The su, tan, and krī classes
In the previous lesson, we learned about the four simple verb classes:
| Root | Stem |
|---|---|
| भू bhū | भव bhava |
| दिव् div | दीव्य dīvya |
| तुद् tud | तुद् tud |
| चुर् cur | चोरय coraya |
The other six verb classes are more complex. Let's call these six classes the complex verb classes for short.
In this lesson, we will study three of these classes: the su class, the tan class, and the krī class. First, we will learn how these classes form their stems. Then, we will learn how to use these stems with the endings of the four special tense-moods.
What makes a verb class complex?
Why are these classes called the complex verb class? First, their stems end in sounds other than -a. As a result, we might have to apply various sandhi changes to these stems and endings:
द्वेष् + ति → द्वेष्टि
dveṣ + ti → dveṣṭi
hate → (someone) hates
Second, their stems come in two different versions: a strong stem that is used with certain endings, and a weak ending that is used with the other endings:
द्वेष् + ति → द्वेष्टि
dveṣ + ti → dveṣṭi
hate → (someone) hates
(strong stem)द्विष् + अन्ति → द्विषन्ति
dviṣ + anti → dviṣanti
hate → (someone) hates
(weak stem)
Third, some of these classes use endings that differ from the endings we have seen already:
कृ → कुर्वते
kṛ → kurvate
They all make.
(Note that this is not *kurvante, as we might otherwise expect)
The su class
The su class uses two different stems. Its strong stem uses the suffix -no, and its weak stem uses the suffix -nu:
सु → सुनोति
su → sunoti
(Someone) presses out.सु → सुन्वन्ति
su → sunvanti
They press out.
One of its important irregular verbs is śru (“hear”). Its strong stem is śṛṇo, and its weak stem is śṛṇu:
श्रु → शृणोति
śru → śṛṇoti
(Someone) hears.श्रु → शृण्वन्ति
śru → śṛṇvanti
They hear.
The tan class
The tan class is just like the su class. But instead of using -no and -nu, it uses -o and -u:
तन् → तनोति
tan → tanoti
expand → (someone) expandsतन् → तन्वन्ति
tan → tanvanti
expand → they expand
The tan class contains only ten roots. But it also contains the root kṛ (“do, make”), which is one of the most common roots in all of Sanskrit. The strong stem of kṛ is karo-, and the weak stem is kuru-:
कृ → करोति
kṛ → karoti
do → (someone) doesकृ → कुर्वन्ति
kṛ → kurvanti
do → they do
The krī class
The krī class uses -nā for its strong stem and -nī for its weak stem:
क्री → क्रीणाति
krī → krīṇāti
buy → (someone) buysक्री → क्रीणीतः
krī → krīṇītaḥ
buy → the two of them buy
krī + nā becomes krīṇā due to a sandhi rule. The idea is that r might cause the n sounds that follow it to become ṇ.
Complex classes with parasmaipada endings
The complex classes use the same parasmaipada endings as the simple classes. In the tables below, the red words use a strong stem.
First, we have the present tense:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | सुनोति sunoti | सुनुतः sunutaḥ | सुन्वन्ति sunvanti |
| 2nd | सुनोषि sunoṣi | सुनुथः sunuthaḥ | सुनुथ sunutha |
| 1st | सुनोमि sunomi | सुनुवः sunuvaḥ | सुनुमः sunumaḥ |
Notice the sandhi change in the second-person singular (sunosi becomes sunoṣi).
Next, we have the command mood:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | सुनोतु sunotu | सुनुताम् sunutām | सुन्वन्तु sunvantu |
| 2nd | सुनु sunu | सुनुतम् sunutam | सुनुत sunuta |
| 1st | सुनवानि sunavāni | सुनवाव sunavāva | सुनवाम sunavāma |
Then the ordinary past tense:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | असुनोत् asunot | असुनुताम् asunutām | असुन्वन् asunvan |
| 2nd | असुनोः asunoḥ | असुनुतम् asunutam | असुनुत asunuta |
| 1st | असुनवम् asunavam | असुनुव asunuva | असुनुम asunuma |
And the potential mood:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | सुनुयात् sunuyāt | सुनुयाताम् sunuyātām | सुनुयुः sunuyuḥ |
| 2nd | सुनुयाः sunuyāḥ | सुनुयातम् sunuyātam | सुनुयात sunuyāta |
| 1st | सुनुयाम् sunuyām | सुनुयाव sunuyāva | सुनुयाम sunuyāma |
Notice that the ending uses -yā- instead of -ī-. But the 3rd person plural ending is just -yuḥ.
Complex classes with ātmanepada endings
The complex classes generally use the same ātmanepada endings as the simple classes. The major difference is the third-person plural. Although we use -ante and -anta in the simple classes, we use -ate and -ata here:
लभन्ते
labhante
They obtain.सुन्वते
sunvate
They press out.अलभन्त
alabhanta
They obtained.असुन्वत
asunvata
They pressed out.
First, we have the present tense:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | सुनुते sunute | सुन्वाते sunvāte | सुन्वते sunvate |
| 2nd | सुनुषे sunuṣe | सुन्वाथे sunvāthe | सुनुध्वे sunudhve |
| 1st | सुन्वे sunve | सुनुवहे sunuvahe | सुनुमहे sunumahe |
For the first person, we also have the optional forms sunvahe and sunmahe.
Next is the command mood:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | सुनुताम् sunutām | सुन्वाताम् sunvātām | सुन्वताम् sunvatām |
| 2nd | सुनुष्व sunuṣva | सुन्वाथाम् sunvāthām | सुनुध्वम् sunudhvam |
| 1st | सुनवै sunavai | सुनवावहै sunavāvahai | सुनवामहै sunavāmahai |
Then the ordinary past tense:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | असुनुत asunuta | असुन्वाताम् asunvātām | असुन्वत asunvata |
| 2nd | असुनुथाः asunuthāḥ | असुन्वाथाम् asunvāthām | असुनुध्वम् asunudhvam |
| 1st | असुन्वि asunvi | असुनुवहि asunuvahi | असुनुमहि asunumahi |
Here, too, we have the optional forms asunvahi and asunmahi in the first person.
Finally, we have the potential mood:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | सुन्वीत sunvīta | सुन्वीयाताम् sunvīyātām | सुन्वीरन् sunvīran |
| 2nd | सुन्वीथाः sunvīthāḥ | सुन्वीयाथाम् sunvīyāthām | सुन्वीध्वम् sunvīdhvam |
| 1st | सुन्वीय sunvīya | सुन्वीवहि sunvīvahi | सुन्वीमहि sunvīmahi |
Notice that most of these endings start with -ī-.
Endings for the tan and krī classes
The tan class is essentially identical to the su class, including its optional forms.
The krī class also uses the same endings. But the last -ī of its weak stem uses a special sandhi rule: if the verb ending starts with a, then the -ī is removed:
क्रीणी + अन्ति → क्रीणन्ति
krīṇī + anti → krīṇantiक्रीणी + अन्तु → क्रीणन्तु
krīṇī + antu → krīṇantuअक्रीणी + अन् → अक्रीणन्
akrīṇī + an → akrīṇanक्रीणी + अते → क्रीणते
krīṇī + ate → krīṇateअक्रीणी + अत → अक्रीणत
akrīṇī + ata → akrīṇata
Also, the second-person singular of the command mood uses the ending -hi:
एतत् क्रीणीहि।
etat krīṇīhi.
Buy this.
Review
What are the strong and weak stems of su?
What are the strong and weak stems of śru?
What are the strong and weak stems of tan?
What are the strong and weak stems of kṛ?
What are the strong and weak stems of krī?