In the previous Unit we learnt that the Pali nouns decline in eight cases.

• Nominative Case (Paṭhamā)
• Accusative Case (Dutiyā)
• Instrumental Case (Tatiyā)
• Dative Case (Catutthī)
• Ablative Case (Pañcamī)
• Genitive Case (Chaṭṭhī)
• Locative Case (Sattamī)
• Vocative Case (Ālapana)

Each of these cases is used for expressing one or more specific meanings. The following is an overview of usage of the cases :

• Nominative : subject of a sentence
• Accusative : object of a sentence or destination
• Instrumental : by, with, through someone / something
• Dative : beneficiary / recipient (indirect object)
• Ablative : separation, origin (place / cause)
• Genitive : relation / possession
• Locative : location or time
• Vocative : for addressing purpose

Now let us learn in detail the usage of each of these cases with the help of multiple examples and activities.

Please Note :

• We will be using ‘a’-ending masculine nouns throughout this Unit for studying various cases. Hence it is desirable to be fairly conversant with the declension table of the noun ‘Buddha’.
• We will be learning a few nouns and verbs at a time to make and translate Pali sentences. As we move along, you will also come across words learnt in the previous sections / Units. It might be useful to make a list of these words or use a Pali-English dictionary (physical or online) for translating Pali sentences.