Lat Lakara Parasmaipada: Sanskrit Present Tense Verb Forms

Sanskrit Grammar

Lat Lakara Parasmaipada: Sanskrit Present Tense Verb Forms

लट् लकार — परस्मैपद

Learn the present tense forms of Sanskrit verbs in Lat Lakara Parasmaipada with Purusha, Vacana, verb endings, Dhatu Roop, examples, and an easy formula for memorization.

Lat Lakara Parasmaipada is one of the fundamental topics in Sanskrit grammar. The term लट् लकार (Lat Lakara) is associated with the present tense, while परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada) refers to one of the grammatical sets used to form Sanskrit verbs.

When learning Sanskrit Dhatu Roop, it is important to understand more than just the final verb forms. A student should know how Purusha (person), Vacana (number), and the appropriate verb ending work together.

This guide explains the basic pattern of Lat Lakara Parasmaipada in a simple, systematic way. We will first learn the nine endings, then apply the pattern to familiar Sanskrit roots such as √पठ् (paṭh), √गम् (gam), and √भू (bhū).

What Is Lat Lakara?

In Sanskrit grammar, लट् लकार (Lat Lakara) is used to express present-time action or a state associated with the present.

वर्तमाने लट्

Lat Lakara is associated with the present tense.

For example, the Sanskrit forms पठति (paṭhati), गच्छति (gacchati), and भवति (bhavati) are commonly studied as present-tense forms.

Sanskrit	Transliteration	Meaning
पठति	paṭhati	He/She reads
गच्छति	gacchati	He/She goes
भवति	bhavati	He/She becomes / is

What Is Parasmaipada?

Sanskrit verbs are traditionally described according to their pada, or grammatical voice/endings system. The two commonly studied categories are Parasmaipada and Atmanepada.

Some Sanskrit roots are used with Parasmaipada endings, some with Atmanepada endings, and some may be used in both systems depending on their grammatical usage.

In this article, our focus is specifically:

Our Topic

लट् + परस्मैपद

Present Tense + Parasmaipada

Lat Lakara Parasmaipada Endings

The basic Parasmaipada pattern is organized according to three Purushas and three Vacanas. This gives a total of nine forms.

Note: The forms above are the familiar surface endings used when learning the Lat Lakara Parasmaipada pattern. Traditional grammatical analysis also identifies the corresponding Tiṅ endings as तिप्, तस्, झि; सिप्, थस्, थ; and मिप्, वस्, मस्.

Easy Formula to Memorize the Nine Forms

The easiest way to memorize the Lat Lakara Parasmaipada pattern is to learn the three endings for each Purusha together.

Memorization Formula

प्रथम पुरुष ति — तः — अन्ति

मध्यम पुरुष सि — थः — थ

उत्तम पुरुष मि — वः — मः

ति–तः–अन्ति   |   सि–थः–थ   |   मि–वः–मः

Understanding Purusha and Vacana

Before forming a Sanskrit verb, it is essential to understand Purusha and Vacana. Sanskrit has three Purushas and three Vacanas.

1. Prathama Purusha — प्रथम पुरुष

Prathama Purusha refers to the person or persons being talked about. In English, it is often represented by he, she, it, they, depending on context.

Vacana	Example	Meaning
एकवचन	सः पठति	He reads.
द्विवचन	तौ पठतः	Those two read.
बहुवचन	ते पठन्ति	They read.

2. Madhyama Purusha — मध्यम पुरुष

Madhyama Purusha refers to the person or persons being directly addressed. It corresponds broadly to you in English.

Vacana	Example	Meaning
एकवचन	त्वं पठसि	You read.
द्विवचन	युवां पठथः	You two read.
बहुवचन	यूयं पठथ	You all read.

3. Uttama Purusha — उत्तम पुरुष

Uttama Purusha refers to the speaker or speakers. It corresponds broadly to I and we in English.

Vacana	Example	Meaning
एकवचन	अहं पठामि	I read.
द्विवचन	आवां पठावः	We two read.
बहुवचन	वयं पठामः	We read.

Lat Lakara Parasmaipada of √पठ् — Paṭh

Let us now apply the pattern to the Sanskrit root √पठ्, meaning “to read”.

The present-tense forms of पठ् provide a simple example for understanding how the nine-person-and-number pattern works.

पठ् — To Read

Purusha	Singular	Dual	Plural
प्रथम पुरुष	पठति	पठतः	पठन्ति
मध्यम पुरुष	पठसि	पठथः	पठथ
उत्तम पुरुष	पठामि	पठावः	पठामः

Meaning of the Forms

Form	Meaning
पठति	He/She reads.
पठतः	Those two read.
पठन्ति	They read.
पठसि	You read.
पठथः	You two read.
पठथ	You all read.
पठामि	I read.
पठावः	We two read.
पठामः	We read.

Lat Lakara Parasmaipada of √गम् — Gam

The root √गम् means “to go”. In the present tense, the commonly encountered forms are built with the present stem गच्छ-.

गम् — To Go

Purusha	Singular	Dual	Plural
प्रथम पुरुष	गच्छति	गच्छतः	गच्छन्ति
मध्यम पुरुष	गच्छसि	गच्छथः	गच्छथ
उत्तम पुरुष	गच्छामि	गच्छावः	गच्छामः

Important: Notice that the ending pattern remains recognizable, while the root itself may undergo a grammatical change when forming the present stem. Therefore, Sanskrit verb formation is not simply a matter of attaching an ending directly to the dictionary form of every root.

Lat Lakara Parasmaipada of √भू — Bhū

The root √भू is commonly translated as “to be”, “to become”, or “to exist”, depending on context.

Its present stem is भव-.

भू — To Be / To Become