Language/Hindi/Grammar/Questions

Hindi Grammar - Questions

Hi Hindi learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about questions in Hindi grammar. Asking questions is an essential part of communication, and learning how to form questions in Hindi will help you speak with confidence. By the end of this lesson, you will have a good understanding of various question types in Hindi and when to use them.

After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Imperative Mood, Conditional Mood, Adverbs of Manner & Question Words.

Basic Question Words

To form questions in Hindi, we use question words like क्या (kyaa), कौन (kaun), कहाँ (kahaan), कैसे (kaise), किस तरह (kis tarah), कब (kab), कितना (kitna), कौन सा (kaun saa), कौन से (kaun se). These question words can be used to ask questions related to persons, actions, things, places, time, quantity, quality, and manner.

Here are a few examples:

Hindi	Pronunciation	English
क्या?	kyaa?	what?
कौन?	kaun?	who?
कहाँ?	kahaan?	where?
कैसे?	kaise?	how?
किस तरह?	kis tarah?	how?
कब?	kab?	when?
कितना?	kitna?	how much?
कौन सा?	kaun saa?	which?
कौन से?	kaun se?	which?

Making Questions with Verbs

In Hindi, we can make a basic question by adding the helper verb क्या (kyaa) before the main verb. This type of question is called क्या सवाल (kyaa savaal).

We can also make questions by adding a question word at the beginning of a sentence, and then follow it with the subject and the verb. For example:

• तुम कहाँ जा रहे हो? (tum kahaan jaa rahe ho?) means where are you going?
• मैं कैसे करूँ? (main kaise karoon?) means how should I do it?

Here are a few more examples:

Hindi	Pronunciation	English
क्या तुम खाओगे?	kyaa tum khaaoge?	Will you eat?
क्या उसने कुछ बताया?	kyaa usne kuch bataaya?	Did he tell anything?
क्या तुम्हें भूख लगी है?	kyaa tumhen bhookh lagi hai?	Are you hungry?

Types of Questions

In Hindi, questions can be classified into five types.

1. जाति (Jati) Questions

जाति (jati) questions are those that require a 'yes' or 'no' answer. In Hindi, we can add the word 'क्या' (kyaa) at the beginning of a statement to convert it into a jati question. For example:

• तुम घर जाते हो। (tum ghar jaate ho.) means you go home.
• क्या तुम घर जाते हो? (kyaa tum ghar jaate ho?) means do you go home?

2. कार्य (Kary) Questions

कार्य (kary) questions are those that require a question word like कैसे (kaise), क्यों (kyon), कब (kab), etc. For example:

• तुम कैसे खुश रहते हो? (tum kaise khush rahte ho?) means how do you stay happy?
• उसने कब खाना खाया? (usne kab khaana khaaya?) means when did he eat?

3. विस्तार (Vistaar) Questions

विस्तार (vistaar) questions are those that require a detailed response. These questions usually start with 'कैसे' (kaise) or 'कौन सा' (kaun saa) and are often used to ask about a specific event or situation. For example:

• तुम कैसे फिट रहते हो? (tum kaise fit rahte ho?) means how do you stay fit?
• कौन से फल खाने चाहिए? (kaun se phal khaane chaahiye?) means which fruits should we eat?

4. स्‍वयंभू (Svaym-bho) Questions

स्‍वयंभू (svaym-bho) questions are those that answer their own questions. For example:

• हम सभी इंसान हैं, न? (hum sabhee insaan hain, na?) means we are all human, right?

5. संयुक्त (Sanyukt) Questions

संयुक्त (sanyukt) questions are those that join multiple questions together using the conjunction "और" (aur). For example:

• तुम्हारा नाम क्या है? तुम कहाँ रहते हो? (tumhaara naam kyaa hai? tum kahaan rahte ho?) means what is your name? Where do you live? can be rephrased as तुम्हारा नाम क्या है और तुम कहाँ रहते हो? (tumhaara naam kyaa hai aur tum kahaan rahte ho?)

Dialogue

Here's a simple conversation to help you understand the usage of questions:

• Person 1: आज ठंड नहीं हो रही है। (aaj thand nahi ho rahi hai.) (It's not getting cold today.)
• Person 2: क्यों नहीं हो रही है? (kyon nahi ho rahi hai?) (Why is it not getting cold?)
• Person 1: क्योंकि बाहर सूर्य नहीं खिल रहा है। (kyonki baahar soorya nahi khil raha hai.) (Because the sun is not shining outside.)

Practice Exercise

Translate the following sentences into Hindi:

• What time did you wake up today?
• Do you like to read books?
• What is your favorite food?
• When are you going on vacation?

Conclusion

Now you have learned the basics of forming questions in Hindi. Remember to use appropriate question words based on what kind of information you are seeking. Keep practicing and building your vocabulary as well. To improve your Hindi Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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➡ 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. 😎

Sources

• Hindi Grammar Gk - Hindi Grammar Quiz - GK in Hindi
• Hindi Grammar - Apps on Google Play
• The Basics of Hindi Sentence Structure & Word Order

Upon wrapping up this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Adjectives and Adverbs, Introduction to Hindi Grammar: Hindi Alphabet and Pronunciation, Verbs and Conjugation & How to Use Have.

Other Lessons

• Nouns
• Present Tense
• Be Polite
• Negation
• How to Use Have
• Gender
• How to Use Be
• Pronouns
• Adjectives
• Imperative Mood