Verbal roots (dhātu)
Verbal roots (dhātu)¶
Almost all verbs are formed from a root
We are using the square root symbol “ √ ” to indicate root.
some common roots are:
√kar (make)
√bhū (be)
√car (walk, move)
√car (act, behave)
√har (carry, take)
√jīv (live)
If you understand the roots, and how verbs, participles and nouns get formed from [prefixes] + roots ( bases ) + suffixes, you will understand more than half of the Pāli language.
For example:
some words which are derived from √bandh (bind, tie)
ābandhaka abandhana ābandhati ābandhi anubaddha anubandha anubandhamāna anubandhana anubandhati anubandhi anubandhitvā baddha bajjhati bandha bandhana bandhanīya bandhanta bandhāpesi bandhāpeti bandhāpita bandhati bandhava bandhi bandhitabba bandhituṃ bandhitvā bandhiya bandhu nibadhana nibandha nibandhana nibandhati nibandhi nibandhitvā paṭibhanda sambandha sambandhati sambandhi sambandhitvā ubbandhana ubbandhati ubbandhi upanibaddha upanibandha upanibandhana upanibandhati upanibandhi upanibhandha vinibandha
some words which are derived from √bhū (be)
abbhuta abhabba abhavi abhavissa abhāvita abhibhavana abhibhavanīya abhibhavati abhibhavi abhibhū abhibhūta abhibhuyya abhūta abhūtena adhibhavati adhibhavi adhibhūta anabhāva anubhavana anubhavanta anubhavati anubhavi anubhonta anubhoti anubhūta anubhutta anubhūyamāna atibhavi atibhoti bhāva bhava bhavamāna bhavana bhāvanā bhavanta bhavati bhāvayamāna bhāvayati bhāventa bhāvesi bhāvetabba bhāveti bhāvetuṃ bhāvetvā bhavi bhāvī bhāvita bhavitabba bhavituṃ bhavitvā bhāviyamāna bhiyyo bhiyyobhāva bhū bhūmi bhūta bhūtvā pabhava pabhāva pabhavati pabhāvesi pabhāveti pabhāvetvā pabhavi pabhavita pabhāvita pabhavitvā paccabhavi paccabhavitvā paccanubhavati paccanubhavi paccanubhavitvā paccanubhoti paccanubhūta parābhava parābhavanta parābhavati parābhavi parābhūta paribhava paribhavaṃ paribhavamāna paribhavana paribhavanta paribhavati paribhavi paribhāvita paribhavitvā paribhūta pātubhāva pātubhavati pātubhavi pātubhavitvā pātubhūta ponobbhavika ponobhavika sambhava sambhavana sambhavati sambhāvesi sambhāveti sambhāvetvā sambhavi sambhāvita sambhoti sambhūta samubbhavati samubbhavi samubbhavitvā samubbhūta vibhava vibhāvana vibhāvanā vibhāventa vibhāvesi vibhāveti vibhāvetvā vibhāvī vibhāvita vibhūsana vyantībhāva vyantībhavati vyantībhavi vyantībhūta
How do verbs get formed?¶
Root + Conjugational Sign > Base
The root together with the conjugational sign is called the base/stem
root + conjugational sign = base/stem
√car + a = cara
[Prefix(es)] + Base + Verbal ending > Verb
cara + ti > carati (he walks)
cara + si > carasi (you walk)
pari + cara + āmi > paricarāmi (I walk around)
Root Groups & Conjugational Signs¶
There are 7 or 8 groups of roots in Pāli (depending on the grammar tradition you are following).
These roots are grouped together because the verbs derived from them have similar formations.
| # | conjugational sign | example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | a | √bandh (tie) + a > bandha bandha + ti > bandhati (he ties) |
| 2 | ṃa | √rudh (obstruct) + ṃa > ruṃdha > rundha rundha + ti > rundhati (he obstructs) |
| 3 | ya | √div (shine) + ya > dibba dibba + ti > dibbati (he shines) |
| 4 | ṇā (ṇo8) (after vowel) uṇā (after consonant) |
√su (hear) + ṇā > suṇā suṇā + ti > suṇāti (he hears) √ap (reach) + uṇā > apuṇā pa + apuṇā + ti > pāpuṇāti (he reaches) |
| 5 | nā | √ji (conquer) + nā > jinā jinā + ti > jināti (he conquers) |
| 6 | ṇhā | √gah (grasp) + ṇhā > gaṇhā gaṇhā + ti > gaṇhāti (he grabs) |
| 7 | o | √kar (do, make) + o > karo karo + ti > karoti (he does, makes) |
| 8 | e, aya | √cur (steal) + e > core core + ti > coreti (he steals) √cur (steal) + aya > coraya coraya + ti > corayati (he steals) |
less common