We have already learned the forms of noun and pronoun. To make a complete sentence, we also need a verb. Verb forms are classified into 5 main लकारs or Tenses (present, past, future) and Moods (command, wish, etc.). These are:
| लकार | Tense or Mood | Example Verb (पठ्) | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| लट् (Lat) | Present tense | पठति | सा पठति – She reads |
| लङ्ग् (Lang) | Past tense | अपठत | सा अपठत – She read |
| लृट् (Lrt) | Future tense | पठिष्यति | सा पठिष्यति – She will read |
| लोट् (Lot) | Imperative mood (command or request) | पठतु | सा पठतु – Let her read |
| विधिलिङ्ग् (Vidhiling) | Potential mood (should do) | पठेत | सा पठेत – She should read |
Form of the verb also changes based on person (पुरुष) and number (वचन). Person (पुरुष) of a verb tells who is doing the activity. Following table shows the subjects for which you should use the corresponding verb-form.
| Person (पुरुष) | Singular (एकवचन) | Dual (द्विवचन) | Plural (बहुवचन) |
|---|---|---|---|
| प्रथम पुरुष (Third person) | सः (He), सा (She), रामः (Ram), गीता (Geeta) | तौ (Both of them), गीता सुधा च (Geeta and Sudha) | ते (All of them), गीता, सुधा, सरला च (Geeta, Sudha and Sarala) |
| मध्यम पुरुष (Second person) | त्वम् (You) | युवाम् (Both of you) | यूयम् (All of you) |
| उत्तम पुरुष (First person) | अहम् (I) | आवाम् (Both of us) | वयम् (We) |
The root word of a verb (e.g., पठ्) is called धातु. Most of the times the verb forms are similar to the root word, like this one – root word पठ् and forms are like पठति , पठतः , पठन्ति , etc. But sometimes it is not similar, and can create confusion, for example root word गम् (धातु) means जाना (to go) but its forms are not गमति, गमतः, गमन्ति but the correct forms are गच्छति, गच्छतः, गच्छन्ति. Mark the verbs in Table 7 for which the root word and forms are different.
The following table has all the forms of verb पठ् in लट् लकार (present tense).
| Person (पुरुष) | Singular (एकवचन) | Dual (द्विवचन) | Plural (बहुवचन) |
|---|---|---|---|
| प्रथम पुरुष (Third person) | पठति She reads | पठतः Both of them read | पठन्ति They read |
| मध्यम पुरुष (Second person) | पठसि You read | पठथः Both of you read | पठथ All of you read |
| उत्तम पुरुष (First person) | पठामि I read | पठावः Two of us read | पठामः We read |
The following table has all the forms of verb (धातु) पठ् in लङ्ग् लकार (past tense).
| Person (पुरुष) | Singular (एकवचन) | Dual (द्विवचन) | Plural (बहुवचन) |
|---|---|---|---|
| प्रथम पुरुष (Third person) | अपठत् She read | अपठताम् Both of them read | अपठन् They read |
| मध्यम पुरुष (Second person) | अपठः You read | अपठतम् Both of you read | अपठत All of you read |
| उत्तम पुरुष (First person) | अपठम् I read | अपठाव Two of us read | अपठाम We read |
The following table has all the forms of verb (धातु) पठ् in लृट् लकार (future tense).
| Person (पुरुष) | Singular (एकवचन) | Dual (द्विवचन) | Plural (बहुवचन) |
|---|---|---|---|
| प्रथम पुरुष (Third person) | पठिष्यति She will read | पठिष्यतः Both of them will read | पठिष्यन्ति They will read |
| मध्यम पुरुष (Second person) | पठिष्यसि You will read | पठिष्यथः Both of you will read | पठिष्यथ All of you will read |
| उत्तम पुरुष (First person) | पठिष्यामि I shall read | पठिष्यावः Two of us shall read | पठिष्यामः We shall read |
The following table has all the forms of verb (धातु) पठ् in लोट् लकार (imperative mood).
| Person (पुरुष) | Singular (एकवचन) | Dual (द्विवचन) | Plural (बहुवचन) |
|---|---|---|---|
| प्रथम पुरुष (Third person) | पठतु Let her read | पठताम् Let both of them read | पठन्तु Let them read |
| मध्यम पुरुष (Second person) | पठ You read | पठतम् Both of you read | पठत All of you read |
| उत्तम पुरुष (First person) | पठानि Let me read | पठाव Let the two of us read | पठाम Let us read |
The following table has all the forms of verb (धातु) पठ् in विधिलिङ्ग् लकार (potential mood).
| Person (पुरुष) | Singular (एकवचन) | Dual (द्विवचन) | Plural (बहुवचन) |
|---|---|---|---|
| प्रथम पुरुष (Third person) | पठेत She should read | पठेताम् Both of them should read | पठेयुः They should read |
| मध्यम पुरुष (Second person) | पठेः You should read | पठेतम् Both of you should read | पठेत All of you should read |
| उत्तम पुरुष (First person) | पठेयम् I should read | पठेव Two of us should read | पठेम We should read |
Other verb forms would be similar. Here are a few commonly used verbs and their root words (धातु):
| Root word (धातु) | Meaning (अर्थ) | लट् लकार – प्रथम एकवचन |
|---|---|---|
| लिख् | लिखना – to write | लिखति |
| भू | होना – to be | भवति |
| वद् | बोलना | वदति |
| अस् | है | अस्ति |
| जन् | उत्पन्न होना | जायति |
| कृ | करना | करोति |
| ज्ञा | जानना | जानाति |
| दृश् | देखना | पश्यति |
| गम् | जाना | गच्छति |
| पा | पीना | पिबति |
| खाद् | खाना | खादति |
| क्रीड् | खेलना | क्रीडति |
| भ्रम | घूमना | भ्रमति |
| नृत् | नाचना | नृत्यति |
| गै | गाना | गायति |
| चर् | चरना | चरति |
| धाव् | दौड़ना | धावति |
| पृ | पूरा करना | पूरयति |
| चल् | चलाना | चालयति |
| पत् | गिरना | पतति |
| रच् | बनाना | रचयति |
| वृत् | है | वर्तति |
| स्मृ | याद करना | स्मरति |
| नम् | नमन करना | नमति |
| भज् | भजन करना | भजति |
| धृ | धारण करना | धरति |
| पा | रक्षा करना | पाति |
| गण् | गिनना | गणति |
| युज् | जोड़ना | योजति |
| मील् | मिलाना | मेलयति |
| मन्त् | मथना | मन्थयति |
| उत् + स्था | उठना | उत्तिष्ठति |
| स्था | बैठना | तिष्ठति |
Next, let us look at how the notes for each chapter are organized.