Pāli Primer – Lesson 1
Lesson 1
VOCABULARY
1. Masculine nouns ending in -a
| Buddha / Tathāgata / Sugata | – the Buddha |
| manussa | – man, human being |
| nara / purisa | – man, person |
| kassaka | – farmer |
| brāhmaṇa | – brahmin |
| putta | – son |
| mātula | – uncle |
| kumāra | – boy |
| vāṇija | – merchant |
| bhūpāla | – king |
| sahāya / sahāyaka / mitta | – friend |
Verbs
| bhāsati | speaks |
| pacati | cooks |
| kasati | ploughs |
| bhuñjati | eats |
| sayati | sleeps |
| passati | sees |
| chindati | cuts |
| gacchati | goes |
| āgacchati | comes |
| dhāvati | runs |
2. Declension of masculine nouns ending in -a
Nominative case:
The case ending -o is added to the nominal base to form the nominative case singular number.
The case ending -ā is added to the nominal base to form the nominative case plural number.
A noun thus inflected is used as the subject of a sentence.
Singular:
1. nara + o = naro
2. mātula + o = mātulo
3. kassaka + o = kassako
Plural :
1. nara + ā = narā
2. mātula + ā = mātulā
3. kassaka + ā = kassakā
3. Present, third, singular and plural verbs.
In the verbs listed above bhāsa, paca, kasa etc. are verbal bases and -ti is the present tense, third person, singular termination.
The present tense, third person, plural is formed by adding the termination -nti to the base.
Singular:
bhāsati – He speaks
pacati – He cooks
kasati – He ploughs
Plural:
bhāsanti – They speak
pacanti – They cook
kasanti – They plough
4. Examples in sentence formation
Singular:
1. Naro bhāsati – The man speaks.
2. Mātulo pacati – The uncle cooks.
3. Kassako kasati – The farmer ploughs.
Plural:
1. Narā bhāsanti – Men speak.
2. Mātulā pacanti – Uncles cook.
3. Kassakā kasanti – Farmers plough.
Exercise 1
5. Translate into English:
1. Bhūpālo bhuñjati.
2. Puttā sayanti :
3. Vāṇijā sayanti
4. Buddho passati
5. Kumāro dhāvati.
6. Mātulo kasati.
7. Brāhmaṇā bhāsanti.
8. Mittā gacchanti.
9. Kassakā pacanti.
10. Manusso chindati.
11. Purisā dhāvanti.
12. Sahāyako bhuñjati.
13. Tathāgato bhāsati.
14. Naro pacati.
15. Sahāyā kasanti.
16. Sugato āgacchati.
6. Translate into Pāli:
1. Sons run.
2. The uncle sees.
3. The Buddha comes.
4. Boys eat.
5. Merchants go.
6. The man sleeps.
7. Kings go.
8. The brahmin cuts.
9. Friends speak.
10. The farmer ploughs.
11. The merchant comes.
12. Sons cut.
13. Uncles speak.
14. The boy runs.
15. The friend speaks.
16. The Buddha sees.
-ooOoo-
