Lesson 20: The Dual
Index · Lesson 19: Commands · Lesson 21: Two Women, Two Books
Sanskrit has a form for two. That number is द्विवचन (dui bachan). Nepali uses बहुवचन (bahu bachan) for two people. Sanskrit uses this lesson’s endings instead. One was एकवचन, in Lesson 1: Cases and To Be. More than two was बहुवचन, in Lesson 7: Masculine Plural.
आवाम् means “we two.” युवाम् means “you two,” at the तिमी level. तौ means “those two” men. द्वौ means “two” for men. The count from one to ten is Lesson 24: Numbers.
Two men you call तपाईं are भवन्तौ. The verb is the “those two” row.
The verb
| Be | Go | Study | |
|---|---|---|---|
| आवाम्, we two | स्वः | गच्छावः | पठावः |
| युवाम्, you two | स्थः | गच्छथः | पठथः |
| तौ, those two men | स्तः | गच्छतः | पठतः |
| भवन्तौ, you two, तपाईं | स्तः | गच्छतः | पठतः |
Two men
Subject, object, and calling are one form, छात्रौ. “With,” “for,” and “from” are छात्राभ्याम्. “Of” and “in” are छात्रयोः.
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तौ छात्रौ पठतः। | The two students study. दुई विद्यार्थी पढ्छन्। |
| द्वौ छात्रौ गच्छतः। | Two students go. |
| अहं छात्रौ पश्यामि। | I see the two students. The object is छात्रौ, the same word as the subject. |
| अहं छात्राभ्यां सह गच्छामि। | I go with the two students. |
| इदं पुस्तकं छात्राभ्याम् अस्ति। | This book is for the two students. |
| सः छात्राभ्यां गच्छति। | He goes from the two students. |
| इदं छात्रयोः पुस्तकम् अस्ति। | This is the two students’ book. |
| छात्रयोः ज्ञानम् अस्ति। | Knowledge is in the two students. |
| तौ गतौ। | The two have gone. गतौ is the two-man form of गतः. |
| आवां गच्छावः। | We two go. हामी दुई जान्छौं। |
| भवन्तौ कुत्र गच्छतः। | Where are you two going? Said to two men at the तपाईं level. |
Practice
- Say तौ छात्रौ पठतः, “the two students study.”
- Say आवां गच्छावः, “we two go.”
- Say तौ गतौ, “the two have gone.”
Next
Lesson 21: Two Women, Two Books is the subject form for two women and for two things.