Hindi Grammar Basics

• Hindi grammar is largely based on Sanskrit grammar

Word Order

• Hindi typically follows Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order
• Word order is relatively flexible compared to English, particularly in simple sentences
• Emphasis and context can influence word order

Nouns

• Hindi nouns are inflected for gender (masculine, feminine) and number (singular, plural)
• Noun endings change based on gender and number, affecting agreement with other sentence elements
• Gender is often arbitrary and must be learned for each noun
• Some nouns have different forms in the oblique case, used when followed by postpositions
• Hindi does not have articles (like "a," "an," or "the" in English)

Pronouns

• Hindi pronouns vary depending on politeness and social context
• There are different pronouns for "you" indicating varying degrees of respect (e.g., tu, tum, āp)
• Pronouns are also inflected for case, including direct, oblique, and possessive
• The reflexive pronoun apnā ("own") is commonly used

Verbs

• Hindi verbs are conjugated based on tense, aspect, mood, gender, and number
• Verb roots are modified by adding suffixes to indicate tense and agreement
• The copula ("to be") is often omitted in the present tense, especially when the meaning is clear
• Auxiliary verbs combine with main verbs to form compound verbs, expressing nuances of meaning
• Hindi has a rich system of compound verbs, adding shades of meaning like completion, obligation, or ability

Tense, Aspect, and Mood

• Hindi has three main tenses: past, present, and future
• Aspect indicates the completion, duration, or habituality of an action
• Habitual aspect is often expressed using the verb kartā hai ("does")
• The subjunctive mood expresses wishes, possibilities, and commands

Case System

• Hindi uses postpositions (similar to prepositions in English, but following the noun) to indicate grammatical relations
• Common postpositions include ko (dative/accusative), se (ablative/instrumental), kā/ke/kī (genitive)
• The genitive postposition agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies
• Postpositions require nouns and pronouns to be in the oblique case

Adjectives

• Adjectives in Hindi generally precede the noun they modify
• Adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number, except for invariable adjectives
• Some adjectives end in -ā and change to -e (masculine plural or oblique) or -ī (feminine singular and plural)
• Adjectival phrases can be formed using postpositions

Adverbs

• Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs
• Many adverbs are formed by adding -se or -tā to adjectives or nouns
• Adverbs of time, place, and manner are common

Agreement

• Verb agreement is crucial in Hindi grammar
• Verbs agree in gender and number with the subject if the sentence is in the active voice and the object is not marked with ko
• If the object is marked with ko, the verb agrees with the object
• In the perfect tenses, verbs agree with the object if the subject is marked with ne (ergative construction)

Ergative Construction

• The ergative construction uses the postposition ne to mark the subject in perfect tenses
• In this construction, the verb agrees with the object, not the subject
• Ne is used with transitive verbs in the perfect tenses (past perfect, pluperfect)

Causative Verbs

• Hindi has causative verbs, which indicate that the subject causes someone else to perform the action
• Causative verbs are formed by adding suffixes to the verb root
• There can be multiple levels of causativization

Relative Clauses

• Relative clauses precede the noun they modify
• Relative pronouns like jo ("who, which, that") are used to introduce relative clauses
• Correlative pronouns often appear in the main clause, echoing the relative pronoun

Conditional Sentences

• Conditional sentences typically use agar or yadi ("if") to introduce the condition
• The subjunctive mood is often used in the conditional clause
• The main clause expresses the result of the condition

Direct and Indirect Speech

• When converting direct speech to indirect speech, pronouns and verb tenses may need to be adjusted
• Introductory verbs like kahā ("said") are commonly used
• Conjunctions like ki ("that") are used to introduce the indirect speech clause

Sandhi ( संधि )

• Euphonic combination of letters between words or within a word, resulting in changes to the sounds
• While traditionally important, its application is less strict in modern spoken Hindi, especially in casual speech
• Rules govern how vowels and consonants interact, influencing pronunciation and spelling

Samas ( समास )

• Compounding of two or more words to form a new word, conveying a complex meaning
• Several types of compounds exist, including:
  • Dvanda (copulative): both parts equally important
  • Tatpurusha (determinative): one part modifies the other
  • Karmadharaya (appositional): describes a special relationship
  • Dvigu (numerical): first part is a number
  • Avyayibhava (indeclinable): first part is an indeclinable

Sentence Structure

• Simple sentences consist of a subject, object, and verb (SOV)
• Complex sentences can include multiple clauses and conjunctions
• Coordinate conjunctions like aur ("and"), yā ("or"), and lekin ("but") are used to connect clauses
• Subordinate conjunctions introduce dependent clauses

Idioms and Proverbs

• Hindi has many idioms and proverbs that add color and expressiveness to the language
• Understanding idioms requires contextual knowledge
• Proverbs often convey cultural values and beliefs