Word Order and Sentence Building

Marathi usually follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) sentence structure.

This means that unlike English, the action or the verb commonly comes toward the end of a neutral sentence.

While you can sometimes swap the order of the subject and the object for conversational emphasis, word order can also vary for emphasis or discourse.

Mastering this basic structure early on is the key to making your spoken Marathi sound natural.

In neutral Marathi sentences, SOV is a useful default for beginners, although word order can vary for emphasis and discourse.

Examples:

मी आंबा खातो. (mee aambaa khaato.) – I eat a mango.

तो पाणी पितो. (to paani pito.) – He drinks water.

ती पुस्तक वाचते. (tee pustak vaachte.) – She reads a book.

आम्ही काम करतो. (aamhi kaam karto.) – We do work.

ते गाणे गातात. (te gaane gaataat.) – They sing a song.

मुलगा अभ्यास करतो. (mulgaa abhyaas karto.) – The boy does studying.

राहुल चहा पितो. (rahul chahaa pito.) – Rahul drinks tea.

मी पत्र लिहितो. (mee patra lihito.) – I write a letter.

शिक्षक धडा शिकवतात. (shikshak dhadaa shikavtaat.) – The teacher teaches a lesson.

ती चित्र काढते. (tee chitra kaadhte.) – She draws a picture.

माकड झाडावर चढते. (maakad zhaadaavar chadhte.) – The monkey climbs on the tree.

मी मराठी बोलतो. (mee marathi bolto.) – I speak Marathi.

Making Positive Statements

Making positive, affirmative statements is very straightforward once you internalize the Subject-Object-Verb rule.

You simply state your subject, follow it with the object you are interacting with, and end with the correctly conjugated verb.

Notice how the ending of the verb changes slightly depending on the subject doing the action.

For a masculine speaker saying "I" (mee) or describing "He" (to), the verb takes the -तो (-to) ending, like खातो (khaato).

For a feminine speaker saying "I" (mee) or describing "She" (tee), the verb takes the -ते (-te) ending, like वाचते (vaachte).

Crucially, when you speak to an informal masculine "You" (tu), the verb takes the -तोस (-tos) ending, such as करतोस (kartos) or खातोस (khaatos).

In formal Marathi, dropping the subject pronoun is sometimes acceptable if the context is obvious, but beginners should always practice using full, complete sentences.

Examples:

माझे नाव सुमित आहे. (maazhe naav sumit aahe.) – My name is Sumit.

मला भारत आवडतो. (malaa bhaarat aavadto.) – I like India.

तो चांगला मुलगा आहे. (to chaanglaa mulgaa aahe.) – He is a good boy.

ती रोज धावते. (tee roj dhaavte.) – She runs daily.

आम्ही पुण्यात राहतो. (aamhi punyat raahto.) – We live in Pune.

तो खूप हुशार आहे. (to khoop hushaar aahe.) – He is very smart.

हे माझे घर आहे. (he maazhe ghar aahe.) – This is my house.

मला झोप येत आहे. (malaa zhop yet aahe.) – I am feeling sleepy.

Making Negative Statements

To transform a positive statement into a negative one, you generally add the negative marker नाही (naahi) at the very end of the sentence.

Because the negative marker often replaces or follows the final verb, the verb itself might change to a base or slightly altered form.

A crucial exception involves the present tense verb for "to be" which is आहे (aahe).

When making this verb negative, you completely replace आहे (aahe) with नाही (naahi) instead of saying "aahe naahi".

A frequent beginner mistake is placing the negative marker directly before the verb just like in English.

The negative word नाही (naahi) commonly follows the main verb or participial form. With the simple present copula आहे (aahe), the negative form is normally नाही (naahi), as in हे माझे घर नाही. However, नाही is not required to be the absolute final word in every Marathi negative construction.

Examples:

मी आंबा खात नाही. (mee aambaa khaat naahi.) – I do not eat a mango.

तो पाणी पीत नाही. (to paani peet naahi.) – He does not drink water.

ती पुस्तक वाचत नाही. (tee pustak vaachat naahi.) – She does not read a book.

हे माझे घर नाही. (he maazhe ghar naahi.) – This is not my house.

तो हुशार नाही. (to hushaar naahi.) – He is not smart.

मी पुण्यात राहत नाही. (mee punyat raahat naahi.) – I do not live in Pune.

मला चहा आवडत नाही. (malaa chahaa aavadat naahi.) – I do not like tea.

आज पाऊस पडत नाही. (aaj paaus padat naahi.) – It is not raining today.

तो वेळेवर येत नाही. (to velevar yet naahi.) – He does not come on time.

मला हे समजत नाही. (malaa he samjat naahi.) – I do not understand this.

आम्ही तिथे जात नाही. (aamhi tithe jaat naahi.) – We do not go there.

ती काम करत नाही. (tee kaam karat naahi.) – She does not do work.

Forming Questions

Yes/No Question Formation

Forming a yes or no question in Marathi is incredibly simple and requires no confusing word inversions.

You simply take a standard positive statement and add the question particle का (kaa) at the very end.

When speaking, your voice pitch should rise slightly on the word का (kaa), just as it does at the end of an English question.

Examples:

तू आंबा खातोस का? (tu aambaa khaatos kaa?) – Do you eat a mango?

तो पुण्यात राहतो का? (to punyat raahto kaa?) – Does he live in Pune?

ती अभ्यास करते का? (tee abhyaas karte kaa?) – Does she study?

हे तुझे पुस्तक आहे का? (he tujhe pustak aahe kaa?) – Is this your book?

तुम्हाला चहा हवा आहे का? (tumhaalaa chahaa havaa aahe kaa?) – Do you want tea?

आज सुट्टी आहे का? (aaj sutti aahe kaa?) – Is it a holiday today?

तो आजारी आहे का? (to aajaari aahe kaa?) – Is he sick?

तुला मराठी येते का? (tulaa marathi yete kaa?) – Do you know Marathi?

ते काम पूर्ण झाले का? (te kaam purna zhaale kaa?) – Is that work finished?

तू उद्या येशील का? (tu udyaa yeshil kaa?) – Will you come tomorrow?

Wh-Questions

Information questions require specific question words like what, when, where, and who to get detailed answers.

In Marathi, question words generally appear in the position of the information being asked about, often before the verb, without English-style subject–verb inversion.

Unlike English, you do not invert the subject and the verb to ask an information question.

The sentence order remains exactly the same, with the question word logically replacing the specific information you are trying to find.

The most common question words are काय (kaay) for what, कधी (kadhi) for when, कुठे (kuthe) for where, and कोण (kon) for who.

Examples:

तुझे नाव काय आहे? (tujhe naav kaay aahe?) – What is your name?

तू काय करतोस? (tu kaay kartos?) – What do you do?

तो कुठे राहतो? (to kuthe raahto?) – Where does he live?

हे पुस्तक कुठे आहे? (he pustak kuthe aahe?) – Where is this book?

तू कधी येशील? (tu kadhi yeshil?) – When will you come?

शाळा कधी सुरू होते? (shaalaa kadhi suru hote?) – When does school start?

तिथे कोण आहे? (tithe kon aahe?) – Who is there?

हा मुलगा कोण आहे? (haa mulgaa kon aahe?) – Who is this boy?

तू काय खात आहेस? (tu kaay khaat aahes?) – What are you eating?

तो कधी जाणार आहे? (to kadhi jaanaar aahe?) – When is he going to go?

तुम्ही कुठे काम करता? (tumhi kuthe kaam kartaa?) – Where do you work?

तुला काय पाहिजे? (tulaa kaay paahije?) – What do you want?

How-Questions

The word for "how" in Marathi is highly unique because it changes its ending to match the exact gender and number of the noun it describes.

You must use कसा (kasaa) for masculine singular nouns.

You must use कशी (kashi) for feminine singular and neuter plural nouns.

You must use कसे (kase) for neuter singular and masculine plural nouns.

You must use कशा (kashaa) for feminine plural nouns.

Like other Wh-question words, the "how" word generally appears in the position of the information being asked about, often before the verb.

Matching the gender perfectly is a clear sign of a proficient, respectful Marathi speaker.

Examples:

तू कसा आहेस? (tu kasaa aahes?) – How are you? (Speaking to a male)

तू कशी आहेस? (tu kashi aahes?) – How are you? (Speaking to a female)

ते कसे आहेत? (te kase aahet?) – How are they? (Masculine plural)

त्या कशा आहेत? (tyaa kashaa aahet?) – How are they? (Feminine plural)

हा आंबा कसा आहे? (haa aambaa kasaa aahe?) – How is this mango? (Masculine singular noun)

ही शाळा कशी आहे? (hee shaalaa kashi aahe?) – How is this school? (Feminine singular noun)

हे पुस्तक कसे आहे? (he pustak kase aahe?) – How is this book? (Neuter singular noun)

ही पुस्तके कशी आहेत? (hee pustake kashi aahet?) – How are these books? (Neuter plural noun)

तू हे कसे केलेस? (tu he kase keles?) – How did you do this?

तो कसा गेला? (to kasaa gelaa?) – How did he go?

ती कशी आली? (tee kashi aali?) – How did she come?

तुझा दिवस कसा होता? (tuzhaa divas kasaa hotaa?) – How was your day?

काम कसे चालले आहे? (kaam kase chaalale aahe?) – How is the work going?

चित्रपट कसा होता? (chitrapat kasaa hotaa?) – How was the movie?

Nouns: Gender and Number

Every single noun in the Marathi language is assigned one of three specific genders: masculine, feminine, or neuter.

You must absolutely memorize the gender of a noun the moment you learn the word, as it completely dictates how adjectives and verbs will behave around it.

Plural forms also change dramatically depending on both the inherent gender of the noun and its ending vowel.

For instance, masculine nouns ending in the "a" sound almost always change to an "e" sound in their plural form.

Because there are several irregular patterns, practicing your vocabulary lists with their exact plural forms is essential for grammatical accuracy.

Examples:

मुलगा (mulgaa) – boy (Masculine Singular)

मुलगे (mulge) – boys (Masculine Plural)

मुलगी (mulgi) – girl (Feminine Singular)

मुली (muli) – girls (Feminine Plural)

घर (ghar) – house (Neuter Singular)

घरे (ghare) – houses (Neuter Plural)

कुत्रा (kutraa) – dog (Masculine Singular)

कुत्रे (kutre) – dogs (Masculine Plural)

नदी (nadi) – river (Feminine Singular)

नद्या (nadyaa) – rivers (Feminine Plural)

Cultural Tip

When interacting in local markets in Maharashtra, knowing noun genders helps you use the correct adjectives to describe produce. Calling a mango (masculine) by a feminine adjective will immediately mark you as a tourist, though locals are usually very forgiving and encouraging.

Articles and Determiners

Marathi does not have direct, exact translations for the English articles "a", "an", or "the".

If you simply want to say "a book", you can either just say the word "book" on its own, or you can use the number one, एक (ek), for added emphasis.

Marathi has no direct equivalent of English "the." A noun can be understood as definite from context; demonstratives such as तो (to), ती (ti), or ते (te) can be used when you specifically mean "that."

These words translate much closer to saying "that" specific book rather than a generic "the".

Examples:

मला आंबा हवा आहे. (malaa aambaa havaa aahe.) – I want a mango.

मला एक आंबा हवा आहे. (malaa ek aambaa havaa aahe.) – I want one mango. (Emphasizing quantity)

तो आंबा गोड आहे. (to aambaa god aahe.) – That mango is sweet. (Acting like "the")

ती मुलगी हुशार आहे. (tee mulgi hushaar aahe.) – That girl is smart. (Acting like "the")

ते पुस्तक माझे आहे. (te pustak maazhe aahe.) – That book is mine. (Acting like "the")

एक माणूस तिथे उभा होता. (ek maanus tithe ubhaa hotaa.) – A man was standing there.

मला ती खुर्ची द्या. (malaa tee khurchi dyaa.) – Give me that chair. (Acting like "the")

एक कुत्रा भुंकत आहे. (ek kutraa bhunkat aahe.) – A dog is barking.

Practice Section

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in each blank with the correct word, letter, or form based on what you learned.

1- मला _________ पुस्तक हवे आहे. (Hint: The word for the number one, used as an indefinite article)

2- मैदानावर दोन _________ खेळत आहेत. (Hint: The plural form of mulgaa / boy)

True/False

Read each statement carefully and decide if it is True or False.

1- The verb is always placed at the very beginning of a Marathi sentence.

2- Every noun in Marathi belongs to one of three specific genders: masculine, feminine, or neuter.

Translation

Translate each English phrase or sentence into Marathi.

1- I do not drink tea.

2- What is your name?

3- Do you eat a mango?