To Be and To Have in Telugu
How Telugu says 'to be' and 'to have', with ఉంది, ఉన్నాను and the possessive pattern.
Telugu handles "to be" and "to have" differently from English.
To be: no verb in simple statements
Telugu usually leaves out "am, is, are" when naming or describing:
- నేను విద్యార్థిని. I am a student (female).
- ఆమె డాక్టర్. She is a doctor.
- ఇది పుస్తకం. This is a book.
To be: location and existence
Use ఉన్నాను and related forms for being somewhere:
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| నేను | ఉన్నాను |
| నువ్వు | ఉన్నావు |
| అతను | ఉన్నాడు |
| ఆమె / అది | ఉంది |
| మేము | ఉన్నాము |
| మీరు / వారు | ఉన్నారు |
- నేను ఇంట్లో ఉన్నాను. I am at home.
- బల్ల మీద పుస్తకం ఉంది. There is a book on the table.
To have
Telugu expresses possession with నాకు (to me) or నా దగ్గర (near me) plus ఉంది:
- నాకు ఒక అన్న ఉన్నాడు. I have an older brother.
- ఆమెకు ఒక కారు ఉంది. She has a car.
- నా దగ్గర డబ్బు ఉంది. I have money.
Negative
Use లేదు:
- నా దగ్గర డబ్బు లేదు. I don't have money.
- అతను ఇంట్లో లేడు. He is not at home.
Past
Telugu often uses the same ఉన్నాను form for "I was", with a time word making the meaning clear:
- నిన్న నేను ఇంట్లో ఉన్నాను. I was at home yesterday.
Two kinds of possession
Telugu uses నాకు for things that "come to" you, like relatives, and నా దగ్గర for things you hold with you, like money.
Tips
- Remember: no "is" in simple statements.
- Use నాకు ... ఉంది for "I have".
- Use the dictionary to check forms.
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