Joining actions
"And then" with -ఇ, "while" with -తూ, "without" with -కుండా.
Telugu joins actions done one after another with the joining form in -ఇ (the conjunctive participle), meaning "having done". Only the last verb has a tense and a personal ending, and it sets the tense and subject for the whole sentence.
| Verb | Joining form |
|---|---|
| చేయు cēyu do | చేసి cēsi |
| తిను tinu eat | తిని tini |
| వచ్చు vaccu come | వచ్చి vacci |
| వెళ్ళు veḷḷu go | వెళ్ళి veḷḷi |
| చూడు cūḍu see | చూసి cūsi |
| చదువు caduvu read | చదివి cadivi |
- nēnu iṁṭiki veḷḷi tinnānu.I went home and ate.I home-to having-gone ate
- atanu vacci kūrcunnāḍu.He came and sat down.
The joining form with చూడు cūḍu "see" means "try": తిని చూడు tini cūḍu "try it, taste it".
While: -తూ
-తూ "while doing" is made like the ongoing tense: చేస్తూ cēstū, తింటూ tiṁṭū, వింటూ viṁṭū.
- nēnu pāṭalu viṁṭū pani cēstānu.I work while listening to songs.
Without: -కుండా
-కుండా on the stem in -అ means "without doing": చేయకుండా cēyakuṁḍā, తినకుండా tinakuṁḍā, రాకుండా rākuṁḍā.
- atanu ēmī tinakuṁḍā veḷḷāḍu.He left without eating anything.
Before and after
ముందు muṁdu "before" follows the -ఏ form of the verb, and తర్వాత tarvāta "after" the -ఇన form (Describing with verbs).
- tinē muṁdu cētulu kaḍukkō.Wash your hands before you eat.
- nēnu tinna tarvāta vastānu.I'll come after I eat.
Cards from this guide
8 cardsEach 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 a joining form in -ఇ, like వెళ్ళి (veḷḷi), mean?
'Having gone': it links this action to the next, like 'and then'.
In a chain like వచ్చి కూర్చున్నాడు (came and sat down), which verb shows the tense and the subject?
Only the last one, కూర్చున్నాడు.
What's the joining form of చదువు (read)?
చదివి (cadivi).
What does a joining form followed by చూడు (see) mean, as in తిని చూడు (tini cūḍu)?
'Try': try eating it, taste it.
What does the ending -తూ (-tū) mean, as in వింటూ (viṁṭū)?
'While doing': while listening.
How do you say 'without eating' with తిను (eat)?
తినకుండా (tinakuṁḍā).
How do you say 'before eating' with తిను (eat)?
తినే ముందు (tinē muṁdu).
How do you say 'after eating' with తిను (eat)?
తిన్న తర్వాత (tinna tarvāta).