Annexure 1: Pronouns in Marathi Language and Their Use with Examples

Abstract:

Marathi, like other languages, uses pronouns (सर्वनाम - sarvanāma) to replace nouns and avoid repetition. These pronouns vary based on person (first, second, third), number (singular, plural), and gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) in some cases, and also politeness levels. 

Personal Pronouns:

• First Person:

  • Singular:
    • मी (mī) - I
    • Example: मी शाळेत जातो. (mī śāḷet jāto) - I go to school.
  • Plural:
    • आम्ही (āmhī) - We (excluding the listener)
    • आपण (āpaṇ) - We (including the listener)
    • Example: आम्ही जेवण करत आहोत. (āmhī jevaṇ karat āhot) - We are eating (excluding the listener).
    • Example: आपण घरी कधी जाणार? (āpaṇ gharī kadhī jāṇār?) - When are we going home? (including the listener)
• Second Person:

  • Singular (Informal):
    • तू (tū) - You (informal)
    • Example: तू काय करत आहेस? (tū kāy karat āhes?) - What are you doing? (informal)
  • Singular (Formal/Polite):
    • आपण (āpaṇ) - You (formal/polite)
    • Example: आपण कसे आहात? (āpaṇ kase āhāt?) - How are you? (formal/polite)
  • Plural (Informal and Formal):
    • तुम्ही (tumhī) - You (plural or formal)
    • Example: तुम्ही कुठे चालला आहात? (tumhī kuṭhe cāලā āhāt?) - Where are you going? (plural or formal)
• Third Person:

  • Masculine Singular:
    • तो (to) - He, That (masculine)
    • Example: तो माणूस हुशार आहे. (to māṇūs huśār āhe) - That man is intelligent.
  • Feminine Singular:
    • ती (tī) - She, That (feminine)
    • Example: ती मुलगी सुंदर आहे. (tī mulgī sundar āhe) - That girl is beautiful.
  • Neuter Singular:
    • ते (te) - It, That (neuter)
    • Example: ते पुस्तक छान आहे. (te pustak cāṅ śā he) - That book is good.
  • Plural (Masculine, Feminine, and Neuter):
    • ते (te) - They (masculine, neuter)
    • त्या (tyā) - They (feminine)
    • Example: ते मुले खेळत आहेत. (te mule kheḷat āhet) - Those boys are playing.
    • Example: त्या स्त्रिया बोलत आहेत. (tyā striyā bolat āhet) - Those women are talking.
    • Example: ते घर मोठे आहे. (te ghar moṭhe āhe) - That house is big. 

Other Pronouns:

• Reflexive Pronouns:

  स्वतः (svatah) - oneself, himself, herself, itself
• Possessive Pronouns:

  माझा (mājhā) - mine, तुझा (tujhā) - yours, त्याचा (tyācā) - his, तिची (tīcī) - hers, आमचा (āmchā) - ours, तुमचा (tumchā) - yours, त्यांचा (tyānchā) - theirs, etc.
• Demonstrative Pronouns:

  हा (hā) - this (masculine), ही (hī) - this (feminine), हे (he) - this (neuter), तो (to) - that (masculine), ती (tī) - that (feminine), ते (te) - that (neuter)
• Interrogative Pronouns:

  कोण (koṇ) - who, काय (kāy) - what, कोणाचा (koṇāchā) - whose, कोणता (koṇatā) - which. 

1. Introduction to Pronouns in Marathi (सर्वनाम)

In Marathi, a pronoun (सर्वनाम) is a word used instead of a noun to avoid repetition and improve the flow of communication. Pronouns help refer to persons, places, or things without directly naming them each time.

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2. Types of Pronouns in Marathi and Their Usage

2.1 Personal Pronouns (व्यक्तिवाचक सर्वनाम)

These pronouns are used to refer to specific persons or things.

English	Marathi (Singular)	Marathi (Plural)	Gender/Person
I	मी (mī)	-	First Person
We	आपण / आम्ही	-	First Person
You	तू (tū)	तुम्ही (tumhī)	Second Person
He	तो (to)	ते (te)	Third Person (Masculine)
She	ती (tī)	त्या (tyā)	Third Person (Feminine)
It	ते (te)	-	Neuter
They	ते (te) / त्या (tyā)	-	Third Person Plural

Examples:

• मी शाळेत जातो. (Mī śāḷet jāto.) – I go to school.

• ती अभ्यास करते. (Tī abhyās karte.) – She studies.

• तुम्ही कुठे जाता? (Tumhī kuṭhe jātā?) – Where are you going?

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2.2 Demonstrative Pronouns (सूचक सर्वनाम)

Used to point out specific persons or things.

English	Near Object	Far Object	Gender
This	हा (hā), ही (hī), हे (he)	-	M, F, N
That	तो (to), ती (tī), ते (te)	-	M, F, N

Examples:

• हा माझा मित्र आहे. (Hā mājhā mitra āhe.) – This is my friend.

• ती माझी वहिनी आहे. (Tī mājhī vahinī āhe.) – That is my sister-in-law.

• हे पुस्तक छान आहे. (He pustak chhān āhe.) – This book is nice.

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2.3 Reflexive Pronouns (स्वनियमन सर्वनाम)

Used when the subject and the object of the sentence are the same.

Marathi	English
स्वतः (svataḥ)	oneself
स्वतःला (svatahlā)	to oneself

Examples:

• मी स्वतःला दोष देत नाही. (Mī svatahlā doṣ det nāhī.) – I don’t blame myself.

• तो स्वतः शिकतो. (To svataḥ shikto.) – He learns by himself.

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2.4 Interrogative Pronouns (प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम)

Used to ask questions.

Marathi	English
कोण (koṇ)	Who
काय (kāy)	What
कुठे (kuṭhe)	Where
केव्हा (kevha)	When
का (kā)	Why
कसे/कशी/कसं (kase/kashī/kasaṅ)	How (depends on gender)

Examples:

• तू कोण आहेस? (Tū koṇ āhes?) – Who are you?

• हे काय आहे? (He kāy āhe?) – What is this?

• तू कुठे जात आहेस? (Tū kuṭhe jāt āhes?) – Where are you going?

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2.5 Possessive Pronouns (मालकी दर्शविणारे सर्वनाम)

These indicate ownership.

English	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
My	माझा (mājhā)	माझी (mājhī)	माझं (mājaṅ)
Your	तुझा / तुमचा	तुझी / तुमची	तुझं / तुमचं
His	त्याचा (tyācā)	त्याची (tyācī)	त्याचं (tyācaṅ)
Her	तिचा (ticā)	तिची (ticī)	तिचं (ticaṅ)
Their	त्यांचा (tyāncā)	त्यांची (tyāncī)	त्यांचं (tyāṅcaṅ)

Examples:

• हे माझं घर आहे. (He mājaṅ ghar āhe.) – This is my house.

• तिची पेन कुठे आहे? (Ticī pen kuṭhe āhe?) – Where is her pen?

• त्यांचा अभ्यास चांगला आहे. (Tyāncā abhyās chāṅglā āhe.) – Their study is good.

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2.6 Indefinite Pronouns (अनिश्चित सर्वनाम)

Used when referring to non-specific persons or things.

Marathi	English
कोणी (koṇī)	Someone
काही (kāhī)	Something
सर्व (sarva)	All
कोणीही (koṇīhī)	Anyone
कुणीतरी (kuṇītarī)	Someone (specific)

Examples:

• काही लोक आले होते. (Kāhī lok āle hote.) – Some people came.

• कोणी तरी दरवाजा वाजवला. (Koṇī tarī daravājā vājavlā.) – Someone knocked the door.

• सर्वजण आनंदी आहेत. (Sarvajṇ ānandī āhet.) – Everyone is happy.

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3. Rules for Using Pronouns in Marathi

• Pronouns must agree with gender, number, and case.

• Marathi pronouns often change their forms depending on the case (nominative, accusative, dative, etc.).

• Politeness and formality matter; for example:

  • तू (tū) = informal "you"

  • तुम्ही (tumhī) = formal/respectful "you"

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4. Summary Table of Key Pronouns

Type	Marathi Example	English Meaning
Personal	मी, तू, तो, ती	I, You, He, She
Demonstrative	हा, ती, ते	This, That
Reflexive	स्वतः	Oneself
Interrogative	कोण, काय	Who, What
Possessive	माझा, तुझा	My, Your
Indefinite	कोणी, काही	Someone, Something

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5. Practice Exercises

A. Translate into Marathi:

1. This is my pen.

2. Who are they?

3. He learns by himself.

4. Where is your book?

5. Someone is at the door.

B. Fill in the blanks with appropriate pronouns in Marathi:

1. ___ शाळेत जातो. (I go to school.)

2. ___ पुस्तक छान आहे. (This book is good.)

3. ___ कुणीतरी बोलत आहे. (Someone is speaking.)

4. ___ अभ्यास करत आहेस का? (Are you studying?)

5. ___ माझं घर आहे. (This is my house.)

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6. Conclusion

Pronouns in Marathi are essential elements of sentence formation and smooth communication. Understanding their correct usage with respect to gender, number, and formality is key to mastering the language. With regular practice, learners can become proficient in recognizing and applying various pronouns effectively in conversations.