Ling & Vachan (लिंग व वचन)
Gender and Number in Marathi Grammar
Overview
Ling (लिंग) and Vachan (वचन) are fundamental building blocks of Marathi grammar that determine how nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs change form. In Marathi, every noun has a grammatical gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), and every noun exists in either singular or plural form. Unlike English, where gender is mostly natural (based on sex), Marathi assigns grammatical gender even to inanimate objects.
This topic is highly scoring in Maharashtra Police Bharti because questions are direct and pattern-based. Examiners typically test: identifying the correct gender of common nouns, converting singular to plural or vice versa, spotting grammatical errors in sentences due to wrong ling-vachan agreement, and matching adjectives/verbs with the correct gender-number form. Mastering the rules and exceptions here can fetch easy marks with minimal effort.
Students must focus on memorising gender of tricky nouns (where natural logic fails), learning plural formation patterns, and understanding how adjectives and verbs agree with the noun's ling-vachan in a sentence.
Key Concepts
- Ling (लिंग) — Grammatical Gender: Marathi has three genders — पुल्लिंग (masculine), स्त्रीलिंग (feminine), and नपुंसकलिंग (neuter). Gender is fixed for each noun and must be memorised.
- Vachan (वचन) — Number: Two forms exist — एकवचन (singular) and अनेकवचन (plural). Plural formation follows specific suffix rules based on the noun's ending and gender.
- Gender is not always logical: While "मुलगा" (boy) is masculine and "मुलगी" (girl) is feminine, inanimate objects like "पुस्तक" (book) are neuter, "खुर्ची" (chair) is feminine, and "दरवाजा" (door) is masculine — purely by convention.
- Adjective Agreement: Adjectives must match the gender and number of the noun they describe. Example: मोठा मुलगा (masculine), मोठी मुलगी (feminine), मोठे पुस्तक (neuter).
- Verb Agreement: Verbs in Marathi change endings based on the subject's gender and number. Example: तो जातो (he goes), ती जाते (she goes), ते जाते (it/they go).
- Common suffix hints: Nouns ending in "-आ" are often masculine (राजा, दरवाजा), those ending in "-ई" are often feminine (नदी, साडी), and those ending in "-ए" or "-अ" are often neuter (पाणी, घर).
- Exceptions are exam favourites: Words like "पाणी" (water — neuter, not feminine despite "-ई"), "हत्ती" (elephant — masculine despite "-ई") are frequently tested.
Formulas / Key Facts
Ling (Gender) Rules
| Gender | Common Endings | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| पुल्लिंग (Masculine) | -आ, -ऊ | मुलगा, घोडा, गुरू, हत्ती |
| स्त्रीलिंग (Feminine) | -ई, -आ (some) | मुलगी, नदी, माता, भाषा |
| नपुंसकलिंग (Neuter) | -अ, -ए, -ऊ (some) | पुस्तक, घर, पाणी, फूल |
Vachan (Number) Conversion Patterns
| Singular Ending | Plural Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -आ (masc.) | -ए | मुलगा → मुलगे, घोडा → घोडे |
| -ई (fem.) | -या | मुलगी → मुलग्या, नदी → नद्या |
| -अ (neuter) | -अ (same) or -ए | पुस्तक → पुस्तके, घर → घरे |
| -ऊ (masc.) | -ऊ (same) | गुरू → गुरू |
Must-Remember Gender Assignments
- Masculine (पुल्लिंग): सूर्य, चंद्र, पर्वत, समुद्र, देश, वार (days), महिना (months), हत्ती, डोंगर
- Feminine (स्त्रीलिंग): पृथ्वी, नदी, भाषा, रात्र, सकाळ, संध्याकाळ, विद्या, बुद्धी
- Neuter (नपुंसकलिंग): पाणी, दूध, लोणी, आकाश, फूल, फळ, शहर, गाव, मूल
Worked Examples
Example 1: Identify the Gender
Question: "खुर्ची" या शब्दाचे लिंग ओळखा.
- (अ) पुल्लिंग (ब) स्त्रीलिंग (क) नपुंसकलिंग (ड) उभयलिंगी
Solution:
- खुर्ची ends in "-ई" which typically indicates feminine gender.
- We say "ही खुर्ची" (this chair), using the feminine demonstrative.
- Answer: (ब) स्त्रीलिंग
Example 2: Singular to Plural Conversion
Question: "पुस्तक" या शब्दाचे अनेकवचन लिहा.
Solution:
- पुस्तक is a neuter noun ending in "-अ".
- Neuter nouns ending in consonant sounds typically add "-ए" for plural.
- पुस्तक → पुस्तके
Example 3: Error Correction (Agreement)
Question: खालील वाक्यातील चूक दुरुस्त करा: "ती मुलगा शाळेत जातो."
Solution:
- "मुलगा" is masculine, so the pronoun should be "तो" (not "ती").
- The verb "जातो" is correct for masculine singular.
- Corrected sentence: "तो मुलगा शाळेत जातो."
Example 4: Adjective Agreement
Question: रिकाम्या जागी योग्य शब्द भरा: "_______ गाय गवत खाते." (काळी/काळा/काळे)
Solution:
- गाय (cow) is feminine.
- Adjective must agree: काळी (feminine form of काळा).
- Answer: "काळी गाय गवत खाते."
Common Mistakes
❌ Assuming "-ई" ending always means feminine → ✅ Words like "हत्ती" (elephant), "पाणी" (water), "दही" (curd) are exceptions. Memorise these individually.
❌ Using "त्या" universally for plural → ✅ "त्या" is used for feminine and neuter plural, while "ते" is used for masculine plural. Match demonstrative with gender.
❌ Forgetting verb agreement in sentences → ✅ If subject is "मुले" (children, neuter plural), verb should be "जातात" not "जातो". Always verify subject-verb match.
❌ Confusing natural vs grammatical gender → ✅ "मूल" (child) is grammatically neuter regardless of whether referring to a boy or girl. Grammar overrides biology in Marathi.
❌ Wrong plural for "-आ" ending feminine nouns → ✅ Nouns like "माता" (mother, feminine) become "माता" in plural (unchanged), not "माते". Check gender before applying rules.
Quick Reference
📌 Three genders in Marathi: पुल्लिंग (म), स्त्रीलिंग (फ), नपुंसकलिंग (न)
📌 Two numbers: एकवचन (singular), अनेकवचन (plural)
📌 Quick gender test: Use "हा/ही/हे" — whichever sounds natural indicates the gender
📌 Masculine -आ → Plural -ए (मुलगा → मुलगे)
📌 Feminine -ई → Plural -या (मुलगी → मुलग्या)
📌 Tricky neuters to memorise: पाणी, दूध, मूल, फूल, आकाश, गाव
📌 Adjective/verb must always agree with the noun's ling and vachan — this is the most common exam trap