathi typically consists of a root followed by various suffixes that denote tense, person, number, and mood. For example, the verb “to do” in Marathi is “करणे” (karaṇe), where “कर” (kar) is the root, and “णे” (ṇe) is the infinitive suffix.
Verb Roots
The root of a verb is its most basic form, devoid of any tense, person, or number markers. For example:
– “कर” (kar) – to do
– “खेळ” (kheḷ) – to play
– “खा” (khā) – to eat
Infinitive Form
The infinitive form in Marathi is created by adding “णे” (ṇe) to the root. This is equivalent to the English “to” form, such as “to do” or “to eat.” For example:
– “करणे” (karaṇe) – to do
– “खेळणे” (kheḷaṇe) – to play
– “खाणे” (khāṇe) – to eat
Present Tense Conjugation
The present tense in Marathi is used to describe actions that are currently happening or habitual actions. The conjugation of verbs in the present tense depends on the person (first, second, or third) and number (singular or plural).
First Person Singular
For the first person singular, the suffix “तो” (to) is added to the root.
– “मी करतो” (mī karto) – I do
– “मी खेळतो” (mī kheḷto) – I play
– “मी खातो” (mī khāto) – I eat
First Person Plural
For the first person plural, the suffix “तो” (to) is replaced with “तो” (to) for masculine plural and “ते” (te) for feminine plural.
– “आम्ही करतो” (āmhī karto) – We do
– “आम्ही खेळतो” (āmhī kheḷto) – We play
– “आम्ही खातो” (āmhī khāto) – We eat
Second Person Singular
For the second person singular, the suffix “स” (s) is added to the root for informal speech, and “ता” (tā) for formal speech.
– “तू करतोस” (tū kartos) – You do (informal)
– “तू करतात” (tū kartāt) – You do (formal)
– “तू खेळतोस” (tū kheḷtos) – You play (informal)
– “तू खेळतात” (tū kheḷtāt) – You play (formal)
– “तू खातोस” (tū khātos) – You eat (informal)
– “तू खातात” (tū khātāt) – You eat (formal)
Second Person Plural
For the second person plural, the suffix “ता” (tā) is used.
– “तुम्ही करता” (tumhī kartā) – You do
– “तुम्ही खेळता” (tumhī kheḷtā) – You play
– “तुम्ही खाता” (tumhī khātā) – You eat
Third Person Singular
For the third person singular, the suffix “तो” (to) is used for masculine, “ती” (tī) for feminine, and “ते” (te) for neuter.
– “तो करतो” (to karto) – He does
– “ती करते” (tī karte) – She does
– “ते करते” (te karte) – It does
– “तो खेळतो” (to kheḷto) – He plays
– “ती खेळते” (tī kheḷte) – She plays
– “ते खेळते” (te kheḷte) – It plays
– “तो खातो” (to khāto) – He eats
– “ती खाते” (tī khāte) – She eats
– “ते खाते” (te khāte) – It eats
Third Person Plural
For the third person plural, the suffix “तात” (tāt) is used for both masculine and feminine.
– “ते करतात” (te kartāt) – They do
– “ते खेळतात” (te kheḷtāt) – They play
– “ते खातात” (te khātāt) – They eat
Past Tense Conjugation
The past tense in Marathi describes actions that have already been completed. The conjugation of verbs in the past tense also depends on the person and number.
First Person Singular
For the first person singular, the suffix “लो” (lo) is added to the root for masculine and “ले” (le) for feminine.
– “मी केला” (mī kelā) – I did (masculine)
– “मी केली” (mī kelī) – I did (feminine)
– “मी खेळलो” (mī kheḷlo) – I played (masculine)
– “मी खेळले” (mī kheḷle) – I played (feminine)
– “मी खाल्ले” (mī khālle) – I ate (masculine)
– “मी खाल्ली” (mī khāllī) – I ate (feminine)
First Person Plural
For the first person plural, the suffix “लो” (lo) is used for masculine and “लो” (lo) for feminine.
– “आम्ही केलो” (āmhī kelo) – We did
– “आम्ही खेळलो” (āmhī kheḷlo) – We played
– “आम्ही खाल्ले” (āmhī khālle) – We ate
Second Person Singular
For the second person singular, the suffix “लास” (lās) is used for masculine informal, “लीस” (līs) for feminine informal, and “लात” (lāt) for both masculine and feminine formal.
– “तू केलास” (tū kelās) – You did (masculine informal)
– “तू केलीस” (tū kelīs) – You did (feminine informal)
– “तू केलात” (tū kelāt) – You did (formal)
– “तू खेळलास” (tū kheḷlās) – You played (masculine informal)
– “तू खेळलीस” (tū kheḷlīs) – You played (feminine informal)
– “तू खेळलात” (tū kheḷlāt) – You played (formal)
– “तू खाल्लास” (tū khāllās) – You ate (masculine informal)
– “तू खाल्लीस” (tū khāllīs) – You ate (feminine informal)
– “तू खाल्लात” (tū khāllāt) – You ate (formal)
Second Person Plural
For the second person plural, the suffix “लात” (lāt) is used.
– “तुम्ही केलात” (tumhī kelāt) – You did
– “तुम्ही खेळलात” (tumhī kheḷlāt) – You played
– “तुम्ही खाल्लात” (tumhī khāllāt) – You ate
Third Person Singular
For the third person singular, the suffix “ला” (lā) is used for masculine, “ली” (lī) for feminine, and “लं” (laṁ) for neuter.
– “तो केला” (to kelā) – He did
– “ती केली” (tī kelī) – She did
– “ते केलं” (te kelaṁ) – It did
– “तो खेळला” (to kheḷlā) – He played
– “ती खेळली” (tī kheḷlī) – She played
– “ते खेळलं” (te kheḷlaṁ) – It played
– “तो खाल्ला” (to khāllā) – He ate
– “ती खाल्ली” (tī khāllī) – She ate
– “ते खाल्लं” (te khāllaṁ) – It ate
Third Person Plural
For the third person plural, the suffix “ले” (le) is used for both masculine and feminine.
– “ते केले” (te kele) – They did
– “ते खेळले” (te kheḷle) – They played
– “ते खाल्ले” (te khālle) – They ate
Future Tense Conjugation
The future tense in Marathi is used to describe actions that will happen. The conjugation of verbs in the future tense also depends on the person and number.
First Person Singular
For the first person singular, the suffix “ईन” (īn) is added to the root.
– “मी करीन” (mī karīn) – I will do
– “मी खेळीन” (mī kheḷīn) – I will play
– “मी खाईन” (mī khāīn) – I will eat
First Person Plural
For the first person plural, the suffix “ऊ” (ū) is used.
– “आम्ही करू” (āmhī karū) – We will do
– “आम्ही खेळू” (āmhī kheḷū) – We will play
– “आम्ही खाऊ” (āmhī khāū) – We will eat
Second Person Singular
For the second person singular, the suffix “शील” (śīl) is used for informal speech, and “तील” (tīl) for formal speech.
– “तू करशील” (tū karśīl) – You will do (informal)
– “तू करतील” (tū kartīl) – You will do (formal)
– “तू खेळशील” (tū kheḷśīl) – You will play (informal)
– “तू खेळतील” (tū kheḷtīl) – You will play (formal)
– “तू खाशील” (tū khāśīl) – You will eat (informal)
– “तू खातील” (tū khātīl) – You will eat (formal)
Second Person Plural
For the second person plural, the suffix “तील” (tīl) is used.
– “तुम्ही कराल” (tumhī karāl) – You will do
– “तुम्ही खेळाल” (tumhī kheḷāl) – You will play
– “तुम्ही खाल” (tumhī khāl) – You will eat
Third Person Singular
For the third person singular, the suffix “ईल” (īl) is used for masculine, “ईल” (īl) for feminine, and “ईल” (īl) for neuter.
– “तो करील” (to karīl) – He will do
– “ती करील” (tī karīl) – She will do
– “ते करील” (te karīl) – It will do
– “तो खेळील” (to kheḷīl) – He will play
– “ती खेळील” (tī kheḷīl) – She will play
– “ते खेळील” (te kheḷīl) – It will play
– “तो खाईल” (to khāīl) – He will eat
– “ती खाईल” (tī khāīl) – She will eat
– “ते खाईल” (te khāīl) – It will eat
Third Person Plural
For the third person plural, the suffix “तील” (tīl) is used for both masculine and feminine.
– “ते करतील” (te kartīl) – They will do
– “ते खेळतील” (te kheḷtīl) – They will play
– “ते खातील” (te khātīl) – They will eat
Imperative Mood
The imperative mood in Marathi is used to give commands or make requests. The conjugation of verbs in the imperative mood also depends on the person and number.
Second Person Singular
For the second person singular, the root form is generally used for informal commands, and the suffix “ा” (ā) is added for formal commands.
– “कर” (kar) – Do (informal)
– “करा” (karā) – Do (formal)
– “खेळ” (kheḷ) – Play (informal)
– “खेळा” (kheḷā) – Play (formal)
– “खा” (khā) – Eat (informal)
– “खाला” (khālā) – Eat (formal)
Second Person Plural
For the second person plural, the suffix “ा” (ā) is used.
– “तुम्ही करा” (tumhī karā) – Do
– “तुम्ही खेळा” (tumhī kheḷā) – Play
– “तुम्ही खाला” (tumhī khālā) – Eat
Conclusion
Understanding Marathi verb conjugations is essential for mastering the language. While the rules may seem complex at first, breaking them down into smaller parts makes them more manageable. By focusing on the root of the verb and the various suffixes used for different tenses, persons, and numbers, you can effectively learn to conjugate Marathi verbs and improve your communication skills in the language.
Remember, practice is key. The more you practice conjugating verbs and using them in sentences, the more natural it will become. Happy learning!