Is "Sita school gaya" correct?
Sita went to school. Manav writes "Sita school gaya" (using the masculine form), thinking the past-tense verb always stays the same. His teacher says the verb here matches the subject's gender. Who is right?
Who do you think is right? Pick one.
The answer: His teacher is right, it should be "Sita school gayi"
Why
Manav is treating the verb as one fixed word, the way some English forms behave. In Hindi, many verbs — especially in the past tense — change to match the SUBJECT'S GENDER. 'गया' is the masculine past-tense form ('राम गया'), and 'गई'/'गयी' is the feminine form ('सीता गई'). This is a kind of agreement between the verb and the subject, much like an adjective matches a noun's gender ('अच्छा लड़का', 'अच्छी लड़की'). Test it: compare 'राम आया' and 'सीता आई' — both are the past tense of 'आना' (to come), yet the verb's form changes with the subject's gender. His teacher is right: Sita is feminine, so the verb must be 'गई', not 'गया' — the past-tense verb agrees with the subject's gender.
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