Sanskrit
Sandhi
Sanskrit words change shape where they meet. Put two together and see exactly what happens at the join, and which rule did it.
Join two words
na+astināsti
Similar vowels mergea + a → ā
Two vowels of the same kind meet and become the long form, ā.
Break a joined form apart
Only where the writing itself proves what happened. An avagraha is the clearest case: it marks a vowel that was dropped, so the original can be recovered with certainty.
Covered: external vowel sandhi, visarga sandhi, and final m. Not covered: internal sandhi, consonant assimilation across a junction, and the irregular pronouns such as saḥ and eṣaḥ, which behave differently and are better learned as exceptions than approximated here.
All Sanskrit toolsLearn the pattern, not the table
Worked example → attempt → compare → explain → mix later
1
Study one checked example
2
Hide it and try nearby
3
Compare every difference
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Explain the rule aloud
5
Mix it with older forms