Lesson 8: Feminine Plural
Index · Lesson 7: Masculine Plural · Lesson 9: Neuter Plural
Lesson 4 was one woman, छात्रा. This lesson is more than one. The number is बहुवचन, the same as the men in Lesson 7. The subject is छात्राः, the same shape as the men in Lesson 7. The verb is still the “they” row: ताः छात्राः पठन्ति, “the women students study.”
The object is also छात्राः. One woman, the object, was छात्राम्. Several women, the object, look like the subject.
Cases: feminine plural
| Case | Ending | Form | A whole sentence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | -आः | छात्राः | छात्राः पठन्ति। | विद्यार्थीहरू पढ्छन्। “The women students study.” |
| Object | -आः | छात्राः | गुरुः छात्राः पश्यति। | गुरुले विद्यार्थीहरूलाई हेर्नुहुन्छ। “The teacher sees the women students.” The men who are seen were छात्रान्. The women who are seen stay छात्राः. The verb still follows the doer: गुरुः is one, so it stays पश्यति. |
| With, by | -आभिः | छात्राभिः | गुरुः छात्राभिः सह पठति। | गुरु उनीहरूसँग पढ्नुहुन्छ। “The teacher studies with them.” |
| For | -आभ्यः | छात्राभ्यः | इदं पुस्तकं छात्राभ्यः अस्ति। | यो पुस्तक उनीहरूका लागि हो। “This book is for them.” This same form is also “from them,” in the next row. |
| From | -आभ्यः | छात्राभ्यः | अहं छात्राभ्यः शृणोमि। | म उनीहरूबाट सुन्छु। “I hear from them.” |
| Of | -आनाम् | छात्राणाम् | इदं छात्राणां पुस्तकम् अस्ति। | यो उनीहरूको पुस्तक हो। “This is their book.” |
| In, at | -आसु | छात्रासु | छात्रासु ज्ञानम् अस्ति। | उनीहरूमा ज्ञान छ। “Knowledge is in them.” The men’s “in” form was छात्रेषु. This one has आ. |
| Calling | हे छात्राः | हे छात्राः | हे छात्राः। | ए विद्यार्थीहरू। |
For and from are the same word, छात्राभ्यः. Subject and object are the same word, छात्राः. गुरुः छात्राः पश्यति is “sees them.” छात्राः पठन्ति is “they study.”
काः means “who,” when you expect more than one woman. It is the plural of का. काः छात्राः सन्ति। “Who are the women students?”
Practice
- Say छात्राः पठन्ति and गुरुः छात्राः पश्यति, and notice that छात्राः did not change.
- Say that the book is theirs: इदं छात्राणां पुस्तकम् अस्ति।
- Ask काः छात्राः सन्ति।
Next
Lesson 9: Neuter Plural is more than one book.