Tenses
The verbs tenses (a very inexact application of the word, since more distinctions than simply tense are expressed) are organized into four 'systems' (plus gerunds and infinitives, along with such creatures as intensives/frequentives, desideratives, causatives, and benedictives derived from more basic forms). Each verb is also has a grammatical voice: either active, passive or middle. (Middle indicates actions done to something other than the speaker for the speaker's own benefit. The semantic distinction between middle and passive isn't maintained in later Sanskrit). The four systems are:
Word order is free with tendency toward SOV.
Here is a simple example to illustrate the different contexts in which the cases are used for the pronouns:
mayaa tatam idam sarvam jagad avyaktamuurtinaa |
matsthaani sarvabhuutaani na caaham teshv avasthitah ||
-- Giitaa (9.4)
"mayaa" (by me) in the first line is in the instrumental case. Word for word this says "by me is pervaded this all universe" but an exact translation would be "I pervade all this universe...".
"mat-sthaani" in the second line is a compound of "mat" (me) and "stha" (standing, staying at) and means "they are in me".
"-aham" (I) in the second line is nominative. na caaham = "...and not I....", meaning "but I am not...".
"teshv-" (in/at/by them) at the end of the second line is in locative plural.
Translated: "...in them".
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