Language/Hindi/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

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Hindi Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Hindi learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use "be" in Hindi sentences. After this lesson, you will understand how to form and use regular and irregular verbs in the present tense. We will cover the affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms of the "be" verb.

Before we begin, it's essential to review some basic Hindi grammar concepts. In case you're not familiar with these concepts or need a refresher, check out our Grammar section on the Polyglot Club website.

To get the most out of this lesson, consider finding native speakers on Polyglot Club and asking them any questions. Practicing with others is an excellent way to practice your skills and learn more about Hindi culture!


The "Be" verb in Hindi

The "be" verb is used to describe a state of being or existence. In Hindi, the "be" verb is called होना (hona), which means "to be." Like in English, the "be" verb is used in various tenses and moods depending on the context and meaning of the sentence.

Let's take a look at how to use "be" in Hindi sentences. We'll focus on the present tense first because it's the most commonly used tense in spoken Hindi.

Present Tense

Affirmative Form

To form the affirmative present tense in Hindi, we need to conjugate होना (hona) according to the subject of the sentence. Here is the conjugation of होना (hona):

Hindi Pronunciation English
हूँ hoon am/is/are (1st person singular)
हो ho are (2nd person singular)
हैं hain are (3rd person singular/plural)

Notice how the verb form changes based on the subject of the sentence. When the subject is singular, we use हूँ (hoon) or हो (ho) for the first and second person respectively. For the third person singular or plural, we use हैं (hain).

Let's see some examples:

  • मैं गर्म हूँ। (Main garm hoon.) - I am hot.
  • तुम सुन्दर हो। (Tum sundar ho.) - You are beautiful.
  • वह बहुत अच्छे हैं। (Vah bahut acche hain.) - He/She/They are very nice.

Notice the pattern of हूँ (hoon), हो (ho), and हैं (hain) in the sentences above.

Negative Form

To form the negative present tense in Hindi, we simply add नहीं (nahin) after the verb form होना (hona):

Hindi Pronunciation English
नहीं हूँ nahin hoon am/is/are not (1st person singular)
नहीं हो nahin ho are not (2nd person singular)
नहीं हैं nahin hain are not (3rd person singular/plural)

Let's see some examples:

  • मैं नहीं गर्म हूँ। (Main nahin garm hoon.) - I am not hot.
  • तुम नहीं सुन्दर हो। (Tum nahin sundar ho.) - You are not beautiful.
  • वह नहीं अच्छे हैं। (Vah nahin acche hain.) - He/She/They are not nice.

Notice how नहीं (nahin) is added after the verb form होना (hona) in the sentences above.

Interrogative Form

To form the interrogative present tense in Hindi, we simply invert the subject and verb forms:

Hindi Pronunciation English
क्या मैं गर्म हूँ? kya main garm hoon? Am/Is/Are I hot?
क्या तुम सुन्दर हो? kya tum sundar ho? Are you beautiful?
क्या वह अच्छे हैं? kya vah acche hain? Is he/she/they nice?

Notice how क्या (kya) is added at the beginning of the sentence to indicate that it is a question. Also, notice how the subject and verb forms are reversed in the interrogative form.

Let's see some examples:

  • क्या मैं ठंडा हूँ? (Kya main thanda hoon?) - Am I cold?
  • क्या तुम अच्छे दोस्त हो? (Kya tum acche dost ho?) - Are you good friends?
  • क्या वह नेता है? (Kya vah neta hai?) - Is he/she a leader?

Irregular "Be" Verbs in Hindi

Like in English, there are some irregular verbs in Hindi that do not follow the conjugation rules described above. Let's take a look at a few of these irregular verbs:

Hindi Pronunciation English
होना hona to be
जाना jana to go
आना ana to come

Notice how जाना (jana) and आना (ana) are also used to indicate a state of being or existence, just like होना (hona).

Let's see some examples:

  • मैं रोज़ जाता हूँ। (Main roz jata hoon.) - I go daily.
  • तुम कभी नहीं आते। (Tum kabhi nahin aate.) - You never come.
  • तुम्हें पता था कि वह चला जाएगा। (Tumhein pata tha ki vah chala jayega.) - You knew he would go.

Notice that the conjugation of जाना (jana) and आना (ana) is irregular and does not follow the same pattern as होना (hona) in affirmative and negative forms.

Dialogue

A: क्या तुम गर्म हो? (Kya tum garm ho?) - Are you hot?

B: जी नहीं। मुझे ठंड लग रही है। (Ji nahin. Mujhe thand lag rahi hai.) - No, I'm feeling cold.

A: अच्छा। तुम कहाँ जा रहे हो? (Accha. Tum kahan ja rahe ho?) - Okay. Where are you going?

B: मैं बाज़ार जा रहा हूँ। आप कहाँ जा रहे हैं? (Main bazaar ja raha hoon. Aap kahan ja rahe hain?) - I'm going to the market. Where are you going?

A: मैं ऑफ़िस जा रहा हूँ। तुम देर से नहीं आएँगे, ना? (Main office ja raha hoon. Tum der se nahin aaenge, na?) - I'm going to the office. You won't come late, will you?

B: नहीं, मैं समय पर पहुँच जाऊंगा। (Nahin, main samay par pahunch jaunga.) - No, I'll reach on time.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we learned how to use "be" in Hindi sentences. We covered affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms of the "be" verb in the present tense. We also saw some irregular verbs that can be used to indicate a state of being or existence. Keep practicing with native speakers on Polyglot Club and using the Grammar section of the website to improve your Hindi skills! 😊

➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎


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