These notes condense the most exam-critical Marathi grammar rules into one scannable page. Every section links to the full lesson for deeper reading. Use these cheat-sheets for last-minute revision before board exams, MPSC, or TET.
स्वर (Swar) — Vowels Full lesson →
Marathi has 12 standard vowels (स्वर). Knowing them is essential for sandhi rules and correct spelling.
| # | स्वर | Romanised | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | अ | a | Short (हस्व) |
| 2 | आ | aa | Long (दीर्घ) |
| 3 | इ | i | Short |
| 4 | ई | ee | Long |
| 5 | उ | u | Short |
| 6 | ऊ | oo | Long |
| 7 | ए | e | Mid (मध्य) |
| 8 | ऐ | ai | Diphthong (संयुक्त) |
| 9 | ओ | o | Mid |
| 10 | औ | au | Diphthong |
| 11 | अं | am (anusvara) | Nasal (अनुस्वार) |
| 12 | अः | ah (visarga) | Aspirate (विसर्ग) |
Key exam tip: अं and अः are counted in the vowel list for Marathi grammar purposes even though they are technically modifiers in Sanskrit. Many mark-scheme answers expect 12.
विभक्ती (Vibhakti) — Case Suffixes Full lesson →
Marathi has 8 vibhakti (cases). Each expresses a different grammatical relationship between the noun and the rest of the sentence.
| # | विभक्ती | प्रत्यय (Suffix) | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | प्रथमा | — | Subject (कर्ता) | राम येतो |
| 2 | द्वितीया | ला / स | Direct object (कर्म) | रामाला बोलाव |
| 3 | तृतीया | ने / शी / शी | Instrument / means | लेखणीने लिहितो |
| 4 | चतुर्थी | ला / साठी / करिता | Indirect object / purpose | मुलाला पाणी दे |
| 5 | पंचमी | हून / पासून | Ablative / separation / comparison | शाळेपासून दूर |
| 6 | षष्ठी | चा / ची / चे / च्या | Possession (संबंध) | रामाचे घर |
| 7 | सप्तमी | त / आत / वर | Location (अधिकरण) | घरात बसतो |
| 8 | संबोधन | नो / हो / ए / रे | Address / vocative | मित्रांनो, ऐका |
Key exam tip: षष्ठी (चा / ची / चे) changes form based on the gender and number of the possessed noun, not the possessor. Students frequently reverse this.
काळ (Kaal) — Tenses Full lesson →
Marathi has three primary tenses (काळ), each subdivided into simple, continuous, and perfect aspects.
| काळ | Marathi Name | Formation Pattern | Example (जाणे) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past | भूतकाळ | Verb root + ला / ली / ले / ल्या (gender / number) | तो गेला / ती गेली / ते गेले |
| Present | वर्तमानकाळ | Verb root + तो / ते / तात (person / number / gender) | तो जातो / ती जाते / ते जातात |
| Future | भविष्यकाळ | Verb root + ईल / तील / णार | तो जाईल / ते जातील |
Key exam tip: The auxiliary verb (असणे) must agree with the subject in gender and number in the present and past tenses. Errors in auxiliary agreement are the most common tense mistakes in written examinations.
समास (Samas) — Compound Words Full lesson →
A समास (compound) is formed when two or more words merge to create a new meaning. Marathi grammar recognises five principal types.
| Type | नाव | Dominant element | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avyayibhav | अव्ययीभाव | First word (indeclinable) | यथाशक्ती | According to capacity |
| Tatpurusha | तत्पुरुष | Second word | राजपुत्र | Son of the king |
| Karmadharaya | कर्मधारय | Second word (adjective + noun) | नीलकमल | Blue lotus |
| Dvandva | द्वंद्व | Both words equal | आईबाबा | Mother and father |
| Bahuvrihi | बहुव्रीही | Neither — modifies a third noun | पीतांबर | One who wears yellow (Vishnu) |
Key exam tip: Bahuvrihi is the most difficult type because the compound refers to something outside itself. Ask: "Does the compound name a third entity?" If yes, it is Bahuvrihi.
Common Errors — Incorrect vs. Correct Full lesson →
These are the most frequently penalised errors in board examinations and competitive tests.
| Incorrect (चुकीचे) | Correct (बरोबर) | Rule / Reason |
|---|---|---|
| मला भूक लागली आहे. | मला भूक लागली आहे. | Correct as written — included to illustrate auxiliary agreement with feminine भूक. |
| त्याचे आई घरी आहे. | त्याची आई घरी आहे. | षष्ठी suffix (चा / ची / चे) agrees with the possessed noun (आई, feminine → ची). |
| मुले खेळतो. | मुले खेळतात. | Plural subject (मुले) requires plural verb form (खेळतात), not singular (खेळतो). |
| तिने पुस्तक वाचला. | तिने पुस्तक वाचले. | Past tense suffix agrees with the object (पुस्तक, neuter → ले) when the verb is transitive. |
| राम आणि सीता गेला. | राम आणि सीता गेले. | Compound subject of mixed or masculine gender takes plural masculine form (गेले). |
| शाळेत जाऊन शिकतो. | शाळेत जाऊन शिकतो. | Correct as written — जाऊन is the correct gerundive of जाणे; जावून is a common colloquial misspelling. |
| तुम्हाला काय पाहिजे आहे? | तुम्हाला काय पाहिजे? | पाहिजे is already a complete present-tense form; adding आहे is redundant in standard written Marathi. |
| तो मला म्हंटला. | तो मला म्हणाला. | म्हणाला is the correct past form of म्हणणे; म्हंटला is dialectal and not accepted in standard written Marathi. |
संधी (Sandhi) — Sound Junctions Full lesson →
Sandhi rules govern how sounds merge at word boundaries. Three types appear most often in examinations:
- स्वरसंधी (Vowel Sandhi): Two adjacent vowels combine — रवि + इंद्र = रवींद्र.
- व्यंजनसंधी (Consonant Sandhi): A consonant changes before another consonant — जगत् + नाथ = जगन्नाथ.
- विसर्गसंधी (Visarga Sandhi): The visarga (ः) changes before vowels or consonants — मनः + योग = मनोयोग.
Identify the type first, then apply the relevant rule. The examiner rewards correct identification separately from correct derivation.
लिंग व वचन (Linga and Vachan) — Gender and Number Full lesson →
Marathi has three genders: masculine (पुल्लिंग), feminine (स्त्रीलिंग), and neuter (नपुंसकलिंग). Number is singular (एकवचन) or plural (अनेकवचन). Both gender and number affect verb endings, adjective forms, and vibhakti suffixes.
Key exam tip: When converting a sentence from singular to plural, check the verb, the adjective, and the vibhakti suffix — all three may change.
अलंकार (Alankar) — Figures of Speech Full lesson →
The most commonly tested figures of speech in board exams are:
- उपमा (Upama) — direct simile using सारखा / जसा / प्रमाणे.
- रूपक (Rupak) — metaphor; the comparison word is omitted and the two things are identified directly.
- उत्प्रेक्षा (Utpreksha) — imagined resemblance using जणू / जणू काय / वाटते.
- अनुप्रास (Anupras) — alliteration; repetition of the same consonant sound.
- यमक (Yamak) — repetition of a word or sound with different meanings.
For each alankar question, name the figure, quote the relevant words, and state the defining characteristic. Three marks are typically awarded for these three steps.
प्रयोग (Prayog) — Verb Voice Full lesson →
Marathi grammar identifies three primary verb-voice constructions (प्रयोग) that control how the verb agrees with the subject or object:
- कर्तरी प्रयोग (Kartari — Active Voice): The verb agrees with the subject (कर्ता). Most everyday sentences use this voice. Example: मुलगा पुस्तक वाचतो.
- कर्मणी प्रयोग (Karmani — Object-agreement Voice): The verb agrees with the direct object. The subject takes the third vibhakti (ने). Example: मुलाने पुस्तक वाचले.
- भावे प्रयोग (Bhave — Impersonal Voice): The verb does not agree with subject or object; it stays in a fixed third-person singular neuter form. Used with intransitive verbs in past tense. Example: तिने बसले. (rare in modern usage but tested in exams).
Key exam tip: Identify the voice before attempting to change tense or number. The most common mistake is applying Kartari verb agreement to a Karmani sentence.
उपसर्ग आणि प्रत्यय (Upsarg and Pratyay) — Prefixes and Suffixes Full lesson →
Prefixes (उपसर्ग) attach to the beginning of a word and change or intensify its meaning. Common Marathi/Sanskrit prefixes include:
- अ / अन् — negation: अयोग्य (improper), अनुचित (inappropriate)
- सु — good / well: सुंदर (beautiful), सुरक्षित (safe)
- दुर् / दुस् — bad / difficult: दुर्गम (inaccessible), दुस्साहस (recklessness)
- प्र — forward / intensive: प्रगती (progress), प्रताप (valour)
Suffixes (प्रत्यय) attach to the end. Derivational suffixes change the word class — for example, मराठी + पणा = मराठीपणा (noun from adjective). Inflectional suffixes (vibhakti, tense endings) mark grammatical relationships without changing the word class.
Key exam tip: Exam questions on उपसर्ग ask you to identify the prefix and state its meaning change. Write both parts for full marks.
वाक्यप्रकार (Vakyaprakar) — Sentence Types Full lesson →
Marathi sentences are classified by purpose and by structure:
- By purpose: Declarative (विधानार्थी), Interrogative (प्रश्नार्थी), Imperative (आज्ञार्थी), Exclamatory (उद्गारार्थी).
- By structure: Simple (केवल वाक्य — one finite verb), Compound (संयुक्त वाक्य — two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction), Complex (मिश्र वाक्य — one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses).
Key exam tip: When asked to convert a simple sentence to a compound or complex sentence, the examiner checks that the meaning is preserved exactly, not just that the structure changes. Reread your converted sentence to verify.
विरामचिन्हे (Viramchinhe) — Punctuation Full lesson →
Correct punctuation is tested directly in board exams through rewriting exercises. The marks most commonly questioned are:
- Full stop (पूर्णविराम ।) — used at the end of a declarative sentence. Note: Marathi uses the danda (।), not the Latin period (.) in formal written Marathi, though the period is increasingly accepted.
- Comma (स्वल्पविराम ,) — used to separate items in a list, to set off introductory phrases, and before conjunctions in compound sentences.
- Question mark (प्रश्नचिन्ह ?) — placed at the end of a direct question.
- Exclamation mark (उद्गारचिन्ह !) — follows an exclamatory word or sentence expressing strong emotion.
- Inverted commas (अवतरणचिन्हे "…") — enclose direct speech or quoted words.
Key exam tip: When converting indirect speech (reported speech) to direct speech, add inverted commas and adjust pronoun and tense as required. This is a 2-mark question type that students frequently under-prepare for.
म्हणी आणि वाक्प्रचार (Mhani and Vakprachar) — Proverbs and Idioms Full lesson →
Exam papers frequently include a section asking students to use a given proverb or idiom (म्हण / वाक्प्रचार) in a sentence that demonstrates its meaning. Key points:
- A म्हण (proverb) is a complete, self-contained saying expressing a general truth — for example: शहाण्याला शब्दांचा मार. (A wise person is hurt by words alone.)
- A वाक्प्रचार (idiom) is a phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from the individual words — for example: तोंड दाबून बुक्क्यांचा मार (to suffer injustice in silence; literally "a beating with one's mouth shut").
- When using an idiom in a sentence, keep its verb in the correct tense and ensure it agrees with the subject.
Learn 15–20 commonly tested proverbs and idioms. Your answer sentence must clearly reflect the figurative meaning — a literal use scores zero.
Word Count and Composition Tips
Many exam papers include a composition task (निबंध, पत्र, कथा, संवाद). Whatever type is set, these principles apply across the board:
- Plan before you write. Spend two minutes noting down your main points in order. A well-structured answer is easier to write and easier for the examiner to mark.
- Use paragraphs. Each new idea or section deserves its own paragraph. Examiners reward clear organisation.
- Vary sentence length. Mix short, punchy sentences with longer, more complex ones. This reflects command of the language and keeps the reader engaged.
- Check verb agreement before submitting. The single biggest source of lost marks in compositions is incorrect verb agreement — especially in transitive past-tense sentences (Karmani prayog).
- Use appropriate register. A formal letter (अर्ज) uses different vocabulary and opening formulae than an informal letter to a friend. Know the difference and apply it.
Revision Checklist
Before your exam, confirm you can:
- Name and write all 12 स्वर without prompting.
- State the suffix for each of the 8 विभक्ती and give an example sentence.
- Convert a present-tense sentence into past and future tense correctly.
- Identify and name a समास and break it into its components (विग्रह).
- Spot the error in a sentence and explain which rule it violates.
- Identify an अलंकार, quote the key words, and state its definition.
- Correctly apply कर्तरी vs कर्मणी प्रयोग when changing voice.
- Use a given म्हण or वाक्प्रचार in a sentence that clearly expresses its figurative meaning.
- Convert a simple sentence to compound or complex form while preserving meaning exactly.
- Write a formal letter with the correct opening, closing, and register.
For full explanations, worked examples, and practice questions, explore the complete Lessons section. Good luck with your revision!