Pronouns
- अहम् aham — I
- त्वम् tvam — you
- सः saḥ — he
- सा sā — she
- वयम् vayam — we
- ते te — they
Verbs in the present tense
- गच्छति gacchati — goes; गच्छामि gacchāmi — I go
- पठति paṭhati — reads; पठामि paṭhāmi — I read
- खादति khādati — eats; खादामि khādāmi — I eat
- वदति vadati — speaks; वदामि vadāmi — I speak
- अस्ति asti — is; अस्मि asmi — I am
First sentences
- अहं विद्यालयं गच्छामि। ahaṃ vidyālayaṃ gacchāmi — I go to school.
- सः पुस्तकं पठति। saḥ pustakaṃ paṭhati — He reads a book.
- सा फलं खादति। sā phalaṃ khādati — She eats a fruit.
- वयं संस्कृतं वदामः। vayaṃ saṃskṛtaṃ vadāmaḥ — We speak Sanskrit.
- मम नाम राधा अस्ति। mama nāma rādhā asti — My name is Radha.
The ending of the verb shows who acts: -ti (he/she), -si (you), -mi (I). The ending -m on "vidyālayam" shows it is the object.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sanskrit word order fixed?
No. Because each word's ending shows its role, "ahaṃ vidyālayaṃ gacchāmi" and "vidyālayaṃ ahaṃ gacchāmi" mean the same.
How do I say "I am"?
"Aham asmi" — though "asmi" is often left out: "ahaṃ chātraḥ" (I [am] a student).