Magahi grammar, step by step
A guided tour through Magahi grammar with glossed examples that show how each piece of a sentence fits together.
Grammar Walkthrough
Discover how the language works through examples
Magahi is the language of ancient Magadh — and unlike its close relative Hindi, it has NO ergative construction: the verb always agrees with the subject, even in the transitive past.
The verb comes last
SOV word orderWhere is the verb in each sentence? What sits between the subject and the verb?
Magahi is Subject–Object–Verb. The verb always comes at the end of the sentence. The object sits between subject and verb.
"Ham" for I
ham: 1SG pronoun| Person | Magahi pronoun | Hindi equivalent | Auxiliary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1SG (I) | हम (ham) | मैं (maiṃ) | ही (hī) |
| 2SG (familiar) | तों (tõ) | तू (tū) | हऊ (hau) |
| 3SG | ऊ (ū) | वह (vah) | हे (he) |
| 1PL (we) | हम सब | हम (ham) | ही |
Hindi uses मैं (maiṃ) for "I." What does Magahi use, and how does the auxiliary change?
Magahi uses हम (ham) for the first-person singular — the same word Hindi uses for "we." The 1SG auxiliary is ही (hī), not हूँ (hūṃ) as in Hindi. This is consistent across Eastern Indo-Aryan languages.
The habitual participle: -ait
habitual participle -aitHindi forms the habitual verb with -tā/-tī. Awadhi uses -at. Magahi uses yet another form. What is it, and does it inflect for gender?
Magahi forms the habitual participle with -ait (बोलैत). Like Awadhi's -at, this form does NOT inflect for gender — it is the same for both masculine and feminine speakers. The past perfective, however, does show gender.
The verb always follows the subject
no ergative: verb tracks subjectIn Hindi, the past transitive verb changes to agree with the object. In Magahi, compare "I read a book (habit)" with "I read the book (past)" — does the verb agreement flip?
Magahi has NO ergative construction. In Hindi, a completed transitive action makes the subject take ने (ne) and the verb agree with the object. In Magahi, the verb ALWAYS agrees with the subject — even in the transitive past. This is the most important grammatical difference from Hindi.
The definiteness suffix: -wā
definite suffix -wāMagahi has no articles. But a suffix appears on nouns to mark "the." What is it?
Magahi (and other Eastern Hindi languages) uses the suffix -wā (sometimes -wā/-vā/-uā) to mark a noun as definite — referring to a specific thing already known to the listener. This is entirely absent from Standard Hindi, which uses word order and context instead.
Gender shows in the past
gender in past perfectiveThe habitual -ait does not inflect for gender. But in the past perfective, the verb shows gender. What changes?
Magahi past perfective agrees with the subject in gender: the suffix changes for masculine vs. feminine. This agreement is with the SUBJECT in all cases — including transitive sentences (cf. Step 4 — no ergative flip).
Three time frames
tense: present / past / future| Tense | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present habitual | -ait + auxiliary | बोलैत ही |
| Past perfective | -al + agreement | बोललियो / बोललक |
| Future | -b suffix | बोलब |
Three sentences, three time frames. What element signals each time frame?
Magahi expresses tense through the habitual participle + auxiliary (present), the perfective suffix + agreement (past), and a -b future suffix similar to Awadhi and Bhojpuri.
Saying no
negation with na / nāWhere does the negation word appear? Is it the same for present and future?
Magahi negates with ना (nā) or नाहीं (nāhīṃ) placed before the verb. This is the same position as Hindi नहीं, but the short ना form is more common in Magahi.
Asking questions
questionsHow does Magahi form yes/no questions? Where do question words sit?
Yes/no questions use के (ke) or का (kā) at the start, or rising intonation. Information question words appear in-situ — in the position where the answer would go.
Relationship words come after
postpositions and oblique caseThe noun before a postposition changes its form. What change occurs, and which postpositions does Magahi use?
Like other Eastern Hindi languages, Magahi uses postpositions (relationship words after the noun). Before a postposition, the noun takes an oblique form. The postpositions themselves are similar to Hindi: में (in), पर (on), के (of/to), से (from).
Making someone do something
causative verbsMagahi has a highly productive way to make a verb mean "cause someone to do X." What suffix appears on the verb stem?
Magahi forms causatives by adding -āwā or -āb to the verb root. This creates "make X happen" or "have someone do X." These causatives are extremely common in everyday speech. Bicausatives (make someone else cause someone to do X) also exist.
Is it happening right now?
aspectCompare the habitual "I speak" with "I am speaking right now." What element is added for ongoing action?
Magahi marks progressive aspect with a रहल (rahal) participle + auxiliary. Completed actions are expressed through the perfective + past auxiliary. The aspectual system works similarly to Hindi but with Magahi-specific auxiliary forms.
Wanting and being able
infinitive + modalsHow does Magahi express "I want to speak" or "I can speak"? Which verb gets conjugated?
Magahi uses the infinitive (verb stem + -e/-nā) with modal verbs: चाहब (want) and सकब (can). The modal conjugates for person; the main verb stays as an infinitive.
Possession and "having"
possessionHow do possessives work in Magahi? And how does Magahi express "I have"?
Magahi uses hamar (हमार = my), tohār (तोहार = your), okār (ओकार = their) as possessives, agreeing with the possessed noun. "I have" is expressed with हमरा के पास = "near me," parallel to Hindi.
The full picture
putting it togetherHow many grammar patterns from earlier steps can you identify in these sentences?
Magahi grammar is SOV + हम for "I" + -ait habitual + NO ergative flip — the verb always follows the subject. Add the definiteness -wā suffix and the productive causative, and you have the core of Magahi.