Everything from the whiteboard in one place: the alphabet, three noun declensions, the verb dhāvati in three tenses, and the pūjā formulas and vandanā. Turn on Quiz mode to cover the answers, then tap each one to check yourself.
Likely exam question: “Briefly explain the Pali alphabet and give its categories.”
| Type | Vowels | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Short (rassa) | a, i, u | One beat |
| Long (dīgha) | ā, ī, ū | Two beats, marked with a bar |
| Variable | e, o | Long by nature, but short before a double consonant |
Why “variable”? e and o are normally long, as in deva, loka. Before a double consonant they are pronounced short, as in mettā, seṭṭha, sotthi. Because they can be either, they are called variable.
25 grouped (vagga) consonants, arranged by where they are spoken in the mouth:
| Group | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (nasal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guttural · k-group | k | kh | g | gh | ṅ |
| Palatal · c-group | c | ch | j | jh | ñ |
| Cerebral · ṭ-group | ṭ | ṭh | ḍ | ḍh | ṇ |
| Dental · t-group | t | th | d | dh | n |
| Labial · p-group | p | ph | b | bh | m |
Columns: 1 = unvoiced, 2 = unvoiced + h, 3 = voiced, 4 = voiced + h, 5 = nasal. 5 groups × 5 = 25.
8 ungrouped (avagga) consonants:
| y | r | l | v | s | h | ḷ | ṁ |
Check the count: 25 grouped + 8 ungrouped = 33 consonants. 33 + 8 vowels = 41. ṁ is called niggahīta.
Three model nouns, one for each stem type: masculine -a, feminine -ā, neuter -a. Learn one noun per type and you can decline any noun of that type.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | bhūpālo | bhūpālā |
| Accusative | bhūpālaṁ | bhūpāle |
| Instrumental | bhūpālena | bhūpālebhi, bhūpālehi |
| Dative | bhūpālāya, bhūpālassa | bhūpālānaṁ |
| Ablative | bhūpālā, bhūpālamhā, bhūpālasmā | bhūpālebhi, bhūpālehi |
| Genitive | bhūpālassa | bhūpālānaṁ |
| Locative | bhūpāle, bhūpālasmiṁ, bhūpālamhi | bhūpālesu |
| Vocative | bhūpāla, bhūpālā | bhūpālā |
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | bhariyā | bhariyā, bhariyāyo |
| Accusative | bhariyaṁ | bhariyā, bhariyāyo |
| Instrumental | bhariyāya | bhariyābhi, bhariyāhi |
| Dative | bhariyāya | bhariyānaṁ |
| Ablative | bhariyāya | bhariyābhi, bhariyāhi |
| Genitive | bhariyāya | bhariyānaṁ |
| Locative | bhariyāya, bhariyāyaṁ | bhariyāsu |
| Vocative | bhariye | bhariyā, bhariyāyo |
Shortcut: in the feminine singular, Ins, Dat, Abl and Gen are all -āya. Loc adds -āyaṁ.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | paṇṇaṁ | paṇṇā, paṇṇāni |
| Accusative | paṇṇaṁ | paṇṇe, paṇṇāni |
| Instrumental | paṇṇena | paṇṇebhi, paṇṇehi |
| Dative | paṇṇāya, paṇṇassa | paṇṇānaṁ |
| Ablative | paṇṇā, paṇṇamhā, paṇṇasmā | paṇṇebhi, paṇṇehi |
| Genitive | paṇṇassa | paṇṇānaṁ |
| Locative | paṇṇe, paṇṇasmiṁ, paṇṇamhi | paṇṇesu |
| Vocative | paṇṇa, paṇṇā | paṇṇāni |
Shortcut: the neuter differs from the masculine only in Nom, Acc and Voc. Ins to Loc are “same as masculine -a”, as the teacher wrote. Nom and Acc singular are both -aṁ, and the plural can always be -āni.
| Case | Masc. sg | Masc. pl | Fem. sg | Fem. pl | Neut. sg | Neut. pl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | -o | -ā | -ā | -ā, -āyo | -aṁ | -ā, -āni |
| Acc | -aṁ | -e | -aṁ | -ā, -āyo | -aṁ | -e, -āni |
| Ins | -ena | -ebhi, -ehi | -āya | -ābhi, -āhi | -ena | -ebhi, -ehi |
| Dat | -āya, -assa | -ānaṁ | -āya | -ānaṁ | -āya, -assa | -ānaṁ |
| Abl | -ā, -amhā, -asmā | -ebhi, -ehi | -āya | -ābhi, -āhi | -ā, -amhā, -asmā | -ebhi, -ehi |
| Gen | -assa | -ānaṁ | -āya | -ānaṁ | -assa | -ānaṁ |
| Loc | -e, -asmiṁ, -amhi | -esu | -āya, -āyaṁ | -āsu | -e, -asmiṁ, -amhi | -esu |
| Voc | -a, -ā | -ā | -e | -ā, -āyo | -a, -ā | -āni |
The whiteboard was hard to read for a few feminine forms (Acc sg, Loc sg, Voc). The standard Pali forms are used here.
Model verb: dhāvati “runs”, root dhāv. Rows go 3rd person, then 2nd, then 1st, the usual order in Pali grammar.
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd · he / they | dhāvati | dhāvanti |
| 2nd · you | dhāvasi | dhāvatha |
| 1st · I / we | dhāvāmi | dhāvāma |
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd · he / they | dhāvissati | dhāvissanti |
| 2nd · you | dhāvissasi | dhāvissatha |
| 1st · I / we | dhāvissāmi | dhāvissāma |
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd · he / they | adhāvi, dhāvi, adhāvī, dhāvī | adhāviṁsu, dhāviṁsu, adhāvuṁ, dhāvuṁ |
| 2nd · you | adhāvi, dhāvi, adhāvo, dhāvo | adhāvittha, dhāvittha |
| 1st · I / we | adhāviṁ, dhāviṁ | adhāvimhā, dhāvimhā, adhāvimha, dhāvimha |
| Person | Present sg | Present pl | Future sg | Future pl | Past sg | Past pl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | -ti | -nti | -issati | -issanti | -i, -ī | -iṁsu, -uṁ |
| 2nd | -si | -tha | -issasi | -issatha | -i, -o | -ittha |
| 1st | -mi | -ma | -issāmi | -issāma | -iṁ | -imhā, -imha |
Memory hook: present endings are ti/nti, si/tha, mi/ma. The future is the same with -issa- in front. In the past, every form can take or drop a-, and the teacher marked -iṁsu as the key 3rd person plural ending.
The present-tense chart was hidden on the whiteboard photo. The standard forms are used here.
Likely exam question: “Give the Pali formula when offering: 1) light, 2) food, 3) incense, 4) flowers.” The numbers are the line counts from the whiteboard.
Ghanasārappadittenadīpena tamadhaṁsināTilokadīpaṁ sambuddhaṁpūjayāmi tamonudaṁ.
With this lamp burning brightly, destroying darkness, I honour the Buddha, the light of the three worlds, who dispels darkness.
Adhivāsetu no bhantebhojanaṁ parikappitaṁAnukampaṁ upādāyapaṭiggaṇhātu-m-uttamaṁ.
Venerable Lord, please accept this food we have prepared. Out of compassion, please receive this excellent offering.
Gandhasambhārayuttenadhūpenāhaṁ sugandhināPūjaye pūjaneyyaṁ taṁpūjābhājanamuttamaṁ.
With fragrant incense made of sweet-smelling things, I honour the one worthy of honour, the highest recipient of offerings.
Vaṇṇa-gandha-guṇopetaṁetaṁ kusumasantatiṁPūjayāmi munindassasirīpāda-saroruhe.Pūjemi buddhaṁ kusumenanenapuññenametena ca hotu mokkhaṁPupphaṁ milāyāti yathā idaṁ mekāyo tathā yāti vināsabhāvaṁ.
I offer these flowers, full of colour, scent and beauty, at the lotus feet of the Lord of Sages. I honour the Buddha with these flowers; by this merit may there be liberation. As these flowers fade, so my body moves toward its end.
Iti pi so bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā ti.
The 9 virtues of the Buddha (in Pali)
Svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo sandiṭṭhiko akāliko ehipassiko opanayiko paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhī ti.
Supaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, ujupaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, ñāyapaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, sāmīcipaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, yadidaṁ cattāri purisayugāni aṭṭha purisapuggalā, esa bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, āhuneyyo pāhuneyyo dakkhiṇeyyo añjalikaraṇīyo anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassā ti.
Karaṇīya Metta Sutta, the discourse on loving-kindness (Sutta Nipāta 1.8, Khuddakapāṭha 9). It opens with Karaṇīyam atthakusalena, yanta santaṁ padaṁ abhisamecca… Learn it from your chanting book, since the full text is not on the whiteboard.