ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Sanskrit grammar

Sanskrit is a very old language that people in India used a long, long time ago. And just like how we have rules for speaking and writing in English, there are rules for speaking and writing in Sanskrit too. These rules are called Sanskrit grammar.

Now, imagine you have a box of toys that you need to put in a certain order. You need to follow a pattern so that it makes sense and looks nice. Similarly, in Sanskrit grammar, there are certain patterns and rules that need to be followed. This helps people understand what is being said or written more easily.

One of the important things in Sanskrit grammar is the use of sounds. Sounds are like music that we make with our mouths when we speak. In Sanskrit, there are 49 different sounds that are used in specific ways to form words and sentences. Some of these sounds are vowels (like ‘a’, ‘i’, ‘u’) while others are consonants (like ‘k’, ‘t’, ‘n’).

Another important thing in Sanskrit grammar is the way words are put together to form sentences. In English, we might say “I am eating an apple” while in Sanskrit, it might be “aham sevami sevaphalam”. Notice that the words are arranged differently in Sanskrit. This is because in Sanskrit, the important information comes first while the less important information comes after.

So, to sum it up: in Sanskrit, there are certain rules that need to be followed when speaking and writing. These rules help us understand what is being said more easily. These rules include using different sounds and arranging words in a certain way.