Pāli Primer – Lesson 32

Lesson 32

1. Declension of Pronouns

There are:

– Relative pronouns,
– demonstrative pronouns and
– interrogative pronouns

of all three genders.

They are declined in all cases except the vocative. They become adjectives when they qualify other nouns.

2. Masculine gender, singular number

Relative Pronoun	Demonstrative Pronoun	Interrogative Pronoun
Nom.	yo = he who	so = he, that	ko = who
Acc.	yaṃ	taṃ	kaṃ
Ins.	yena	tena	kena
Abl.	yamhā, yasmā	tamhā, tasmā	kasmā, kismā
Dat.	yassa	tassa	kassa, kissa
Gen.	yassa	tassa	kassa, kissa
Loc.	yamhi, yasmiṃ	tamhi, tasmiṃ	kamhi, kasmiṃ kimhi, kismiṃ

3. Neuter Gender, singular number

Relative Pronoun	Demonstrative Pronoun	Interrogative Pronoun
Nom.	yaṃ = that	taṃ = it, that	kim = which which
Acc.	yaṃ	taṃ	kim

The rest is similar to the masculine declension

4. Feminine gender, singular number

Relative Pronoun	Demonstrative Pronoun	Interrogative Pronoun
Nom.	yā = she, who	sā = she, that	kā = who
Acc.	yaṃ	taṃ	kaṃ
Ins.	yāya	tāya	kāya
Abl.	yāya	tāya	kāya
Dat.	yassā, yāya	tassā, tāya	kassā, kāya
Gen.	yassā, yāya	tassā, tāya	kassā, kāya
Loc.	yassaṃ, yāyaṃ	tassaṃ, tāyaṃ	kassaṃ, kāyaṃ

5. Masculine gender, plural number

Relative Pronoun	Demonstrative Pronoun	Interrogative Pronoun
Nom.	ye = they, who	te = they, those	ke = who
Acc.	ye	te	ke
Ins.	yehi	tehi	kehi
Abl.	yehi	tehi	kehi
Dat.	yesaṃ(yesānaṃ)	tesaṃ (tesānaṃ)	kesaṃ (kesānaṃ)
Gen.	yesaṃ(yesānaṃ)	tesaṃ (tesānaṃ)	kesaṃ (kesānaṃ)
Loc.	yesu	tesu	kesu

6. Neuter gender, Plural:

Relative Pronoun	Demonstrative Pronoun	Interrogative Pronoun
Nom.	yāni, ye = those, which	tāni, te = those	kāni, ke = which
Acc.	yāni, ye	tāni, te	kāni, ke

The rest is similar to the masculine declension

7. Feminine gender, plural number

Relative Pronoun	Demonstrative Pronoun	Interrogative Pronoun
Nom.	yā, yāyo = they, who	tā, tāyo = they, those	kā, kāyo = who
Acc.	yā, yā	yo tā, tāyo	kā, kāyo
Ins.	yāhi	tāhi	kāhi
Abl.	yāhi	tāhi	kāhi
Dat.	yāsaṃ (yāsānaṃ)	tāsaṃ (tāsānaṃ)	kāsaṃ(kāsānaṃ)
Gen.	yāsaṃ (yāsānaṃ)	tāsaṃ (tāsānaṃ)	kāsaṃ(kāsānaṃ)
Loc.	yāsu	tāsu	kāsu

8. The indefinite particle: ci

The indefinite particle ci (Skt. cid) is appended to the case forms of the interrogative pronoun, expressing ideas such as anyone, whichever, whoever, e.g.

Masc.

koci puriso = some man;
kenaci purisena = by some man

Neut.

kiñci phalaṃ = some fruit;
kenaci phalena = by some fruit

Fem.

kāci itthi = some woman;
kāyaci itthiyā = by, to, of, on some woman.

9. Pronominal Adverbs

Relative Adverbs	Demonstrative Adverbs	Interrogative Adverbs
yattha – where	tattha – there	kattha – where
yatra – where	tatra – there	kutra – where
yato – whence, where	tato – thence, therefore	kuto – whence
yathā – how, in what manner	tathā – in that manner	kathaṃ – how
yasmā – because	tasmā – therefore	kasmā – why
yadā – when	tadā – then	kadā – when
yena – where	tena – there
yāva – how long	tāva – so long

10. Examples in sentence formation

Yo atthaññu hoti so kumāre anusāsituṃ āgacchatu.
May he who is benevolent come to admonish the boys.

Yaṃ ahaṃ ākaṅkhamāno ahosiṃ so āgato hoti.
He whom I was expecting has come.

Yena maggena so āgato tena gantuṃ ahaṃ icchāmi.
By which road he came, I wish to go by the same.

Yassa sā bhariyā hoti so bhattā puññavanto hoti.
He is a fortunate husband whose wife she is.

Yasmiṃ hatthe daddu atthi tena hatthena patto na gaṇhitabbo hoti.
The bowl should not be taken by the hand which has eczema on it.

Yāni kammāni sukhaṃ āvahanti (bring) tāni puññāni honti.
Those actions which bring happiness are meritorious.

Yā bhariyā sīlavatī hoti sā bhattuno piyāyati.
The wife who is virtuous is dear to the husband.

Yāya rājiniyā sā vāpī kārāpitā taṃ ahaṃ na anussarāmi.
I do not remember the queen by whom that tank was built.

Yassaṃ sabhāyaṃ so kathaṃ pavattesi tattha bahū manussā sannipatitā abhaviṃsu / ahesuṃ.
The meeting where he made a speech, there many people gathered.

Yāsaṃ itthīnaṃ mañjūsāsu suvaṇṇaṃ atthi tāyo dvārāni thaketvā gehehi nikkhamanti.
Those women in whose boxes there is gold close the doors and go out.

Yāsu itthīsu kodho natthi tāyo vinītā bhariyāyo ca mātaro ca bhavanti.
Women in whom there is no anger become disciplined wives and mothers.

Yattha bhūpatayo dhammikā honti tattha manussā sukhaṃ vindanti.
Where kings are righteous, there the men enjoy happiness.

Yato bhānumā ravi lokaṃ obhāseti tato cakkhumantā rūpāni passanti.
Since the radiant sun illuminates the world, (therefore) those who have eyes see objects.

Yathā Bhagavā dhammaṃ deseti, tathā tumhehi paṭipajjitabbaṃ.
Just as the Blessed One preaches the doctrine, so should you conduct yourselves.

Yasmā pitaro rukkhe ropesuṃ, tasmā mayaṃ phalāni bhuñjāma.
Because fathers planted trees, (therefore) we enjoy fruits.

Yāda amhehi icchitaṃ patthitaṃ samijjhati tadā amhe modāma.
When our wishes and aspirations are fulfilled, then we are happy.

Ko tvaṃ asi? Ke tumhe hotha?
Who are you (sg.)?
Who are you (pl.)?

Kena dhenu aṭaviyā ānītā?
By whom was the cow brought from the forest?

Kassa bhūpatinā pāsādo kārāpito?
For whom was the palace built by the king?

Kasmā amhehi saccaṃ bhāsitabbaṃ?
Why should we speak the truth?

Asappurisehi pālite dīpe kuto mayaṃ dhammikaṃ vinetāraṃ labhissāma?
In an island governed by wicked men where will we get a righteous disciplinarian?

Kehi kataṃ kammaṃ disvā tumhe kujjhatha?
Seeing whose work (lit. done by whom) do you get angry?

Kesaṃ nattāro tuyhaṃ ovāde ṭhassanti?
Whose grandsons will stand by your advice?

Kehi ropitāsu latāsu pupphāni ca phalāni ca bhavanti?
On the creepers planted by whom are there flowers and fruits?

Kāya itthiyā pādesu daddu atthi?
On the feet of which woman is there eczema?

Exercise 32:

11. Translate into English:

1. Yassā so putto hoti sā mātā puññavatī hoti.
2. Yo taṃ dīpaṃ pāleti so dhammiko bhūpati hoti.
3. Kena ajja (today) navaṃ (new) jīvitamaggaṃ na pariyesitabbaṃ?
4. Sace tumhe asappurisā lokaṃ dūseyyātha (pollute) kattha puttadhītarehi saddhiṃ tumhe vasatha?
5. Yadā bhikkhavo sannipatitvā sālāyaṃ kilañjāsu nisīdiṃsu tadā Buddho pāvisi.
6. Yasmiṃ padese Buddho viharati tattha gantuṃ ahaṃ icchāmi.
7. Yāyaṃ guhāyaṃ sīhā vasanti taṃ pasavo na upasaṅkamanti.
8. Yo dhanavā hoti, tena sīlavatā bhavitabbaṃ.
9. Sace tumhe maṃ pañhaṃ pucchissatha ahaṃ vissajjetuṃ (to explain) ussahissāmi.
10. Yattha sīlavantā bhikkhavo vasanti tattha manussā sappurisā honti.
11. Kadā tvaṃ mātaraṃ passituṃ bhariyāya saddhiṃ gacchasi?
12. Yāhi rukkhā chinnā tāyo pucchituṃ kassako āgato hoti.
13. Kathaṃ tumhe udadhiṃ tarituṃ ākaṅkhatha?
14. Kuto tā itthiyo maṇayo āhariṃsu?
15. Yāsu mañjūsāsu ahaṃ suvaṇṇaṃ nikkhipiṃ tā corā coresuṃ.
16. Yo ajja nagaraṃ gacchati so tarūsu ketavo passissati.
17. Yassa mayā yāgu pūjitā so bhikkhu tava putto hoti.
18. Kuto ahaṃ dhammassa viññātāraṃ paññavantaṃ bhikkhuṃ labhissāmi?
19. Yasmā so bhikkhūsu pabbaji, tasmā sā pi pabbajituṃ icchati.
20. Yaṃ ahaṃ jānāmi tumhe pi taṃ jānātha.
21. Yāsaṃ itthīnaṃ dhanaṃ so icchati tāhi taṃ labhituṃ so na sakkoti.
22. Yato amhākaṃ bhūpati arayo parājesi tasmā mayaṃ tarūsu ketavo bandhimha.
23. Kadā amhākaṃ patthanā (aspirations) samijjhanti?
24. Sabbe te sappurisā tesaṃ pañhe vissajjetuṃ vāyamantā sālāya nisinnā honti.
25. Sace tvaṃ dvāraṃ thakesi ahaṃ pavisituṃ na sakkomi.
26. Amhehi katāni kammāni chāyāyo viya amhe anubandhanti.
27. Susavo mātaraṃ rakkhanti.
28. Ahaṃ sāminā saddhiṃ gehe viharantī modāmi.
29. Tumhākaṃ puttā ca dhītaro ca udadhiṃ taritvā bhaṇḍāni vikkiṇantā mūlaṃ pariyesituṃ icchanti.
30. Tvaṃ suraṃ pivasi, tasmā sā tava kujjhati.

12. Translate into Pāli:

1. He who is virtuous will defeat the enemy.
2. The girl who spoke at the meeting is not a relation of mine.
3. When the mother comes home the daughter will give the gems.
4. The dog to whom I gave rice is my brother’s.
5. Why did you not come home today to worship the monks?
6. From where did you get the robes which you offered to the monks?
7. Whom did you give the gold which I gave you?
8. Eat what you like.
9. I will sit on the rock until you bathe in the river.
10. Where intelligent people live there I wish to dwell.

-ooOoo-