Also known as: the optative, vidhiḥ (“injunction”), vidhiliṅ

The potential mood is the last of the four special tense-moods.

Basic meaning The potential mood usually describes what might, could, or should happen:

पठिताहे	पठितास्वहे	पठितास्महे
पठितासे	पठितासाथे	पठिताध्वे
पठिता	पठितारौ	पठितारः

Also known as: saṃketaḥ (“condition”), lṛṅ

The conditional mood describes situations that would happen or would have happened. In other words, it is used for hypothetical situations. Here is a classic example:

• दक्षिणेन चेद् आयास्यन् न शकटं पर्याभविष्यत्
• dakṣiṇena ced āyāsyan na śakaṭaṃ paryābhaviṣyat
• If he would come by the southern road, the cart would not overturn.

To form the conditional, we start with the stem from the simple future:

• नी → नेष्य
• nī → neṣya
• lead → will lead

Then we use this stem as if we were using the ordinary past tense:

• अनेष्यत्
• aneṣyat
• would lead, would have led

You can compare the conditional and the ordinary past in teh examples below. In each example, the right side has two results. The first result uses the ordinary past and the second uses the conditional:

• नी → अनयत्, अनेष्यत्
• nī → anayat, aneṣyat
• lead → led, would do

• कृ → अकरोत्, अकरिष्यत्
• kṛ → akarot, akariṣyat
• do → did, would do
• (parasmaipada)

• कृ → अकुरुत, अकरिष्यत
• kṛ → akuruta, akariṣyata
• do → did, would do
• (ātmanepada)

पठिताहे	पठितास्वहे	पठितास्महे
पठितासे	पठितासाथे	पठिताध्वे
पठिता	पठितारौ	पठितारः

Also known as: the imperative mood, ājñā (“command”), loṭ

The present tense and the command mood use similar endings. So, let's learn about the command mood next.

Basic meaning The command mood is used for commands. We commonly see the command mood in the second person:

पठिताहे	पठितास्वहे	पठितास्महे
पठितासे	पठितासाथे	पठिताध्वे
पठिता	पठितारौ	पठितारः