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Gujarati · Grammar basics

8 rules that turn words into sentences

Gujarati works like Hindi's cousin: verb at the end, છે as the helper word, and gender endings that must agree. Eight rules and you can build your own sentences.

rulespracticerecap

  1. 1. Word order: the verb comes last

    Gujarati is subject → object → verb. English says 'I drink tea'; Gujarati says 'I tea drink'.

    • હું ચા પીઉં છુંHu chā pīu chhuI drink tea
    • તે ચોપડી વાંચે છેTe chopḍī vāche chheHe/she reads a book
    • અમે અમદાવાદ જઈએ છીએAme Amdāvād jaīe chhīeWe go to Ahmedabad

    Common mistake: Keeping the English order: 'હું પીઉં ચા' sounds broken.

  2. 2. તું / તમે — respect built into 'you'

    તું is for friends, children and people your age. તમે is the respectful you — elders, strangers, officials, customers — and the plural you. The verb ending changes with it.

    • તું કેમ છે?Tu kem chhe?How are you? (friend)
    • તમે કેમ છો?Tame kem chho?How are you? (respectful)
    • તમે બેસોTame besoPlease sit (respectful)

    Common mistake: Using તું with an elder or a shopkeeper you have just met.

  3. 3. Gender and agreement

    Nouns are masculine, feminine or neuter, and the verb agrees. છોકરો જાય છે (the boy goes), છોકરી જાય છે (the girl goes) — but in the past the ending shows gender: ગયો (he went), ગઈ (she went), ગયું (it went).

    • તે ગયોTe gayoHe went
    • તે ગઈTe gaīShe went
    • છોકરું ગયુંChhokaru gayuThe child went

    Common mistake: Using one past ending for everyone — the -ઓ / -ઈ / -ઉં swap is what sounds native.

  4. 4. Postpositions, not prepositions

    Gujarati puts the relationship word after the noun: -માં (in), -ને (to a person), -થી (from / by), -નું / -ની / -ના (of), સાથે (with).

    • હું ઘરમાં છુંHu gharmā chhuI am in the house
    • મને મદદ કરોMane madad karoPlease help me
    • મિત્ર સાથે આવ્યોMitra sāthe āvyoI came with a friend

    Common mistake: Placing the English preposition before the noun.

  5. 5. Present tense: verb + છે

    The present needs two pieces: the verb form plus છું / છે / છો / છીએ. હું જાઉં છું, તે જાય છે, તમે જાઓ છો, અમે જઈએ છીએ.

    • હું કામ કરું છુંHu kām karu chhuI work / I am working
    • તેઓ વાત કરે છેTeo vāt kare chheThey are talking
    • અમે શીખીએ છીએAme śīkhīe chhīeWe are learning

    Common mistake: Dropping છે — without the helper word the sentence sounds unfinished.

  6. 6. Past and future, simply

    Past uses the -યો / -ઈ / -યું endings: આવ્યો (came). Future adds -શ: જઈશ (I will go), આવશે (he/she will come).

    • ગઈ કાલે આવ્યોGaī kāle āvyoI came yesterday (man speaking)
    • કાલે જઈશKāle jaīśI will go tomorrow
    • તે આવશેTe āvśeHe/she will come

    Common mistake: Adding a time word but leaving the verb in the present.

  7. 7. Asking questions

    Put શું at the start for a yes/no question: શું તમે આવશો? For open questions use શું (what), ક્યાં (where), કોણ (who), કેમ (why), કેવી રીતે (how).

    • શું તમે આવશો?Śu tame āvśo?Will you come?
    • આ શું છે?Ā śu chhe?What is this?
    • બસ ક્યાં છે?Bas kyā chhe?Where is the bus?

    Common mistake: Only raising your voice — Gujarati expects શું or a question word.

  8. 8. Saying no

    નથી replaces છે in a negative present: હું જતો નથી (I don't go). ના is plain 'no', and નહીં negates the future: હું નહીં આવું (I will not come).

    • મને ખબર નથીMane khabar nathīI don't know
    • તે આવ્યો નહીંTe āvyo nahīHe did not come
    • ના, આભારNā, ābhārNo thank you

    Common mistake: Keeping છે and adding નથી too — નથી takes the place of છે.