-णारा
The Person or Thing That Does Something
The word is a short form of a जो clause, and it can carry the place and the time before the noun.
How It Works
Put the -णारा word before the noun it describes, with the rest of its clause in front. मुंबईला जाणारी ट्रेन means “the train that goes to Mumbai”.
| Noun | Phrase |
|---|---|
| masculine | वाचणारा मुलगा |
| feminine | जाणारी ट्रेन |
| neuter | हसणारे बाळ |
| plural, neuter | हसणारी मुले |
| before an ending | वाचणाऱ्या मुलाला |
The word describes someone who is doing the action now, by habit, or soon. It is the short form of a जो … तो clause: जो मुलगा वाचतो, तो माझा भाऊ आहे becomes वाचणारा मुलगा माझा भाऊ आहे.
Verbs whose stem ends in a vowel add -णारा directly: येणारा, जाणारा, खाणारा, घेणारा, होणारा.
The eyelash र appears before -या: वाचणाऱ्या, जाणाऱ्या. Write it with the special letter ऱ.
Because everything sits before the noun, one phrase can hold the time, the place and the verb: रोज सकाळी पुण्याला जाणारी बस (the bus that goes to Pune every morning).
Check the gender of the noun first: ट्रेन and बस are feminine (जाणारी), while फोन is masculine (येणारा फोन, an incoming call).
Examples (5)
- मुंबईला जाणारी ट्रेन कुठे आहे?
Where is the train that goes to Mumbai?
जाणारी agrees with ट्रेन, a feminine noun.
- पुस्तक वाचणारा मुलगा माझा भाऊ आहे.
The boy who is reading the book is my brother.
वाचणारा describes the masculine noun मुलगा.
- गाणे गाणारी मुलगी सई आहे.
The girl who sings is Sai.
गाणारी agrees with मुलगी.
- हसणारी मुले अंगणात आहेत.
The laughing children are in the yard.
हसणारी is the neuter plural, matching मुले.
- वाचणाऱ्या मुलाला हे पुस्तक द्या.
Give this book to the boy who reads.
वाचणाऱ्या is the shape before the ending -ला.
Common Mistakes
Not matching -णारा to the noun.
मुंबईला जाणारा ट्रेन कुठे आहे?मुंबईला जाणारी ट्रेन कुठे आहे?ट्रेन is feminine, so the word is जाणारी.
Not using the shape before an ending.
वाचणारा मुलीला हे पुस्तक द्या.वाचणाऱ्या मुलीला हे पुस्तक द्या.Before -ला the word becomes वाचणाऱ्या.
How It Connects
Learn This First
A doer word is an adjective.
Related Patterns
- जो … तोRelative Clauses with जो
The longer clause that -णारा can replace.
Level 4 - -लेलाThe Person or Thing That Has Done Something
The matching word for a finished action.
Level 4 - -वाला / -वालीSellers and Doers with -वाला
Another way to name who does something.
Level 2 - वाढता / वाढतीDescribing with the -ता Form
A different describing form from a verb.
Level 5 - -लेले / असलेलेLong Descriptions Before a Noun
Longer descriptions before a noun.
Level 5
Practice -णारा in Bubblegum
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