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Pāli Primer

Lily de Silva, M.A., Ph.D.
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

 Note: VU-Times font (Viet-Pali Unicode) is used in this document

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 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-


English: 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | Appendix

Workbook: 01-05 | 06-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-32

Vietnamese: 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | Phụ đính

"The Pāli Primer" is a publication of the Vipassana Research Institute (http://www.vri.dhamma.org).
It aims to provide an elementary understanding of the Pali language.


[Back to Main Index - Trở về trang Thư Mục]
last updated: 06-08-2004

Pali Primer
BuddhaSasana Home Page

Unicode VU-Times font


Pāli Primer

Lily de Silva, M.A., Ph.D.
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

 Note: VU-Times font (Viet-Pali Unicode) is used in this document

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 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-


English: 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | Appendix

Workbook: 01-05 | 06-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-32

Vietnamese: 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | Phụ đính

"The Pāli Primer" is a publication of the Vipassana Research Institute (http://www.vri.dhamma.org).
It aims to provide an elementary understanding of the Pali language.


[Back to Main Index - Trở về trang Thư Mục]
last updated: 06-08-2004