Sanskrit pronouns and determiners

Sanskrit pronouns are declined for case, number, and gender. The pronominal declension applies to a few adjectives as well.

Many pronouns have alternative enclitic forms.

First- and second-person persons

The first and second person pronouns are declined for the most part alike, having by analogy assimilated themselves with one another.

Note: Where two forms are given, the second is enclitic and an alternative form. Ablatives in singular and plural may be extended by the syllable -tas; thus mat or mattas, asmat or asmattas.

	First Person			Second Person
	Singular	Dual	Plural	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	aham	āvām	vayam	tvam	yuvām	yūyam
Accusative	mām, mā	āvām, nau	asmān, nas	tvām, tvā	yuvām, vām	yuṣmān, vas
Instrumental	mayā	āvābhyām	asmābhis	tvayā	yuvābhyām	yuṣmābhis
Dative	mahyam, me	āvābhyām, nau	asmabhyam, nas	tubhyam, te	yuvābhyām, vām	yuṣmabhyam, vas
Ablative	mat	āvābhyām	asmat	tvat	yuvābhyām	yuṣmat
Genitive	mama, me	āvayos, nau	asmākam, nas	tava, te	yuvayos, vām	yuṣmākam, vas
Locative	mayi	āvayos	asmāsu	tvayi	yuvayos	yuṣmāsu

Third-person pronouns and demonstratives

Sanskrit does not have true third person pronouns, but its demonstratives fulfil this function instead by standing independently without a modified substantive.

There are four different demonstratives in Sanskrit: tat, etat, idam, and adas. etat indicates greater proximity than tat. While idam is similar to etat, adas refers to objects that are more proximal than tat.

The tat paradigm is given below.

	Masculine			Neuter			Feminine
	Singular	Dual	Plural	Singular	Dual	Plural	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	sás	táu	té	tát	té	tā́ni	sā́	té	tā́s
Accusative	tám	táu	tā́n	tát	té	tā́ni	tā́m	té	tā́s
Instrumental	téna	tā́bhyām	táis	téna	tā́bhyām	táis	táyā	tā́bhyām	tā́bhis
Dative	tásmai	tā́bhyām	tébhyas	tásmai	tā́bhyām	tébhyas	tásyai	tā́bhyām	tā́bhyas
Ablative	tásmāt	tā́bhyām	tébhyas	tásmāt	tā́bhyām	tébhyas	tásyās	tā́bhyām	tā́bhyas
Genitive	tásya	táyos	téṣām	tásya	táyos	téṣām	tásyās	táyos	tā́sām
Locative	tásmin	táyos	téṣu	tásmin	táyos	téṣu	tásyām	táyos	tā́su

eta, is declined almost identically to ta. Its paradigm is obtained by prefixing e- to all the forms of ta. As a result of sandhi, the masculine and feminine singular forms transform into eṣas and eṣā.

The idam paradigm is given below.

	Masculine			Neuter			Feminine
	Singular	Dual	Plural	Singular	Dual	Plural	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ayam	imau	ime	idam	ime	imāni	iyam	ime	imās
Accusative	imam	imau	imān	idam	ime	imāni	imām	ime	imās
Instrumental	anena	ābhyām	ebhis	anena	ābhyām	ebhis	anayā	ābhyām	ābhis
Dative	asmai	ābhyām	ebhyas	asmai	ābhyām	ebhyas	asyai	ābhyām	ābhyas
Ablative	asmāt	ābhyām	ebhyas	asmāt	ābhyām	ebhyas	asyās	ābhyām	ābhyas
Genitive	asya	anayos	eṣām	asya	anayos	eṣām	asyās	anayos	āsām
Locative	asmin	anayos	eṣu	asmin	anayos	eṣu	asyām	anayos	āsu

The adas paradigm is given below.

	Masculine			Neuter			Feminine
	Singular	Dual	Plural	Singular	Dual	Plural	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	asau	amū	amī	adas	amū	amūni	asau	amū	amūs
Accusative	amum	amū	amūn	adas	amū	amūni	amūm	amū	amūs
Instrumental	amunā	amūbhyām	amībhis	amunā	amūbhyām	amībhis	amuyā	amūbhyām	amūbhis
Dative	amuṣmai	amūbhyām	amībhyas	amuṣmai	amūbhyām	amībhyas	amuṣyai	amūbhyām	amūbhyas
Ablative	amuṣmāt	amūbhyām	amībhyas	amuṣmāt	amūbhyām	amībhyas	amuṣyās	amūbhyām	amūbhyas
Genitive	amuṣya	amuyos	amīṣām	amuṣya	amuyos	amīṣām	amuṣyās	amuyos	amūṣām
Locative	amuṣmin	amuyos	amīṣu	amuṣmin	amuyos	amīṣu	amuṣyām	amuyos	amūṣu

Enclitic pronouns

The enclitic pronoun ena is found only in a few oblique cases and numbers.

	Masculine			Neuter			Feminine
	Singular	Dual	Plural	Singular	Dual	Plural	Singular	Dual	Plural
Accusative	enam	enau	enān	enat	ene	enāni	enām	ene	enās
Instrumental	enena			enena			eneyā
Genitive/locative		enayos			enayos			enayos

Interrogative pronouns

Interrogative pronouns all begin with k-, and decline just as tat does, with the initial t- being replaced by k-. The only exception to this are the singular neuter nominative and accusative forms, which are both kim and not the expected *kat.

For example, the singular feminine genitive interrogative pronoun, "of whom?", is kasyãḥ.

Indefinite pronouns

Indefinite pronouns are formed by adding the particles api, cid, or cana after the appropriate interrogative pronouns.

Relative and correlative pronouns

All relative pronouns begin with y-, and decline just as tat does. The correlative pronouns are identical to the tat series.

The yat paradigm is given below.

	Masculine			Neuter			Feminine
	Singular	Dual	Plural	Singular	Dual	Plural	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	yás	yáu	yé	yát	yé	yā́ni	yā́	yé	yā́s
Accusative	yám	yáu	yā́n	yát	yé	yā́ni	yā́m	yé	yā́s
Instrumental	yéna	yā́bhyām	yáis	yéna	yā́bhyām	yáis	yáyā	yā́bhyām	yā́bhis
Dative	yásmai	yā́bhyām	yébhyas	yásmai	yā́bhyām	yébhyas	yásyai	yā́bhyām	yā́bhyas
Ablative	yásmāt	yā́bhyām	yébhyam	yásmāt	yā́bhyām	yébhyam	yásyās	yā́bhyām	yā́bhyas
Genitive	yásya	yáyos	yéṣām	yásya	yáyos	yéṣām	yásyās	yáyos	yā́sām
Locative	yásmin	yáyos	yéṣu	yásmin	yáyos	yéṣu	yásyām	yáyos	yā́su

Pronominal declension

In addition to the pronouns described above, some adjectives follow the pronominal declension. Unless otherwise noted, their declension is identical to tat.

• eka: "one", "a certain". (singular neuter nominative and accusative forms are both ekam)
• anya: "another".
• sarva: "all", "every". (singular neuter nominative and accusative forms are both sarvam)
• para: "the other". (singular neuter nominative and accusative forms are both param)
• sva: "self" (a reflexive adjective). (singular neuter nominative and accusative forms are both svam)

Bibliography

• Devavāṇīpraveśikā: An Introduction to the Sanskrit Language – Robert P. Goldman – ISBN 0-944613-40-3
• A Sanskrit Grammar for Students – A. A. Macdonell – ISBN 81-246-0094-5