Lesson 35: Sanskrit for Beginners Course: Prefixes + Imperfect
Summary:
Entire CH14. New spoken Sanskrit. Using Sandhi in LRB. Verbal prefixes. Imperfect (past tense). New verbs.
Source: Introduction to Sanskrit (4th Ed) – Thomas Egenes – Part One
This session deals with: CH14, pg 182-191.
Verb Prefix:
- Subtly modifies verb meaning.
- English EG: receive, perceive
- Sanskrit EG:
- ā आ : motion towards, return, to [some object].
- Same as Eng: Adventure (towards a venture).
- ā + gacchati = āgacchati आगच्छति : He comes.
- prati प्रति : back to, against.
- prati + gacchati = pratigacchati प्रतिगच्छति : He returns, He goes back.
- ā आ : motion towards, return, to [some object].
- Verb prefix can also be used front of nouns, but rarely seen. It's mostly seen front of verbs.
- Most verb prefixes change meaning of verb, but only a little. Few verb prefixes change the meaning entirely.
- EG: avagacchati अवगच्छति : He goes down, He understands.
- Subject to sandhi.
- Verb prefix before gerund? Then end gerund with -ya -य, and NOT -tvā -त्वा.
- EG: ā आ + √gam गम् = āgatya आगत्य (Having come) VS. √gam गम् = gatvā गत्वा (Having gone)
- Verb prefix determines if verb takes Paramaipada or Ātmanepada ending. Dictionary will tell.
Imperfect (past tense):
- What is it?
- Past tense. Formed from present stem (EG: gaccha गच्छ, manya मन्य). Has a अ before stem. Has own set of endings [found here Garden PG4 (45, 46 / 53, 54)].
- CONSTRUCTION FORMULA:
- Parasmaipada:
- a अ + STEM + P [ Garden PG4 (45, 46) ]
- EG: a अ + vada वद + t त् = avadat अवदत् : He spoke/said.
- Ātmanepada:
- a अ + STEM + Ā [ Garden PG4 (53, 54) ]
- EG: a अ + bhāṣa भाष + ta अत = abhāṣata अभाषत : He spoke/said.
- Parasmaipada:
Verb Prefix + Imperfect:
- We learned that verb prefix slightly modifies meaning of verb. EG: pratigacchati प्रतिगच्छति (He returns). But what if we want to make pratigacchati प्रतिगच्छति into an imperfect (He returned)? Then apply formula below…
- verb prefix + a अ + stem + imperfect ending
- Example:
- prati प्रति + a अ + gaccha गच्छ + t त् : pratyagacchat प्रत्यगच्छत् (She returned)
- ā आ + a अ + gaccha गच्छ + am अम् : āgaccham आगच्छम् (I came)
- Examples (mixing verb prefix and imperfect. All new verbs are on PG191):
English: |
Sanskrit: |
Rāma brought flowers for Sītā. | rāmaḥ puṣpāni senāyai ānayat रामः पुष्पानि सेनायै आनयत् |
Army protected the men from suffering. | senā duḥkāt narān agopāyat सेना दुःकात् नरान् अगोपायत् |
I drank the water of immortality. | aham amṛtasya jalam apibam अहं अमृतस्य जलं अपिबम् |
Sage knows about the knowledge which brings happiness. > Which knowledge brings happiness, that sage knows. | yat jñānam sukham ānayati tat ṛṣiḥ bodhate यत् ज्ञानं सुखं आनयति तत् ऋषिः बोधते |
The girl approaches the boy and asks for a book. | kanyā bālam upagacchati pustakāya ca pṛcchati कन्या बालं उपगच्छति पुस्तकाय च पृच्छति |
Homework:
- Go over Spoken Sanskrit 13 (Talking about dates).
- Write out imperfect (past tense) paradigm on pg: 189.
- Memorize new vocab on pg 191.
- Do all CH14 exercises on pg 192-194.
Questions:
You'll have more questions throughout the course. How to ask? Leave in comments below, so others can also benefit. We'll respond within 48 hours. Only ask specific to this Lesson.
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Recorded 16 May, 2021
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