The Past Tense in Kannada: ಹೋದೆ, ಬಂದೆ and ತಿಂದೆ
How to form the Kannada past tense, the endings for each person, and the common verbs whose past stems change.
The Kannada past tense is straightforward once you know one set of endings. Some common verbs change their stem, which you'll meet quickly.
Regular pattern
Take the verb stem, add the past marker, then the ending:
| Subject | ಮಾಡು (do) → past |
|---|---|
| ನಾನು | ಮಾಡಿದೆ |
| ನೀನು | ಮಾಡಿದೆ |
| ನೀವು | ಮಾಡಿದಿರಿ |
| ಅವನು | ಮಾಡಿದ |
| ಅವಳು | ಮಾಡಿದಳು |
| ನಾವು | ಮಾಡಿದೆವು |
| ಅವರು | ಮಾಡಿದರು |
The endings show person and gender, so the pronoun is often dropped.
Common verbs with changed stems
| Verb | Meaning | Past (I) |
|---|---|---|
| ಹೋಗು | go | ಹೋದೆ |
| ಬರು | come | ಬಂದೆ |
| ತಿನ್ನು | eat | ತಿಂದೆ |
| ಕುಡಿ | drink | ಕುಡಿದೆ |
| ಕೊಡು | give | ಕೊಟ್ಟೆ |
| ಇರು | be, stay | ಇದ್ದೆ |
| ನೋಡು | see | ನೋಡಿದೆ |
| ಓದು | read | ಓದಿದೆ |
| ಬರೆ | write | ಬರೆದೆ |
Note that ಹೋಗು, ಬರು and ತಿನ್ನು change in the past, and it is best to learn these as pairs.
Examples
- ನಾನು ನಿನ್ನೆ ಶಾಲೆಗೆ ಹೋದೆ. — I went to school yesterday.
- ಅವನು ಮೈಸೂರಿನಿಂದ ಬಂದ. — He came from Mysuru.
- ನಾವು ಊಟ ಮಾಡಿದೆವು. — We had a meal.
- ಅವಳು ಪತ್ರ ಬರೆದಳು. — She wrote a letter.
- ಅವರು ಸಿನಿಮಾ ನೋಡಿದರು. — They watched a film.
Past time words
- ನಿನ್ನೆ — yesterday
- ಮೊನ್ನೆ — the day before yesterday
Past continuous
To say "was doing", use -ತ್ತಿದ್ದೆ:
- ನಾನು ಓದುತ್ತಿದ್ದೆ. — I was reading.
Tips
- Learn the endings for ಮಾಡು.
- Learn the changed stems of common verbs.
- Use the dictionary to check past forms.
English Kannada Dictionary
Offline English–Kannada dictionary with meanings in proper Kannada script
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