Grammar
Marathi Passive & Causative (कर्मणी आणि प्रेरणार्थ)
Marathi passive and causative constructions — passive (केला जाते, खाल्ले जाते), causative (खववते, बोलवते) — from Unit 21 advanced grammar.
What you will learn
Passive and causative from Unit 21 (Lessons 5-6): passive voice (केला जाते — is done, खाल्ले जाते — is eaten) and causative (खववते — makes eat, बोलवते — makes speak). Each construction maps the Hindi pattern to the Marathi morphology with the grammar shift.
Passive: past participle + याचे + जाते (केला जाते, खाल्ले जाते, लिहिले जाते). Causative: verb-root + व/वव + ते (खववते = makes eat, बोलवते = makes speak, लिहवते = makes write). The relative-correlative pair is जो…तो (not जो…वह).
Tip: Passive = past participle + याचे + जाते. Causative = root + व/वव + ते. Relative = जो…तो. Three patterns, infinite sentences.
Passive — the याचे+जाते frame
Hindi किया जाता है → Marathi केला जाते. The pattern: past participle (केला, खाल्ले, केले, लिहिले) + याचे + जाते. The agent (by whom) uses कडून: मी कडून केला जाते (done by me). The passive verb agrees with the object (केला जाते — masc, केली जाते — fem, केले जाते — neut).
Causative — the व/वव marker
Hindi करवाता है → Marathi करवते. खववते (makes eat = खा + वव + ते), बोलवते (makes speak = बोल + व + ते), लिहवते (makes write = लिही + व + ते), पडवते (makes fall/read). The causative marker व/वव attaches to the verb root before the tense ending. Some verbs are inherently causative (बोलवणे = to make speak); adding another व creates double causative — ungrammatical.
Common mistakes
✗ Using किया जाता है structure directly✓ केला जाते — past participle + याचे + जाते
Marathi passive is not a word-for-word translation of Hindi passive; the morphology is different.
✗ जो…वह for relative clauses✓ जो…तो — the correlative is तो, not वह
Marathi's relative-correlative pair is जो…तो. वह never appears as the correlate.
✗ Adding causative to already-causative verbs✓ Check if the verb is already causative (बोलवणे = to make speak); double causative is ungrammatical
Some verbs are inherently causative; adding another व creates nonsense.
Quick practice
Answer first, then open the reveal to check yourself.
1. Passive of "to do" in Marathi?
Answer: B. केला जाते — केला जाते — past participle केला + याचे + जाते.
2. Causative of "to eat" (खाणे)?
Answer: A. खववते — खववते — root खा + वव + ते = makes eat.
3. Relative-correlative pair in Marathi?
Answer: B. जो…तो — जो…तो — जो introduces, तो correlates.
4. Fill in the blank: काम ___ गेला. (The work got done.)
केला जाते — Passive frame from Unit 21.
You've learned the pattern.
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Common questions
How do you form the passive in Marathi?
Past participle + याचे + जाते — e.g., केला जाते (is done), खाल्ले जाते (is eaten), लिहिले जाते (is written).
What is the causative of "to speak" (बोलणे)?
बोलवते — root बोल + व + ते = makes speak.