Key takeaways
- Marathi puts its 'prepositions' after the noun, and Wikipedia notes the noun first changes to an oblique form: घोडा becomes घोड्या- before -वर, 'on'.
- Traditional grammar counts eight vibhakti, from the unmarked nominative to the vocative.
- Common endings include -ला (to, also the definite object), -ने (by, with), -हून or -ऊन (from), -त (in) and -चा/-ची/-चे (of).
- The genitive agrees with the thing owned: घराचा दरवाजा, मुलांची तब्येत.
- Wikipedia notes that scholars disagree on how many cases Marathi has; one view counts only direct and oblique.
Marathi postpositions are the reason a single noun can appear in several shapes in one paragraph. Where English puts "on", "in" or "from" before a noun, Marathi attaches them after it, and the noun usually changes its ending first. Wikipedia's article on Marathi grammar describes both halves of that process, and its tables are the main source here. Romanisations follow the loose, macron-marked style the sources use; Marathi romanisation is not standardised, so the Devanagari is the reliable form.
After the noun, not before
Wikipedia's example sums up the pattern. The word ghoḍā घोडा, "horse", becomes घोड्यावर ghoḍyāvara, "on the horse", when the suffix -vara वर ("on") is attached. Two things happened:
- The postposition वर came after the noun, written as part of the same word.
- The noun changed from घोडा to घोड्या- before it.
Traditional grammar names the word class shabdayogī avyaya शब्दयोगी अव्यय, which Wikipedia lists as the Marathi equivalent of "preposition". The modified stem in step 2 is called the saamaanya ruup सामान्य रूप, the oblique form.
The oblique form: the noun changes first
Wikipedia explains that one analysis of Marathi recognises just two basic cases: the direct case, which is unmarked (rām), and the oblique, used before adpositions and postpositions (rām-ā-lā, "to Ram", where -ā is the oblique marker and -lā the dative). It adds that the form of the oblique suffix depends on the gender and the final vowel of the noun.
So before learning any postposition, it helps to learn the oblique of each noun alongside its plain form, as with ghoḍā → ghoḍyā- and rām → rāmā-. Many of the examples below show the oblique stem in the singular ending in -ā: घरा- (house), गावा- (village), मुला- (boy), दारा- (door).
The eight traditional vibhakti
Traditional grammar, following the Sanskrit tradition, counts eight cases called vibhaktī, each with suffixes. Wikipedia's table gives them as follows; the Marathi examples are from its own example table, with our English glosses.
| Case | Name | Singular suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | प्रथमा | none | विद्यार्थी अभ्यास करतात, students study |
| Accusative | द्वितीया | -ला, -स | घराला रंग दिला, painted the house |
| Instrumental | तृतीया | -ने | लेखणीने चित्र काढतो, draws with a pen |
| Dative | चतुर्थी | -ला, -स | मी मुलाला ओळखतो, I know the boy |
| Ablative | पञ्चमी | -ऊन, -हून | गावाहून आला, came from the village |
| Genitive | षष्ठी | -चा, -ची, -चे | घराचा दरवाजा, the house's door |
| Locative | सप्तमी | -त, -ई | घरात होता, was in the house |
| Vocative | सम्बोधन | — (plural -नो) | मुलांनो शांत बसा, children, sit quietly |
That is seven numbered cases plus the vocative, 7 + 1 = 8. Plural suffixes add a nasal: -ना for -ला, -नी for -ने, -ंत for -त.
Endings worth learning first
-ला does double duty. It marks the dative, "to", and also the definite or animate direct object. Wikipedia's differential object marking examples show the contrast: mulagā dagaḍa fekata āhe, "the boy is throwing (some) rocks", against mulagā dagaḍālā fekata āhe, "the boy is throwing the rock".
-ने marks the instrument, "with" or "by", and is also the ergative marker for the subject of a past transitive verb: mulāne purī khāllī, "the boy ate puri". Marathi verb basics covers what that does to the verb.
-हून and -ऊन both mean "from". Wikipedia notes -hūna is used when the noun ends in a vowel, while a vowel suffix such as -ūna attaches straight to the plain form: घर ghara gives घरून gharūna, "from the house".
-त and -ई both mark location. Where either is possible, Wikipedia says -ta suggests being inside a well-defined area, as in gharāta, "in the house", and -ī suggests being at a less well-defined place, as in gharī. Some feminine nouns must take -ī: सकाळ "morning" gives सकाळी, "in the morning".
-साठी, "for", appears in Wiktionary's table for मी: mājhyāsāṭhī, "for me".
The genitive agrees
The genitive -चा / -ची / -चे behaves like an adjective. Wikipedia notes that genitive markers inflect to agree with the governing noun, the thing owned, not the owner. From its examples:
- घराचा दरवाजा, "the house's door": दरवाजा is masculine singular, so -चा.
- मुलांची तब्येत, "the children's health": तब्येत is feminine singular, so -ची.
- मुलाचे प्रगती पत्रक, "the boy's report card": पत्रक is neuter singular, so -चे.
Possessive pronouns are built in a similar way, though Wikipedia notes the first- and second-person singular use different markers: माझा, माझी, माझे, "my".
Building four phrases, step by step
- On the horse: घोडा → oblique घोड्या- → + वर → घोड्यावर.
- To Ram: राम → oblique रामा- → + ला → रामाला.
- From the village: गाव → oblique गावा- → + हून → गावाहून.
- The house's door: घर → oblique घरा- → + चा (because दरवाजा is masculine) → घराचा दरवाजा.
Each phrase took the same two steps: make the oblique, then add the ending.
Practising the endings
Romanised text helps at the start, but these endings are attached in writing, so reading them means reading Devanagari; see the Marathi alphabet. Learn Marathi Language Fast puts romanised text and English meanings alongside the script and includes sentence building and listening practice. It is one of our language-learning apps. For the vocabulary to practise with, try Marathi phrases with meaning.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
What are postpositions in Marathi?
Why does घोडा become घोड्या before a postposition?
What is the difference between घरात and घरी?
How many cases does Marathi have?
Sources
- Marathi grammar (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
- मी (opens in a new tab)Wiktionary — accessed
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