Past Adjectival Participle (-ina)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the -ina suffix to turn a past tense verb into an adjective that describes a noun.
- Remove the final -nu from the past tense verb: 'chesaaru' becomes 'chesina'.
- Place the -ina verb before the noun it describes: 'chesina pani' (the work that was done).
- The -ina form does not change based on gender or number of the noun.
Formation of -ina Participle
| Verb Root | Past Tense | Adjectival Participle (-ina) |
|---|---|---|
|
chey
|
chesaadu
|
chesina
|
|
tinu
|
tinaadu
|
tinina
|
|
chudu
|
chusaadu
|
chusina
|
|
vel
|
vellaadu
|
vellina
|
|
ra
|
vachaadu
|
vachina
|
|
chaduvu
|
chadivaadu
|
chadivina
|
Meanings
The -ina suffix creates a past adjectival participle, allowing you to describe a noun using a past action.
Completed Action Modifier
Describes a noun based on an action completed in the past.
“Tinina annam (The food that was eaten)”
“Chadivina pustakam (The book that was read)”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Verb-ina + Noun
|
chesina pani
|
|
Negative
|
Verb-ani + Noun
|
cheyani pani
|
|
Question
|
Verb-ina + Noun + aa?
|
chesina pani aa?
|
|
Past Perfect
|
Verb-ina + Noun + undi
|
chesina pani undi
|
|
Negative Past
|
Verb-ani + Noun + ledu
|
cheyani pani ledu
|
Spectre de formalité
Nenu chadivina pustakam. (General)
Nenu chadivina pustakam. (General)
Nenu chadivina book. (General)
Chadivina book. (General)
The -ina Flow
Past Tense
- chesaadu he did
Adjectival Participle
- chesina that was done
Exemples par niveau
Nenu chusina cinema.
The movie I saw.
Nenu tinina annam.
The food I ate.
Nenu chadivina pustakam.
The book I read.
Nenu vellina ooru.
The town I went to.
Nenu konina battalu bagunnayi.
The clothes I bought are nice.
Aame cheppina vishayam nijam.
The thing she said is true.
Nenu kalisina vyakti manchivadu.
The person I met is a good man.
Nenu chesina pani idhi.
This is the work I did.
Nuvvu adigina prashnalaku samadhanam cheppa.
I answered the questions you asked.
Nenu chudani cinema idi.
This is a movie I haven't seen.
Vaaru pampina lekha chusara?
Did you see the letter they sent?
Nenu nerchukuna vishayalu chala unnay.
There are many things I have learned.
Nenu anukuna pani jarigindi.
The thing I thought would happen, happened.
Aayana chesina thappu ento telusa?
Do you know what mistake he made?
Nenu chudali anukuna pradesham idi.
This is the place I wanted to see.
Nuvvu cheppani vishayam idi.
This is the thing you didn't tell me.
Nenu chadivina prathi pustakam naaku oka kotha drushtikonam ichindi.
Every book I have read has given me a new perspective.
Aame chesina prayatnam vrudha ayyindi.
The effort she made went in vain.
Nenu chudani chitra vichitralu chala unnay.
There are many wonders I haven't seen.
Nuvvu ichina salahalu chala upayogapaddayi.
The advice you gave was very useful.
Nenu anubhavinchina kastalu naaku oka paatam nerpayi.
The hardships I have experienced have taught me a lesson.
Aayana rasina grantham charitraka adharam.
The book he wrote is a historical document.
Nenu chudani chota ledu.
There is no place I haven't seen.
Nuvvu chesina nyayam evaru marchaleru.
The justice you have done cannot be changed by anyone.
Facile à confondre
Learners mix up -ina (past) and -e (habitual).
Erreurs courantes
cheyina
chesina
chesinaa pani
chesina pani
chesinaa
chesina
chesinaa vaadu
chesina vaadu
chesina pani-lu
chesina pani
chesinaa
chesina
chey-ina
chesina
chesinaa
chesina
cheyina
chesina
chesinaa
chesina
chesinaa
chesina
cheyina
chesina
chesinaa
chesina
Structures de phrases
Nenu ___ ___.
Real World Usage
Nenu chusina best movie!
Nuvvu cheppina pani chesa.
Nenu chesina project idi.
Nenu vellina pradesham.
Nenu order chesina food.
Aayana rasina grantham.
Focus on the stem
Don't conjugate
Use in lists
Natural flow
Smart Tips
Always check if the action is past.
Use -ani for negative.
Keep the vowel short.
Combine clauses.
Prononciation
Vowel length
The 'i' in -ina is short.
Rising
chesina pani aa?
Questioning if it was the work done.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Think of 'ina' as 'in a' box. The action is 'in a' box, ready to describe the noun.
Association visuelle
Imagine a person holding a book. The book has a tag on it that says '-ina'. Every time you see a noun, imagine it wearing a tag with the action that happened to it.
Rhyme
Past action done, add -ina for fun.
Story
Ram went to the store. He bought a pen. He used the pen. He calls it 'nenu konina pen' (the pen I bought) and 'nenu rasina pen' (the pen I wrote with).
Word Web
Défi
Write 5 sentences describing things you did today using the -ina form.
Notes culturelles
Used universally across all Telugu-speaking regions.
Derived from Old Telugu verbal roots.
Amorces de conversation
Nuvvu chusina cinema enti?
Nuvvu tinina food enti?
Nuvvu chadivina best book enti?
Nuvvu chesina pani lo emi nerukunnav?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
Nenu ___ (eat) annam.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Nenu chusinaa cinema.
Nenu pani chesa. -> ___ pani.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Aame ___ (write) pustakam.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Nenu tininaa annam.
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesNenu ___ (eat) annam.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Nenu chusinaa cinema.
Nenu pani chesa. -> ___ pani.
Match: chey -> ?
Aame ___ (write) pustakam.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Nenu tininaa annam.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, it is invariant.
No, use -e for future/habitual.
It is used in all registers.
Use -ani.
Because it acts as an adjective.
Yes, most verbs.
Extremely common.
Practice past tense first.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Participio
Telugu uses it as a pre-nominal modifier.
Participe passé
French places it after the noun.
Partizip II
Telugu uses it as a relative clause.
Ta-form
Both are head-final.
Ism al-maf'ul
Telugu is agglutinative.
De-clause
Telugu uses suffixes directly on the verb.
