Verbs With and Without Objects

FoundationsSounds Like sakarmaka / akarmaka kriyāpadē

With a verb like पाहणे, an object that ends in -ला keeps the verb neuter: त्याने मुलीला पाहिले. The verb भेटणे matches the doer: तो मुलीला भेटला.

How It Works

Verbs like येणे (come) and जाणे (go) have no object. Verbs like खाणे (eat) and लिहिणे (write) take one.

Verb typeDoerVerb matchesExample
no objectतीthe doerती आली.
object पोळी (f)तिनेthe objectतिने पोळी खाल्ली.
object आंबा (m)तिनेthe objectतिने आंबा खाल्ला.
object with -लात्यानेneuterत्याने मुलीला पाहिले.

In the present, the future and the ongoing past, the verb matches the doer even with an object: ती पोळी खाते, ती पोळी खात होती. With आवडणे it matches the thing liked: सईला कॉफी आवडते.

The words मी, तू, आम्ही and तुम्ही take no -ने: मी पोळी खाल्ली.

To check a sentence, ask what was eaten, written or seen. If there is an answer without -ला, the verb matches that answer. If there is no answer, the verb matches the doer.

Examples (5)

  1. ती आली.

    She came.

    आली has no object, so it matches ती.

  2. तिने पोळी खाल्ली.

    She ate a chapati.

    खाल्ली matches the object पोळी, which is feminine.

  3. तिने आंबा खाल्ला.

    She ate a mango.

    खाल्ला matches the object आंबा, which is masculine.

  4. त्याने मुलीला पाहिले.

    He saw the girl.

    The object has -ला, so पाहिले stays neuter.

  5. मुले घरी गेली.

    The children went home.

    गेली matches the plural doer मुले.

Common Mistakes

  • Making the verb match the doer when there is an object.

    तिने आंबा खाल्ली.
    तिने आंबा खाल्ला.

    आंबा is masculine, so the verb ends in -ला.

  • Adding -ने to मी.

    मीने चहा केला.
    मी चहा केला.

    मी takes no -ने.

How It Connects

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Verbs With and Without ObjectsFoundations

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