कएलनि / कएलक
The Past of Verbs with an Object
After a verb that takes an object, the third-person past ends in -लनि or -लक.
How It Works
| Verb | Respected person | Plain person |
|---|---|---|
| करब | कएलनि | कएलक |
| खाएब | खएलनि | खएलक |
| पढ़ब | पढ़लनि | पढ़लक |
| देखब | देखलनि | देखलक |
| देब | देलनि | देलक |
Choose the ending by how you speak of the person who did the action. Parents, teachers and guests take -लनि. Small children, animals and people you call तोँ take -लक.
The same -लनि serves a man or a woman, so काका and काकी both take it. This differs from गेलाह and गेलीह, which belong to verbs with no object.
Older books write the respected ending as -लन्हि. Today the standard spelling is -लनि. Speech in the east often adds -ऐ to the plain form, as in कएलकै; that is casual talk only.
Examples (5)
- काकी चिट्ठी पढ़लनि।
Aunt read the letter.
-लनि shows respect and does not mark gender.
- बउआ केरा खएलक।
The little boy ate a banana.
-लक is the plain ending.
- बाबूजी हमरा पाइ देलनि।
Father gave me money.
देब takes the same endings.
- माय भात बनौलनि।
Mother made the rice.
बनौलनि is the respected past of बनाएब.
- ओ फिल्म देखलक।
He watched the film.
देखलक is plain.
Common Mistakes
Using the moving-verb ending after an object verb.
बाबूजी चिट्ठी पढ़लाह।बाबूजी चिट्ठी पढ़लनि।-लाह belongs to verbs with no object. Object verbs take -लनि.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Verbs with an object take a different third-person past from moving verbs, so the moving verbs come first.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
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