B2 · Intermédiaire supérieur Chapitre 44

Compound Verbs: The Logic of 'Devu' and 'Levu'

2 Règles totales
1 min
Règles dans ce chapitre Pratique rapide

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of Gujarati compound verbs to express actions with nuance and natural flow.

  • Identify how 'devu' indicates an action done for others.
  • Distinguish how 'levu' implies an action done for oneself.
  • Apply auxiliary verbs to transform simple verbs into expressive compound ones.
Add depth to your Gujarati, one auxiliary at a time.

Ce que tu vas apprendre

Gujarati uses secondary verbs to add shade to the main action. Learn how 'Aapi devu' differs from 'Aapvu'.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Differentiate between 'devu' and 'levu' to describe whether an action benefits others or yourself.

Conseils et astuces (2)

🎯

Check the Object

Always check the gender of the object in the past tense. It determines if you use 'didho', 'didhi', or 'didhu'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Compound Verbs with 'Devu'
💡

Check the Object

Always look at the object's gender to conjugate 'levu' correctly.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Compound Verbs with 'Levu'

Vocabulaire clé (5)

આપી દેવું (aapi devu) to give away (for someone) લઈ લેવું (lai levu) to take for oneself કામ (kaam) work ખાઈ જવું (khai javu) to eat up completely સમજી લેવું (samji levu) to understand/figure out for oneself

Real-World Preview

handshake

Helping a friend

Review Summary

  • Root + i + devu
  • Root + i + levu

Erreurs courantes

You used 'levu' (for self) instead of 'devu' (for others). Since the work was for a friend, 'devu' is required.

Wrong: મેં કામ કરી લીધું (when helping a friend)
Correct: મેં કામ કરી દીધું

If he took it for himself, 'levu' is needed. 'Aapi devu' implies he gave it to you.

Wrong: તેણે મને પુસ્તક આપી દીધું (when he took it for himself)
Correct: તેણે પુસ્તક લઈ લીધું

Feeding someone else requires the causative + 'devu'. 'Khau' (to eat) vs 'khavdavvu' (to feed).

Wrong: મેં ખાઈ લીધું (when feeding someone else)
Correct: મેં ખવડાવી દીધું

Next Steps

You are doing amazing! Compound verbs are a huge milestone in your Gujarati journey. Keep practicing!

Listen to a Gujarati conversation and count how many compound verbs you hear.

Continue to: Advanced Compound Verbs: 'Nakhvu' and 'Besvu'

Pratique rapide (8)

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

તેણે પાણી પી લીધા.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: તેણે પાણી પી લીધું.
Water is neuter.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Compound Verbs with 'Levu'

Correct the error.

Find and fix the mistake:

તેણે મને મદદ કરી દીધો.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: તેણે મને મદદ કરી દીધી.
Madad is feminine.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Compound Verbs with 'Devu'

Choose the correct sentence.

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: મેં ટિકિટ બુક કરી લીધી.
Ticket is feminine.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Compound Verbs with 'Levu'

Choose the correct sentence.

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: મેં પત્ર લખી દીધો.
Patra is masculine.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Compound Verbs with 'Devu'

Fill in the blank.

તેણે મને રસ્તો બતાવી ____.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: દીધો
Rasto is masculine.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Compound Verbs with 'Devu'

Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'devu'.

મેં કામ કરી ____.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: દીધું
Kaam is neuter.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Compound Verbs with 'Devu'

Fill in the correct form of 'levu'.

મેં કામ કરી ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: લીધું
Kaam is neuter.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Compound Verbs with 'Levu'

Which verb is used for self?

Which verb is for self?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: levu
Levu is reflexive.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Compound Verbs with 'Devu'

Score: /8

Questions fréquentes (4)

Use 'devu' for others (benefactive) and 'levu' for yourself (reflexive).
Yes, it must agree with the object in gender and number in the past tense.
To show completion or self-benefit.
No, only when you want to emphasize the action's result.
Chapitre suivant
Advanced Compound Verbs: 'Nakhvu' and 'Besvu'
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