Irregular Verbal Bases

Irregular Verbal Bases

Most verbs in Pāli are quite predictable in their formation, but there are a few irregularities. Here follows a list of a few common ones. You will be quite familiar with many of these by now, but some will seem strange.

Irregular Present Tense Bases

√as	sa	santi	there are
√chand	chāde	chādeti	pleases; gives pleasure
√ḍaṃs	ḍasa	ḍasati	bites, stings
√dā	de	deti	gives; donates
√dhā	daha	dahati	considers as; takes as
√dis	passa	passati	sees
√dis	dakkha	dakkhati	sees
√gam	gaccha	gacchati	goes
√is	iccha	icchati	wishes
√jan	jāya	jāyati	is born
√kar	kubba	kubbati	does; makes
√kar	kuru	kurute	one oneself does
√khī	khiyya	khiyyati	criticises; complains
√ñā	jānā	jānāti	knows
√pā	piva	pivati	drinks
√rabh	rambha	ārambhati	begins
√sad	sīda	sīdati	sinks
√ṭhā	tiṭṭha	tiṭṭhati	stands
√vad	vade	vadeti	speaks
√var	pura	pāpurati	covers, wraps with
√vid	binda	nibbindati	is dis-enchanted
√yam	veccha	anuppavecchati	gives, supports

Irregular Aorist Bases

√kus	koccha	akkocchi	abused
√labh	lattha	alatthuṃ	they got; they obtained
√vac	voca	avocuṃ	they said
√su	so	assosi	heard

Irregular Future Bases

√bhā	bhāhi	bhāhiti	will shine
√dā	dassa	dassati	will give
√gah	gahessa	gahessati	will grasp
√han	haṅkha	paṭihaṅkhati	will kill
√har	hāhi	vihāhiti	will live
√har	hassa	vihassati	will live
√hā	hāssa	pahāssati	will give up
√hū	hehi	hehiti	will be
√hū	hessa	hessati	will be
√hū	hohi	hohiti	will be
√i	ehi	ehiti	will go, come
√kar	kāha	kāhati	will do
√kar	kāhi	kāhiti	will do
√kar	kassa	kassāmi	I will do
√labh	laccha	lacchati	will get
√pal	palehi	palehiti	will flee
√sak	sakkha	sakkhati	will be able
√vac	vakkha	vakkhati	will say
√vas	vaccha	vacchati	will live
√vis	vekkha	pavekkhati	will enter