Hindi Grammar: Nouns, Gender & Cases

• Hindi grammar is generally more regular than that of many other Indo-European languages.
• Hindi is an analytic language; grammatical relations are indicated through postpositions, clitics, and agreement.
• Hindi word order is generally subject-object-verb (SOV).
• Hindi is a head-final language; modifiers typically precede the words they modify.
• Hindi has three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter; the neuter gender is often not explicitly marked, and words are usually treated as either masculine or feminine.
• Hindi verbs agree in number and gender with their subjects (or objects, in some constructions).

Nouns

• Hindi nouns are inflected for gender (masculine and feminine), number (singular and plural), and case.
• Two main cases exist: direct and oblique.
• The direct case is used for subjects and direct objects where no postposition is present.
• The oblique case is used in all other instances, including when a postposition follows the noun.
• Noun pluralization often involves changes to the noun ending, with different rules for masculine and feminine nouns.
• Some nouns have irregular plural forms.

Pronouns

• Hindi pronouns are inflected for number, gender (in some cases), and case.
• Hindi pronouns include personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, relative pronouns, and interrogative pronouns.
• There are different levels of formality in Hindi pronouns, reflecting social hierarchy and respect.
• آپ (āp) is used as a polite form of "you."
• یہ (yah) and وہ (vah) are used as demonstrative pronouns, meaning "this" and "that" respectively.

Verbs

• Hindi verbs are inflected for tense, aspect, mood, gender, and number.
• Three main tenses exist: past, present, and future.
• Aspect refers to the completeness or duration of an action (e.g., perfective, imperfective).
• Mood indicates the speaker's attitude toward the action (e.g., indicative, subjunctive, imperative).
• Hindi verbs agree in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.
• Auxiliary verbs are often used to form compound tenses and aspects.
• The verb "to be" (होना - honā) is irregular and used in various constructions.

Adjectives

• Hindi adjectives generally precede the nouns they modify.
• Most Hindi adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify.
• Some adjectives are invariable and do not change form.
• Adjectives can be formed from nouns and verbs by adding suffixes.

Postpositions

• Hindi uses postpositions instead of prepositions.
• Postpositions follow the noun or pronoun they govern.
• They indicate grammatical relationships such as location, direction, and possession.
• Some common postpositions include:
  • में (mē̃) - in
  • पर (par) - on
  • को (ko) - to, for
  • से (se) - from, with, by
  • के लिए (ke lie) - for
  • का, की, के (kā, kī, ke) - of (possessive, agrees with the noun it modifies)

Adverbs

• Hindi adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
• Many Hindi adverbs are formed by adding suffixes to adjectives or nouns.
• Adverbs can indicate time, place, manner, and degree.

Sentence Structure

• Hindi typically follows a subject-object-verb (SOV) word order.
• Modifiers generally precede the words they modify.
• Questions are often formed by intonation or by adding an interrogative word.
• Complex sentences are formed using conjunctions and relative clauses.

Agreement

• Agreement (concord) is a key feature of Hindi grammar.
• Verbs must agree in gender and number with the subject.
• Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.
• Possessive postpositions (का, की, के) must agree in gender and number with the noun they possess.

Case System

• The Hindi case system primarily involves the direct and oblique cases.
• The direct case is unmarked and used for subjects and direct objects without postpositions.
• The oblique case is used when a postposition follows the noun.
• Declension of nouns and pronouns changes based on the case.

Verb Conjugation

• Hindi verb conjugation is complex and depends on tense, aspect, mood, gender, and number.
• Verb roots are modified by adding suffixes and auxiliary verbs.
• Regular verbs follow predictable patterns, while irregular verbs have unique forms.
• The present participle (रहा - rahā) and past participle (हुआ - huā) are commonly used to form continuous and perfect tenses.

Compound Verbs

• Hindi frequently uses compound verbs, consisting of a main verb and an auxiliary verb.
• Compound verbs can express nuances of meaning, such as completion, ability, or obligation.
• Examples include:
  • देना (denā) - to give (can indicate completion or permission)
  • लेना (lenā) - to take (can indicate benefit or completion for oneself)
  • सकना (sakanā) - to be able to (indicates ability)
  • चाहना (chāhanā) - to want (indicates desire)

Clitics

• Clitics are grammatical elements that behave syntactically like words but are phonologically dependent on another word.
• ने (ne): Ergative marker used with transitive verbs in the perfective aspect; requires careful attention to subject-verb agreement.
• को (ko): Can mark the direct object or indicate dative case.
• ही (hī): Emphasizes the preceding word ("only," "just").
• भी (bhī): Means "also," "too," or "even."
• तो (to): Indicates "then" or "so."

Tense-Aspect-Mood (TAM)

• Hindi employs a rich system of tense, aspect, and mood markers.
• Tense indicates when an action occurs (past, present, future).
• Aspect indicates the duration or completion of an action (perfective, imperfective, habitual).
• Mood indicates the speaker's attitude toward the action (indicative, imperative, subjunctive).

Syntax

• Basic word order is Subject-Object-Verb (SOV).
• Adjectives precede nouns.
• Postpositions follow nouns/pronouns.
• Relative clauses precede the main clause and are often introduced by relative pronouns.
• Coordination and subordination are achieved using conjunctions.

Examples

Noun Declension

• लड़का (laṛkā) - boy (Direct Singular)
• लड़के (laṛke) - boy (Direct Plural / Oblique Singular)
• लड़कों (laṛkõ) - boys (Oblique Plural)

Verb Conjugation (करना - karnā - To Do)

• मैं करता हूँ (main kartā hū̃) - I do (Masculine)
• मैं करती हूँ (main kartī hū̃) - I do (Feminine)
• तुम करते हो (tum karte ho) - You do (Masculine, Informal)
• तुम करती हो (tum kartī ho) - You do (Feminine, Informal)
• आप करते हैं (āp karte hain) - You do (Masculine, Formal)
• आप करती हैं (āp kartī hain) - You do (Feminine, Formal)
• वह करता है (vah kartā hai) - He does
• वह करती है (vah kartī hai) - She does
• हम करते हैं (ham karte hain) - We do
• वे करते हैं (ve karte hain) - They do

Use of Postpositions

• घर में (ghar mē̃) - in the house
• घर पर (ghar par) - on the house
• राम को (rām ko) - to Ram
• राम से (rām se) - from Ram
• राम के लिए (rām ke lie) - for Ram
• राम का घर (rām kā ghar) - Ram's house (masculine)
• राम की किताब (rām kī kitāb) - Ram's book (feminine)
• राम के बच्चे (rām ke bacche) - Ram's children (plural)

Sentence Examples

• राम फल खाता है (rām phal khātā hai) - Ram eats fruit (SOV).
• सीता एक किताब पढ़ती है (sītā ek kitāb paṛhtī hai) - Sita reads a book.
• यह मेरा घर है (yah merā ghar hai) - This is my house.
• वह कल आएगा (vah kal āegā) - He will come tomorrow.
• क्या तुम जा रहे हो? (kyā tum jā rahe ho?) - Are you going?

Common Grammatical Errors for Learners

• Incorrect Gender Agreement - Ensure adjectives and verbs agree with the gender of the noun/subject.
• Misuse of Postpositions - Understand the subtle differences in meaning between different postpositions.
• Incorrect Case Usage - Use the oblique case after postpositions.
• Subject-Verb Agreement Issues - Pay attention to the gender and number of the subject when conjugating verbs.
• Word Order Mistakes - Adhere to the SOV word order.
• Neglecting the Ergative Construction - Using 'ne' with the correct verb forms and understanding its implications.