Parts of Speech (Shabdancha Prakar) forms the grammatical backbone of Marathi language comprehension in MAHA TET Language I. This topic tests your ability to identify, classify, and correctly use different word categories in sentences. Questions typically appear in two forms: direct identification ("Which word is a sarvanaam in this sentence?") and application-based ("Fill in the blank with appropriate visheshan").
Understanding parts of speech is foundational because it connects to almost every other grammar topic — sandhi, samas, vakyarachna, and ling-vachan-kaal all require you to first recognize what type of word you are dealing with. Expect 3–5 questions directly or indirectly testing this concept. Mastery here means faster, more accurate answers across the entire grammar section.
The Marathi grammatical tradition recognizes eight primary categories, though exam questions focus most heavily on five: naam (noun), sarvanaam (pronoun), visheshan (adjective), kriyapad (verb), and avyay (indeclinable). Know these cold, and the others will follow naturally.
Key Concepts
**Naam (Noun)**: Any word that names a person, place, thing, quality, or idea. Subclasses include samanya naam (common noun), vishesh naam (proper noun), bhav naam (abstract noun), and samuh naam (collective noun).
**Sarvanaam (Pronoun)**: Words used in place of nouns to avoid repetition. Key types are purushvachak (personal: mi, tu, to), darshak (demonstrative: ha, ti, te), prashnavachak (interrogative: kon, kay), and aatmavachak (reflexive: swatah).
**Visheshan (Adjective)**: Words that describe or qualify a noun. They indicate gun (quality), sankhya (number), parinam (quantity), or darshak (demonstrative quality). Visheshans in Marathi often agree with the noun in gender and number.
**Kriyapad (Verb)**: Words expressing action, state, or occurrence. Every Marathi sentence requires a kriyapad. It changes form based on kaal (tense), vachan (number), ling (gender), and purush (person).
**Kriyavisheshan (Adverb)**: Words that modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Types include kaal-vachak (time: aaj, udya), sthal-vachak (place: ithe, tithe), riti-vachak (manner: haluhalu, vegane), and parinam-vachak (degree: khup, jaast).
**Avyay (Indeclinable)**: Words that never change form regardless of gender, number, or case. This category includes ubhayaanvayee avyay (conjunctions), shabdayogi avyay (postpositions), and kevalprayogi avyay (interjections).
**Shandhi (Postposition)**: Functional words like la, ne, shi, madhe that show relationships between nouns and other sentence elements. In Marathi, these follow the noun (unlike English prepositions).
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वाक्यातील रेखांकित शब्दाचा शब्दप्रकार ओळखा:
"राजू आणि सीमा शाळेत *जातात*."
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word:
"Raju ani Seema shalet *jatat*."
Q2 · Shabdancha Prakar (Parts of Speech) · MEDIUM
खालील वाक्यात किती शब्दप्रकार आहेत?
"सुंदर मुलगी वहीत काळजीपूर्वक लिहीत आहे."
How many different parts of speech are there in the following sentence?
"Sundar mulgi vahit kalajipurvak lihit aahe."
Q3 · Shabdancha Prakar (Parts of Speech) · MEDIUM
"अरे! किती सुंदर फूल आहे!" या वाक्यातील 'अरे' हा कोणता शब्दप्रकार आहे?
In the sentence "Arey! Kiti sundar phool aahe!", what part of speech is 'Arey'?
Q4 · Shabdancha Prakar (Parts of Speech) · HARD
खालील वाक्यातील रेखांकित शब्दाचा वर्ग ओळखा:
"*कोण*त्या मुलाला शिकवतो आहे?"
तसेच, त्या वर्गाचा उपप्रकार सांगा।
Identify the part of speech and its subtype of the underlined word:
"*Kon* tya mulala shikvato aahe?"
Q5 · Shabdancha Prakar (Parts of Speech) · MEDIUM
'माझा भाऊ चांगला क्रिकेट खेळतो.' या वाक्यातील 'चांगला' हा शब्दाचा प्रकार ओळखा.
**Ubhayaanvayee Avyay (Conjunction)**: Words connecting sentences, clauses, or words — ani, parantu, mhanun, jar-tar, ki.
Formulas / Key Facts
| Prakar | Marathi Term | Examples | Quick Test | |--------|--------------|----------|------------| | Noun | Naam | Ram, pustak, Mumbai, prem | Can you put "ek" before it? | | Pronoun | Sarvanaam | mi, tu, to, ti, te, kon, kay | Does it replace a naam? | | Adjective | Visheshan | sundar, motha, panch, ha | Does it describe a naam? | | Verb | Kriyapad | khato, jato, lihite, aahe | Does it show action/state? | | Adverb | Kriyavisheshan | vegane, ithe, aaj, khup | Does it modify kriyapad? | | Postposition | Shabdayogi | la, ne, shi, var, madhe | Does it follow a naam? | | Conjunction | Ubhayaanvayee | ani, parantu, mhanun, ki | Does it join words/clauses? | | Interjection | Kevalprayogi | aho!, shabash!, arey! | Does it express emotion? |
**Gender-Number Agreement**: Visheshan and kriyapad must match the naam in ling and vachan.
Motha mula (masculine singular) → Mothe mule (masculine plural)
Note: Both are avyay because they never change form. "Vegane" modifies "dhavla" (how did he run?). "Parantu" joins two clauses.
Common Mistakes
**Confusing visheshan with kriyavisheshan**: Students mark "sundar" as kriyavisheshan when it describes a noun. Fix: Visheshan modifies NAAM; kriyavisheshan modifies KRIYAPAD. Ask: "What is this word describing?"
**Missing shabdayogi avyay as separate words**: In "ghari" or "gharaat", students see one word but miss that "-i/-t" functions as a postposition. Fix: Recognize that locative suffixes are shabdayogi elements fused with the noun.
**Treating all -ne/-shi endings as shabdayogi**: "Vegane" (quickly) looks like "naam + ne" but is actually a single kriyavisheshan. Fix: Check if the base word is a noun. "Veg" is a noun, but "vegane" as a whole functions as adverb.
**Forgetting reflexive sarvanaam**: "Swatah" is often missed as a pronoun type. Fix: Memorize that aatmavachak sarvanaam refers back to the subject.
**Ignoring kevalprayogi avyay**: Interjections like "aho!" or "chhi!" are rarely tested but students blank when asked. Fix: Any emotional exclamation standing alone is kevalprayogi avyay.
Quick Reference
1. **Eight parts of speech in Marathi**: Naam, Sarvanaam, Visheshan, Kriyapad, Kriyavisheshan, Shabdayogi, Ubhayaanvayee, Kevalprayogi
2. **Visheshan agrees with naam** in gender and number; kriyapad agrees with subject
3. **Avyay = never changes form** — this is the defining test for indeclinables
5. **Shabdayogi avyay follow the noun** — la, ne, shi, var, khali, madhe
6. **Quick identification trick**: Remove the word from sentence — if meaning collapses, it's likely naam or kriyapad; if only description is lost, it's visheshan or kriyavisheshan