"Su" and "aagat" are to be joined into one word
"Su" and "aagat" are to be joined into one word. Disha thinks a rule like before, turning a vowel into "aa", will apply, and guesses "suaagat". Her friend says a vowel here actually turns into a consonant. Who is right?
Who do you think is right? Pick one.
The answer: Her friend is right, the correct word is "swagat"
Why
Disha carried forward the pattern from the earlier examples — two vowels merging into a matching or new vowel — a sensible instinct to try again. Hindi-Sanskrit sandhi also has a third rule, for vowels like 'इ/ई' and 'उ/ऊ': when followed by a different vowel, these vowels themselves TURN INTO a consonant — 'इ/ई' becomes 'य्', and 'उ/ऊ' becomes 'व्'. 'सु' ends in 'उ', and 'आगत' begins with 'आ'; here 'उ' itself turns into the consonant 'व्', giving 'स्वागत' (swagat) ('सु'+'आगत' = 'स्व्'+'आगत' = 'स्वागत'). Test it: the same pattern appears in 'अति'+'अधिक', where 'इ' turns into 'य्' to give 'अत्यधिक' (atyadhik). Her friend is right: vowels like 'उ' sometimes turn into a consonant themselves rather than merging into a new vowel — the correct word is 'स्वागत'.
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