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The Ergative ने Construction

Subject marking in the past

Transitive past takes ने on the subject

In the perfective, a transitive subject gets ने.

📊 ने: when to use it
Verb type Tense ने?
transitive perfective (past) YES
transitive present, future NO
intransitive any NO
💬 Examples
मैंने खाना खाया
maiṃne khānā khāyā
I ate food
📝 मैं + ने = ergative subject
राम ने किताब पढ़ी
rām ne kitāb paṛhī
Ram read the book
📝 ने marks the transitive past subject
No ने for intransitive verbs

Intransitives keep the plain subject.

💬 Examples
मैं गया
maiṃ gayā
I went
📝 जाना is intransitive → no ने
वह सोया
vah soyā
He slept
📝 Intransitive, no ने
Pronouns change before ने

मैं → मैंने, तू → तूने, वह → उसने.

💬 Examples
उसने कहा
usne kahā
He/She said
📝 वह → उसने
हमने देखा
hamne dekhā
We saw
📝 हम → हमने