SanskritThe best way to make Sanskrit your own is to say small things about your own day. These sentences use the present tense with अहम् ("I"), where the verb always ends in -आमि: गच्छामि (I go), पठामि (I read), खादामि (I eat). Learn that one ending and you can speak about yourself all day.
To speak about someone else, change the ending to -अति: सः गच्छति (he goes), सा पठति (she reads). To ask a friend, use -असि: त्वं किं खादसि? (what are you eating?). All nine endings are on the verb tables page.
Notice how the small words of place and time need no separate word for "in" or "at". प्रातःकाले is "in the morning", विद्यालये "in school", गृहे "at home": the ending -ए says it. And "to school" is shown by the second case: विद्यालयं गच्छामि.
अहं प्रातःकाले उत्तिष्ठामि।
aham prātahkāle uttishthāmi.
मैं सुबह उठता हूँ।
I get up in the morning.
अहं दन्तधावनं करोमि।
aham dantadhāvanam karomi.
मैं दाँत साफ़ करता हूँ।
I brush my teeth.
अहं स्नानं करोमि।
aham snānam karomi.
मैं स्नान करता हूँ।
I take a bath.
अहम् ईश्वरं नमामि।
aham īshvaram namāmi.
मैं ईश्वर को प्रणाम करता हूँ।
I bow to God.
अहं दुग्धं पिबामि।
aham dugdham pibāmi.
मैं दूध पीता हूँ।
I drink milk.
अहं रोटिकां खादामि।
aham rotikām khādāmi.
मैं रोटी खाता हूँ।
I eat roti.
अहं विद्यालयं गच्छामि।
aham vidyālayam gachchhāmi.
मैं विद्यालय जाता हूँ।
I go to school.
अहं पुस्तकं पठामि।
aham pustakam pathāmi.
मैं पुस्तक पढ़ता हूँ।
I read a book.
अहं लेखं लिखामि।
aham lekham likhāmi.
मैं लेख लिखता हूँ।
I write an essay.
वयं मिलित्वा क्रीडामः।
vayam militvā krīdāmah.
हम मिलकर खेलते हैं।
We play together.
अहं गृहम् आगच्छामि।
aham griham āgachchhāmi.
मैं घर आता हूँ।
I come home.
माता भोजनं पचति।
mātā bhojanam pachati.
माँ भोजन पकाती है।
Mother cooks the food.
पिता कार्यालयं गच्छति।
pitā kāryālayam gachchhati.
पिता कार्यालय जाते हैं।
Father goes to the office.
अहं मातरं पितरं च वन्दे।
aham mātaram pitaram cha vande.
मैं माता और पिता को प्रणाम करता हूँ।
I salute my mother and father.
मम गृहे चत्वारः जनाः सन्ति।
mama grihe chatvārah janāh santi.
मेरे घर में चार लोग हैं।
There are four people in my home.
अद्य अवकाशः अस्ति।
adya avakāshah asti.
आज छुट्टी है।
Today is a holiday.
अहं रात्रौ शयनं करोमि।
aham rātrau shayanam karomi.
मैं रात को सोता हूँ।
I sleep at night.
जलं ददातु।
jalam dadātu.
पानी दीजिए।
Please give me water.
भोजनं स्वादु अस्ति।
bhojanam svādu asti.
भोजन स्वादिष्ट है।
The food is tasty.
अहं संस्कृतं जानामि।
aham samskritam jānāmi.
मैं संस्कृत जानता हूँ।
I know Sanskrit.
Turn each sentence three ways
Take अहं पुस्तकं पठामि and change the doer: त्वं पुस्तकं पठसि (you read a book), सः पुस्तकं पठति (he reads a book), वयं पुस्तकं पठामः (we read a book). Then change the time: अहं पुस्तकं पठिष्यामि (I shall read), अहं पुस्तकम् अपठम् (I read, in the past). Twenty sentences become a hundred.
- करोमि ("I do") with a noun makes many everyday verbs, as करना does in Hindi: स्नानं करोमि, शयनं करोमि, कार्यं करोमि.
- ददातु is the polite request form ("may you give"), used with भवान्. To a friend: देहि.
- वन्दे ("I salute") is the verb of वन्दे मातरम्.