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CHAPTER XXIV

194. The Indicative Past is identical in form with the Past Participle of a Verb which, being an Adjective, is affected (like the Present Participle : 186) by the Number and Gender of the Subject (or of the Object, See below 198).

  1. (a) The Past Participle is formed by appending to the root:

    ܥ `move'-

    		 ܥ `moved'
    ܁ `read'- ܁ `read'
    ܺ `hear'- ܺ `heard'
    .

    2. (b) However, the root ending in and shorten their vowels before the - and, in the case of- roots, a- is inserted between the root and the-. Thus-

    `touch'-

    		 `touched'
    ܻ `leak'- ܺ `leaked'
    `drink'- ܡ `drunk'
    `live'- ܡ `lived'


    (c) - is similarly inserted in case of the roots ending in - - or - ܽ. Thus -

    `come'

    		 ܡ `come'
    `eat' ܡ `eaten'
    ܽ `row' ܽ `rowed'
    ܽ `sow' ܽ `sown'
    ܽ `sleep' ܽ `slept'
    ܽ `lose' ܽ `lost'


    (d) The following are exceptional forms :-

    ܽ `be' -

    		ۺ `been'
    ţ `do' - `done'
    `go' - ܡ `gone'
    ܽ `take' - ܡ `taken'
    ڽ `give' - ڡ `given'

  2. These forms, when used as Verbs of the Past Tense, modify their - to in the Feminine Singular, to - in the Feminine Plural, and to - in the Masculine Plural. Thus :-

    ܥ Masc. Sg.

    		 ܥ Fem Sg. ܥ Fem. Pl. ܥܽ Masc. Pl.

and There is, however, no modification due to Person. The Past Indicative forms of ܥ are:-

  1. With a Masculine Subject :-

    2. Singular Plural

    First person

    		 ܥ `I moved' ۟ ܥܽ `we moved'
    Second person ܻ ܥ `thou moved' ܺ ܥܽ `you moved'
    Third person ܥ `he moved' ܽ ܥܽ `they moved'.

  2. With a Feminine Subject :-

    First person

    		 ܥ ۟ ܥ
    Second person ܻ ܥ ܺ ܥ
    Third person ܥ ܽ ܥ

Note : (i) The regular and preferable Feminine forms of ܡ, ܡ etc. are ܡ, ܃, ܡ, ܡ. They are frequently written as ܃, ܃. ܃ ܃ etc. Similarly, the regular Masc. Plurals of these forms ܡܽ and ܡܽ are also written as ܇ and ܇, ۺ makes ۺ, ۺ and ۺ (also written as ۺܽ). ۺܽ is now sub-standard.

(ii) Past Participles which edn in - in the Masc. Sg., form their Fem. by changing this to - (sg.) or - (Pl.). Thus, ܡ makes , (not ܡ, ܡ as expected), ڡ makes , ; š makes , , ܡ makes , etc.

  1. It is to be noted that a Past Participle, when used as a Verb of the Past, modifies its signification accordingly. ܡ as a Past Participle (Adjective) means `gone' but as a Verb `he went'.
  2. (a) The forms given in 196 (a) and (b) above have the Subjectival construction : the Verbs agree with the Subjects in Number and Gender. This, as a rule, is the case with all the Intransitive Verbs. With the Transitive Verbs, however, the Objectival construction is the rule. The Verb in such cases agrees with the Object in Gender and Number and the Subject is placed in the Oblique form with ܽ. See 96 (ܽ is Agentive).

    ܟ ܽ ܝ ܁

    		 `Ram read the book'.
    ܽ ܽ ܛ ܡ `the boys took meal'.
    ܽ ť ܽ `I plucked fruits'.
    ܃ ܽ ܡ `brother drandk (took) tea'.

Note : (i) It will be observed that ܁ in the first sentence has Fem. Sg. form because the Object ܝ is Fem. Sg. The subject (Ram) ܟ, which is Masc. Sg., does not affect the Verb. ܡ, ܽ and in the other three sentences, similarly, agree with the Objects ܛ (Masc, Sg.) ť (Masc. Pl), and ܡ (Fem. Sg.).

  1. These forms cannot, of course, be called `Passive', as far as Hindi is concerned, since the subject in each case acts and is not `acted upon' [See 170 (a) and (b)] In their origin, in Sanskrit and Prakrit, they had the Passive Construction.
  1. If a Verb has two Objects, it agrees with the primary object (94-e)

ܽ ܟ ܽ ܽ ܝܽ `I gave two books to Ram'.
  1. There are a few exceptione to the above rule.

The roots `bring', ܻ `forget', ܟܐ `understand, realize', ܈ `chatter, talk idly', ܽ `speak', `fight', quarrel', ٣ `fear', ܥ `meet' have the subjectival construction in the past inspite of being Transitive. However,
  1. `bring' is, in fact, a compound Verb made of ܽ `take' + `come'; and since is Intransitive, it affects the construction of . A sentence like ܝ ܡ is to be constuured as ܝ ܽ (ţ) ܡ `he came having taken the book'. See 255 and 256 (a).
  2. ܻ `forget' is generally used as Compound Verb together with `go' which is Intransitive and, therefore, helps in retaining the subjectival construction. ܟ ܻ ܡ `Ram forgot this thing' is much more frequent than ܟ ܻ. ܟ ܻ or ܻ would, in fact, mean `Ram erred or I erred', where ܻ is Intransitive. See 255.
  3. ܈ and ܽ are used both as Transitive and as Intransitive. In ܈ `he chattered', ܈ is Intransitive, and in ܛܽ ۺ Ŏ ܈ `he talked a lot of non-sense', it is Transitive. In ܽ `he spoke', ܽ is Intransitive, and in ܛܽ ܽ `he spoke lie', it is Transitive. However, ܻ ܽ is also current.
  4. ܟܐ has both the construction : ܟܐ, ܾܽ ܟܐ `I thought or understood'.
  5. ٣, and ܥ are treated as Intransitive Verbs in Hindi. The `objects' of these Verbs attach ܽ which signifies `from' or `with' :

    ܍ ܽ ܽ ٣

    		 `the child felt of (``from'') the dog.'
    ܈ ܽ `he fought (``with'') the robber.'
    ܛܽ ܃ ܽ ܥ `I met (``with'') my brother'. (See 98-c)

, however, is Transitive with a cognate object (165-c) ܛܽ Ń ܃ܿ `he fought several battles'. Omission of ܽ in the above Verbs may partly be due to dialectic influence.

  1. A Transitive Verb, whose object takes the case-sign ܽ, has Neutral construction in the past indicative :

    ܾܽ ܟ ܽ ܛ ܰ ܟܐ

    		 `I took Ram to be my friend'.
    Ϗ ܽ ܟ ܽ ܏ ܛܡ `the people made Ram the king.
    ܾܽ ܮ ܽ ۛ ܛ `I regarded Lakshmi as my sister'.
    ܽ ܟ ܽ ڽ `Sita saw Ram'.
    ܾţ ܽ ܹ܈ ܽ ܊ܡ `the servant awakened the master'.
    ܽ ܺ܈ܽ (ܺܽ) ܺܡ `my father called me'.

    Exceptions :- Verbs requaring two objects never have the Neutral construction:

    ܿ ܽ ܟ ܽ ܽ ť ڇ

    		 `mother gave two fruits to Ram'.
    ܽ ܟ ܽ ܉ `I wrote a letter to Shyam'.
    ܾţ ܽ ܡܽ ܽ ܣ ڡ `The servant gave fodder to the cows'.

  2. The Intransitive Verb `sneeze' and ¬ `cough' have the Neutral construction in the Past Indicative : şܥ ܽ `Kamla sneezed'. ܾܽ ¬ `I coughed'. ( ¬ is also correct).
  3. (a) The Indicative Past, as discussed above, invariably refers to a particular act done in the past. It is never used with reference to an act habitually or regularly done in the past, for which the habitual past is used. See 173 (b) and (e).
  1. The common forms noted above are, obviously, terminate :they represent a particular past action as a whole or as a fact, not as going on. For the progressive, please see 216 and 325 (b).