Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language spoken predominantly in the Indian state of Maharashtra, is a beautiful and complex language with a rich literary tradition. For English speakers, learning Marathi can open doors to understanding the culture, history, and day-to-day life of Marathi-speaking communities. One of the foundational aspects of mastering any language is understanding its pronouns. Pronouns are essential because they replace nouns in sentences, making communication more fluid and less repetitive. This article aims to introduce you to Marathi pronouns, helping you understand their forms, uses, and nuances.
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns in Marathi change according to number (singular and plural), gender (masculine, feminine, and neuter), and case (nominative, accusative, dative, etc.). Let’s explore these categories in detail.
Singular Pronouns
First Person Singular:
– मी (mī) means “I” in English. It is used in the nominative case.
Example: मी शाळेत जातो. (mī śāḷet jātō) – “I go to school.”
Second Person Singular:
– तू (tū) means “you” (informal) in English. It is used with friends, younger people, or in informal settings.
Example: तू कसा आहेस? (tū kasā āhes?) – “How are you?” (addressed to a male)
– तुम्ही (tumhī) means “you” (formal or plural) in English. It is used in formal settings or when addressing elders.
Example: तुम्ही कसे आहात? (tumhī kasē āhāt?) – “How are you?” (formal or plural)
Third Person Singular:
– तो (tō) means “he” in English.
– ती (tī) means “she” in English.
– ते (tē) means “it” or “they” (neuter singular) in English.
Examples:
तो माझा मित्र आहे. (tō mājhā mitra āhē) – “He is my friend.”
ती माझी बहीण आहे. (tī mājhī bahīṇ āhē) – “She is my sister.”
ते घर सुंदर आहे. (tē ghar sundar āhē) – “It is a beautiful house.”
Plural Pronouns
First Person Plural:
– आम्ही (āmhī) means “we” in English.
Example: आम्ही पिकनिकला जात आहोत. (āmhī pikniklā jāt āhōt) – “We are going on a picnic.”
Second Person Plural:
– तुम्ही (tumhī) means “you” (plural/formal) in English.
Example: तुम्ही कसे आहात? (tumhī kasē āhāt?) – “How are you?” (addressing multiple people or formally)
Third Person Plural:
– ते (tē) means “they” (masculine or mixed gender) in English.
– त्या (tyā) means “they” (feminine) in English.
Examples:
ते खेळत आहेत. (tē khēḷat āhēt) – “They are playing.” (masculine or mixed gender)
त्या गाणं गात आहेत. (tyā gāṇaṃ gāt āhēt) – “They are singing.” (feminine)
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns in Marathi show ownership and must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.
First Person Singular:
– माझा (mājhā) (masculine), माझी (mājhī) (feminine), माझं (mājhaṃ) (neuter)
Examples:
माझा मित्र (mājhā mitra) – “my friend” (male)
माझी मैत्रीण (mājhī maitrīṇ) – “my friend” (female)
माझं घर (mājhaṃ ghar) – “my house”
Second Person Singular:
– तुझा (tujhā) (masculine), तुझी (tujhī) (feminine), तुझं (tujhaṃ) (neuter)
Examples:
तुझा मित्र (tujhā mitra) – “your friend” (male)
तुझी मैत्रीण (tujhī maitrīṇ) – “your friend” (female)
तुझं घर (tujhaṃ ghar) – “your house”
Third Person Singular:
– त्याचा (tyācā) (masculine), तिचा (tichā) (feminine), त्याचं (tyāchaṃ) (neuter)
Examples:
त्याचा मित्र (tyācā mitra) – “his friend”
तिचा मित्र (tichā mitra) – “her friend”
त्याचं घर (tyāchaṃ ghar) – “its house”
Plural Possessive Pronouns
First Person Plural:
– आमचा (āmchā) (masculine), आमची (āmchī) (feminine), आमचं (āmchaṃ) (neuter)
Examples:
आमचा मित्र (āmchā mitra) – “our friend” (male)
आमची मैत्रीण (āmchī maitrīṇ) – “our friend” (female)
आमचं घर (āmchaṃ ghar) – “our house”
Second Person Plural:
– तुमचा (tumchā) (masculine), तुमची (tumchī) (feminine), तुमचं (tumchaṃ) (neuter)
Examples:
तुमचा मित्र (tumchā mitra) – “your friend” (male)
तुमची मैत्रीण (tumchī maitrīṇ) – “your friend” (female)
तुमचं घर (tumchaṃ ghar) – “your house”
Third Person Plural:
– त्यांचा (tyāñcā) (masculine), त्यांची (tyāñchī) (feminine), त्यांचं (tyāñchaṃ) (neuter)
Examples:
त्यांचा मित्र (tyāñcā mitra) – “their friend” (male)
त्यांची मैत्रीण (tyāñchī maitrīṇ) – “their friend” (female)
त्यांचं घर (tyāñchaṃ ghar) – “their house”
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns in Marathi are used to point to specific things and are essential for indicating proximity and distance.
Near the Speaker:
– हा (hā) means “this” (masculine)
– ही (hī) means “this” (feminine)
– हे (hē) means “this” (neuter)
Examples:
हा पुस्तक आहे. (hā pustak āhē) – “This is a book.” (masculine)
ही फुलं आहे. (hī phulaṃ āhē) – “This is a flower.” (feminine)
हे घर आहे. (hē ghar āhē) – “This is a house.” (neuter)
Away from the Speaker:
– तो (tō) means “that” (masculine)
– ती (tī) means “that” (feminine)
– ते (tē) means “that” (neuter)
Examples:
तो पुस्तक आहे. (tō pustak āhē) – “That is a book.” (masculine)
ती फुलं आहे. (tī phulaṃ āhē) – “That is a flower.” (feminine)
ते घर आहे. (tē ghar āhē) – “That is a house.” (neuter)
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns in Marathi are used to ask questions about people or things.
Who:
– कोण (kōṇ) is used to ask about people.
Example:
तो कोण आहे? (tō kōṇ āhē?) – “Who is he?”
What:
– काय (kāy) is used to ask about things.
Example:
हे काय आहे? (hē kāy āhē?) – “What is this?”
Which:
– कोणता (kōṇtā) (masculine), कोणती (kōṇtī) (feminine), कोणतं (kōṇtaṃ) (neuter)
Examples:
कोणता पुस्तक? (kōṇtā pustak?) – “Which book?” (masculine)
कोणती फुलं? (kōṇtī phulaṃ?) – “Which flower?” (feminine)
कोणतं घर? (kōṇtaṃ ghar?) – “Which house?” (neuter)
Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns in Marathi connect clauses or sentences to a noun or pronoun.
Who/Which/That:
– जो (jō) (masculine), जी (jī) (feminine), जे (jē) (neuter)
Examples:
जो मुलगा खेळत आहे (jō mulagā khēḷat āhē) – “The boy who is playing”
जी मुलगी गात आहे (jī mulagī gāt āhē) – “The girl who is singing”
जे घर सुंदर आहे (jē ghar sundar āhē) – “The house which is beautiful”
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns in Marathi are used when the subject and the object of the sentence are the same.
Myself:
– स्वतःला (svatahlā)
Example:
मी स्वतःला पाहतो. (mī svatahlā pāhtō) – “I see myself.”
Himself/Herself/Itself:
– स्वतःला (svatahlā) (used for all genders)
Example:
तो स्वतःला पाहतो. (tō svatahlā pāhtō) – “He sees himself.”
ती स्वतःला पाहते. (tī svatahlā pāhtē) – “She sees herself.”
ते स्वतःला पाहते. (tē svatahlā pāhtē) – “It sees itself.”
Conclusion
Mastering pronouns is a crucial step in becoming proficient in Marathi. These small but powerful words help in constructing meaningful and coherent sentences, enabling smoother communication. As you continue your journey of learning Marathi, practice using these pronouns in various sentences to get comfortable with their forms and uses. Remember, consistent practice is key to mastering any language. Happy learning!
