Hindi Vyakaran & Composition
What you'll learn
- The three tenses in Hindi and how to form them
- Types of Hindi sentences and their structure
- Samas (compound word formation) and its six types
- Punctuation marks used in Hindi writing
Key concepts
1. काल — Kaal (Tenses)
Kaal refers to the time at which an action takes place. Hindi has three main tenses, each with sub-types.
| Tense | Hindi Name | Time Reference | Signal words |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past | भूतकाल (Bhootkaal) | Action already completed | था, थी, थे, चुका, चुकी |
| Present | वर्तमान काल (Vartaman Kaal) | Action happening now | है, हैं, हूँ, रहा है |
| Future | भविष्य काल (Bhavishy Kaal) | Action yet to happen | गा, गी, गे, होगा |
Bhootkaal — Past Tense (3 key sub-types):
| Sub-type | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Samanay Bhoot (Simple Past) | राम आया। | Ram came. |
| Aasann Bhoot (Recent Past) | राम अभी आया है। | Ram has just come. |
| Poornn Bhoot (Perfect Past) | राम आ चुका था। | Ram had already come. |
Vartaman Kaal — Present Tense (3 key sub-types):
| Sub-type | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Samanay Vartaman (Simple Present) | राम जाता है। | Ram goes. |
| Tatkalik Vartaman (Continuous Present) | राम जा रहा है। | Ram is going. |
| Poornn Vartaman (Perfect Present) | राम जा चुका है। | Ram has gone. |
Bhavishy Kaal — Future Tense:
- राम कल जाएगा। — Ram will go tomorrow.
- वे खेलेंगे। — They will play.
- मैं पढूँगा। — I will study.
Key pattern: Future tense verb endings: -गा (masculine singular), -गी (feminine singular), -गे (plural).
2. वाक्य — Vaakya (Sentences)
A Vaakya is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. Every Hindi sentence has two parts: Uddeshy (Subject) and Vidhey (Predicate).
Types of sentences by meaning:
| Type | Hindi Name | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statement | विधानवाचक (Vidhanvaachak) | Expresses a fact | राम स्कूल जाता है। |
| Negative | निषेधवाचक (Nishedhvaachak) | Denies something | राम स्कूल नहीं जाता। |
| Question | प्रश्नवाचक (Prashnvaachak) | Asks a question | क्या राम स्कूल जाता है? |
| Command | आज्ञावाचक (Aagyavaachak) | Gives an order | स्कूल जाओ। |
| Exclamatory | विस्मयवाचक (Vismayvaachak) | Expresses strong emotion | अरे! कितना सुंदर फूल है! |
| Wish | इच्छावाचक (Ichchhavaachak) | Expresses a wish/prayer | भगवान तुम्हें सुखी रखे। |
Sentence structure — Subject + Object + Verb (SOV):
Hindi follows SOV order, unlike English (SVO).
| English (SVO) | Hindi (SOV) |
|---|---|
| Ram (S) eats (V) food (O). | राम (S) खाना (O) खाता है (V). |
| Sita (S) reads (V) a book (O). | सीता (S) किताब (O) पढ़ती है (V). |
3. समास — Samas (Compound Words)
Samas is the process of joining two or more words to form a single compound word. The original words are called Samaspad and the combined word is Samastad.
Hindi has 6 types of Samas:
| # | Type | Hindi Name | Key feature | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avyaybhav | अव्ययीभाव | First word is an indeclinable (avyay) | यथाशक्ति | According to power |
| 2 | Tatpurush | तत्पुरुष | Second word is the main word; first modifies it | राजमहल | King's palace |
| 3 | Karmadharaya | कर्मधारय | Both words are equal; adjective + noun | नीलकमल | Blue lotus |
| 4 | Dvigu | द्विगु | First word is a number | त्रिभुज | Triangle (three sides) |
| 5 | Dvandva | द्वंद्व | Both words equally important; joined by 'and' | माता-पिता | Mother and father |
| 6 | Bahuvrihi | बहुव्रीहि | Neither word is the main meaning; describes something else | नीलकंठ | Blue-throated one (Shiva) |
More examples:
| Samas Type | Compound Word | Break-up | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dvandva | दिन-रात | दिन + रात | Day and night |
| Tatpurush | देशभक्त | देश + भक्त | Devotee of the nation |
| Dvigu | सप्ताह | सप्त + अह | Seven days (a week) |
| Karmadharaya | महापुरुष | महा + पुरुष | Great man |
4. विराम चिह्न — Viram Chihn (Punctuation)
Viram Chihn are marks used in writing to make the meaning clear and help the reader understand pauses and tone.
| Punctuation Mark | Hindi Name | Symbol | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full stop | पूर्ण विराम | । | End of a statement | राम आया। |
| Comma | अल्प विराम | , | Short pause within a sentence | वह आया, खाया और चला गया। |
| Question mark | प्रश्नवाचक चिह्न | ? | End of a question | तुम्हारा नाम क्या है? |
| Exclamation mark | विस्मयादिबोधक चिह्न | ! | Emotion/surprise | वाह! क्या खूब! |
| Inverted commas | उद्धरण चिह्न | " " | Quoting speech | उसने कहा, "मैं आऊँगा।" |
| Colon | विवरण चिह्न | : | Introducing a list/explanation | फल: आम, केला, सेब। |
| Dash | योजक चिह्न | — | Connecting two related ideas | वह आया — और चला गया। |
Important: Hindi uses । (called poorn viram) instead of a period (.) as the full stop. This is one of the most distinctive features of Hindi punctuation.
Quick check
-
Identify the tense of this sentence: "वह कल दिल्ली जाएगा।" (He will go to Delhi tomorrow.) — What type of future tense is it?
-
Rewrite the sentence "राम खेलता है" in the past tense (Samanay Bhoot) and the future tense.
-
What type of Vaakya (sentence) is: "अरे! बहुत अच्छा!" — Give the Hindi name for this sentence type.
-
Break down the Samas in "माता-पिता" and identify which type of Samas it is.
-
Which punctuation mark is used at the end of a Hindi sentence instead of a period (.)? Write its Hindi name and the symbol.
Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Hindi Vyakaran (Grammar).
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