Lesson 24: Numbers
The endings already say one, two, or more than two. This lesson is the counting words that go with those endings.
एक means one. द्वि means two. त्रि means three. School calls a counting word a संख्या. एकवचन, द्विवचन, and बहुवचन are the other use of “number,” the endings. Those names are in Lesson 1: Cases and To Be.
One to ten
One, two, three, and four change for a man, a woman, and a thing. Five through ten are the same word for all three.
| Man | Woman | Thing | Nepali | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | एकः | एका | एकम् | एक |
| 2 | द्वौ | द्वे | द्वे | दुई |
| 3 | त्रयः | तिस्रः | त्रीणि | तीन |
| 4 | चत्वारः | चतस्रः | चत्वारि | चार |
| 5 | पञ्च | पञ्च | पञ्च | पाँच |
| 6 | षट् | षट् | षट् | छ |
| 7 | सप्त | सप्त | सप्त | सात |
| 8 | अष्टौ | अष्टौ | अष्टौ | आठ |
| 9 | नव | नव | नव | नौ |
| 10 | दश | दश | दश | दश |
द्वौ and द्वे are the two from Lesson 20: The Dual and Lesson 21: Two Women, Two Books. अष्ट names the same number as अष्टौ. The form beside a noun here is अष्टौ.
The noun and the verb
One takes the singular endings, एकवचन. The verb is पठति or अस्ति. Two takes the dual, द्विवचन. The verb is पठतः or स्तः. Three and the rest take the plural, बहुवचन. The verb is पठन्ति or सन्ति.
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| एकः छात्रः पठति। | One man studies. एक जना विद्यार्थी पढ्छ। |
| एका छात्रा पठति। | One woman studies. |
| एकं पुस्तकम् अस्ति। | One book is there. एकम् is written एकं before a consonant. |
| गुरुः एकं पुस्तकं पश्यति। | The teacher sees one book. Both words write ं before a consonant. |
| द्वौ छात्रौ पठतः। | Two men study. |
| द्वे छात्रे पठतः। | Two women study. |
| द्वे पुस्तके स्तः। | Two books are there. |
| त्रयः छात्राः पठन्ति। | Three men study. तीन जना विद्यार्थी पढ्छन्। |
| तिस्रः छात्राः पठन्ति। | Three women study. |
| त्रीणि पुस्तकानि सन्ति। | Three books are there. |
| चत्वारः छात्राः पठन्ति। | Four men study. |
| पञ्च छात्राः पठन्ति। | Five men study. |
| पञ्च पुस्तकानि सन्ति। | Five books are there. पञ्च does not change. |
| अष्टौ छात्राः पठन्ति। | Eight men study. |
| दश छात्राः पठन्ति। | Ten men study. |
| गुरुः पञ्च छात्रान् पश्यति। | The teacher sees five students. पञ्च stays. छात्रान् is the object from Lesson 7: Masculine Plural. |
Five women study is the same sentence as five men: पञ्च छात्राः पठन्ति। पञ्च does not change, and the women’s subject is छात्राः, as in Lesson 8: Feminine Plural.
First through seventh
प्रथमः means “first.” द्वितीयः means “second.” A man takes प्रथमः. A woman takes प्रथमा.
विभक्ति, “case,” is a feminine word. The school names are the woman’s forms. प्रथमा विभक्ति is the first case, Subject. द्वितीया is the second, Object. तृतीया is the third, With, by. Fourth through seventh end in ई: चतुर्थी, पञ्चमी, षष्ठी, सप्तमी. Calling stays सम्बोधन.
| Man | Woman | Nepali | |
|---|---|---|---|
| first | प्रथमः | प्रथमा | पहिलो |
| second | द्वितीयः | द्वितीया | दोस्रो |
| third | तृतीयः | तृतीया | तेस्रो |
| fourth | चतुर्थः | चतुर्थी | चौथो |
| fifth | पञ्चमः | पञ्चमी | पाँचौं |
| sixth | षष्ठः | षष्ठी | छैटौं |
| seventh | सप्तमः | सप्तमी | सातौं |
अष्टमः is eighth, नवमः is ninth, and दशमः is tenth.
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| प्रथमः छात्रः पठति। | The first student studies. पहिलो विद्यार्थी पढ्छ। |
| द्वितीया छात्रा पठति। | The second woman student studies. दोस्रो विद्यार्थी पढ्छिन्। |
Practice
- Count एकः, द्वौ, त्रयः, चत्वारः, पञ्च, षट्, सप्त, अष्टौ, नव, दश.
- Say एकः छात्रः पठति, then द्वौ छात्रौ पठतः, then त्रयः छात्राः पठन्ति।
- Say प्रथमः छात्रः पठति, “the first student studies.”
Next
Lesson 25: The Teacher's Endings is गुरुः in the jobs that are not the subject. The other jobs of these numbers are Lesson 31: Numbers in Every Case.