Accusative Case '-ni/-nu' (Dwitiya Vibhakti)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
The Accusative case (-ni/-nu) marks the direct object of a sentence, showing who or what is receiving the action.
- Use -ni for human objects: 'Nenu ramuni chusanu' (I saw Ramu).
- Use -nu for non-human objects: 'Nenu pustakamunu chadivanu' (I read the book).
- In modern spoken Telugu, -ni is often used for both humans and non-humans.
Accusative Suffixes
| Noun Type | Suffix | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Human
|
-ni
|
Ramuni
|
Ramu (obj)
|
|
Non-Human
|
-ni
|
Pustakam-ni
|
Book (obj)
|
|
Pronoun (I)
|
-nu
|
Nannu
|
Me
|
|
Pronoun (You)
|
-nu
|
Ninnu
|
You
|
|
Pronoun (He/She)
|
-ni
|
Atani/Ame-ni
|
Him/Her
|
Meanings
The accusative case identifies the direct object of a transitive verb, indicating the entity affected by the action.
Direct Object
Marking the target of a verb.
“Nenu cinema-ni chusanu”
“Ame pustakam-ni chadivindi”
Specific Emphasis
Highlighting a specific object among many.
“Aa kura-ni tinu”
“Ee pani-ni cheyi”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Noun + ni + Verb
|
Nenu cinema-ni chusanu
|
|
Negative
|
Noun + ni + Neg Verb
|
Nenu cinema-ni chudaledu
|
|
Question
|
Noun + ni + Verb?
|
Nuvvu cinema-ni chusava?
|
|
Human Object
|
Name + ni
|
Ramuni pilichanu
|
|
Pronoun Object
|
Pronoun + nu
|
Nannu pilicharu
|
औपचारिकता का स्तर
Nenu aa chalanachitram-ni chusanu. (Watching a movie)
Nenu aa cinema-ni chusanu. (Watching a movie)
Cinema chusa. (Watching a movie)
Cinema chusesa. (Watching a movie)
Accusative Case Map
Usage
- Direct Object Target of action
Pronouns
- Nannu Me
- Ninnu You
स्तर के अनुसार उदाहरण
Nenu annam-ni tinnanu
I ate the food
Nenu cinema-ni chusanu
I watched the movie
Nuvvu nannu pilichava?
Did you call me?
Ame pustakam-ni konnadi
She bought the book
Nenu aa pani-ni chesanu
I did that work
Ame ramuni chusindi
She saw Ramu
Nuvvu ee kura-ni tinnava?
Did you eat this curry?
Nenu ninnu nammutunnanu
I believe you
Vaadu aa kotta car-ni konnadu
He bought that new car
Nenu ee vishayam-ni gurthu pettukuntanu
I will remember this matter
Ame nannu adigindi
She asked me
Nuvvu aa cinema-ni chudaleda?
Haven't you watched that movie?
Nenu aa samasya-ni parishkarinchanu
I solved that problem
Ame nannu pilavaledu
She did not invite me
Nuvvu ee nirnayam-ni enduku teesukunnavu?
Why did you take this decision?
Vaadu aa pustakam-ni chadivadu
He read that book
Nenu aa vyakti-ni gurtinchagalanu
I can recognize that person
Ame ee siddhantam-ni samarthinchindi
She supported this theory
Nuvvu aa ghatana-ni ela chustavu?
How do you view that incident?
Vaadu aa prastavam-ni tecchadu
He brought up that proposal
Nenu aa kavyam-ni chadivanu
I read that poem
Ame aa charitra-ni vivarinchindi
She explained that history
Nuvvu aa niyamam-ni patinchali
You must follow that rule
Vaadu aa prayatnam-ni chesadu
He made that attempt
आसानी से भ्रमित होने वाले
Learners often use -ki for objects.
Learners don't know when to add the marker.
Confusing possession with object marking.
सामान्य गलतियाँ
Nenu annam tinnanu
Nenu annam-ni tinnanu
Nenu Ramu-ki chusanu
Nenu Ramu-ni chusanu
Nenu nannu chusanu
Nenu nannu chusanu (Wait, this is correct, but check reflexive)
Nenu pustakam chusanu
Nenu pustakam-ni chusanu
Nuvvu nenu chusava?
Nuvvu nannu chusava?
Nenu cinema-ki chusanu
Nenu cinema-ni chusanu
Ame ninnu pilichindi
Ame ninnu pilichindi (Correct)
Nenu aa vishayam-ki gurthu pettukuntanu
Nenu aa vishayam-ni gurthu pettukuntanu
Vaadu aa car-ki konnadu
Vaadu aa car-ni konnadu
Nenu aa ghatana-ki chusanu
Nenu aa ghatana-ni chusanu
Nenu aa siddhantam-ki samarthinchanu
Nenu aa siddhantam-ni samarthinchanu
Nuvvu aa niyamam-ki patinchali
Nuvvu aa niyamam-ni patinchali
Vaadu aa prastavam-ki tecchadu
Vaadu aa prastavam-ni tecchadu
Ame aa charitra-ki vivarinchindi
Ame aa charitra-ni vivarinchindi
वाक्य संरचनाएँ
Nenu ___ -ni chusanu.
Nuvvu ___ -ni tinnava?
Ame ___ -ni konnadi.
Vaadu ___ -ni parishkarinchadu.
Real World Usage
Nenu dosa-ni order chesanu.
Message-ni chudu.
Nenu project-ni complete chesanu.
Nenu ticket-ni book chesanu.
Photo-ni like chesanu.
Nenu lesson-ni chadivanu.
Use -ni for everything
Don't over-mark
Definite objects
Spoken vs Written
Smart Tips
Ask yourself: 'Am I acting on this thing?' If yes, use -ni.
Always use -ni for people who are the object of your action.
Adding -ni turns a general object into a specific one.
Think of -ni as the 'target' and -ki as the 'destination'.
उच्चारण
Suffix attachment
The -ni suffix is attached directly to the noun without a space.
Statement
Nenu cinema-ni chusanu ↘
Falling intonation for facts.
Question
Nuvvu cinema-ni chusava? ↗
Rising intonation for questions.
याद करें
स्मृति सहायक
Think of 'ni' as a 'net' that catches the object of the sentence.
दृश्य संबंध
Imagine a fisherman throwing a net (ni) over a fish (the object). The fish is now the target.
Rhyme
For the object, add a ni, it's as easy as can be.
Story
Ramu is hungry. He sees a dosa. He puts a 'ni' net on the dosa. Now he eats the dosa-ni.
Word Web
चैलेंज
Write 5 sentences about things you did today using the -ni suffix.
सांस्कृतिक नोट्स
In formal settings, people use the full -ni suffix. In casual conversation, it is often dropped if the object is obvious.
The usage is similar, but some dialects might use slightly different verb endings.
Literary Telugu often uses -nu for inanimate objects.
The accusative case in Telugu evolved from ancient Dravidian roots.
बातचीत की शुरुआत
Nuvvu ee roju emi chusavu?
Nuvvu ee pustakam-ni chadivava?
Nuvvu evarini pilichavu?
Nuvvu ee nirnayam-ni ela teesukunnavu?
डायरी विषय
सामान्य गलतियाँ
Test Yourself
Nenu cinema ___ chusanu.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Nenu annam tinnanu (make it specific).
Nenu pustakam chadivanu.
A: Nuvvu evarini pilichavu? B: Nenu ____ pilichanu.
cinema / nenu / chusanu / -ni
Which is Accusative?
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
अभ्यास प्रश्न
8 exercisesNenu cinema ___ chusanu.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Nenu annam tinnanu (make it specific).
Nenu pustakam chadivanu.
A: Nuvvu evarini pilichavu? B: Nenu ____ pilichanu.
cinema / nenu / chusanu / -ni
Which is Accusative?
I -> ?
Score: /8
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल (8)
Yes, in modern spoken Telugu, -ni is the standard marker for all direct objects.
-nu is the traditional literary form for inanimate objects, while -ni is the common spoken form.
Not always. If the object is indefinite, you can omit it, but using it adds specificity.
Yes, -ni is the standard marker for human direct objects.
The dative (-ki) is for recipients or destinations, while the accusative (-ni) is for direct objects.
It's common because English prepositions like 'to' or 'at' can be translated as -ki, leading to overuse.
Yes, but -ni is universally understood and used across all Telugu-speaking regions.
No, intransitive verbs like 'go' or 'come' do not take direct objects, so they don't use -ni.
Scaffolded Practice
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3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Personal 'a'
Spanish doesn't use a marker for inanimate objects, while Telugu can.
wo particle
Japanese 'wo' is strictly for objects, while Telugu -ni has more historical variations.
Accusative case
German changes the article, while Telugu adds a suffix.
Direct object pronouns
French doesn't use suffixes on the noun itself.
Mansoub case
Arabic uses vowel endings, Telugu uses a consonant-vowel suffix.
Ba construction
Chinese changes word order, Telugu keeps SOV order.
