The special tense-moods

In the previous lesson, we learned that there are four special tense-moods that use a special verb stem. In the next two lessons, we will learn more about how these four tense-moods are used in kartari prayoga (“agentive usage”).

This first lesson will focus on the parasmaipada endings used by these four tense-moods. In the next lesson, we will focus on the ātmanepada endings.

The present tense

The first tense-mood we will study is the present tense. The present tense describes actions that are happening right now or just about to happen:

• नयति
  nayati
  (Someone) leads or is leading.

• चरति
  carati
  (Someone) walks or is walking.

• अहम् वनम् गच्छामि।
  aham vanam gacchāmi.
  I (am just about to) go to the forest.

In the first person, it can also have the sense of “let's”:

• गच्छामः।
  gacchāmaḥ.
  Let's (all) go.

Now, here are the forms we use in the present tense:

The table above has three rows and three columns. Each row corresponds to a different person, and you can see these persons labeled on the left-hand side. Each column corresponds to a different number, and you can see these numbers labeled on the top. For example, we can use this table to learn that the “3rd person singular” form is nayati.

Why do we put these words in a table? It's not so that we can sit down and memorize these forms. In our view, that's a waste of time. Mainly, a table lets us see certain patterns clearly. Here are some patterns that stand out to us:

• All of the first-person forms have a long ā sound in their ending.

• All of the singular forms end in -i.

• tha appears in the endings of the second person.

The command mood

The present tense and the command mood use similar endings. The command mood is used for commands:

• नय
  naya
  Lead!

• नयत
  nayata
  (You all) lead!

But in the first and third persons, it has slightly different meanings:

• रामो वनं गच्छतु
  rāmo vanaṃ gacchatu
  May Rama go to the forest.

• किम् करवाणि ते?
  kim karavāṇi te?
  What may I do for you?

Here are the endings of the command mood:

Notice that the first-person endings still use a long ā. There are other similarities as well: nayati with nayatu, and nayanti with nayantu.

But there are also some major differences. In particular, notice these five endings:

These five endings will repeat in the next two tense-moods.

The ordinary past tense

The ordinary past tense technically refers to past actions that occurred before today. But in practice, it refers to any past action. Here are the forms of the ordinary past tense:

There are several features worth noting here. First, notice the a- at the beginning of each verb. Most of the tense-moods that describe past events will use this a- prefix. And if the verb uses a verb prefix, we add that prefix before the a-:

• परिगच्छति
  parigacchati
  (Someone) goes around.

• पर्यगच्छत्
  paryagacchat
  (Someone) went around.

Next, notice that many of these endings are shortened versions of the present tense endings. Endings that end with -i lose that -i:

• नयति → अनयत्
  nayati → anayat

• नयसि → अनयः
  nayasi → anayaḥ

• नयामि → अनयम्
  nayāmi → anayam

• नयन्ति → अनयन्
  nayanti → anayan

And endings that end with the visarga lose that visarga:

• नयावः → अनयाव
  nayāvaḥ → anayāva

• नयामः → अनयाम
  nayāmaḥ → anayāma

The potential mood

Finally, we have the potential mood, which usually describes what might, could, or should happen:

• रामः वनम् गच्छेत्।
  rāmaḥ vanam gacchet.
  Rama might go to the forest.

Most of these endings are identical to the endings of the ordinary past tense:

There are two points worth making here. First, all of these endings start with -ī-, which combines with the stem's -a to form -e:

• नय + ईत् → नयेत्
  naya + īt → nayet
  (someone) might, could, or should lead

Second, these endings are otherwise identical to the endings for the ordinary past tense. The one exeception is the third-person plural:

• अनयन्।
  anayan.
  They led.

• नयेयुः।
  nayeyuḥ.
  They might lead.

Review

Memorizing these endings would be a poor use of time. Instead, focus on the general patterns they follow, and notice how many endings these tense-moods have in common.

1. What are the four special tense-moods? Give a basic meaning for each one.