Sanskrit Grammar: Verbs

From Goldman's Introduction, used for First Year Sanskrit at UW


Verbs start as a "dhaatu", one of 2000 roots (√'s), then they become stems in 10 different ways, more or less predictably. These then get conjoined ("conjugated") with verbal ("-ti-ending") endings from four of ten L-paradigms for verbs (Ləʈ, Ləŋ, Loʈ, and Lɪʈ), based on Person, Number, and Voice.

So much for just plain verbs but then there are another sixteen things you can do with verbs, like make them passive or turn them into a noun for their agent, etc.

So, Ganas, Endings, and More.

Ganas First

The Ganas are ten, grouped as thematic and not thematic (apparently ə is the "theme"). They all have some kind of (present) stem creation process but the easy ones stop there while the harder ones also have strong (by guna ("+"), vRddhi ("++"), etc.) and weak (and sometimes weaker/weakest) forms -- more to remember. Just remember non-ə-ganas vary by strength, while ə-ganas are fixed, less to remember.

These are the Ganas of the Present Stems:

NumberKindSignCanonical
Example
Derived Form
1,4,6,10 Easy, ə-Gana,
Thematic
[?]əbhuubhava
2,3,5,7,8,9 Non-ə-Gana
Strength-bearing
¬əadatti
 
1 ə-Gana + əbhuubhavati
4 ə-Gana divdiivyati
6 ə-Gana ətudtudati
10 ə-Gana +, əyəcurcorayati
 
2 Non-ə-Gana +/strongadatti
3 Non-ə-Gana +/strong,2xhujuhoti
5 Non-ə-Gana nu, + susunoti
7 Non-ə-Gana _n[ə/strong]_;rudhruNaddhi
8 Non-ə-Gana u, +tantanoti
9 Non-ə-Gana naa(strong)|niikriikriiNaati, jaaniimaH

Notation:
  • "+", "Guna": strengthen the preceding vowel.
  • "++", "vRddhi": extra-strengthen "    "    "
  • "_x_": infix x within the stem.
  • "2x": reduplicate the stem (usu. with changes)
  • "¬ p" : NOT p.
  • "a/b" : a in those contexts where b applies.
    e.g. +/strong: guna in strong cases

  • Genders: M,Ne,F: Masculine, Neuter, Feminine
  • Numbers: Sg,Du,Pl: Singular, Dual, Plural
  • Cases:
    -1 Nom Nominative Subject, -2 Acc Accusative Object,
    -3 Instr Instrumental With/By, -4 Dat Dative To,
    -5 Abl Ablative From, -6 Gen Genitive Of,
    -7 Loc Locative At/In, -0 Voc Vocative O|Yo

Verbal Dimensions are Person, Number, Voice

So starting from a root (√) verb, we make a stem of it according to its Gana, then we further add to or modify it according to the Person and Number of the Subject and according to the verb's Voice.

Person identifies the subject of the verb as speaker (1p), audience (2p), or other (3p):

Number says the verb subject can be counted as one (singular), two (dual), or more (plural). What about the uncounted: rice and furniture?

Voice once identified the beneficiary of the verb: (P): "for others" (parasmaipada), (A): "for self" (Atmanepada). Maybe in Vedic.

So let's learn the endings that verbs take:

Endings to Memorize

Memorize these four sets of verb endings, the Ləʈ, Ləŋ (which also adds prefix अ-), Loʈ, and Lɪʈ:

             (P)              (A)
Singular Dual Plural Singular Dual Plural
लट्
Present (pres)
"Primary" Suffixes3p -ति -तः -(अ)न्ति -ते -एते,आते -अन्ते
2p -सि -थः -थ -से -एथे,-आथे -ध्वे
1p -(आ)मि -(आ)वः -(आ)मः -ए -(आ)वहे -(आ)महे
लङ्
Imperfect (ipf)
(These are the suffixes; for the whole imperfect form also add prefix अ-)
"Secondary" Suffixes3p -त् -ताम् -अन्, उः -त -आताम् -अन्त, -अत, -रन्
2p -स् -तम् -त -थाः -आथाम् -ध्वम्
1p -अम -अव -म -इ,-ए -वहि -महि
लोट्
Imperative (imp)
3p -तु -ताम् -अन्तु, अतु -ताम् -एताम्, आताम् -अन्ताम्, अताम्
2p -∅, -धि, -हि -तम् -त -स्व -आथाम् -ध्वम्
1p -आनि -आव -आम -ऐ -आवहे -आमेहे
लिट्
Perfect (pf)
with √ w/s 2x, &c3p -अ, (-औ) -अतुः -उः -ए -आते -(इ)रे
2p -थ -अथुः -अ -से -आथे -(इ)ध्वे
1p -अ (औ) -(इ)व -(इ)म -ए -(इ)वहे -(इ)महे

These paradigms are here to aid memorization. If you are using this page a lot for lookup and reference all the time, maybe spend some minutes reciting paradigm rows, to get them into your head for instant direct access in your own mind. Or tell me to hurry up and put them into Teachionary so you can just go there.

So much for active verbs past present and imperative, there are also L Paradigms and Everything Else.

L-Paradigms

Panini gives us a special code of L-syllables as names for nine verb paradigms, all beginning with L:

Do you want the English names? Folks who learned Latin grammar in school made 'em up; sorry for the trouble. I'll put these Latin, and equally valid Anglo Saxon, names in a column of the Everything Table:

From Verbs, Everything

Anglo-SaxonLatinSanskrit NamePg | ChFormationExample
Do, Does, IsPresent IndicativeLəʈ stem # primary suffixes pac>pacati
DoingnessAbstraction भावे प्रयोग p163 [ object N | तत् | ∅ ]nom +
   [ V intrans ]passive(A) +
       [ subject N]instr
रामेण रक्श्साः हन्यन्ते
DoerAgent Nouns -तृ ] N p173-176 √ vb - [इ] तृ
= V-Agent or Kin
दातृ कर्तृ दुहितृ पितृ मातृ
Get Done Passive verbs कर्मणि प्रयोग p161 Subj-Instr Obj-Nom  V+य+
(A)-endings
पण्डितेन मूर्खास् त्यज्यन्ते
By the wise fools are abandoned.
Done Past-Passive Participles भूते कृदन्त p176-184 √ vb - weakest -त = Adj बुध+त=बुद्ध awakened
यज्+त = इष्ट sacrificed
Can Do Possessive Participle मतुप् वतुप् p191-193 N stem + -मन्त् -वन्त् + -अन्त् endings = possessed of N भगवान् -वन् -वन्तः, -वन्तम् -वतः -वते -वतः -वत्सु -वन्
While doing Present Participle,
and Absolute
वर्तमाने कृदन्त् p255- 264
stem (P)
( -अन्ति, अन्, अन्त्)
(A)
( -मान् | आन )
पश्यन, सन, कुर्वण, मन्यमान
About to Do Future Participle भविष्यत्काले कृदन्त p278 future stem - (अन्ति अन् अन्त् )
| मान् आन)
गमिश्यन्
Having Xed Gerund त्वान्त्, ल्यबन्त् p194 + {[ī] tvā | ya} gatvā, viditvā, āgamya, pretya
-ed Past Active Participle क्तवतु कृदन्त p194 PPP + -वन्त् = a past tense उक्तवान् said
Oughta "Gerundive"
A Prescriptive Passive Participle
कृत्य p281-286 V/++ + -य, -तव्य, -अनीय पा>पेय, भू>भव्य,भाव्य, त्यज>त्याज्य, युध>योध्य, भुज>भोक्तव्य, कृ>करणीय गम्य, गन्तव्य्
Done did Perfect and its Participle लिट् p293-304, endings p301 2x w/s &c
(अ 2x > आ)

,[i/weak]vaaMs]Adj

उवाच,इति आह, हन>जघान, कृ>चकार, इष>इयेष| ईषुः, पत>पपात|पेतुः, भू>बभूविथ..
Done doin' Perfect Active (A) Participle +अणा cf Govinda Dāsa -ire stem ^^^aana pacate > pecire > pecaana
Does did Periphrastic Perfect p304-305 √ - आम् ( अस् | कृ | भू ) लिट् आसां चक्रे, एधाम् बभूवः, चिन्तयामास्
Made Do Causative प्रेरकः(cause) |
णिजन्त् (-aya)
p314ff stem = √ (+ | ++) [ प ] + -अय गमयति, स्थापयतु, स्थाप्यते, अपाययत्
Wanting to do Desiderative सन्नन्त् p325 √ + 2x + स | ईष् = verb of wanting चिकीर्ष जिगमिश तितीर्ष जिगीश ममूर्श मीमांस जिघांस चिकीर्शयति
Really Do Intensive यङन्त (w/य)
यङ्लुगन्त् (w/o)
Ch18.26, p329-332 √ 2x s/w + य
√ - ई - √ - [ ∅ | य]
नन्नम, चर्चर, गनीगम, वरीवृत्य, देदीय, बोभूय, जोहु,

May Do Optative Lɪŋ लिङ् p245-249 V ++ [ ई/ ī | य / ya ] + secondary suffixes
= ought to, might
भू + optative =>
भवेत,भवेताम, भवेयुः
भवेः, भवेतम, भवेत
भवेयम,भवेव, भवेम
Do Simple (unmarked)
Future
sāmānya Lɚʈ
सामान्य लृट्
p274 Just use Present Indicative to mean Future paSyAmi/पष्यामि, I (will) see
Gon Do, Gonna Future Lɚʈ लृट् p273-ff [√,[i/veT|seT],sya]stem,
primary endings
दास्यति, मन्स्यन्ते, करिष्यामः,गमिष्यामि
(dAsyati, mansyante...)
Was Gonna Conditional, Counterfactual Lɚŋ लृङ् p279 a + future stem + 2ndary endings agamiSyat
Doer
Does Be
Periphrastic Future Luʈ लुट् p279 √, +, tR]N^^taa, as(be),
0 | primary endings
कर्ता अस्मि, गन्ता असि, भविता स्वः
Did Aorist Luŋ लुङ् p351ff a-Aorist: अ - √ - अ - [लङ्]
(vs imperf: अ - stem - [लङ्]
(for the many Aorists see Marino handout)
दा : अदा अदुः अदाम अदाव अदात्
भू: अभूवः. अभूम अभूत


And More Verbal Conjugations:

अस् : To Be Singular Dual Plural
3p    अस्ति स्तः सन्ति
2p    असि स्थः स्थ
1p    अस्मि स्वः स्मः

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