The Telugu Past Tense
How to form the past tense in Telugu, with చేయి and తిను as models, and the common endings.
The Telugu past tense is built by adding a past stem and personal endings.
The pattern with చేయి (do)
| Pronoun | Past | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| నేను | చేశాను | I did |
| నువ్వు | చేశావు | you did |
| అతను | చేశాడు | he did |
| ఆమె | చేసింది | she did |
| మేము / మనం | చేశాము / చేశాం | we did |
| మీరు / వారు | చేశారు | you / they did |
The pattern with తిను (eat)
- తిన్నాను, I ate
- తిన్నావు, you ate
- తిన్నాడు, he ate
- తిన్నది, she or it ate
- తిన్నాము, we ate
- తిన్నారు, they ate
Common verbs
| Verb | Past (I) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| వెళ్లు (go) | వెళ్లాను | I went |
| రా (come) | వచ్చాను | I came |
| చూడు (see) | చూశాను | I saw |
| చదువు (read) | చదివాను | I read |
| తాగు (drink) | తాగాను | I drank |
| రాయి (write) | రాశాను | I wrote |
Examples
- నేను నిన్న సినిమాకి వెళ్లాను. I went to the cinema yesterday.
- ఆమె పుస్తకం చదివింది. She read a book.
- వారు ఇంటికి వచ్చారు. They came home.
Time words
- నిన్న (yesterday)
- మొన్న (the day before yesterday)
- గత వారం (last week)
- ముందు (before)
Learning
Past stems vary from verb to verb, so learn the past form together with each verb.
Tips
- Learn the endings.
- Learn past stems with each verb.
- Use the dictionary to check stems.
English Telugu Dictionary
Offline English–Telugu dictionary with meanings in proper Telugu script
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