A Concise Grammar Of Hindi (part 1)

A Concise Grammar of Hindi Part 1

Jahid Akon

Foreword Actually I compiled this grammar book very concisely for my future reference. But as i found no good Hindi Grammar in the cyber world, I thought to publish it if somebody get helped seeing it online. This is part 1 of it. Jahid Akon, Dhaka 19 November 2009

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Introduction o The article ƒ A, an, the. ƒ A, an = एक. The is omitted. Sometimes the = यह (this) and वह (that), when a great precision is needed. Nouns ƒ Every noun is either masculine or feminine. Preposition ƒ In English, ‘on, to, in’ are prepositions. Sits before a noun/pronoun and governs it. ƒ In Hindi/Urdu, they come after, and called postpositions. e.g. को (to), पर (on), से (from), म (in). Verbs ƒ The position of the verb is at the extreme end of a sentence. e.g. यह िच ठ दफ़तर को ले जाओ। Interrogatives ƒ कौन (who), कसका (whose), कौन सा (which), कतनी दरू (how far), केय (why), या ƒ

o o

o

o

o

o

(what), कहां (where), कब (when) etc. ƒ Never start an Urdu/Hindi sentence with an interrogative. e.g. मेज़ पर या है ?- मेज़ पर कताब है । Possessive pronouns ƒ मेरा (my), हमारा (our), तुमहारा (your), उसका (his/her/its) etc. ƒ Have the same position in Urdu sentences as they have in English sentences i.e. they must precede the nouns they govern e.g. मेर कताब। Adverbs ƒ यहां (here), वहां (there), बजे (o’clock), और (and), जी हाँ (yes), जी नह ं (no), मत (do not), अब (now) etc.

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ƒ Must be just before the verb e.g. वह मेज़ यहां लाओ। Pronouns ƒ म (I), तू (thou), वह (he/she/it), हम (we), तुम (you), वह (they) etc. ƒ

तुम is used for ‘you’-singular and plural, just as in English. It is plural in the form

ƒ

though it may be singular or plural in use. The real second person singular तू is seldom used (most informal). तुम is used only to inferiors. To equals/superiors/strangers always use आप with third person plural verbs i.e. the form used with वह (ह etc.).

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The Noun o Gender ƒ Only 2 gendersÆ masculine and feminine. No neuter gender. ƒ Males are masculine, females are feminine. ƒ Gender identification Nouns that end in -आ, with very few exceptions, are masculine e.g. लड़का (a boy), कपड़ा (cloth).

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o

Nouns that end in -ई are almost always feminine e.g. लड़क (a girl), गाड़ (a carriage) etc. The gender of inanimate nouns that do not end in -आ or -ई, must be learnt by practice. Number ƒ 2 numbersÆ singular and plural. ƒ The rules of forming plurals from singulars are quite simple. Case ƒ Nominative ⇒ does something. ⇒ not governed by any postposition. ⇒ the stem form is almost always the nominative form. ƒ Objective ⇒ something is done on it. ⇒ governed by a postposition/a transitive verb. ⇒ Accusative/dative case. ƒ All the cases except the nominative are called oblique cases, which have different names according to postpositions following themA noun is said to be in the – Case if followed by का/के/क (of) Genitive Dative Locative Ablative Agent Vocative ƒ ƒ

e.g. औरत का बेटा/-क बेट

को (to)

लड़के को

पर/म (at)

घर म/घोड़ पर

से (from)

घोड़े से

ने (by)

लड़के ने

ऎ/ओ (Oh!)

ऎ ख़ोदा!/(ओ लड़क !)

In the accusative case-the noun is not governed by any postposition, because it is governed by a transitive verb, as एक कु ा मारो। (Kill a dog.) A noun in the accusative case⇒ has either the form as a nominative (as in English). ⇒ or is expressed by को, like the dative.

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Declension of Nouns ƒ Masculine 1. –आ stems Case Nominative

Singular -आ

Plural -ए

Oblique

-ए

-ओं

e.g. घोड़ा (a horse)Case Nominative

Singular घोड़ा

Plural घोड़े

Oblique

घोड़े

घोड़

2. Stems ending in sounds other than–आ Singular Case Nominative Oblique e.g. आदमी (a man)Case Singular Nominative आदमी Oblique आदमी ƒ

Feminine 1. -ई stems (-इ sometimes) Singular Case Nominative -ई(-इ sometimes) Oblique -ई(-इ sometimes) e.g. लड़क (a girl)Case Nominative Oblique

Singular लड़क लड़क

2. Stems ending in sounds other than–ई/-इ Singular Case Nominative Oblique

-

e.g. कताब (a book)Case Singular Nominative कताब Oblique कताब

Plural -ओं Plural आदमी आदिमय

Plural -इयां -इय Plural लड कयां

लड़ कय

Plural -एं -ओं Plural कताब कताब

ƒ

Notes1. Oblique plural nouns always end in –ओं. 2. Oblique feminine singular nouns never change. 3. Nominative masculine plural and oblique singular nouns are always same.

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The Pronouns ƒ words in place of a noun. ƒ वह = he/she/it, they, that, those. o

ƒ यह = this, these. Declension of Pronouns

म (I)

Accusative मुझे (मुझ+ए)

Oblique Genitive मेरा (सुझ+का)

Other cases मुझ को/पर/म/से

(me)

(my)

(to/on/in/from me)

हम (We)

हम (हम+एं) (us)

हमारा (हम+का) (our)

हम को/पर/म/से

तू (Thou)

तुझे (तुझ+ए) (thee)

तेरा (तू+का) (thy)

तुझ को/पर/म/से

तुम/आप (You)

तुमह (तुम+

तुमहारा (तुम+(ह

तुम/आप को/पर/म/से

+) का)/आप का (your) उस का (his/her/its) उन का (their)

(to/on/in/from you)

वह (He/She/It) वह (They)

(ह+) एं)/आप को (you) उसे (उस+ए) (him/her/it) उनह (उन+(+ह) एं) (them)

यह (This)

इसे (इस+ए) (this)

इस का (of this)

इस को/पर/म/से

यह (These)

इनह (इन+(+ह) एं) (these)

इन का (of these)

इन को/पर/म/से

वह (That)

उसे (उस+ए) (that)

उस का (of that)

वह (Those)

उनह (उन+(+ह) एं) (those)

उन का (of those)

Nominative

(to/on/in/from us) (to/on/in/from thee)

उस को/पर/म/से (to/ on/in/from him/her/it) उन को/पर/म/से (to/on/in/from them) (to/on/in/from this) (to/on/in/from these) उस को/पर/म/से (to/on/in/from these) उन को/पर/म/से (to/on/in/from these)

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The Verb o Conjugation of the verb होना (to be) Person म (I)

Present हँू (am)

Past था (was)

है (art)

था (wast)

वह (He/She/It)

है (is)

था/थी (was)

होगा/होगी (will be)

हम (We)

ह (are)

थे (were)

ह गे (will be)

तुम (You)

हो (are)

थे (were)

होगे (will be)

वह (They)

ह (are)

थे/थीं (were)

ह गे/ह गी (will be)

तू (Thou)

e.g. म कमरे म हँू । (I am in the room.)

वह मेरा बेटा था। (He was my son.)

वह घोड़े पर ह गे। (They will be on the horses.)

[End of Part 1]

Future हंू गा (shall be) होगा (will be)