Nominative Case / प्रथमा विभक्ति (prathamaa vibhakti)

Nominative Case or प्रथमा विभक्ति (prathamaa vibhakti) represents the noun-form to represent the "who" or "what" on the verb in the sentence. In other words nominative case represents the subject or कर्ता (kartaa) of the sentence.

Study the following sentences. These are in nominative case. In the previous chapters we have already come across these sentence formations. These are mentioned again for completness.

आङ्ग्लभाषा / English	संस्कृत / Sanskrit	Notes
1. The boy is going.	बालः गच्छति baalaH gachchhati	-
2. Poet is writing.	कविः लिखति kaviH likhati	-
3. Teachers are speaking.	गुरवः वदन्ति guravaH vadanti	-
4. Girl is reading.	वाला पठति vaalaa paThati	-
5. River is flowing.	नदी वहति nadii vahati	-
6. I am asking.	अहं पृच्छामि aha.n pRRichchhaami	-
7. Sita is singing.	सीता गायति siitaa gaayati	-
8. Fruit is falling.	फलं पतति phala.n patati	Words like - fruit (फल / phala), vehicle (यान / yaana), book (पुस्तक / pustaka), water (जल / jala) and flower (पुष्प / puShpa) etc., are of neuter gender. They have the same noun-form or shabdarupa as boy (बाल / baala) except the nominative and accusative cases which have slightly different forms. Refer फल (phala) shabda below for the nominative case forms of these.
9. Vehicle is moving.	यानं चलति yaana.n chalati
10. The book is there.	पुस्तकम् अस्ति pustakam asti
11. There is no water.	जलं नास्ति jala.n naasti
12. Flower is blooming.	पुष्पं विकसति puShpa.n vikasati

In sentence 1 above, if we ask the question "who is going?", the answer that comes is "boy". So, boy is the subject in the sentence and the noun-form is in nominative case or prathamaa vibhakti. Similarly in sentence 8, if we ask the question "what is falling?", the answer that comes is "fruit". In this fruit is the subject.

So, answer to the question "who" or "what" is the subject of the sentence and is always in nominative case. The verb form follows the number or वचन (vachana) of the noun. The followings are few rules where the nominative case must be used as the noun-form.

Grammatical Rule: In active voice statements the subject in the sentence is always in nominative case.

Grammatical Rule: In passive voice statements the object follows the nominative case. The subject follows the instrumental case.

Nominative Case (प्रथमा विभक्ति / prathamaa vibhakti)
Word शब्द	Gender लिङ्ग	Singular एकवचन	Dual द्विवचन	Plural बहुवचन	Similar Words
Boy बाल / baala	M - पुं	बालः baalah	बालौ baalau	बालाः baalaaH	-
Creeper लता / lataa	F - स्त्री	लता lataa	लते late	लताः lataaH	-
River नदी / nadii	F - स्त्री	नदी nadii	नद्यौ nadau	नद्यः nadyaH	-
Fruit फलम् / phalam	N - नपुं	फलम् phalam	फले phale	फलानि phalaani	-