Grammar Tutorial - Present Tense / वर्तमानकाल / vartamaanakaala

MKP June 26, 2022

Grammar Tutorial :- Present Tense / वर्तमानकाल / vartamaanakaala

लट्लकार / laTlakaara (Present Tense): लट्लकार (laTlakaara) represents verb-forms in present tense (वर्तमानकाल / vartamaanakaala). So, while forming a sentence which is in present tense, the verb (क्रिया / kriaa) has to be in लट्लकार (laTlakaara).

The complete लट्लकार / laTlakaara of पठ् / paTh (read) and गम् / gam (go) धातु / dhaatu are given at the end of this chapter for reference. Study the following sentences. These are in वर्तमानकाल (vartamaanakaala) or present tense.

आङ्ग्लभाषा / English संस्कृत / Sanskrit Subject

शब्द / shabda Verb

धातु / dhaatu Comments

Present Tense - Third Person Singular

वर्तमानकाल प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन / vartamaanakaala prathamapuruSha ekavachana

1. The boy is reading. बालकः पठति

baalakaH paThati बालक

baalaka पठ्

paTh -

2. The girl is reading. बालिका पठति

baalikaa paThati बालिका

baalikaa पठ्

paTh -

3. Rama is reading. रामः पठति

raamaH paThati राम

raama पठ्

paTh -

4. Sita is reading. सीता पठति

siitaa paThati सीता

siitaa पठ्

paTh -

5. The boy is going. बालकः गच्छति

baalakaH gachchhati बालक

baalaka गम्

gam -

6. The girl is going. बालिका गच्छति

baalikaa gachchhati बालिका

baalikaa गम्

gam -

Present Tense - Third Person Plural

वर्तमानकाल प्रथमपुरुष बहुवचन / vartamaanakaala prathamapuruSha bahuvachana

7. The boys are reading. बालकाः पठन्ति

baalakaaH paThanti बालक

baalaka पठ्

paTh -

8. The girls are reading. बालिकाः पठन्ति

baalikaaH paThati बालिका

baalikaa पठ्

paTh -

9. Students are reading. च्छात्राः पठन्ति

chchhaatraaH paThati च्छात्र

chchhaatra पठ्

paTh -

10. Clearks are reading. लिपिकाराः पठन्ति

lipikaaraaH paThanti लिपिकार

lipikaara पठ्

paTh -

11. The boys are going. बालकाः गच्छन्ति

baalakaaH gachchhanti बालक

baalaka गम्

gam -

12. The girls are going. बालिकाः गच्छन्ति

baalikaaH gachchhanti बालिका

baalikaa गम्

gam -

In setences 1 to 6, the Subject (कर्ता / kartaa) is in 3rd person singular (प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन / prathamapuruSha ekavachana). As the verb always follows the number and peson, the verb (पठति / paThati) is also in 3rd person singular (प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन / prathamapuruSha ekavachana).

In case of setences 7 to 12, the Subject (कर्ता / kartaa) is in 3rd person plural (प्रथमपुरुष बहुवचन / prathamapuruSha bahuvachana). Similarly the verb (पठन्ति / paThanti) is also in प्रथमपुरुष बहुवचन / prathamapuruSha bahuvachana of verb पठ् (paTh).

One thing we can note that the gender of Subject does not affect the verb-form in use. Only the number and person are followed by verb. In case sentences 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 11 the Subject are in musculine (पुङ्लिन्ग / puN^linga) gender. In case of sentences 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 the Subject are in feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग / striiliN^ga). However in neither case the verb depends upon the gender.

All the above sentences were in third person (प्रथमपुरुष / prathamapuruSha). Now let us study the following sentences. These are in second person (मध्यमपुरुष / madhyamapuruSha) and first person (उत्तमपुरुष / uttamapuruSha).

आङ्ग्लभाषा / English संस्कृत / Sanskrit Subject

शब्द / shabda Verb

धातु / dhaatu Comments

Present Tense - Second Person Singular

वर्तमानकाल मध्यमपुरुष/ एकवचन / vartamaanakaala madhyamapuruSha ekavachana

13. You are going. त्वं गच्छसि

tva.n gachchhasi युस्मद्

yusmad गम्

gam -

14. You are reading. त्वं पठसि

tva.n paThasi युस्मद्

yusmad पठ्

paTh -

Present Tense - First Person Singular

वर्तमानकाल उत्तमपुरुष एकवचन / vartamaanakaala uttamapuruSha ekavachana

15. I am going. अहं गच्छामि

aha.n gachchhaami अस्मद्

asmad गम्

gam -

16. I am reading. अहं पठामि

aha.n paThaami अस्मद्

asmad पठ्

paTh -

Present Tense - Second Person Plural

वर्तमानकाल मध्यमपुरुष बहुवचन / vartamaanakaala madhyamapuruSha bahuvachana

17. You all are going. युयं गच्छथ

yua.n gachchhatha युस्मद्

yusmad गम्

gam -

18. You all are reading. युयं पठथ

yua.n paThatha युस्मद्

yusmad पठ्

paTh -

Present Tense - First Person Plural

वर्तमानकाल उत्तमपुरुष बहुवचन / vartamaanakaala uttamapuruSha bahuvachana

19. We all are going. वयं गच्छामः

vaya.n gachchhaamaH अस्मद्

asmad गम्

gam -

20. We all are reading. वयं पठामः

vaya.n paThaamaH अस्मद्

asmad पठ्

paTh -

In sentences 13 and 14 the Subject (kartaa) is in second person singular (मध्यमपुरुष एकवचन / madhyamapuruSha ekavachana)and in case of 17 and 18 the Subject (kartaa) is in second person plural (मध्यमपुरुष बहुवचन / madhyamapuruSha bahuvachana). We can see that in all these sentences the Subject used is युस्मद् (yusmad) शब्द (shabda). In case of second person the kartaa is always युस्मद् (yusmad) शब्द (shabda).

In sentences 15 and 16 the Subject is in first person singular (उत्तमपुरुष एकवचन / uttamapuruSha ekavachana). In case of 19 and 20 the Subject is in first person plural (उत्तमपुरुष बहुवचन / uttamapuruSha bahuvachana). In all these sentences the Subjects used is अस्मद् (asmad) शब्द (shabda). In case of first person the kartaa is always अस्मद् (asmad) शब्द (shabda).

As we know unlike English or any other language, Sanskrit language has three different numbers viz., singular, plural and dual. This dual number is specific to Sanskrit and must be used accordingly. The followings are the dual number form of above sentences.

आङ्ग्लभाषा / English संस्कृत / Sanskrit Subject

शब्द / shabda Verb

धातु / dhaatu Comments

Present Tense - Dual

वर्तमानकाल द्विवचन / vartamaanakaala dvivachana

21. Two boys are reading. बालकौ पठतः

baalakau paThataH बालक

baalaka पठ्

paTh -

22. Two girls are reading. बालिके पठतः

baalike paThataH बालिका

baalikaa पठ्

paTh -

23. Two boys are going. बालकौ गच्छतः

baalakau gachchhataH बालक

baalaka गम्

gam -

24. Two girls are going. बालिके गच्छतः

baalike gachchhataH बालिका

baalikaa गम्

gam -

25. Two students are reading. च्छात्रौ पठतः

chchhatrau paThataH च्छात्र

chchhaatra पठ्

paTh -

26. Two clearks are reading. लिपिकारौ पठतः

lipikaarau paThataH लिपिकार

lipikaara पठ्

paTh -

27. Both of you are going. युवां गच्छथः

yuvaa.n gachchhathaH युस्मद्

yusmad गम्

gam -

28. Both of you are reading. युवां पठथः

yuvaa.n paThathaH युस्मद्

yusmad पठ्

paTh -

29. Both of us are going. आवां गच्छावः

aavaa.n gachchhaavaH अस्मद्

asmad गम्

gam -

30. Both of us are reading. आवां पठावः

aavaa.n paThaavaH अस्मद्

asmad पठ्

paTh -

At the end of this chapter in Verb Forms - Practice Sentences 1 a collection of many Sanskrit sentences using लट्लकार / laTlakaara are given. You will know about many more nouns (शब्द / shabda) and verbs (धातु / dhaatu) in those.

In the next chapter we will study लृट्लकार (lRRiTlakaara) or future tense.

Read / पठ् / paTh : लट्लकार / laTlakaara

(Present tense / वर्तमानकाल / vartamaanakaala)

Person / पुरुष / puruSha Number / वचन / vachana

Singular

एकवचन / ekavachana Dual

द्वीवचन / dviivachana Plural

बहुवचन / bahuvachana

Third

प्रथम / prathama पठति / paThati पठतः / paThataH पठन्ति / paThanti

Second

मध्यम / madhyama पठसि / paThasi पठथः / paThathaH पठथ / paThatha