When to use it
Use it when your child missed school and you ask another parent about the homework.
The sentence in English (“Did the teacher explain the homework?”)
In “Did the teacher explain the homework?” ‘Did’ carries the past, so ‘explain’ stays in base form.
- Did
- auxiliary verbdo · tense: past · auxiliary that makes a question in the past
- the
- determinerdefinite article
- teacher
- nounnoun
- explain
- verbexplain · form: base form (infinitive without "to") · after "did" the verb stays in its base form
- the
- determinerdefinite article
- homework
- noununcountable noun; it has no plural
The sentence in Marathi (“शिक्षकांनी गृहपाठ समजावून सांगितला का?”)
In “शिक्षकांनी गृहपाठ समजावून सांगितला का?” in the past tense the subject takes ‘-नी’ (शिक्षकांनी), and the verb ‘सांगितला’ agrees with the object ‘गृहपाठ’ (homework), not the subject. ‘समजावून सांगणे’ (make clear and tell) means explain.
- शिक्षकांनी
- noun'teacher' with the respectful agent ending -ānnī
- गृहपाठ
- noun'homework', lesson for home
- समजावून
- verbsamjāvṇe · form: conjunctive (-ūn) · 'having made clear'; with sāṅgitlā, explain
- सांगितला
- verbsāṅgṇe · tense: past · gender: masculine (with gṛhapāṭh) · 'told', past, agreeing with gṛhapāṭh
- का
- particleyes/no question particle
What changes from one language to the other (English × Marathi)
English marks the past with ‘did’; Marathi in the verb, which agrees with the object.
Example conversation
— शिक्षकांनी गृहपाठ समजावून सांगितला का?
— Did the teacher explain the homework?
— हो, बाराव्या पानावर आहे.
— Yes, it's on page twelve.