Bengali Language/Verbs

Bengali verbs can be conjugated according to three tenses : Present, Past and Future

Within each tense, verbs can be conjugated differently according to their aspects : simple, progressive, perfect, habitual, near, distant, etc.

Verb conjugation in Present tense

First category of conjugation : Verbs ending in consonant+-aa

An example verb of this category is :

বলা
baw•laa
to speak

This is the dictionary form or the infinitive form of the verb.

At the end of this verb we have লা laa, which matches the pattern consonant + -aa

To conjugate this kind of verb in the present tense, you

1. remove the -aa in the end.

2. add the following endings depending on Person. (Who is doing the action matters).

3. Note that Number (Singular or Plural) of the Subject doesn't matter. (How many persons are doing the action has no influence on the verb ending.)

	Singular		Plural
1st Person	আমি aa•mi I	-i	আমরা aam•raa We	-i
2nd Person (informal)	তুমি tu•mi You	-o	তোমরা tom•raa You	-o
2nd Person (familiar / derogatory)	তুই tui You	-ish	তোরা to•ra You	-ish
2nd Person (formal)	আপনি aap•ni You	-en	আপনারা aap•naa•raa You	-en
3rd Person (informal)	সে she He/She	-e	তারা taa•raa They	-e
3rd Person (formal)	তিনি ti•ni He/She	-en	তাঁরা taa(n)•raa They	-en

বলা bawlaa to speak/say
	Singular		Plural
1st Person	আমি aa•mi I	বলি bo•li speak	আমরা aam•raa We	বলি bo•li speak
2nd Person (informal)	তুমি tu•mi You	বল baw•lo speak	তোমরা tom•raa You	বল baw•lo speak
2nd Person (familiar / derogatory)	তুই tui You	বলিস bo•lish speak	তোরা to•ra You	বলিস bo•lish speak
2nd Person (formal)	আপনি aap•ni You	বলেন baw•len speak	আপনারা aap•naa•raa You	বলেন baw•len speak
3rd Person (informal)	সে She He/She	বলে baw•le speaks	তারা taa•raa They	বলে bawl'e speak
3rd Person (formal)	তিনি ti•ni He/She	বলেন baw•len speaks	তাঁরা taa(n)•raa They	বলেন baw•len speak

progressive/continuous present

This tense describes a present action which is still going on at this moment and not finished.

perfect present

This tense describes an action which was completed in a near past.

habitual present

This tense describes an action which is a currently existing habit.

Verb conjugation in Past tense

Verbs in the past tense can differ according to aspects (whether the action was simply completed, whether the action was in the process of being completed, whether the action happened in the distant past, whether the action happened before another past action, whether the past action was habitual, etc.)

Simple past

Verb in simple past denotes a simple one-time completion of a past action

To conjugate a verb in the simple past tense:

1. from the infinitive form, remove the -aa in the end.

2. add the following endings depending on Person. (Who is doing the action matters).

3. Note that Number (Singular or Plural) of the Subject doesn't matter. (How many persons are doing the action has no influence on the verb ending.)

	Singular		Plural
1st Person	আমি aa•mi I	-lam	আমরা aam•raa We	-lam
2nd Person (informal)	তুমি tu•mi You	-le	তোমরা tom•raa You	-le
2nd Person (familiar / derogatory)	তুই tui You	-li	তোরা to•ra You	-li
2nd Person (formal)	আপনি aap•ni You	-len	আপনারা aap•naa•raa You	-len
3rd Person (informal)	সে she He/She	-lo	তারা taa•raa They	-lo
3rd Person (formal)	তিনি ti•ni He/She	-len	তাঁরা taa(n)•raa They	-len

Progressive/Incomplete past

To conjugate the verb in the progressive past tense, just add -chhi- before the simple past endings

	Singular		Plural
1st Person	আমি aa•mi I	-chhilam	আমরা aam•raa We	-chhilam
2nd Person (informal)	তুমি tu•mi You	-chhile	তোমরা tom•raa You	-chhile
2nd Person (familiar / derogatory)	তুই tui You	-chhili	তোরা to•ra You	-chhili
2nd Person (formal)	আপনি aap•ni You	-chhilen	আপনারা aap•naa•raa You	-chhilen
3rd Person (informal)	সে she He/She	-chhilo	তারা taa•raa They	-chhilo
3rd Person (formal)	তিনি ti•ni He/She	-chhilen	তাঁরা taa(n)•raa They	-chhilen

Distant past

To conjugate the verb in the distant past tense, just add -e- before the progressive past endings

	Singular		Plural
1st Person	আমি aa•mi I	-echhilam	আমরা aam•raa We	-echhilam
2nd Person (informal)	তুমি tu•mi You	-echhile	তোমরা tom•raa You	-echhile
2nd Person (familiar / derogatory)	তুই tui You	-echhili	তোরা to•ra You	-echhili
2nd Person (formal)	আপনি aap•ni You	-echhilen	আপনারা aap•naa•raa You	-echhilen
3rd Person (informal)	সে she He/She	-echhilo	তারা taa•raa They	-echhilo
3rd Person (formal)	তিনি ti•ni He/She	-echhilen	তাঁরা taa(n)•raa They	-echhilen

Perfect past

To conjugate the verb in the perfect past tense, you need to do the following :

1. create the appropriate perfect aspect stem. See Perfect Aspect

2. conjugate the perfect aspect stem in the distant past.

	Singular		Plural
1st Person	আমি aa•mi I	perfect aspect stem + -echhilam	আমরা aam•raa We	perfect aspect stem + -echhilam
2nd Person (informal)	তুমি tu•mi You	perfect aspect stem + -echhile	তোমরা tom•raa You	perfect aspect stem + -echhile
2nd Person (familiar / derogatory)	তুই tui You	perfect aspect stem + -echhili	তোরা to•ra You	perfect aspect stem + -echhili
2nd Person (formal)	আপনি aap•ni You	perfect aspect stem + -echhilen	আপনারা aap•naa•raa You	perfect aspect stem + -echhilen
3rd Person (informal)	সে she He/She	perfect aspect stem + -echhilo	তারা taa•raa They	perfect aspect stem + -echhilo
3rd Person (formal)	তিনি ti•ni He/She	perfect aspect stem + -echhilen	তাঁরা taa(n)•raa They	perfect aspect stem + -echhilen

Habitual past

Verb in habitual past denotes a past habit, an action that used to happen periodically over and over again.

To conjugate a verb in the habitual past tense:

1. from the infinitive form, remove the -aa in the end.

2. add the following endings depending on Person. (Who is doing the action matters). It's almost the same as the simple past tense except that the -l- marker is replaced by the -t- marker.

3. Note that Number (Singular or Plural) of the Subject doesn't matter. (How many persons are doing the action has no influence on the verb ending.)

	Singular		Plural
1st Person	আমি aa•mi I	-tam	আমরা aam•raa We	-tam
2nd Person (informal)	তুমি tu•mi You	-te	তোমরা tom•raa You	-te
2nd Person (familiar / derogatory)	তুই tui You	-tish	তোরা to•ra You	-tish
2nd Person (formal)	আপনি aap•ni You	-ten	আপনারা aap•naa•raa You	-ten
3rd Person (informal)	সে she He/She	-to	তারা taa•raa They	-to
3rd Person (formal)	তিনি ti•ni He/She	-ten	তাঁরা taa(n)•raa They	-ten

Verb conjugation in Future tense

Simple future

	Singular		Plural
1st Person	আমি aa•mi I	-bo	আমরা aam•raa We	-bo
2nd Person (informal)	তুমি tu•mi You	-be	তোমরা tom•raa You	-be
2nd Person (familiar / derogatory)	তুই tui You	-bi	তোরা to•ra You	-bi
2nd Person (formal)	আপনি aap•ni You	-ben	আপনারা aap•naa•raa You	-ben
3rd Person (informal)	সে she He/She	-be	তারা taa•raa They	-be
3rd Person (formal)	তিনি ti•ni He/She	-ben	তাঁরা taa(n)•raa They	-ben

Progressive future

	Singular		Plural
1st Person	আমি aa•mi I	INF+ thakbo	আমরা aam•raa We	INF+ thakbo
2nd Person (informal)	তুমি tu•mi You	INF+ thakbe	তোমরা tom•raa You	INF+ thakbe
2nd Person (familiar / derogatory)	তুই tui You	INF+ thakbi	তোরা to•ra You	INF+ thakbi
2nd Person (formal)	আপনি aap•ni You	INF+ thakben	আপনারা aap•naa•raa You	INF+ thakben
3rd Person (informal)	সে she He/She	INF+ thakbe	তারা taa•raa They	INF+ thakbe
3rd Person (formal)	তিনি ti•ni He/She	INF+ thakben	তাঁরা taa(n)•raa They	INF+ thakben

Perfect future

	Singular		Plural
1st Person	আমি aa•mi I	PAST PARTICIPLE + thakbo	আমরা aam•raa We	PAST PARTICIPLE + thakbo
2nd Person (informal)	তুমি tu•mi You	PAST PARTICIPLE + thakbe	তোমরা tom•raa You	PAST PARTICIPLE + thakbe
2nd Person (familiar / derogatory)	তুই tui You	PAST PARTICIPLE + thakbi	তোরা to•ra You	PAST PARTICIPLE + thakbi
2nd Person (formal)	আপনি aap•ni You	PAST PARTICIPLE + thakben	আপনারা aap•naa•raa You	PAST PARTICIPLE + thakben
3rd Person (informal)	সে she He/She	PAST PARTICIPLE + thakbe	তারা taa•raa They	PAST PARTICIPLE + thakbe
3rd Person (formal)	তিনি ti•ni He/She	PAST PARTICIPLE + thakben	তাঁরা taa(n)•raa They	PAST PARTICIPLE + thakben

• Perfect Aspect

Bengali Language

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