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Invariable adjectives
अविकारी विशेषण
Many Hindi adjectives never change their form. These are the adjectives that do NOT end in -ा, such as सुंदर (beautiful), लाल (red), साफ़ (clean), ख़ुश (happy) and मुश्किल (difficult). Whether the noun is masculine or feminine, singular or plural, in the direct or oblique case, the adjective stays exactly the same: सुंदर लड़का, सुंदर लड़की, सुंदर लड़के, सुंदर लड़कियाँ. This makes them easier than the -ा adjectives (अच्छा/अच्छी/अच्छे), which must agree. So your job is to recognise which adjectives are 'frozen' and simply leave them alone — never add an -ी or -े ending to लाल or साफ़.
Key rule
Adjectives that do not end in -ा (सुंदर, लाल, साफ़) never change for gender, number or case — leave them in one fixed form.
Examples
- सुंदर लड़की गा रही है।सुंदरी लड़की गा रही है।
सुंदर is invariable; it never takes a feminine -ी ending.
- लाल फूल सुंदर है।ला लाल फूल सुंदर है।
लाल stays the same with the masculine फूल — no change at all.
- लाल किताब मेज़ पर है।लाली किताब मेज़ पर है।
लाल does not become *लाली even though किताब is feminine.
Common mistakes
Adding a feminine -ी to an invariable adjective
सुंदरी लड़की आई।सुंदर लड़की आई।सुंदर does not inflect; only -ा adjectives take a feminine -ी.
Inventing a feminine of लाल
लाली साड़ी अच्छी है।लाल साड़ी अच्छी है।लाल is invariable; साड़ी being feminine does not change लाल.
Subject–verb agreement
कर्ता–क्रिया मेल
In a normal (non-ergative) Hindi sentence, the finite verb agrees with the subject in gender, number and person. A masculine singular subject takes a masculine singular verb (लड़का आता है), a feminine singular subject takes the feminine form (लड़की आती है), and a plural subject takes the plural form (लड़के आते हैं / लड़कियाँ आती हैं). The copula होना and most tenses all show this agreement: है/हैं in the present, था/थी/थे in the past. So once you know the subject's gender and number, the verb's ending follows automatically. This is the backbone of almost every Hindi sentence you will build at this level.
Key rule
In non-ergative clauses the finite verb agrees with the subject in gender, number and person (लड़का आता है / लड़की आती है / लड़के आते हैं).
Examples
- लड़का स्कूल जाता है।लड़का स्कूल जाती है।
Masculine subject लड़का → masculine verb जाता है.
- लड़की स्कूल जाती है।लड़की स्कूल जाता है।
Feminine subject लड़की → feminine verb जाती है.
- बच्चे खेलते हैं।बच्चे खेलता है।
Plural subject बच्चे → plural verb खेलते हैं.
Common mistakes
Using the masculine verb with a feminine subject
लड़की गाना गाता है।लड़की गाना गाती है।The subject लड़की is feminine, so the verb must be गाती है.
Keeping a singular verb with a plural subject
बच्चे स्कूल जाता है।बच्चे स्कूल जाते हैं।A plural subject requires the plural जाते हैं.
Adjective agreement (अच्छा/अच्छी/अच्छे)
विशेषण का मेल
Adjectives ending in -ा change their ending to agree with the noun they describe. They have three direct-case forms: -ा for a masculine singular noun (अच्छा लड़का), -ी for any feminine noun (अच्छी लड़की), and -े for a masculine plural noun (अच्छे लड़के). So one adjective like 'good' appears as अच्छा / अच्छी / अच्छे depending on the noun. This is the most common kind of agreement at A1, used both before the noun (अच्छा लड़का) and after the verb होना (लड़का अच्छा है). Only -ा adjectives behave this way; adjectives like लाल and सुंदर never change.
Key rule
An -ा adjective agrees with its noun: -ा for masculine singular, -ी for feminine, -े for masculine plural (अच्छा/अच्छी/अच्छे).
Examples
- अच्छा लड़का यहाँ है।अच्छी लड़का यहाँ है।
Masculine singular लड़का → अच्छा.
- अच्छी लड़की यहाँ है।अच्छा लड़की यहाँ है।
Feminine लड़की → अच्छी.
- अच्छे लड़के यहाँ हैं।अच्छा लड़के यहाँ हैं।
Masculine plural लड़के → अच्छे.
Common mistakes
Masculine adjective with a feminine noun
नया कुर्सी टूटी है।नई कुर्सी टूटी है।कुर्सी is feminine, so the -ा adjective becomes -ी (नई).
Not pluralising the adjective
बड़ा घर अच्छे हैं।बड़े घर अच्छे हैं।With a masculine plural noun the -ा adjective becomes -े (बड़े).
Adjective agreement in the oblique
विशेषण का तिर्यक मेल
When a noun is followed by a postposition (को, में, पर, से, का…), the noun goes into the oblique case, and a -ा adjective in front of it changes its ending to -े — even when the noun is masculine singular. So अच्छा लड़का becomes अच्छे लड़के को, and बड़ा कमरा becomes बड़े कमरे में. Feminine adjectives keep their -ी form in the oblique (बड़ी मेज़ पर), and invariable adjectives (साफ़, लाल) never change at all. The key new idea is that a postposition makes a masculine -ा adjective take -े, matching the oblique noun.
Key rule
Before a postposition, a masculine -ा adjective takes the oblique -े (अच्छे लड़के को, बड़े कमरे में); feminine -ी and invariable adjectives stay unchanged.
Examples
- अच्छे लड़के को बुलाओ।अच्छा लड़के को बुलाओ।
Before को, the masculine adjective becomes oblique अच्छे.
- बड़े कमरे में बैठो।बड़ा कमरे में बैठो।
में makes कमरा oblique, so बड़ा → बड़े.
- छोटे बच्चे को दूध दो।छोटा बच्चे को दूध दो।
को triggers the oblique, so छोटा → छोटे.
Common mistakes
Leaving the direct -ा before a postposition
अच्छा लड़के को बुलाओ।अच्छे लड़के को बुलाओ।को forces the oblique, so the masculine adjective must become अच्छे.
Not making the adjective oblique with में
बड़ा कमरे में सोफ़ा है।बड़े कमरे में सोफ़ा है।में triggers the oblique; बड़ा → बड़े to match कमरे.
Greetings and politeness words
अभिवादन
Hindi has a small set of everyday courtesy formulae you will use constantly. नमस्ते (or नमस्कार) is the all-purpose greeting for both hello and goodbye, said at any time of day. For thanks you can say शुक्रिया or धन्यवाद — both are fine and common. To apologise or to say 'excuse me', you say माफ़ कीजिए (politely) or माफ़ करना (casually). To respond to thanks you can say कोई बात नहीं ('no problem'). These formulae are fixed phrases — you do not change their endings — and using them makes your Hindi polite and natural from the very first day.
Key rule
Use the fixed courtesy formulae — नमस्ते for hello/goodbye, शुक्रिया/धन्यवाद for thanks, माफ़ कीजिए to apologise — without inflecting them.
Examples
- नमस्ते, आप कैसे हैं?नमस्ते, आप कैसे है?
आप always takes the plural है → हैं, even in a greeting.
- आपकी मदद के लिए शुक्रिया।आपकी मदद के लिए शुक्रिये।
शुक्रिया is a fixed form and is not inflected to *शुक्रिये.
- माफ़ कीजिए, स्टेशन कहाँ है?माफ़ करिए कीजिए, स्टेशन कहाँ है?
Use one polite imperative माफ़ कीजिए, not a doubled verb.
Common mistakes
Using the singular verb after आप in a greeting
नमस्ते, आप कैसे है?नमस्ते, आप कैसे हैं?आप always governs the plural verb हैं.
Inflecting a fixed thanks word
मदद के लिए शुक्रिये।मदद के लिए शुक्रिया।शुक्रिया is frozen; it does not change to *शुक्रिये.
Honorific आप (introduction)
आदरसूचक आप
आप is the respectful word for 'you', used for elders, strangers, teachers, customers and anyone you wish to show respect to. Its most important grammatical feature is that it ALWAYS takes a plural verb, even when you are speaking to just one person: आप कैसे हैं? ('How are you?'), आप क्या करते हैं? ('What do you do?'). The verb is हैं / करते हैं / जाते हैं, never the singular है / करता है. The possessive of आप is आपका / आपकी / आपके. Using आप with the plural verb is the safe, polite default whenever you are unsure how to address someone.
Key rule
आप is the respectful 'you' and ALWAYS takes the plural verb, even for one person (आप कैसे हैं?, आप आए).
Examples
- आप कैसे हैं?आप कैसे है?
आप always takes the plural हैं, even for one person.
- आप कहाँ रहते हैं?आप कहाँ रहता है?
The verb must be plural रहते हैं, not the singular रहता है.
- आपका नाम क्या है?आपकी नाम क्या है?
नाम is masculine, so the possessive is आपका.
Common mistakes
Using the singular verb with आप
आप कहाँ जाता है?आप कहाँ जाते हैं?आप always governs the plural verb, even for one addressee.
Singular copula after आप
आप ठीक है?आप ठीक हैं?है must become the plural हैं after आप.
Choosing तू / तुम / आप
तू/तुम/आप का चुनाव
Hindi has three words for 'you', chosen by relationship and respect. तू is very intimate or for small children and close friends (and for God in prayer); used wrongly it can sound rude or insulting. तुम is casual-friendly, for friends, siblings, peers and younger people. आप is respectful, for elders, strangers, teachers and anyone you wish to honour. Each takes its own verb form: तू है, तुम हो, आप हैं. The safe choice with an adult you don't know well is always आप. Getting this 'you'-level right matters socially as much as grammatically.
Key rule
Pick the 'you' by relationship: intimate तू, casual तुम, respectful आप — and with strangers and elders always default to आप.
Examples
- आप कहाँ जा रहे हैं?तू कहाँ जा रहे हैं?
तू does not take the plural रहे हैं; with a respected person use आप.
- तुम कहाँ जा रहे हो?तुम कहाँ जा रहे हैं?
तुम takes the -ो copula हो, not the आप-style हैं.
- तू कहाँ जा रहा है?तू कहाँ जा रहे हो?
तू takes the singular है, not the तुम-form हो.
Common mistakes
Using तू with a stranger
(to a stranger) तू कहाँ रहता है?आप कहाँ रहते हैं?तू can be rude to someone you don't know; the respectful आप is required.
Mixing तुम with the आप verb
तुम कैसे हैं?तुम कैसे हो?तुम takes the copula हो, not the आप-form हैं.
Connectors और / या
संयोजक और/या
और means "and" and या means "or". They are the first joining words a learner needs. और links two things that are both true — two nouns (चाय और कॉफ़ी), two adjectives (अच्छा और सस्ता), or two whole clauses (मैं घर जाता हूँ और सोता हूँ). या offers a choice between alternatives (चाय या कॉफ़ी?). Both words go between the items they join, just like English. When और joins two whole clauses, each clause keeps its own verb at the end, because Hindi is verb-final. There is no change of form on और or या themselves; they are simply slotted in the middle.
Key rule
और ("and") joins items that are all true and या ("or") offers a choice; both go between the joined items and never change form.
Examples
- मुझे चाय और कॉफ़ी पसंद है।मुझे चाय या कॉफ़ी पसंद है।
The speaker likes both, so it must be और (and), not या (or).
- तुम चाय पियोगे या कॉफ़ी?तुम चाय पियोगे और कॉफ़ी?
Offering a choice between two drinks needs या (or).
- राम और श्याम भाई हैं।राम श्याम भाई हैं।
Two coordinated subjects must be joined by और.
Common mistakes
Using या where both items are meant
मैं हिंदी या अंग्रेज़ी दोनों जानता हूँ।मैं हिंदी और अंग्रेज़ी दोनों जानता हूँ।दोनों ("both") shows both languages are true, so the connector must be और.
Using और for an alternative question
तुम बस से जाओगे और ट्रेन से?तुम बस से जाओगे या ट्रेन से?Offering a choice of one or the other requires या, not और.
Connectors लेकिन / क्योंकि
संयोजक लेकिन/क्योंकि
लेकिन means "but" and shows a contrast between two clauses: मैं थका हूँ, लेकिन मैं काम करूँगा (I am tired, but I will work). क्योंकि means "because" and gives a reason: मैं नहीं आया क्योंकि मैं बीमार था (I didn't come because I was sick). Both join two full clauses, each with its own verb at the end. लेकिन sits between the two clauses. क्योंकि sits at the start of the reason clause, and the reason clause normally comes after the main clause, not before. A common everyday alternative for लेकिन is मगर; both mean "but".
Key rule
लेकिन ("but") goes between two contrasting clauses; क्योंकि ("because") heads the reason clause, which normally follows the main clause.
Examples
- मैं थका हूँ, लेकिन मैं काम करूँगा।मैं थका हूँ, क्योंकि मैं काम करूँगा।
The two clauses contrast, so the connector is लेकिन, not क्योंकि.
- मैं नहीं आया क्योंकि मैं बीमार था।मैं नहीं आया लेकिन मैं बीमार था।
The second clause gives the reason, so क्योंकि is needed.
- यह घर छोटा है लेकिन सुंदर है।यह घर छोटा लेकिन सुंदर है।
लेकिन joins two clauses, so the first keeps its verb है.
Common mistakes
Swapping क्योंकि (because) and इसलिए (so)
वह थका है क्योंकि वह सो रहा है।वह थका है इसलिए वह सो रहा है।Tiredness is the cause and sleeping the result; इसलिए ("so") points to the result, क्योंकि to the cause.
Using लेकिन for a reason
मैं नहीं आया लेकिन मैं बीमार था।मैं नहीं आया क्योंकि मैं बीमार था।Illness is the reason for not coming, so क्योंकि is required, not लेकिन.
Numbers 1–10
संख्याएँ १–१०
The Hindi numbers one to ten are एक (1), दो (2), तीन (3), चार (4), पाँच (5), छह (6), सात (7), आठ (8), नौ (9), दस (10). They are written with words and can also be written with Devanagari digits १–१०. Each must simply be memorised. A number goes before the noun it counts, just like in English: तीन किताबें (three books), पाँच लड़के (five boys). The numbers themselves do not change for gender — पाँच stays पाँच whether the things are masculine or feminine — but the noun after them usually becomes plural.
Key rule
Memorise एक–दस; the number is invariable and stands before the noun, which then becomes plural (except after एक, which stays singular).
Examples
- मेरे पास तीन किताबें हैं।मेरे पास तीन किताब हैं।
After तीन the noun becomes plural किताबें.
- मेज़ पर एक कलम है।मेज़ पर एक कलमें है।
After एक (one) the noun stays singular.
- यहाँ पाँच लड़के हैं।यहाँ पाँच लड़का हैं।
The number is fine, but the noun must be the plural लड़के.
Common mistakes
Keeping the noun singular after a number above one
तीन किताब मेज़ पर हैं।तीन किताबें मेज़ पर हैं।A counted noun above one takes its plural form (किताब → किताबें).
Pluralising the noun after एक
एक लड़के आया।एक लड़का आया।एक (one) is followed by the singular noun.
Days of the week
सप्ताह के दिन
The seven days of the week in Hindi are सोमवार (Monday), मंगलवार (Tuesday), बुधवार (Wednesday), गुरुवार or बृहस्पतिवार (Thursday), शुक्रवार (Friday), शनिवार (Saturday) and रविवार or इतवार (Sunday). They are fixed vocabulary to memorise. Each ends in -वार, which comes from the word for "day". All seven are masculine nouns. To say "on Monday" you usually just use the bare day word or add को: सोमवार को (on Monday). The question word is किस दिन? (on which day?) or कौन-सा दिन? (which day?).
Key rule
All seven weekday names end in -वार and are masculine; use the bare day or day + को for "on that day".
Examples
- सोमवार को मेरी छुट्टी है।सोमवार में मेरी छुट्टी है।
"On Monday" uses को for the time-point, not में.
- आज रविवार है।आज रविवार हैं।
रविवार is singular masculine, so the verb is है, not हैं.
- हम हर शुक्रवार को मिलते हैं।हम हर शुक्रवार पर मिलते हैं।
"On every Friday" takes को, not पर.
Common mistakes
Using में instead of को for 'on a day'
सोमवार में स्कूल है।सोमवार को स्कूल है।Hindi marks a day-point with को ("on"), while में means "in" (used for months/years).
Treating a weekday as feminine
अगली शुक्रवार छुट्टी है।अगला शुक्रवार छुट्टी है।All weekday names are masculine, so the adjective is अगला.
Months of the year
महीने
In everyday Hindi the twelve Gregorian months are used with their English-derived names: जनवरी, फ़रवरी, मार्च, अप्रैल, मई, जून, जुलाई, अगस्त, सितंबर, अक्तूबर, नवंबर, दिसंबर. They are fixed vocabulary. The word for "month" is महीना (masculine). To say "in a month" you use में: जनवरी में (in January). Months are masculine, so adjectives agree with them as masculine (अगला महीना = next month). These calendar names are far more common in daily life than the traditional Hindu-calendar month names.
Key rule
Use the everyday Gregorian month names with में for "in [month]"; महीना is masculine, so adjectives agree as masculine.
Examples
- जनवरी में बहुत ठंड होती है।जनवरी को बहुत ठंड होती है।
"In January" uses में, not को.
- मेरा जन्मदिन मई में है।मेरा जन्मदिन मई पर है।
Months take में for "in", not पर.
- अगला महीना जून है।अगली महीना जून है।
महीना is masculine, so the adjective is अगला.
Common mistakes
Using को instead of में for a month
मेरा जन्मदिन जुलाई को है।मेरा जन्मदिन जुलाई में है।Months use में ("in"); को ("on") is for specific days.
Treating महीना as feminine
अगली महीना मार्च है।अगला महीना मार्च है।महीना is a masculine noun, so the adjective is अगला.
Numbers 11–20
संख्याएँ ११–२०
The numbers eleven to twenty are ग्यारह (11), बारह (12), तेरह (13), चौदह (14), पंद्रह (15), सोलह (16), सत्रह (17), अठारह (18), उन्नीस (19), बीस (20). Unlike English, these are not built transparently from "one + ten"; each is an irregular word that must be memorised as a block. There is no easy pattern, so this is a pure memory task at A1. Like all Hindi numbers, they go before the noun and do not change for gender (बारह महीने, पंद्रह दिन). They can also be written with Devanagari digits ११–२०.
Key rule
Numbers 11–20 are irregular and must be memorised as a block; like all cardinals they are invariable and precede a (usually plural) noun.
Examples
- एक साल में बारह महीने होते हैं।एक साल में बारह महीना होते हैं।
After बारह the noun is plural महीने.
- मेरी उम्र पंद्रह साल है।मेरी उम्र पंद्रह सालें है।
साल is unmarked masculine; its plural is unchanged साल.
- कक्षा में बीस बच्चे हैं।कक्षा में बीस बच्चा हैं।
After बीस the noun must be plural बच्चे.
Common mistakes
Building the number from 'one + ten' like English
ग्यारह की जगह 'एक-दस' कहना।ग्यारह कहना।Hindi 11–20 are irregular fused words, not compositional; each must be memorised.
Keeping the noun singular after the number
बारह महीना होते हैं।बारह महीने होते हैं।A counted noun above one takes its plural form (महीना → महीने).
Counting nouns with numbers
संख्या + संज्ञा
When you count things in Hindi, the number goes before the noun and the noun becomes plural: दो लड़के (two boys), तीन किताबें (three books), पाँच कुर्सियाँ (five chairs). The exception is एक (one), which keeps the noun singular: एक लड़का. How the plural is formed depends on the noun: marked masculine -ा nouns change -ा to -े (लड़का → लड़के), feminine -ी nouns add -याँ (कुर्सी → कुर्सियाँ), other feminine nouns add -एँ (किताब → किताबें), and unmarked masculine nouns stay the same (दिन → दिन). The verb and any adjective also become plural.
Key rule
A number above एक forces the noun into its plural form, and the adjective and verb agree as plural; एक keeps the noun singular.
Examples
- दो लड़के स्कूल जाते हैं।दो लड़का स्कूल जाता है।
दो forces the plural लड़के and the plural verb जाते हैं.
- तीन किताबें मेज़ पर हैं।तीन किताब मेज़ पर है।
तीन forces the plural किताबें and the plural verb हैं.
- पाँच कुर्सियाँ कमरे में हैं।पाँच कुर्सी कमरे में हैं।
कुर्सी (-ी feminine) becomes कुर्सियाँ in the plural.
Common mistakes
Leaving the noun singular after a number
तीन कुर्सी हैं।तीन कुर्सियाँ हैं।A counted noun above one takes its plural form (कुर्सी → कुर्सियाँ).
Pluralising the noun after एक
एक किताबें मेज़ पर है।एक किताब मेज़ पर है।एक (one) keeps the noun singular.
Ordinals (introduction)
क्रमवाचक संख्या
Ordinal numbers tell you the order of something: पहला (first), दूसरा (second), तीसरा (third), चौथा (fourth), पाँचवाँ (fifth). Unlike cardinal numbers, ordinals behave like adjectives — they agree with the noun in gender. So it is पहला दिन (first day, masculine) but पहली मंज़िल (first floor, feminine), and दूसरा लड़का / दूसरी लड़की. The first four (पहला, दूसरा, तीसरा, चौथा) are irregular and must be learned; from पाँच onward you usually add -वाँ to the number (पाँचवाँ, छठा is irregular, सातवाँ).
Key rule
Ordinals are adjectives that agree with the noun in gender: पहला दिन (m) but पहली मंज़िल (f); the first four are irregular.
Examples
- यह मेरा पहला दिन है।यह मेरा पहली दिन है।
दिन is masculine, so the ordinal is पहला, not पहली.
- हम पहली मंज़िल पर रहते हैं।हम पहला मंज़िल पर रहते हैं।
मंज़िल is feminine, so the ordinal is पहली.
- दूसरा लड़का लंबा है।दूसरी लड़का लंबा है।
लड़का is masculine, so it is दूसरा.
Common mistakes
Not making the ordinal agree in gender
यह मेरा पहली दिन है।यह मेरा पहला दिन है।दिन is masculine, so the ordinal must be पहला.
Using a cardinal where an ordinal is needed
वह दौड़ में तीन आया।वह दौड़ में तीसरा आया।Position in a sequence needs the ordinal तीसरा, not the cardinal तीन.
Telling time (whole hours, बजे)
समय — बजे
To tell whole-hour clock time in Hindi, you put the number before the word बजे: एक बजे (at one o'clock), तीन बजे (at three o'clock), दस बजे (at ten o'clock). बजे literally relates to a clock "striking", and it does not change form. The number stays a normal cardinal, except "one o'clock" uses एक बजे. To ask the time you say कितने बजे हैं? ("what time is it?") or, for "at what time", कितने बजे? You can add सुबह (in the morning), दोपहर (afternoon), शाम (evening) or रात (night) to be clear: सुबह आठ बजे (eight in the morning).
Key rule
Whole-hour time is 'number + बजे'; बजे is invariable, and 'at X o'clock' needs no extra postposition (मैं तीन बजे आऊँगा).
Examples
- अभी तीन बजे हैं।अभी तीन बजा है।
For two o'clock and up the form is plural बजे हैं; बजा is only for one o'clock.
- एक बजा है।एक बजे हैं।
"One o'clock" takes the singular बजा है.
- मैं आठ बजे आऊँगा।मैं आठ बजे पर आऊँगा।
"At eight" needs no extra postposition; पर is wrong here.
Common mistakes
Adding पर or को after बजे
मैं पाँच बजे पर आऊँगा।मैं पाँच बजे आऊँगा।बजे already means "at … o'clock"; no extra postposition is needed.
Using plural बजे हैं for one o'clock
एक बजे हैं।एक बजा है।One o'clock takes the singular बजा है; only two-and-up take बजे हैं.
Noun gender (masculine/feminine)
संज्ञा का लिंग
Every Hindi noun is either masculine (पुल्लिंग) or feminine (स्त्रीलिंग) — there is no neuter. Gender is a grammatical property of the word, not just of biological sex: लड़का (boy) is masculine, लड़की (girl) is feminine, but कमरा (room) is also masculine and किताब (book) is feminine even though objects have no real sex. Gender matters because it controls the form of adjectives (अच्छा लड़का / अच्छी लड़की), of the verb, and of the genitive (का/की). Many nouns ending in -ा are masculine and many ending in -ी are feminine, but you must learn the gender of each noun with the word.
Key rule
Learn the gender (masculine or feminine) with every noun, because gender controls adjective, verb and genitive agreement throughout the sentence.
Examples
- लड़का अच्छा है।लड़का अच्छी है।
लड़का is masculine, so the adjective is अच्छा, not अच्छी.
- लड़की अच्छी है।लड़की अच्छा है।
लड़की is feminine, so the adjective takes the feminine -ी ending.
- कमरा बड़ा है।कमरा बड़ी है।
कमरा (room) is masculine even though it is a thing.
Common mistakes
Assuming all -ी nouns are feminine
पानी ठंडी है।पानी ठंडा है।पानी ends in -ी but is masculine; gender must be learned per word, not guessed from the ending alone.
Treating object nouns as having no gender
किताब अच्छा है।किताब अच्छी है।Even lifeless things have grammatical gender; किताब is feminine and forces अच्छी.
Number (singular/plural)
वचन
Hindi nouns have two numbers: singular (एकवचन) for one and plural (बहुवचन) for more than one. Number is important because the plural changes both the noun's ending and the words that agree with it — the adjective and the verb. एक लड़का (one boy) becomes दो लड़के (two boys), and the verb shifts from है to हैं. Some nouns change their ending in the plural (लड़का → लड़के, कुर्सी → कुर्सियाँ) while others stay the same (घर → घर). Even when the noun looks unchanged, the verb and adjective still tell you it is plural.
Key rule
Singular vs plural changes the verb (है → हैं) and variable adjectives, even when the noun's own form does not change.
Examples
- लड़का आता है।लड़का आते हैं।
One boy → singular verb आता है.
- लड़के आते हैं।लड़के आता है।
More than one boy → plural verb आते हैं.
- घर बड़ा है।घर बड़े है।
One house → singular adjective and verb.
Common mistakes
Keeping the singular verb with a plural subject
लड़के स्कूल जाता है।लड़के स्कूल जाते हैं।A plural subject needs the plural verb जाते हैं.
Not marking number on the adjective
बड़ा घर अच्छे हैं।बड़े घर अच्छे हैं।With a plural noun the variable adjective becomes बड़े.
Masculine -ा → -े plural
पुल्लिंग बहुवचन (-ा→-े)
Masculine nouns that end in -ा are called 'marked' masculine nouns. In the direct plural they change their -ा to -े: लड़का (boy) → लड़के (boys), कमरा (room) → कमरे (rooms), बेटा (son) → बेटे (sons). Because the change from -ा to -े is small, the spelling looks similar, so listen and read carefully. When the noun becomes plural this way, the adjective and verb also become plural: अच्छा लड़का → अच्छे लड़के, and है → हैं. Not every -ा noun is masculine, but the -ा → -े plural applies only to masculine ones.
Key rule
Marked masculine nouns ending in -ा change -ा to -े in the direct plural, and the adjective and verb become plural too.
Examples
- दो लड़के यहाँ हैं।दो लड़का यहाँ हैं।
Plural of लड़का is लड़के, not लड़का.
- कमरे बड़े हैं।कमरा बड़े हैं।
कमरा → कमरे in the direct plural.
- मेरे बेटे स्कूल जाते हैं।मेरे बेटा स्कूल जाते हैं।
बेटा → बेटे, matching the plural verb जाते हैं.
Common mistakes
Leaving -ा unchanged in the plural
तीन लड़का खेल रहे हैं।तीन लड़के खेल रहे हैं।Marked masculine लड़का must become लड़के in the direct plural.
Not pluralising the adjective with the noun
अच्छा लड़के आए।अच्छे लड़के आए।When लड़के is plural, the variable adjective becomes अच्छे.
Unmarked masculine nouns (no change)
अपरिवर्तित पुल्लिंग
Masculine nouns that do NOT end in -ा are called 'unmarked' masculine nouns, and they do not change their form in the direct plural. घर (house) → घर (houses), फल (fruit) → फल (fruits), आदमी (man) → आदमी (men). The noun looks exactly the same whether it is one or many. Because the noun gives no clue, the verb and adjective must show the number: एक घर बड़ा है (one house is big) but दो घर बड़े हैं (two houses are big). So you watch the verb (है vs हैं) and the adjective to know if an unmarked noun is singular or plural.
Key rule
Masculine nouns not ending in -ा keep the same form in the direct plural; only the verb and adjective reveal singular vs plural.
Examples
- एक घर बड़ा है।एक घर बड़े हैं।
One house → singular adjective and verb.
- दो घर बड़े हैं।दो घरे बड़े हैं।
घर does not change form; only बड़े and हैं become plural.
- फल मीठे हैं।फले मीठे हैं।
फल stays फल in the plural; no -े is added.
Common mistakes
Adding -े to an unmarked masculine noun
दो घरे बड़े हैं।दो घर बड़े हैं।घर does not change form; only marked -ा nouns take -े.
Using a singular verb with an unmarked plural
ये घर बड़ा है।ये घर बड़े हैं।The plural must show on the verb and adjective since घर is unchanged.
Feminine -ी → -ियाँ plural
स्त्रीलिंग बहुवचन (-ी→-ियाँ)
Feminine nouns that end in -ी form their direct plural by changing -ी to -ियाँ: लड़की (girl) → लड़कियाँ (girls), कुर्सी (chair) → कुर्सियाँ (chairs), रोटी (bread) → रोटियाँ (breads). The long ी becomes short ि and the ending याँ (with chandrabindu ँ) is added, giving a nasal sound at the end. The adjective and verb also become plural to match: अच्छी लड़की → अच्छी लड़कियाँ, and है → हैं. This is one of the two main feminine plural patterns; the other is the -एँ pattern for feminine nouns that do not end in -ी.
Key rule
Feminine nouns ending in -ी form the direct plural in -ियाँ (long ी → short ि + याँ with chandrabindu), and the verb becomes plural.
Examples
- दो लड़कियाँ खेल रही हैं।दो लड़की खेल रही हैं।
लड़की → लड़कियाँ in the plural.
- कुर्सियाँ साफ़ हैं।कुर्सी साफ़ हैं।
Plural of कुर्सी is कुर्सियाँ.
- माँ ने रोटियाँ बनाईं।माँ ने रोटी बनाईं।
Multiple breads → रोटियाँ.
Common mistakes
Keeping the singular -ी in the plural
तीन कुर्सी यहाँ हैं।तीन कुर्सियाँ यहाँ हैं।Feminine -ी nouns become -ियाँ in the plural.
Not shortening the long ी
नदीयाँ सुंदर हैं।नदियाँ सुंदर हैं।The long ी must shorten to ि before याँ: नदियाँ.
Feminine consonant → -एँ plural
स्त्रीलिंग बहुवचन (-एँ)
Feminine nouns that do not end in -ी — usually those ending in a consonant or in -आ — form the direct plural by adding -एँ: किताब (book) → किताबें (books), बात (matter, thing said) → बातें (things), रात (night) → रातें (nights). The ending is -एँ, written with chandrabindu ँ for the nasal sound, and it attaches after the final consonant (किताब + एँ = किताबें). The verb becomes plural to match (है → हैं), while feminine adjectives stay in their unchanging -ी form. This is the second main feminine plural pattern, beside the -ियाँ pattern for feminine nouns ending in -ी.
Key rule
Feminine nouns that do not end in -ी add -एँ in the direct plural (किताब → किताबें), with chandrabindu, and the verb becomes plural.
Examples
- दो किताबें मेज़ पर हैं।दो किताब मेज़ पर हैं।
किताब → किताबें in the plural.
- ये बातें ज़रूरी हैं।ये बात ज़रूरी हैं।
बात → बातें for the plural subject.
- रातें ठंडी हैं।रातें ठंडे हैं।
The feminine adjective stays ठंडी, not ठंडे.
Common mistakes
Leaving the consonant-stem feminine unchanged
तीन किताब हैं।तीन किताबें हैं।Non-ी feminine nouns add -एँ in the plural.
Applying the -ियाँ pattern to a consonant stem
किताबियाँ नई हैं।किताबें नई हैं।Only -ी feminine stems take -ियाँ; किताब takes -एँ.
Direct vs oblique case (introduction)
सीधा और तिर्यक रूप
Hindi nouns appear in two forms: a direct form, used when the noun is a plain subject or object with no postposition after it, and an oblique form, used whenever a postposition (like को, में, पर, से, का) follows. Compare लड़का (direct) in लड़का आया (the boy came) with लड़के (oblique) in लड़के को (to the boy). The oblique form is triggered purely by the presence of a following postposition. Not every noun visibly changes — only some classes do — but the rule is the same: postposition coming → put the noun in its oblique form.
Key rule
Whenever a postposition follows a noun, put the noun in its oblique form; with no following postposition, use the direct form.
Examples
- लड़का आया।लड़के आया।
Bare subject with no postposition → direct form लड़का.
- लड़के को बुलाओ।लड़का को बुलाओ।
The postposition को forces the oblique लड़के.
- कमरे में मेज़ है।कमरा में मेज़ है।
में triggers the oblique कमरे.
Common mistakes
Leaving a marked masculine in the direct form before a postposition
लड़का को बुलाओ।लड़के को बुलाओ।A following postposition forces the oblique लड़के.
Wrongly inflecting an unmarked noun in the oblique
घरे में कोई नहीं है।घर में कोई नहीं है।घर does not change in the oblique singular; only -ा nouns do.
Oblique singular form
तिर्यक एकवचन
In the oblique singular — the form a noun takes before a postposition — marked masculine nouns ending in -ा change -ा to -े: लड़का → लड़के (लड़के को), कमरा → कमरे (कमरे में), बच्चा → बच्चे (बच्चे के साथ). All other singular nouns keep their form: unmarked masculines (घर में) and feminine nouns (किताब पर) look exactly the same as their direct form. So the only visible change in the oblique singular happens to -ा masculine nouns. The trigger is always a following postposition; without one, you use the direct form.
Key rule
In the oblique singular only marked masculine -ा nouns change (-ा → -े); unmarked masculines and all feminine nouns keep their direct form.
Examples
- लड़के को बुलाओ।लड़का को बुलाओ।
Marked masculine लड़का → oblique लड़के before को.
- कमरे में बैठो।कमरा में बैठो।
कमरा → कमरे before में.
- बेटे से पूछो।बेटा से पूछो।
बेटा → बेटे before से.
Common mistakes
Keeping -ा before a postposition
कमरा में जाओ।कमरे में जाओ।Marked masculine कमरा must become oblique कमरे before में.
Inflecting a feminine noun in the oblique singular
लड़के को बुलाओ। (meaning 'the girl')लड़की को बुलाओ।Feminine लड़की is unchanged; making it लड़के would mean 'the boy'.
Postposition में (in/inside)
परसर्ग में
The postposition में means 'in' or 'inside'. Hindi puts this little word AFTER the noun, not before it like English 'in'. So 'in the house' becomes घर में (house + में). You use में to say where something is located or contained: पानी में (in water), दिल्ली में (in Delhi), कमरे में (in the room). With singular masculine -आ nouns, the noun changes to its oblique form before में, so कमरा becomes कमरे में. में is one of the first postpositions a learner meets, and it works with places, cities, and containers alike.
Key rule
में means 'in/inside' and always comes AFTER the noun, which takes its oblique form (कमरा → कमरे में).
Examples
- मैं घर में हूँ।मैं में घर हूँ।
में follows the noun घर; it can never come before it as 'in' does in English.
- पानी में नमक है।पानी में नमक हैं।
नमक is singular masculine, so the copula is है, not हैं; में marks containment.
- बच्चे कमरे में हैं।बच्चे कमरा में हैं।
Before में the noun कमरा takes its oblique form कमरे.
Common mistakes
Placing में before the noun (English word order)
मैं में स्कूल हूँ।मैं स्कूल में हूँ।Hindi postpositions follow the noun; में comes after स्कूल, never before.
Not making the noun oblique before में
वह कमरा में है।वह कमरे में है।Masculine -आ nouns become -ए in the oblique before any postposition, so कमरा → कमरे.
Postposition पर (on/at)
परसर्ग पर
The postposition पर means 'on' or 'at'. Like all Hindi postpositions, it comes AFTER the noun: मेज़ पर (on the table), छत पर (on the roof), स्टेशन पर (at the station). Use पर for a surface that something rests on, and for a point or place where you arrive or wait. The noun before पर takes its oblique form, so कमरा would become कमरे, but most place words like स्टेशन and छत do not change. Beginners should keep पर (on a surface/at a point) separate from में (inside something): a book is मेज़ पर (on the table) but inside the bag it is बैग में.
Key rule
पर means 'on (a surface)' or 'at (a point)' and follows the noun; use it for surfaces and arrival points, में for containment.
Examples
- किताब मेज़ पर है।किताब मेज़ में है।
The book rests on the table's surface, so पर (on), not में (in).
- हम स्टेशन पर हैं।हम स्टेशन पर हैं हम।
पर marks the station as the point we are at; the subject is not repeated.
- बिल्ली छत पर है।बिल्ली पर छत है।
पर must follow छत; reversing it changes the meaning entirely.
Common mistakes
Using में instead of पर for a surface
किताब मेज़ में है।किताब मेज़ पर है।A surface relation (on the table) is पर; में would mean inside the table.
Placing पर before the noun
बिल्ली पर छत है।बिल्ली छत पर है।पर is a postposition and must follow its noun छत.
Genitive का/के/की
संबंधकारक (का/के/की)
का, के, and की are the Hindi words for possession, like English 's or 'of'. They come after the owner: राम का घर means 'Ram's house'. The tricky part is that का/के/की do NOT agree with the owner — they agree with the thing owned. Use का for a singular masculine thing (राम का घर), की for a feminine thing (राम की किताब), and के for a plural masculine thing (राम के बच्चे). So you choose the ending by looking at what comes AFTER the genitive, not before it. This is one of the most important agreement rules in Hindi.
Key rule
का/के/की agree with the POSSESSED noun, not the possessor: का (m.sg), के (m.pl/oblique), की (feminine).
Examples
- राम का घर बड़ा है।राम की घर बड़ा है।
घर is masculine singular, so the genitive is का, agreeing with घर.
- राम की किताब नई है।राम का किताब नई है।
किताब is feminine, so the genitive is की, not का.
- राम के बच्चे स्कूल जाते हैं।राम का बच्चे स्कूल जाते हैं।
बच्चे is masculine plural, so the genitive is के.
Common mistakes
Agreeing the genitive with the possessor
राम की घर।राम का घर।का/के/की agree with the possessed noun घर (masc. sg.), not with राम.
Using का with a feminine possessed noun
सीता का किताब।सीता की किताब।किताब is feminine, so the genitive must be की.
Postposition को
परसर्ग को
को is a small but busy postposition. At A1 it does two jobs. First, it marks the person who RECEIVES something — the recipient: माँ को दो (give it to mother). Second, with some verbs it marks a person or place you go 'to': मुझे बाज़ार जाना है (I have to go to the market) often uses को with people. Like all postpositions, को comes after the noun, and the noun takes its oblique form (बच्चा → बच्चे को). Pronouns have special को-forms: मैं → मुझे, तुम → तुम्हें, वह → उसे. को is the gateway to the dative case in Hindi.
Key rule
को marks the recipient ('to someone') and follows an oblique noun; pronouns take fused forms (मुझे, तुम्हें, उसे).
Examples
- माँ को पैसे दो।माँ पैसे को दो।
को marks माँ as the recipient; it must attach to माँ, not to पैसे.
- मुझे एक किताब दो।मैं को एक किताब दो।
मैं + को fuses into मुझे; *मैं को is not used.
- अध्यापक को बताओ।अध्यापक बताओ को।
को must follow अध्यापक directly, not float to the end.
Common mistakes
Not using the fused pronoun form with को
मैं को किताब दो।मुझे किताब दो।Pronouns fuse with को: मैं + को = मुझे, never *मैं को.
Attaching को to the wrong noun
माँ पैसे को दो।माँ को पैसे दो।को marks the recipient माँ, not the thing given (पैसे).
Postposition से (introduction)
परसर्ग से
से is a flexible postposition. At A1 it does three basic jobs. First, it shows the source or starting point — दिल्ली से (from Delhi), घर से (from home). Second, it shows the instrument or tool you do something with — चाकू से (with a knife), कलम से (with a pen). Third, it marks the person you do something WITH or speak to — दोस्त से बात करना (to talk to a friend). Like all postpositions, से follows the noun, and the noun takes its oblique form. Pronouns use their oblique forms too: मुझ से, उस से (often written मुझसे, उससे).
Key rule
से marks source ('from'), instrument ('with a tool'), and contact with a person; it follows an oblique noun.
Examples
- वह दिल्ली से आया।वह दिल्ली में आया।
Coming 'from' a place uses से, not में.
- मैं कलम से लिखता हूँ।मैं कलम में लिखता हूँ।
An instrument you write 'with' takes से.
- दोस्त से बात करो।दोस्त को बात करो।
Talking 'with/to' a person in this conjunct verb uses से, not को.
Common mistakes
Using में instead of से for source
वह दिल्ली में आया।वह दिल्ली से आया।'From Delhi' (origin of motion) is दिल्ली से; में would mean 'in Delhi'.
Using को for talking to/with a person
दोस्त को बात करो।दोस्त से बात करो।The verb बात करना takes से for the person spoken with.
Genitive with oblique possessor
संबंधकारक — तिर्यक स्वामी
When you say 'the boy's book', the OWNER itself changes shape before का/के/की. This is because का/के/की are postpositions, and any noun before a postposition takes its oblique form. So लड़का (boy) becomes लड़के: लड़के की किताब (the boy's book). A plural owner takes the special oblique plural -ओं ending: बच्चे (children) → बच्चों के खिलौने (the children's toys). So in a genitive phrase TWO things happen at once: the owner goes oblique, and का/के/की still agrees with the thing owned. Watch the owner's ending, not just the genitive ending.
Key rule
The possessor goes oblique before का/के/की (लड़का → लड़के, plural → -ओं), while का/के/की still agree with the possessed noun.
Examples
- लड़के की किताब नई है।लड़का की किताब नई है।
The possessor लड़का goes oblique to लड़के before की.
- बच्चे का खिलौना टूट गया।बच्चा का खिलौना टूट गया।
बच्चा becomes oblique बच्चे before का.
- बच्चों के खिलौने यहाँ हैं।बच्चे के खिलौने यहाँ हैं।
A plural possessor takes the oblique plural -ओं: बच्चे → बच्चों.
Common mistakes
Leaving a singular possessor in the direct form
लड़का की किताब।लड़के की किताब।The possessor goes oblique before का/के/की: लड़का → लड़के.
Not using the oblique plural -ओं for a plural possessor
बच्चे के खिलौने।बच्चों के खिलौने।A plural possessor takes -ओं: बच्चे → बच्चों.
Oblique-before-postposition rule
परसर्ग से पहले तिर्यक रूप
There is one big rule that ties all postpositions together: ANY noun or pronoun goes into its oblique form before ANY postposition (में, पर, को, से, का/के/की, ने). The clearest case is masculine -आ nouns, which change -आ → -ए: कमरा → कमरे में, लड़का → लड़के को, कुत्ता → कुत्ते से. Plural nouns take the oblique plural -ओं: लड़कों में, बच्चों को. Pronouns also have oblique forms: मैं → मुझ/मुझे, वह → उस/उसे. Once you know this single rule, every postposition becomes predictable — first make the noun oblique, then add the postposition.
Key rule
Any noun or pronoun takes its oblique form before any postposition: -आ → -ए (singular), -ओं (plural).
Examples
- कमरे में कुर्सी है।कमरा में कुर्सी है।
कमरा goes oblique to कमरे before में.
- लड़के को बुलाओ।लड़का को बुलाओ।
लड़का becomes oblique लड़के before को.
- कुत्ते से डरो मत।कुत्ता से डरो मत।
कुत्ता goes oblique to कुत्ते before से.
Common mistakes
Keeping a masculine -आ noun direct before a postposition
लड़का को बुलाओ।लड़के को बुलाओ।Any noun goes oblique before a postposition: लड़का → लड़के.
Not using oblique plural -ओं
लड़के में सबसे लंबा कौन है?लड़कों में सबसे लंबा कौन है?Plural nouns take -ओं in the oblique before a postposition.
Compound postpositions (introduction)
संयुक्त परसर्ग
Some Hindi postpositions are made of two words and start with के. Three common ones are के साथ (with / together with), के लिए (for), and के पास (near / at). They follow the noun like any postposition, and the noun goes oblique first: राम के साथ (with Ram), बच्चों के लिए (for the children), घर के पास (near the house). Notice the के — these are fixed phrases, so the के stays even when में or का would change. Use के साथ for going along with a person, के लिए to say who or what something is for, and के पास for being near a place or person.
Key rule
के साथ (with), के लिए (for), के पास (near) are fixed के-phrases following an oblique noun; pronouns fuse (मेरे साथ, उसके लिए).
Examples
- मैं राम के साथ जाता हूँ।मैं राम का साथ जाता हूँ।
के साथ is a fixed phrase; का साथ changes the meaning.
- यह तोहफ़ा बच्चों के लिए है।यह तोहफ़ा बच्चे के लिए है। (meaning 'for the children')
For a plural beneficiary the noun is oblique plural: बच्चे → बच्चों.
- हमारा घर स्टेशन के पास है।हमारा घर स्टेशन के में है।
के पास means 'near'; के में is not a phrase.
Common mistakes
Changing के to का/की in a compound postposition
राम का साथ जाता हूँ।राम के साथ जाता हूँ।के साथ is a fixed unit; के does not switch to का here.
Not making the noun oblique plural before के लिए
यह बच्चे के लिए है। (meaning 'for the children')यह बच्चों के लिए है।A plural beneficiary takes the oblique plural बच्चों.
Possessive predication के पास (introduction)
अधिकार — के पास
Hindi has no verb 'to have'. To say you HAVE something you can carry or own — money, a car, a phone — you use X के पास Y है, literally 'near X, there is Y'. So 'I have money' is मेरे पास पैसे हैं (near me, there is money). The owner takes के पास, and the verb agrees with the THING owned, not the owner: मेरे पास एक गाड़ी है (I have a car, singular है), मेरे पास पैसे हैं (I have money, plural हैं). Pronouns fuse: मेरे पास, तुम्हारे पास, उसके पास. This के पास pattern is for movable, alienable possessions.
Key rule
Use X के पास Y है for 'X has Y' (movable things); the verb agrees with Y, the possessed thing, and pronouns fuse (मेरे पास).
Examples
- मेरे पास पैसे हैं।मेरे पास पैसे है।
पैसे is plural, so the verb agrees as हैं, not है.
- उसके पास एक गाड़ी है।उसके पास एक गाड़ी हैं।
गाड़ी is singular, so the verb is है.
- मेरे पास एक फ़ोन है।मैं के पास एक फ़ोन है।
The pronoun fuses: मैं → मेरे पास, not *मैं के पास.
Common mistakes
Making the verb agree with the possessor
मेरे पास पैसे है।मेरे पास पैसे हैं।The verb agrees with the possessed thing पैसे (plural), so हैं.
Not fusing the pronoun with के पास
मैं के पास एक फ़ोन है।मेरे पास एक फ़ोन है।Pronouns fuse: मैं → मेरे पास, never *मैं के पास.
Personal pronouns
पुरुषवाचक सर्वनाम
Personal pronouns name the people in a sentence without using their actual names. Hindi has मैं (I) and हम (we) for the first person. For the second person — all meaning 'you' — there are three pronouns: तू (very intimate), तुम (familiar) and आप (respectful). For the third person there is no separate 'he/she/it': यह means 'this/he/she nearby' and वह means 'that/he/she over there'. The same words also work as plurals (ये, वे). Hindi has no grammatical gender on the pronoun itself — मैं is the same for a man or a woman — but the verb that follows it shows gender.
Key rule
Hindi has three second-person 'you' pronouns (तू/तुम/आप) and uses यह/वह for the third person; the pronoun has no gender, but the verb agreeing with it does.
Examples
- मैं भारत से हूँ।मुझे भारत से हूँ।
The subject 'I' is मैं; मुझे is the oblique/dative form and cannot be the subject of हूँ.
- हम स्कूल जाते हैं।हम स्कूल जाता है।
The plural subject हम needs the plural verb जाते हैं, not the singular जाता है.
- तुम मेरे दोस्त हो।तुम मेरे दोस्त है।
तुम takes the special verb form हो, not है.
Common mistakes
Using the oblique form as subject
मुझे खुश हूँ।मैं खुश हूँ।The subject 'I' must be मैं; मुझे ('to me') cannot govern हूँ.
Wrong verb form with तुम
तुम कैसे है?तुम कैसे हो?तुम takes the dedicated verb form हो, never है.
Demonstrative pronouns यह / वह
यह और वह
यह and वह are pointing words. यह means 'this' — something or someone near the speaker. वह means 'that' — something or someone farther away. Used on their own (without a following noun) they act as full pronouns meaning 'this one / he / she' and 'that one / he / she'. Hindi has no separate word for 'it', so यह/वह cover objects too. Their plurals are ये (these) and वे (those). Note the spelling: although यह is written with -ह, it is normally pronounced 'ye', and वह as 'vo'.
Key rule
यह = 'this/he/she' (near), वह = 'that/he/she' (far); plurals ये/वे; the same forms cover 'it' since Hindi has no neuter pronoun.
Examples
- यह मेरी किताब है।वह मेरी किताब है। (the book in my hand)
A book held by the speaker is near, so यह 'this', not वह 'that'.
- वह बहुत दूर है।यह बहुत दूर है।
Something 'far away' takes वह, not the proximal यह.
- ये मेरे जूते हैं।यह मेरे जूते हैं।
A plural subject needs the plural form ये with the plural verb हैं.
Common mistakes
Swapping near and far
वह मेरा फ़ोन है। (holding the phone)यह मेरा फ़ोन है।Something in the speaker's hand is near, so यह.
Using a singular demonstrative with a plural noun
यह सेब अच्छे हैं।ये सेब अच्छे हैं।Plural reference needs the plural form ये.
Demonstrative adjectives यह/वह + noun
संकेतवाचक विशेषण
When यह or वह comes directly before a noun, it works like English 'this/that' as an adjective: यह किताब 'this book', वह लड़का 'that boy'. यह marks something near, वह something far. For more than one thing, use the plurals: ये किताबें 'these books', वे लड़के 'those boys'. Unlike adjectives such as अच्छा, the demonstrative itself does not change for gender — only for number (singular यह/वह vs plural ये/वे). The noun and its verb still follow their own gender and number rules.
Key rule
Before a noun, यह/वह (sg) and ये/वे (pl) mean 'this/that' and 'these/those'; they change only for number, while the noun and verb keep their own gender-number agreement.
Examples
- यह किताब नई है।यह किताब नया है।
किताब is feminine, so the adjective is नई; the demonstrative यह itself does not change for gender.
- वह लड़का लंबा है।वे लड़का लंबा है।
A single boy takes the singular वह, not the plural वे.
- ये किताबें महँगी हैं।यह किताबें महँगी हैं।
A plural noun needs the plural demonstrative ये.
Common mistakes
Gendering the demonstrative
यही लड़की अच्छी है — using a feminine demonstrativeयह लड़की अच्छी है।यह/वह never change for gender; only the adjective अच्छी agrees with लड़की.
Singular demonstrative with a plural noun
यह बच्चे शोर कर रहे हैं।ये बच्चे शोर कर रहे हैं।Plural noun बच्चे needs the plural demonstrative ये.
Possessive pronouns
संबंधवाचक सर्वनाम
Possessive pronouns say whose something is: मेरा (my), तेरा (your, intimate), तुम्हारा (your, familiar), आप का (your, respectful), हमारा (our), इसका/उसका (his/her/its). Most of them end in -ा and behave like adjectives: they change to agree with the thing owned, not the owner. So मेरा बेटा 'my son' (masculine), but मेरी बेटी 'my daughter' (feminine), and मेरे बेटे 'my sons' (plural). आप का / इसका / उसका follow the same -ा/-ी/-े pattern. The owner stays the same; only the ending shifts with the possessed noun.
Key rule
Possessives (मेरा, तुम्हारा, उसका, …) agree in gender and number with the thing owned, not the owner: मेरा बेटा but मेरी बेटी.
Examples
- यह मेरी किताब है।यह मेरा किताब है।
किताब is feminine, so the possessive is मेरी, not मेरा.
- वह तुम्हारा घर है।वह तुम्हारी घर है।
घर is masculine, so तुम्हारा, not तुम्हारी.
- ये मेरे जूते हैं।ये मेरा जूते हैं।
Plural masculine जूते needs the plural मेरे.
Common mistakes
Agreeing with the owner instead of the thing owned
मेरा किताब (said about a book)मेरी किताबPossessives agree with the possessed noun; किताब is feminine, so मेरी.
Forgetting the plural form
मेरा दोस्त लोग आए।मेरे दोस्त आए।Plural masculine needs मेरे; दोस्त here is treated as plural.
तू / तुम / आप levels
तू, तुम, आप
Hindi has three words for 'you', each showing a different level of closeness or respect. तू is the most intimate — for very close friends, small children, or God; used wrongly it can sound rude. तुम is friendly and casual — for friends, siblings and people your own age. आप is respectful — for elders, teachers, strangers and anyone you want to honour. Each takes its own verb form: तू है, तुम हो, आप हैं. आप is grammatically plural and always takes a plural verb, even for one person. Choosing the right level is an important politeness skill.
Key rule
तू (intimate) < तुम (familiar) < आप (respectful); each takes its own verb form, and आप always takes a plural verb even for one person.
Examples
- आप कैसे हैं?आप कैसे है?
आप always takes the plural verb हैं, even for one person.
- तुम कहाँ हो?तुम कहाँ है?
तुम takes the dedicated form हो, not है.
- तू कहाँ है?तू कहाँ हो?
तू takes the singular है, not the तुम-form हो.
Common mistakes
Singular verb with आप
आप कहाँ रहता है?आप कहाँ रहते हैं?आप is plural and takes रहते हैं, even for one person.
Using है with तुम
तुम कैसे है?तुम कैसे हो?तुम pairs with हो, not है.
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Interrogative कौन / क्या
कौन और क्या
कौन and क्या are the two main question words for asking about people and things. कौन means 'who' and is used for people (and sometimes animals): कौन आया? 'Who came?'. क्या means 'what' and is used for things and ideas: यह क्या है? 'What is this?'. The same क्या also appears at the start of a sentence to turn it into a yes/no question: क्या तुम छात्र हो? 'Are you a student?'. In a normal information question, the question word usually sits just before the verb, not at the very front as in English.
Key rule
कौन = 'who' (people), क्या = 'what' (things); a sentence-initial क्या instead marks a yes/no question, and question words normally sit just before the verb.
Examples
- वह कौन है?वह क्या है? (asking about a person)
For a person use कौन 'who'; क्या would ask 'what is it'.
- यह क्या है?यह कौन है? (asking about an object)
For a thing use क्या 'what'; कौन is for people.
- क्या तुम छात्र हो?तुम छात्र क्या हो?
As a yes/no marker, क्या goes at the front of the sentence.
Common mistakes
Using क्या for a person
वह क्या है? (about your friend)वह कौन है?People are asked about with कौन, not क्या.
Using कौन for a thing
यह कौन है? (pointing at a book)यह क्या है?Things take क्या.
Pronoun oblique forms (introduction)
सर्वनाम का तिर्यक रूप
When a pronoun is followed by a postposition (a word like को 'to', में 'in', से 'from', पर 'on'), it changes to a special 'oblique' shape before that postposition. मैं becomes मुझ, तू becomes तुझ, यह becomes इस, वह becomes उस, and the plurals इन/उन. So you say मुझ को 'to me', इस में 'in this', उस पर 'on that'. The most common ones often join into a single written word: मुझको/मुझे, तुझको/तुझे, इसमें, उसपर. The rule is simple — never use the plain subject form right before a postposition.
Key rule
Before a postposition a pronoun must go oblique: मैं→मुझ, तू→तुझ, यह→इस, वह→उस, ये→इन, वे→उन (e.g. मुझ को, इस में), and को often fuses into मुझे, इसे, उसे.
Examples
- मुझ को पानी चाहिए।मैं को पानी चाहिए।
Before को, मैं must become the oblique मुझ.
- इस में क्या है?यह में क्या है?
Before में, यह becomes the oblique इस.
- उस पर मत बैठो।वह पर मत बैठो।
Before पर, वह becomes the oblique उस.
Common mistakes
Keeping the direct form before a postposition
मैं को मालूम है।मुझ को मालूम है।मैं must go oblique to मुझ before को.
Not making यह/वह oblique
यह पर रखो।इस पर रखो।यह becomes इस before a postposition.
Independent vowels
स्वर वर्ण
Devanagari has eleven independent vowel letters: अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ए ऐ ओ औ, plus ऋ. You use these full letterforms when a vowel sound begins a word or a syllable on its own, with no preceding consonant — for example अब (now), आम (mango), इधर (here), उधर (there), एक (one). These are different shapes from the matra (the small vowel signs you attach to a consonant). The pairs इ/ई and उ/ऊ contrast short and long vowels. Learning these eleven shapes first lets you read any word-initial vowel before you tackle consonants and their attached vowel signs.
Key rule
Use the eleven full independent vowel letters (अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ए ऐ ओ औ, plus ऋ) only when a vowel starts a word or syllable with no preceding consonant; otherwise a vowel is written as an attached matra.
Examples
- अबब
'Now' begins with the independent vowel अ, not the bare consonant ब.
- आमअम
'Mango' needs long आ; short अ would be a different, wrong word.
- एकइक
'One' begins with independent ए, not इ.
Common mistakes
Using a matra instead of the independent letter word-initially
ौरतऔरतMatra signs only attach to a consonant; a word-initial vowel must use the independent form.
Confusing short and long इ/ई
दिन के लिए मैंने दीन कहादिनइ and ई are separate phonemes and distinguish words.
Consonant letters (inherent अ)
व्यंजन वर्ण
Every Devanagari consonant carries a built-in vowel अ ('a'). So क is read 'ka', not just 'k'; म is 'ma'; न is 'na'. This is why कमल reads 'kamal' — three consonants, each pronounced with the inherent अ. The consonants run in organised rows: velars क ख ग घ ङ, palatals च छ ज झ ञ, retroflexes ट ठ ड ढ ण, dentals त थ द ध न, labials प फ ब भ म, then य र ल व श ष स ह. To get a bare consonant with no vowel, or to attach a different vowel, you change the spelling — but by default the अ is always there.
Key rule
Each Devanagari consonant letter includes the inherent vowel अ, so क is read 'ka' by default; you must use a matra or halant to change or remove that vowel.
Examples
- कमलक्म्ल्
कमल reads 'kamal' because each consonant carries the inherent अ; killing every vowel is wrong.
- नमकन्मक्
'Salt' is written with plain consonants carrying अ, not with halants on every letter.
- घरगर
'House' uses the aspirated घ ('gha'), not plain ग ('ga').
Common mistakes
Reading a consonant as a bare sound without the inherent अ
क्म्ल्कमलThe inherent vowel is part of the letter unless a halant removes it.
Confusing a plain and an aspirated consonant
गरघरPlain (ग) and aspirated (घ) are different letters and different words.
Devanagari numerals ०–९
देवनागरी अंक
Hindi has its own set of digits: ० १ २ ३ ४ ५ ६ ७ ८ ९ (0 to 9). They work exactly like the familiar Western digits — same base-ten system, same place value — only the shapes differ. So २०२४ means 2024 and १५ means 15. You will see these Devanagari digits on signs, prices, page numbers, dates and bus numbers, alongside the Western 0–9, which are also common in everyday Hindi. Knowing both sets lets you read numbers anywhere. The shapes are worth memorising early because numerals appear constantly in real-life reading.
Key rule
Devanagari digits ० १ २ ३ ४ ५ ६ ७ ८ ९ are just different shapes for 0–9 and follow the same base-ten place-value system as Western numerals.
Examples
- १०१
१० is ten: '1' then '0'; dropping the zero leaves just one.
- २०२४४२०२
Digit order is left to right, same as Western numerals: २०२४ = 2024.
- ५ बजे६ बजे
For '5 o'clock' use ५; ६ is six — different shapes, different numbers.
Common mistakes
Confusing Devanagari २ with the number 3
२ को तीन पढ़ना२ का मतलब दो हैLearners map shapes to the wrong Western digit.
Confusing ५ and ६
५ को छह समझना५ पाँच है और ६ छह हैTheir curved shapes look alike to beginners.
Pūrṇa virām (।)
पूर्ण विराम (।)
Hindi ends a statement with the पूर्ण विराम — a single vertical bar । — not with the English full stop. So you write मैं घर जा रहा हूँ। with ।, not with a period. It marks the end of a complete sentence. Other punctuation borrowed from English is used as in English: the comma (,), question mark (?) for questions, and exclamation mark (!) for exclamations. So questions and exclamations take ? and !, while ordinary statements close with ।. Getting the danda right is a basic mark of correctly written Hindi.
Key rule
End an ordinary Hindi statement with the पूर्ण विराम (।), not a Western period; use ? for questions and ! for exclamations as in English.
Examples
- मैं घर जा रहा हूँ।मैं घर जा रहा हूँ.
A Hindi statement ends with the danda ।, not a Western full stop.
- दरवाज़ा बंद करो।दरवाज़ा बंद करो
Even an imperative needs the danda to mark the sentence end.
- क्या तुम ठीक हो?क्या तुम ठीक हो।
A question takes ?, not the danda.
Common mistakes
Using a Western period instead of the danda
मैं ठीक हूँ.मैं ठीक हूँ।The danda, not the dot, marks a Hindi sentence end.
Leaving a statement with no end mark
वह स्कूल जाता हैवह स्कूल जाता है।Missing punctuation makes the sentence boundary unclear.
Vowel signs (मात्रा) and बारहखड़ी
मात्रा और बारहखड़ी
To give a consonant a vowel other than the inherent अ, you attach a small vowel sign called a मात्रा. Each independent vowel has a matra form: का (आ), कि (इ), की (ई), कु (उ), कू (ऊ), के (ए), कै (ऐ), को (ओ), कौ (औ). Running one consonant through all the vowels gives the बारहखड़ी row — का कि की कु कू के कै को कौ कं कः — the syllable grid every child learns. Note the matras attach in different places: above, below, before or after the consonant. The इ-matra (ि) is written BEFORE the consonant even though it is pronounced after it.
Key rule
Attach a matra to a consonant to replace its inherent अ with another vowel (का कि की कु कू के कै को कौ); the short-i matra ि is written before the consonant though pronounced after it.
Examples
- किताबकताब
'Book' needs the इ-matra on क; without it the vowel is wrong.
- कीकि
For the long 'kii' use की; the short कि is a different syllable and changes meaning.
- कुर्सीकरसी
'Chair' needs the उ-matra (कु), not the inherent अ.
Common mistakes
Writing the इ-matra after the consonant
कि के बजाय किकिDespite being pronounced after, ि is written to the left of the consonant.
Confusing short and long matras
दिन की जगह दीनदिनVowel length is contrastive: दिन (day) vs दीन (poor).
Halant / virām ्
हलंत (विराम)
Every Devanagari consonant carries the inherent अ. The हलंत — a small stroke below the letter ् — removes that vowel, leaving a bare consonant. So क is 'ka', but क् is just 'k'. You see the halant where a word ends in a pure consonant, as in जगत् (world), and in some loanwords. More importantly, the halant is how two consonants join into a conjunct (संयुक्ताक्षर): the first consonant takes a halant and fuses with the next, as in स् + त → स्त. In everyday typesetting many conjuncts are written as joined shapes, but the underlying idea is always 'kill the अ of the first consonant'.
Key rule
The halant ् removes a consonant's inherent अ, producing a bare consonant (क → क्); it also lets the first consonant of a cluster join the next into a conjunct (स् + त = स्त).
Examples
- जगत्जगत
'World' (tatsama) ends in a bare त with a halant, not an अ-bearing त.
- नमस्तेनमसते
The स् joins त as a conjunct स्त; writing सते loses the cluster.
- प्रेमपरेम
प् + र forms the conjunct प्र; spelling परेम inserts a wrong अ.
Common mistakes
Inserting अ inside a conjunct cluster
परेमप्रेमThe halant removes the first consonant's vowel so the cluster has no अ.
Breaking a conjunct into separate syllables
नमसतेनमस्तेAdjacent vowelless consonants must conjoin, not stand as full अ-syllables.
Anusvāra ं vs chandrabindu ँ
अनुस्वार और चंद्रबिंदु
Devanagari marks nasal sounds with two small signs that sit on top of a letter. The anusvāra (a single dot, ं) stands for a nasal CONSONANT — the n/m/ng sound that closes a syllable, as in हिंदी or अंदर. The chandrabindu (a dot inside a small crescent, ँ) only NASALISES the vowel: the air goes through the nose but no full consonant is heard, as in हाँ 'yes' or गाँव 'village'. The classic minimal pair is हंस 'swan' (with a real ns consonant) versus हँस 'laugh!' (just a nasal vowel). In careful writing the two are different; mixing them up changes how a word sounds and sometimes what it means.
Key rule
Use anusvāra ं for a nasal consonant that closes a syllable (हिंदी, अंदर), and chandrabindu ँ when only the vowel is nasalised with no following consonant (हाँ, गाँव); compare हंस 'swan' vs हँस 'laugh'.
Examples
- हंस उड़ रहा है।हँस उड़ रहा है।
'The swan is flying' needs हंस (real n-s consonant); हँस means 'laugh' and is the wrong word here.
- मेरे दोस्त ज़ोर से हँसे।मेरे दोस्त ज़ोर से हंसे।
'My friends laughed loudly' — the verb हँसना has a nasalised vowel (ँ), not the consonant dot ं.
- हमारा गाँव बहुत सुंदर है।हमारा गांव बहुत सुंदर है।
गाँव 'village' nasalises the vowel (ँ); सुंदर keeps the dot ं because a consonant (द) follows.
Common mistakes
Using anusvāra where chandrabindu is needed
मैं हां कहता हूं।मैं हाँ कहता हूँ।हाँ and हूँ are nasal vowels with no following consonant, so they need the crescent ँ, not the plain dot ं.
Using chandrabindu before a consonant
हिँदी, अँदरहिंदी, अंदरWhen a consonant follows the nasal sound it is a nasal consonant, written with anusvāra ं.
Nukta ़ (introduction)
नुक़्ता
A nukta is a single dot written UNDER a consonant to change its sound. Devanagari uses it for two purposes. First, on five borrowed letters it marks Perso-Arabic sounds that native Hindi lacks: क़ (q), ख़ (x/kh), ग़ (ġ), ज़ (z) and फ़ (f). So ज़ + ़ turns ज (j) into ज़ (z), as in ज़रूरत 'need'. Second, two NATIVE retroflex letters always carry a nukta by rule: ड़ and ढ़ (the flapped r-sounds in लड़का 'boy', पढ़ना 'to read'). The dot is lexical, not free: you write ज़रूरत and वक़्त with it, but कलम 'pen' and किताब 'book' WITHOUT it, even though they are also loanwords. Learn which words take the dot.
Key rule
A nukta (dot below) makes क़ख़ग़ज़फ़ for borrowed q/x/ġ/z/f sounds and is obligatory on the native flaps ड़/ढ़, but it is lexically selective — ज़रूरत and वक़्त take it while कलम and किताब do not.
Examples
- मुझे एक किताब की ज़रूरत है।मुझे एक क़िताब की जरूरत है।
किताब takes NO nukta, but ज़रूरत does (z-sound). The reverse spelling here is doubly wrong.
- मेरे पास एक कलम है।मेरे पास एक क़लम है।
कलम 'pen' is written with plain क; क़लम with a nukta is incorrect spelling.
- वह बड़ा लड़का तेज़ दौड़ता है।वह बडा लडका तेज दौडता है।
बड़ा, लड़का and दौड़ता need the obligatory ड़ flap; तेज़ needs the z-nukta. Plain ड and ज are wrong words.
Common mistakes
Adding a nukta to naturalised loans that do not take one
क़लम, क़िताब, क़मराकलम, किताब, कमराThese words are written with plain क in standard Hindi; the nukta is not added to every borrowed word.
Dropping the obligatory flap dot on ड़/ढ़
लडका, बडा, पडनालड़का, बड़ा, पढ़नाड़ and ढ़ are different letters from ड and ढ; without the dot the word is misspelt or non-existent.
Conjunct consonants (introduction)
संयुक्ताक्षर
When two consonants meet with no vowel between them, Devanagari does not write them side by side as full letters. Instead it joins them into a single CONJUNCT (संयुक्ताक्षर). The most common way is half-forms: a consonant that loses its right-hand vertical stroke fuses onto the next letter, so क् + य = क्या 'what', स् + त = स्त as in नमस्ते, and प् + र = प्र as in प्रश्न. A few clusters have special fused shapes, such as स्कूल 'school'. Reading a conjunct means pronouncing both consonants with no vowel between them: क्या is 'kyā', not 'ka-yā'. At A1 you only need to RECOGNISE and read these common clusters, not yet build rare ones.
Key rule
Two consonants with no vowel between them join into one conjunct (half-form + full letter), pronounced together with no vowel inserted: क्या = kyā, नमस्ते = namaste, प्रश्न = praśn.
Examples
- तुम्हारा नाम क्या है?तुम्हारा नाम कया है?
'What' is the conjunct क्या (k+y joined); कया with a full क and a separate य reads 'ka-yā' and is wrong.
- यह खाना बहुत अच्छा है।यह खाना बहुत अचछा है।
अच्छा needs the conjunct च्छ (half च + छ); writing अचछा as two full letters is incorrect.
- मैं स्कूल जाता हूँ।मैं सकूल जाता हूँ।
स्कूल begins with the conjunct स्क; सकूल inserts an extra vowel and is a misspelling.
Common mistakes
Writing two full letters instead of a conjunct
कया, अचछाक्या, अच्छाA consonant cluster must be joined into a conjunct; two full letters force an unwanted vowel between them.
Inserting a helper vowel when reading
reading स्कूल as 'sa-kūl'स्कूलA conjunct means the consonants are pronounced together with no vowel inserted — स्कूल begins with the cluster स्क, not a separate स + क.
Schwa deletion (introduction)
अकार लोप
Every Devanagari consonant carries a built-in short 'a' (the inherent अ) unless a vowel sign or halant cancels it. But Hindi does NOT actually pronounce all of those a's. In particular, the inherent अ at the END of most words, and often in the middle, is silent. So नमक is read 'namak', not 'namaka', and the word कमल is 'kamal', not 'kamala'. The spelling still WRITES the consonant with its inherent अ; you just don't say the final one. This is called schwa deletion (अकार लोप). It explains why Hindi words look like they should end in a vowel but sound like they end in a consonant. At A1 you only need to recognise the pattern when reading aloud.
Key rule
The inherent अ on a consonant — especially the final one — is usually silent in spoken Hindi, so नमक is read 'namak' and घर is 'ghar', even though the spelling keeps the plain consonant.
Examples
- मुझे थोड़ा नमक दो।मुझे थोड़ा नमका दो।
नमक is pronounced 'namak' with a silent final schwa; writing नमका adds a real vowel and makes a different, wrong form.
- मेरा घर पास में है।मेरा घरा पास में है।
घर ends in a silent schwa ('ghar'); घरा would be read 'gharā', not the word for 'house'.
- यह सड़क लंबी है।यह सड़का लंबी है।
सड़क is 'saṛak' with a dropped final a; सड़का is not the standard word for 'road'.
Common mistakes
Adding a vowel to a final consonant
नमका, घरा, सड़कानमक, घर, सड़कThe final inherent schwa is silent and unwritten as a separate vowel; you must not add आ/अ at the end.
Pronouncing the final schwa aloud
reading घर as 'gha-ra'घरHindi deletes the final inherent vowel; घर is pronounced as a closing consonant ('ghar'), not 'gha-ra'.
Special vowel signs ृ and ॅ
विशेष मात्राएँ
Besides the ordinary vowel signs, Devanagari has two special ones you meet early. The first is the ऋ-sign ृ, a small hook written UNDER a consonant for the vocalic 'ri' sound, as in कृपा 'kindness' (kṛpā), तृ in अमृत, and the common word ऋतु 'season'. In modern Hindi it is simply pronounced 'ri'. The second is the candra ॅ, a small half-moon written ABOVE a consonant to spell the English 'aw/o' vowel in loanwords: डॉक्टर 'doctor', कॉलेज 'college', ऑफ़िस 'office'. The candra has no native Hindi sound; it exists only to write English words. At A1 you just need to recognise both signs and read the words they appear in correctly.
Key rule
The ृ sign sits under a consonant and is read 'ri' in tatsama words (कृपया, ऋतु), while the candra ॅ sits above and spells the English 'aw/o' vowel in loanwords only (डॉक्टर, कॉलेज, ऑफ़िस).
Examples
- कृपया दरवाज़ा खोलिए।क्रपया दरवाज़ा खोलिए।
कृपया 'please' uses the ृ sign read 'ri' (kṛ-payā); क्रपया wrongly turns it into a र-conjunct cluster.
- डॉक्टर अस्पताल में हैं।डाक्टर अस्पताल में हैं।
'Doctor' is spelt with the candra (डॉ) for the English 'o'; डाक्टर with plain आ is the older, non-standard spelling.
- मैं कॉलेज जाता हूँ।मैं कोलेज जाता हूँ।
कॉलेज uses the candra ॅ for the English vowel; कोलेज with ो (long o) is incorrect.
Common mistakes
Writing ृ as a र-conjunct
क्रपया, क्रपाकृपया, कृपाThe ृ sign is a vowel hook under the consonant read 'ri', not the र-stroke of a conjunct.
Using plain आ instead of the candra in loanwords
डाक्टर, बाल (for 'ball')डॉक्टर, बॉलEnglish 'o/aw' is written with the candra ॅ; plain आ gives the wrong vowel.
Question word कौन (who)
प्रश्नवाचक कौन
कौन means 'who' and is used to ask about a person. Unlike English, Hindi does not move the question word to the front of the sentence — कौन simply sits where the answer would go, keeping the normal SOV order. So 'who is this?' is यह कौन है?, literally 'this who is?'. कौन usually asks about the subject (the doer), and a normal statement word order is kept. When the person is the object of a postposition, कौन changes its shape (its oblique form is किस, and 'whom' is किसको / किसे), but at this stage you mainly meet the plain subject form कौन with the verb होना.
Key rule
Use कौन to ask 'who'; leave it in the answer's normal position (SOV, in situ) rather than moving it to the front of the sentence.
Examples
- यह कौन है?कौन यह है?
कौन stays in situ in the predicate slot; Hindi does not front the question word as English does.
- वह लड़की कौन है?वह लड़की कौन हैं?
One person → singular है, not the plural हैं.
- दरवाज़े पर कौन है?दरवाज़े पर क्या है?
For a person at the door use कौन (who); क्या would ask 'what is at the door'.
Common mistakes
Fronting the question word like English
कौन वह आदमी है?वह आदमी कौन है?Hindi keeps wh-words in situ; the subject वह आदमी stays first and कौन fills the predicate slot.
Using कौन for a thing
यह कौन है? (pointing at an object)यह क्या है?कौन asks only about people; for objects use क्या.
Question word क्या (what)
प्रश्नवाचक क्या
क्या means 'what' and asks about a thing, idea or action. Like other Hindi question words it stays in its normal place in the sentence (in situ), so यह क्या है? is literally 'this what is?'. Be careful: क्या has TWO jobs. As a content word 'what' it sits in the middle of the sentence, right before the verb, and carries stress (तुम क्या खाते हो? = 'what do you eat?'). As a plain yes/no marker it sits at the very FRONT of the sentence and is unstressed (क्या तुम खाना खाते हो? = 'do you eat food?'). Position tells the two apart. For people use कौन instead of क्या.
Key rule
क्या in the middle (before the verb) means content 'what'; क्या at the very front of the sentence is the unstressed yes/no marker — position decides the meaning.
Examples
- यह क्या है?क्या यह है?
Mid-sentence क्या asks 'what is this'; क्या at the front would instead mean the yes/no 'is this...?'.
- तुम क्या खाते हो?क्या तुम खाते हो?
For the content question 'what do you eat?', क्या must sit before the verb; placed at the front it only asks the yes/no 'do you eat?'.
- आप क्या काम करते हैं?आप क्या काम करता है?
आप takes the plural verb करते हैं; क्या itself does not affect agreement.
Common mistakes
Confusing content क्या with yes/no क्या
क्या तुम खाते हो? (meaning 'what do you eat?')तुम क्या खाते हो?Front क्या makes a yes/no question; the content 'what' must stand before the verb.
Using क्या for a person
यह क्या है? (about a man)यह कौन है?क्या is only for things; people are asked with कौन.
Question word कहाँ (where)
प्रश्नवाचक कहाँ
कहाँ means 'where' and asks about a place. As with all Hindi question words, it stays in its normal place in the sentence (in situ) rather than moving to the front — तुम कहाँ हो? is literally 'you where are?'. कहाँ most often appears with होना for location (किताब कहाँ है? = 'where is the book?') or with a motion verb (तुम कहाँ जा रहे हो? = 'where are you going?'). Notice that 'where' and the place answer both sit just before the verb. कहाँ does not change form for gender or number; the verb agrees with the subject of the sentence, not with कहाँ.
Key rule
कहाँ asks 'where' and stays in situ, just before the verb where the place answer goes — it is never moved to the front of the sentence.
Examples
- तुम कहाँ हो?कहाँ तुम हो?
कहाँ stays in its normal slot; Hindi does not front the wh-word as English does.
- मेरी किताब कहाँ है?मेरी किताब कहाँ हैं?
One book → singular है, not the plural हैं.
- तुम कहाँ रहते हो?तुम कहाँ रहता हो?
With तुम the verb is रहते हो; the gender/number must match the subject, not कहाँ.
Common mistakes
Fronting कहाँ like English
कहाँ तुम जा रहे हो?तुम कहाँ जा रहे हो?Hindi keeps the wh-word in situ; the subject stays first and कहाँ sits before the verb.
Wrong number on the verb
तुम्हारे जूते कहाँ है?तुम्हारे जूते कहाँ हैं?जूते is plural here, so the verb must be हैं.
Question word कब (when)
प्रश्नवाचक कब
कब means 'when' and asks about a point in time. Like other Hindi question words it stays in its normal place inside the sentence (in situ), not at the front — तुम कब आओगे? is literally 'you when will-come?'. कब sits just before the verb, exactly where a time word like आज ('today') or कल ('tomorrow') would go in the answer. At A1 you mostly need to recognise कब and answer it with a simple time word. कब never changes form; the verb agrees with the subject. Do not confuse the question word कब ('when?') with the relative जब ('when…' joining two clauses), which you meet later.
Key rule
कब asks 'when' and stays in situ just before the verb, in the same slot as a time word in the answer; it is never fronted and never changes form.
Examples
- तुम कब आओगे?कब तुम आओगे?
कब stays in situ before the verb; Hindi does not front the wh-word.
- ट्रेन कब आती है?ट्रेन कब आती हैं?
One train → singular आती है, not the plural हैं.
- तुम्हारी छुट्टी कब है?तुम्हारी छुट्टी जब है?
A direct question uses कब; जब is the relative 'when' for joining clauses, not for questions.
Common mistakes
Fronting कब like English
कब तुम आओगे?तुम कब आओगे?Hindi keeps the wh-word in situ; the subject stays first and कब sits before the verb.
Confusing कब with relative जब
तुम्हारा जन्मदिन जब है?तुम्हारा जन्मदिन कब है?A direct 'when?' question uses कब; जब only links clauses ('when…then').
Question word क्यों (why)
प्रश्नवाचक क्यों
क्यों means 'why' and asks for a reason. Like other Hindi question words it usually stays inside the sentence (in situ), just before the verb — तुम क्यों आए? is literally 'you why came?'. The answer to a क्यों question normally uses क्योंकि ('because'): तुम क्यों रो रहे हो? — क्योंकि मैं थक गया हूँ. क्यों never changes form, and the verb agrees with the subject. It is also common to put क्यों near the start for emphasis (क्यों परेशान हो?), but the neutral position is right before the verb. Keep क्यों ('why?') separate from क्योंकि ('because'), which gives the reason.
Key rule
क्यों asks 'why' and normally sits in situ before the verb; its answer uses क्योंकि ('because'), and क्यों itself never changes form.
Examples
- तुम क्यों आए?क्यों आए तुम क्यों?
Use क्यों once in its normal slot; do not double it or scatter it across the sentence.
- तुम क्यों रो रहे हो?तुम क्यों रो रहा हो?
With तुम the verb is रो रहे हो; agreement follows the subject, not क्यों.
- आप क्यों जा रहे हैं?आप क्यों जा रहा है?
आप always takes the plural verb जा रहे हैं, even for one person.
Common mistakes
Confusing क्यों with क्योंकि
तुम क्योंकि उदास हो?तुम क्यों उदास हो?A question uses क्यों; क्योंकि ('because') belongs in the answer, not the question.
Subject–verb agreement error
तुम क्यों रो रहा हो?तुम क्यों रो रहे हो?The verb agrees with तुम (→ रहे हो), not with क्यों.
Adjective before the noun
विशेषण की स्थिति
In Hindi an attributive adjective comes BEFORE the noun it describes, just like English: बड़ा घर ('big house'), लाल किताब ('red book'), छोटे बच्चे ('small children'). The order is adjective + noun. Variable adjectives ending in -आ change their ending to agree with the noun's gender and number: अच्छा लड़का (good boy), अच्छी लड़की (good girl), अच्छे लड़के (good boys). Many adjectives, like लाल (red), सुंदर (beautiful) or ख़ुश (happy), never change. When a demonstrative or a number is also present, it comes first: यह बड़ा घर ('this big house'), दो लाल किताबें ('two red books').
Key rule
An attributive adjective goes immediately before its noun, and a variable -आ adjective agrees with the noun in gender, number and case.
Examples
- बड़ा घरघर बड़ा
To mean the noun phrase 'a big house', the adjective must precede the noun: बड़ा घर. The order घर बड़ा is instead the predicate 'the house is big'.
- अच्छी लड़कीअच्छा लड़की
लड़की is feminine, so the variable adjective must be अच्छी, not अच्छा.
- अच्छे लड़केअच्छा लड़के
Plural masculine लड़के needs the plural adjective अच्छे.
Common mistakes
Adjective after the noun in an attributive phrase
घर बड़ा देखो।बड़ा घर देखो।As a modifier the adjective must precede the noun; बड़ा घर, not घर बड़ा.
No gender agreement on a variable adjective
अच्छा लड़कीअच्छी लड़कीलड़की is feminine, so the -आ adjective becomes -ी (अच्छी).
Postposition follows the noun
परसर्ग की स्थिति
English uses prepositions that come BEFORE the noun: 'in the house', 'on the table'. Hindi does the opposite. The little relationship words — में (in), पर (on), से (from), को (to), तक (up to) — come AFTER the noun. So 'in the house' is घर में, literally 'house in'. That is why they are called postpositions: they are 'posted after'. The whole noun phrase, including any adjective, comes first, and the postposition is stuck on the end: बड़े घर में 'in the big house'. Getting the order right is one of the first big differences from English.
Key rule
Hindi relationship words come AFTER the noun phrase, not before it: 'in the house' = घर में, never *में घर.
Examples
- किताब मेज़ पर है।किताब पर मेज़ है।
पर 'on' must follow मेज़, so 'on the table' is मेज़ पर, not *पर मेज़.
- मैं घर में हूँ।मैं में घर हूँ।
में 'in' comes after घर: घर में 'in the house', never *में घर.
- वह दिल्ली से आया।वह से दिल्ली आया।
से 'from' follows the place name: दिल्ली से 'from Delhi'.
Common mistakes
Placing the postposition before the noun (English order)
में कमरा गरम है।कमरा गरम है।में cannot start the phrase; a postposition is placed after its noun, e.g. कमरे में.
Copying 'on the table' word for word
पर मेज़ खाना है।मेज़ पर खाना है।Hindi reverses the English order: noun first (मेज़), then पर.
Yes/no question marker क्या
प्रश्नवाचक क्या
To turn a Hindi statement into a yes/no question, you put क्या at the very start. तुम ठीक हो 'you are fine' becomes क्या तुम ठीक हो? 'Are you fine?'. Nothing else changes — the word order stays the same and you do not flip the subject and verb the way English does. In speech, people often drop क्या and just raise their voice at the end, so तुम ठीक हो? with a rising tone is also a question. But the clear, written way is to begin with क्या. Be careful: this क्या (yes/no marker) is different from the क्या that means 'what'.
Key rule
Put क्या at the start of a statement to make it a yes/no question — word order is unchanged, with no inversion or 'do'-support.
Examples
- क्या तुम ठीक हो?तुम क्या ठीक हो?
The yes/no क्या goes at the very front; placing it after तुम turns it into a confused 'what' question.
- क्या आप डॉक्टर हैं?हैं आप डॉक्टर क्या?
Hindi does not invert subject and verb; just add क्या at the front.
- क्या यह तुम्हारी किताब है?यह क्या तुम्हारी किताब है?
Front क्या asks 'is this your book?'; mid-sentence क्या would read as 'what'.
Common mistakes
Inverting subject and verb like English
हो तुम ठीक?क्या तुम ठीक हो?Hindi keeps normal order and adds क्या at the front; it never moves the verb forward.
Putting the yes/no क्या in the middle
तुम क्या आओगे? (intending 'will you come?')क्या तुम आओगे?Sentence-medial क्या reads as 'what'; the polar marker must lead.
Question word कैसे / कैसा (how)
प्रश्नवाचक कैसे/कैसा
Hindi has two related 'how' words. कैसे is an adverb meaning 'how / in what manner' and never changes its form: तुम कैसे आए? 'How did you come?'. कैसा means 'what kind of / how (is something)' and it agrees with the noun like an adjective: कैसा (m. sg.), कैसी (f.), कैसे (m. pl.). So यह कैसा है? 'What is this like? (m)', यह किताब कैसी है? 'How is this book? (f)'. Notice the overlap: कैसे is also the plural/oblique form of कैसा, so context tells them apart. A handy fixed phrase is आप कैसे हैं? 'How are you?'.
Key rule
कैसे = invariable 'how/in what manner'; कैसा/कैसी/कैसे = 'what kind of', agreeing with the noun in gender and number.
Examples
- तुम स्कूल कैसे जाते हो?तुम स्कूल कैसा जाते हो?
Manner 'how' with an action verb is the invariable adverb कैसे, not the agreeing कैसा.
- यह किताब कैसी है?यह किताब कैसा है?
किताब is feminine, so the quality word agrees as कैसी.
- मौसम कैसा है?मौसम कैसी है?
मौसम is masculine, so कैसा, not कैसी.
Common mistakes
Using agreeing कैसा for manner
तुम कैसा आए?तुम कैसे आए?'How (in what way) did you come?' is the invariable adverb कैसे.
Not agreeing कैसा with a feminine noun
चाय कैसा है?चाय कैसी है?चाय is feminine, so the quality word must be कैसी.
Question word कितना (how much/many)
प्रश्नवाचक कितना
कितना asks 'how much / how many'. Like an adjective, it agrees with the thing being counted or measured: कितना (m. sg.), कितनी (f.), कितने (m. pl.). So कितना पानी? 'how much water? (m)', कितनी चीनी? 'how much sugar? (f)', कितने लोग? 'how many people? (m.pl)'. To ask a price you say यह कितने का है? 'how much is this? (lit. of how many)'. Like all Hindi question words, कितना stays in its natural place in the sentence — you do not move it to the front. Get the agreement right by checking the gender and number of the noun.
Key rule
कितना 'how much/many' agrees with the counted noun: कितना (m.sg.) / कितनी (f.) / कितने (m.pl.); for price use कितने का/की है?
Examples
- कितने लोग आए?कितना लोग आए?
लोग is masculine plural, so the agreeing form कितने, not कितना.
- कितनी चीनी चाहिए?कितना चीनी चाहिए?
चीनी is feminine, so कितनी.
- कितना पानी है?कितनी पानी है?
पानी is masculine, so कितना, not कितनी.
Common mistakes
Not agreeing कितना with a plural noun
कितना बच्चे हैं?कितने बच्चे हैं?बच्चे is masculine plural, so कितने.
Wrong gender on the quantity word
कितना रोटी चाहिए?कितनी रोटी चाहिए?रोटी is feminine, so कितनी.
SOV word order
वाक्य-क्रम (कर्ता–कर्म–क्रिया)
A basic Hindi sentence puts the verb LAST. The usual order is Subject – Object – Verb (कर्ता–कर्म–क्रिया). English says 'I eat an apple' (Subject–Verb–Object), but Hindi says मैं सेब खाता हूँ, literally 'I apple eat'. So whatever you do, the doing word comes at the end. Even the helping verb है/हूँ/हैं sits last: यह अच्छा है 'this is good'. Anything extra — time, place, manner — usually goes between the subject and the verb. Once you train yourself to 'save the verb for last', many Hindi sentences fall into place.
Key rule
Hindi is verb-final: the neutral order is Subject – Object – Verb, with the verb (and its auxiliary) at the very end of the clause.
Examples
- मैं सेब खाता हूँ।मैं खाता सेब हूँ।
The object सेब precedes the verb; the verb chain खाता हूँ comes last.
- वह किताब पढ़ती है।वह पढ़ती किताब है।
Object before verb: 'she book reads', not 'she reads book'.
- राम स्कूल जाता है।राम जाता स्कूल है।
The destination precedes the verb; जाता है is sentence-final.
Common mistakes
Putting the verb in the middle (English SVO)
मैं खाता खाना।मैं खाना खाता हूँ।Hindi is verb-final; the object खाना precedes the verb खाता हूँ.
Placing the copula before the predicate
यह है अच्छा।यह अच्छा है।है closes the clause; it does not sit between subject and adjective.
Subject pro-drop
कर्ता का लोप
Because the Hindi verb already shows person, number and gender, you can leave out a pronoun subject when it is obvious. मैं घर जा रहा हूँ 'I am going home' can simply be घर जा रहा हूँ — the हूँ already tells you it is 'I'. This is called pro-drop. It is very common in answers and continuing speech: if someone asks तुम कहाँ हो? you can answer घर में हूँ 'I'm at home'. You still keep the pronoun when you want emphasis or contrast (मैं जाऊँगा, तुम नहीं). Note: this applies to pronoun subjects, not to named people — you do not drop राम.
Key rule
A pronoun subject can be dropped when the verb agreement makes it clear (घर जा रहा हूँ = 'I am going home'); keep it for emphasis or contrast.
Examples
- घर जा रहा हूँ।घर जा रहा हैं।
With मैं dropped, the verb must still be हूँ (first person), not हैं.
- स्कूल जाता हूँ।मैं स्कूल जाता हैं।
Whether or not मैं appears, first-person singular takes हूँ, not हैं.
- — कहाँ हो? — घर में हूँ।— कहाँ हो? — घर में है।
The dropped subject is 'I', so the reply needs हूँ, not है.
Common mistakes
Dropping the subject but mismatching the verb
घर जा रहा हैं।घर जा रहा हूँ।With मैं understood, the verb must be the first-person हूँ.
Wrong person on the verb in a reply
— कहाँ हो? — घर में है।— कहाँ हो? — घर में हूँ।The unspoken subject is 'I', so हूँ agrees with it.
Copula होना — present (हूँ/है/हैं)
होना — वर्तमान
होना is the verb 'to be'. In the present tense it joins a subject to a noun, adjective or place: 'I am a teacher', 'she is happy', 'we are at home'. Unlike English, which has only is/am/are, Hindi changes the copula for each person and number. मैं takes हूँ, तू takes है, तुम takes हो, and आप, यह, वह, ये, वे, हम all take है or हैं. The verb always comes at the end of the sentence. Because Hindi is SOV, you say literally 'I teacher am' (मैं अध्यापक हूँ). Getting the right copula form for each pronoun is the single most important first step in speaking Hindi.
Key rule
The present copula agrees with the subject's person and number: मैं हूँ, तू/यह/वह है, तुम हो, हम/आप/ये/वे हैं — and it sits at the end of the sentence.
Examples
- मैं अध्यापक हूँ।मैं अध्यापक है।
The subject मैं ('I') requires हूँ, not the third-person है.
- वह मेरा दोस्त है।वह मेरा दोस्त हैं।
A single third-person subject वह takes the singular है, not the plural हैं.
- तुम बहुत अच्छे हो।तुम बहुत अच्छे है।
तुम takes its own copula हो, never है.
Common mistakes
Using है with मैं
मैं छात्र है।मैं छात्र हूँ।The first-person subject मैं always takes हूँ, not the third-person है.
Using है instead of हो with तुम
तुम कहाँ है?तुम कहाँ हो?तुम has its own dedicated copula हो.
Copula negation (नहीं है)
होना का निषेध
To make a 'to be' sentence negative, put नहीं ('not') directly before the copula: यह घर नहीं है ('this is not a house'), मैं डॉक्टर नहीं हूँ ('I am not a doctor'). नहीं sits right in front of हूँ/है/हो/हैं, which still agrees with the subject as usual. The word order stays subject–complement–नहीं–copula. In quick everyday speech the copula is sometimes dropped after नहीं (यह सच नहीं), but the full form with the copula is always correct and is what you should learn first. नहीं is also the general word for answering 'no'.
Key rule
Negate होना by placing नहीं immediately before the copula, which still agrees with the subject: मैं डॉक्टर नहीं हूँ, वह घर पर नहीं है.
Examples
- मैं डॉक्टर नहीं हूँ।मैं नहीं डॉक्टर हूँ।
नहीं goes directly before the copula हूँ, not before the complement.
- यह मेरा घर नहीं है।यह मेरा घर है नहीं।
नहीं precedes the copula; placing it after है is ungrammatical here.
- वे यहाँ नहीं हैं।वे यहाँ नहीं है।
The plural subject वे still needs हैं after नहीं.
Common mistakes
Placing नहीं too early
मैं नहीं छात्र हूँ।मैं छात्र नहीं हूँ।नहीं goes immediately before the copula, after the complement.
Putting नहीं after the copula
यह सच है नहीं।यह सच नहीं है।In a copula sentence नहीं precedes है.
Verb infinitive (root + -ना)
क्रिया का साधारण रूप (-ना)
Every Hindi verb you find in a dictionary ends in -ना: करना ('to do'), जाना ('to go'), खाना ('to eat'), बोलना ('to speak'). This is the infinitive, also called the साधारण रूप. To build any tense you first strip off the -ना to get the verb root (or stem): करना → कर, जाना → जा, खाना → खा, बोलना → बोल. From this root you then add endings for habitual, continuous, past and future. The infinitive itself can also be used like a noun ('to swim / swimming') or with words like चाहिए. Learning to find the root by removing -ना is the foundation for every later verb tense.
Key rule
The dictionary form of a Hindi verb ends in -ना; remove -ना to get the root (करना → कर) from which all tenses are built.
Examples
- मुझे हिंदी सीखना है।मुझे हिंदी सीख है।
After मुझे ... है the full infinitive सीखना is needed, not the bare root सीख.
- तैरना अच्छा है।तैर अच्छा है।
As a subject ('swimming'), the verb stays in its infinitive form तैरना.
- मैं काम करना चाहता हूँ।मैं काम कर चाहता हूँ।
चाहना takes the full infinitive करना, not the bare root कर.
Common mistakes
Using the bare root where an infinitive is needed
मुझे सोना सीख है।मुझे सोना सीखना है।With ... है ('have to / want to') the full infinitive सीखना is required.
Dropping -ना on a verbal-noun subject
पढ़ अच्छा है।पढ़ना अच्छा है।When the verb acts as a subject noun it keeps its -ना ending.
Existence and location with होना
अस्तित्व और स्थान
होना ('to be') also expresses that something exists or is located somewhere — like English 'there is' and 'is at/in/on'. To say where something is, name the place with a postposition (में 'in', पर 'on/at') and end with है/हैं: मेज़ पर किताब है ('there is a book on the table'), घर में कोई है ('there is someone in the house'). The thing that exists is the subject, so the copula agrees with it in number: कमरे में दो कुर्सियाँ हैं. Hindi does not use a separate dummy word like English 'there'; the place phrase plus होना does the whole job. Word order is usually place – thing – copula.
Key rule
होना expresses 'there is/are' and location; the existing thing is the subject and the copula agrees with it, while the place takes a locative postposition (में/पर): मेज़ पर किताब है.
Examples
- मेज़ पर एक किताब है।मेज़ पर एक किताब हैं।
A single किताब takes the singular है, not the plural हैं.
- कमरे में दो कुर्सियाँ हैं।कमरे में दो कुर्सियाँ है।
Two chairs is plural, so the copula must be हैं.
- घर में कोई है।घर में कोई हैं।
कोई ('someone') is singular and takes है.
Common mistakes
Copula not agreeing with the subject's number
मेज़ पर तीन किताबें है।मेज़ पर तीन किताबें हैं।The existing thing (three books) is the subject; the copula must be plural हैं.
Omitting the locative postposition
कमरा एक मेज़ है।कमरे में एक मेज़ है।The location needs में, and the noun becomes oblique (कमरे).
Copula past (था/थी/थे)
होना — भूतकाल
The past of होna ('was/were') is था. Unlike the present copula, the past copula agrees in gender AND number: था (masculine singular), थी (feminine singular), थे (masculine plural), थीं (feminine plural). So वह यहाँ था ('he was here'), वह यहाँ थी ('she was here'), वे घर पर थे ('they were at home', men/mixed), वे घर पर थीं ('they were at home', women). Like the present copula, था sits at the end of the sentence and works for descriptions, existence and location in the past. Remember that आप takes a plural form: आप कहाँ थे? ('where were you?'). Choosing था/थी/थे/थीं correctly means watching both gender and number of the subject.
Key rule
The past copula था/थी/थे/थीं agrees with the subject in BOTH gender and number (वह था / वह थी / वे थे / वे थीं), unlike the present copula.
Examples
- वह कल यहाँ था।वह कल यहाँ थी। (referring to a man)
For a male subject use the masculine था, not the feminine थी.
- मेरी बहन घर पर थी।मेरी बहन घर पर था।
बहन ('sister') is feminine, so the copula is थी.
- वे लोग बाज़ार में थे।वे लोग बाज़ार में था।
A plural masculine subject takes थे, not the singular था.
Common mistakes
Ignoring gender in the past copula
मेरी माँ बीमार था।मेरी माँ बीमार थी।माँ is feminine, so the past copula must be थी, not था.
Singular form with a plural subject
वे घर पर था।वे घर पर थे।A plural subject takes थे (masc.) or थीं (fem.).
Present habitual (करता है)
सामान्य वर्तमान काल
The present habitual describes things you do regularly or generally true facts — like English 'I work', 'she goes to school'. It is built in two parts: the imperfective participle (root + -ता/-ती/-ते) plus the present copula (हूँ/है/हो/हैं). So वह काम करता है ('he works'), वह काम करती है ('she works'), हम स्कूल जाते हैं ('we go to school'). The participle agrees with the subject in gender and number, and the copula agrees in person and number — so two things change at once. Use this tense for routines, habits, hobbies and general truths (सूरज पूरब से निकलता है, 'the sun rises in the east').
Key rule
Present habitual = imperfective participle (root + ता/ती/ते) + present copula; the participle agrees in gender-number, the copula in person-number (वह करता है, हम करते हैं).
Examples
- वह रोज़ काम करता है।वह रोज़ काम करता हैं।
A singular subject वह takes the singular copula है, not हैं.
- मेरी बहन गाना गाती है।मेरी बहन गाना गाता है।
बहन is feminine, so the participle must be गाती, not गाता.
- हम हिंदी सीखते हैं।हम हिंदी सीखता है।
The plural subject हम needs the plural participle सीखते and copula हैं.
Common mistakes
Participle not matching subject gender
मेरी माँ खाना बनाता है।मेरी माँ खाना बनाती है।माँ is feminine, so the participle is बनाती.
Wrong copula person with मैं
मैं रोज़ पढ़ता है।मैं रोज़ पढ़ता हूँ।मैं takes हूँ, not the third-person है.
Present habitual negation
सामान्य वर्तमान का निषेध
To say someone does NOT do something habitually, put नहीं before the participle — and usually drop the copula: वह काम नहीं करता ('he doesn't work'), मैं चाय नहीं पीती ('I don't drink tea'). The participle still agrees in gender and number (करता/करती/करते), but the copula है/हैं is normally left out after नहीं in the negative. You can keep the copula for emphasis (वह नहीं करता है), but dropping it is the natural everyday pattern. So the key change from the positive is: add नहीं before the participle and remove the copula.
Key rule
Negate the habitual by putting नहीं before the participle and dropping the copula: वह काम नहीं करता (not वह काम नहीं करता है, though that is possible for emphasis).
Examples
- वह काम नहीं करता।वह काम नहीं करता है।
In the habitual negative the copula is normally dropped after नहीं.
- मैं चाय नहीं पीती।मैं नहीं चाय पीती।
नहीं goes directly before the participle, not before the object.
- हम मांस नहीं खाते।हम मांस नहीं खाता।
The plural subject हम keeps the plural participle खाते.
Common mistakes
Keeping the copula in the everyday negative
वह काम नहीं करता है।वह काम नहीं करता।The habitual negative normally drops है; the bare participle is the natural form.
नहीं before the object instead of the verb
मैं नहीं चाय पीती।मैं चाय नहीं पीती।नहीं goes directly before the participle.
Imperfective participle करता/करती/करते
अपूर्ण कृदंत
The imperfective participle is the verb root plus -ता/-ती/-ते. It is the building block of the habitual tenses (करता है 'does', करता था 'used to do'). The ending agrees with the subject like an adjective: -ता for masculine singular (वह करता), -ती for feminine (वह करती), -ते for masculine plural and honorifics (वे करते, आप करते). Feminine plural keeps -ती (लड़कियाँ करती). Think of it as describing the action's gender-number, while a following copula adds the tense. Knowing how करता/करती/करते inflect is the key to every imperfective sentence in Hindi.
Key rule
The imperfective participle (root + ता/ती/ते) agrees with the subject like an adjective: -ता masc.sg, -ती fem (sg & pl), -ते masc.pl/honorific; a copula then marks the tense.
Examples
- वह स्कूल जाता है।वह स्कूल जाती है। (referring to a boy)
For a male subject the participle is जाता, not the feminine जाती.
- मेरी बहन गाना गाती है।मेरी बहन गाना गाते है।
बहन is feminine singular, so the participle is गाती, not गाते.
- वे रोज़ दौड़ते हैं।वे रोज़ दौड़ता हैं।
The masculine plural subject वे needs the -ते participle दौड़ते.
Common mistakes
Masculine ending for a feminine subject
वह लड़की नाचता है।वह लड़की नाचती है।A feminine subject takes the -ती participle नाचती.
Feminine plural with -ते
औरतें काम करते हैं।औरतें काम करती हैं।Feminine plural keeps -ती (करती).
Everyday Perso-Arabic vocabulary
रोज़मर्रा के शब्द
A large slice of everyday Hindi words came long ago from Persian and Arabic, and today they are simply ordinary Hindi — not 'foreign' or 'Urdu'. Words like किताब (book), सवाल (question), वक़्त (time), दुकान (shop), ख़बर (news) and शुक्रिया (thanks) are completely natural in normal speech. You do not need a fancy Sanskrit-based word instead; a beginner should use the common everyday form. A few of these words carry a nukta (the dot under a letter) for sounds like क़, ख़, ज़, फ़ — for example वक़्त and ख़बर — while others, like किताब and कलम, are written with no nukta at all.
Key rule
Naturalised Perso-Arabic loans (किताब, सवाल, वक़्त, दुकान, ख़बर) are ordinary everyday Hindi — use the common form, and add a nukta only on the words that lexically take one.
Examples
- मेरे पास एक नई किताब है।मेरे पास एक नई क़िताब है।
किताब is written without a nukta; the dotted क़िताब is a wrong over-correction.
- मुझसे एक सवाल मत पूछो।मुझसे एक प्रश्न-वार्ता मत पूछो।
The everyday word for a question is सवाल; a stiff bookish coinage sounds unnatural at this level (प्रश्न is fine, but here सवाल is the natural everyday choice).
- अभी मेरे पास वक़्त नहीं है।अभी मेरे पास वक्त नहीं है।
वक़्त genuinely takes a nukta on क़; dropping it (वक्त) is a spelling mistake.
Common mistakes
Adding a nukta where the word does not take one
मेरी क़िताब नई है।मेरी किताब नई है।किताब is spelled with a plain क; the nukta is lexical and this word never takes it.
Dropping a nukta that the word genuinely needs
मेरे पास वक्त नहीं है।मेरे पास वक़्त नहीं है।वक़्त is a true q-loan and must keep the nukta on क़.
Negation नहीं
निषेध नहीं
नहीं is the basic word for 'not' in ordinary statements. It normally goes right before the verb: मैं नहीं जाता ('I do not go'), यह अच्छा नहीं है ('this is not good'). To say 'no' on its own as an answer, you also use नहीं. With the present copula है/हैं, नहीं sits before the copula (वह घर पर नहीं है = 'he is not at home'), and in fast speech the है is sometimes dropped after नहीं. नहीं is for plain statements; commands ('don't!') use a different word, मत, and the subjunctive uses न — but at this stage नहीं covers your everyday negation.
Key rule
Put नहीं immediately before the verb/copula to negate a plain statement (or use it alone for 'no'); use मत for prohibitions and न in the subjunctive, not नहीं.
Examples
- मैं हिंदी नहीं बोलता।मैं नहीं हिंदी बोलता।
नहीं belongs just before the verb बोलता, not before the object हिंदी।
- वह घर पर नहीं है।वह घर पर है नहीं।
नहीं comes before the copula है; placing it after the verb is unnatural here.
- यह किताब अच्छी नहीं है।यह किताब नहीं अच्छी है।
नहीं sits right before the copula है, after the predicate adjective.
Common mistakes
Putting नहीं too early in the clause
मैं नहीं चाय पीता।मैं चाय नहीं पीता।नहीं must stand directly before the verb पीता, after the object चाय।
Using नहीं for a command
यहाँ नहीं बैठो।यहाँ मत बैठो।A prohibition uses मत; नहीं only negates statements.
Particle भी (also/too)
निपात भी
भी means 'also', 'too' or 'even'. It is an additive particle: it adds the word it follows to a set. The key rule is position — भी comes RIGHT AFTER the word it adds, not at the start or end of the sentence. So मैं भी आऊँगा means 'I too will come' (I am added to those coming), while मैं चाय भी पीता हूँ means 'I also drink tea' (tea is added to what I drink). Move भी to a different word and the meaning changes. With a stressed word भी can also mean 'even' (वह बच्चा भी समझता है = 'even that child understands'). भी never changes its form.
Key rule
भी ('also/too/even') goes immediately after the word it adds to the set — its position chooses what is being 'also', so place it carefully and never as an end-of-sentence afterthought.
Examples
- मैं भी आऊँगा।मैं आऊँगा भी।
To mean 'I too will come', भी must follow मैं; placed after the verb it loses the 'I as well' sense.
- वह भी मेरा दोस्त है।भी वह मेरा दोस्त है।
भी follows the word it adds (वह); it cannot start the sentence.
- मुझे यह किताब भी चाहिए।मुझे भी यह किताब चाहिए।
To add 'this book too' to what I want, भी follows किताब; after मुझे it would instead mean 'I too want it'.
Common mistakes
Placing भी at the end like English 'too'
मैं आऊँगा भी।मैं भी आऊँगा।भी must follow the word it adds (मैं), not be tacked on after the verb.
Starting the sentence with भी
भी मैं जाता हूँ।मैं भी जाता हूँ।भी is a clitic that leans on the preceding word; it cannot begin a clause.
Particle ही (only/just)
निपात ही
ही is a focus particle meaning 'only', 'just' or 'exactly'. It restricts attention to the word it follows: मैं ही means 'only I / I alone', यहीं means 'right here', अभी means 'right now'. Like भी, ही comes immediately AFTER the word it emphasises, and its position decides what is being singled out. With the demonstratives यह and वह it fuses into यही ('this very one') and वही ('that very one'); with कहाँ→यहाँ it gives यहीं, and अब→अभी. ही never changes its form. It both narrows ('only this') and intensifies ('this very thing'), so it is a small word that adds a lot of precision.
Key rule
ही ('only/just/the very') goes immediately after the word it restricts; with यह/वह/यहाँ/अब it fuses into यही/वही/यहीं/अभी — and it RESTRICTS where भी ADDS.
Examples
- मैं ही जाऊँगा।ही मैं जाऊँगा।
ही follows the word it restricts (मैं); it cannot begin the sentence.
- यही मेरी किताब है।यह ही मेरी किताब है।
यह + ही fuses into one word यही ('this very one'); writing यह ही separately is non-standard.
- मैं अभी आता हूँ।मैं अब ही आता हूँ।
अब + ही fuses into अभी ('right now'); the unfused अब ही is wrong here.
Common mistakes
Writing यह ही / वह ही instead of the fused form
यह ही मेरा घर है।यही मेरा घर है।यह + ही fuses into यही; the separated spelling is non-standard.
Using अब ही instead of अभी
मैं अब ही आऊँगा।मैं अभी आऊँगा।अब + ही fuses into अभी ('right now').
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