Verbs · 5 of 8

Become and happen: అవు

అయింది "it's done", ఏమైంది? and other everyday uses.

అవు avu means "become" and "happen". It is one of the commonest verbs, because its subject is often a thing or an event, and so its "it" forms are the ones heard most.

The negatives use కా-, the stem of కాదు (Is and is not): కాదు kādu "won't happen", కాలేదు kālēdu "didn't happen, isn't done yet".

What someone becomes comes before అవు with no ending: అతను డాక్టర్ అయ్యాడు atanu ḍākṭar ayyāḍu "he became a doctor".

Everyday phrases

అవు also means "be done, be over" and "come to" for a total, and many set phrases are a noun with అవు. A final -ం becomes మ before it, and మ with అయింది is written మైంది: ఆలస్యం ālasyaṁ "delay" gives ఆలస్యమైంది ālasyamaiṁdi "it's late".

TeluguMeaning
ఏమైంది? ēmaiṁdi?what happened? what's wrong?
పని అయింది pani ayiṁdithe work is done
ఆలస్యమైంది ālasyamaiṁdiit's late, I'm late
టైం అయింది ṭaiṁ ayiṁdiit's time
పెళ్ళి అయింది peḷḷi ayiṁdi(someone) is married
అర్థమైంది arthamaiṁdiunderstood
ఎంత అయింది? eṁta ayiṁdi?how much does it come to?

అయి, అయితే and అయినా

అవు has the usual joining, "if" and "even if" forms (If and when): అయి ayi, అయితే ayitē and అయినా ayinā. అయితే on its own means "then, in that case" or "but", and అయినా "still, even so". The "any-" words like ఎవరైనా come from అయినా (Just, too, some and any), and the -ఐన of అందమైన "beautiful" is అవు's -ఇన form (Adjectives and adverbs).

Cards from this guide

9 cards

Each card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Verbs cards.

  • What does అయింది (ayiṁdi) mean?

    'It became', 'it happened' or 'it's done'.

  • How do you ask 'What happened?' or 'What's wrong?'

    ఏమైంది? (ēmaiṁdi?)

  • How do you say 'My older sister is married'?

    మా అక్కకు పెళ్ళి అయింది. (mā akkaku peḷḷi ayiṁdi.)

  • How do you say 'He became a doctor'?

    అతను డాక్టర్ అయ్యాడు. (atanu ḍākṭar ayyāḍu.)

  • What do ఆలస్యం (delay) and అయింది make together?

    ఆలస్యమైంది (ālasyamaiṁdi), 'it's late, I'm late'.

  • How do you say 'The work isn't done yet'?

    పని ఇంకా కాలేదు. (pani iṁkā kālēdu.)

  • How do you ask a shopkeeper 'How much does it come to?'

    ఎంత అయింది? (eṁta ayiṁdi?)

  • What does అయితే సరే (ayitē sarē) mean?

    'All right then'.

  • How do you say 'It's time' (to go, to eat)?

    టైం అయింది. (ṭaiṁ ayiṁdi.)

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