The inspiration to pen down this article is drawn from the recent holiday that my family and I enjoyed in Rishikesh (Uttrakhand, India) on the banks of the mighty Ganges. One could see a number of tourists from different corners of the world moving around feeling at home in this town of the saints. Some of these visitors had a guide or interpreter to help them along and some of them were on their own, managing with whatever Hindi they could understand and speak. Hindi is a language which binds together the people of India. It is an added advantage for a visitor to be able to understand and speak some basic words. It facilitates assimilation in the culture.
In this article we work through some common Hindi language verbs and their usage, which could help any one to find a way on their own. While learning Hindi it is important to remember that the language recognizes two genders – masculine (puling) and feminine (striling), and two numbers, singular (ekvachan) and plural (bahuvachan). The verb being used has to be in accordance with the gender and the number of the subject. Let us take a hypothetical situation where a person named Jolly is writing a letter to his friend James explaining what he did during his holidays in Rishikesh.
Hindi translation of every sentence is in brackets just after the sentence and the corresponding verbs in both languages are underlined. The example paragraph is primarily illustrating the use of the masculine gender and singular number.
‘Dear James,
Hello, and it is a pleasure writing to you. (Namaskar, Aapko patr likhna, ek sukhad ehsaas hai.) I was on a holiday to Rishikesh in India. Let me share my experience with you. (Mai aapna anubhav aapke saath bantna chahta hun.) I stayed in an Ashram in Rishikesh. (Main ek ashram mein rahan.) I gave a donation to the Ashram. (Maine ashram ko daan diya.) I walked in the streets of Rishikesh. (Mai Rishikesh ki sadko par padel chala.) I bathed (Main Ganga mein nahaya.) and swam (aur taira) in the holy Ganges. One night, I slept on the river bank. (Ek raat main nadi ke kinare soya) Wherever, one saw (Jahan bhi dekha) one could see only the Ganga and saints. (sirf Ganga aur sadhu dikhte. ) I ate vegetarian meals (Maine ek mahene ke liye, shakahari khana khaya) and drank herbal tea for one complete month. (aur haari chai pee,) I learnt (Maine yoga sikhi) and practiced Yoga. (aur abhyas kiya).I heard the holy songs (Maine bhajan sune). The Hindus worship the cow and the Vedas. (Hindu gae ko pujte hain). I read the Vedas (Maine Veda padhe). I will go back again to Rishikesh in the coming winter. (Aane wali sardi mein main dobara Rishikesh jaaonga.) If you want (agar tum chaho) you can come along. (tum saath aa sakte ho.) I enjoyed my trip. (Mujhe maza aya)
Your true friend,
Jolly
The example paragraph is primarily illustrating the use of the masculine gender and singular number. Let’s study the verbs one by one in detail: ]
likhana - writing: The verb as used in the paragraph is referring to a masculine subject. The feminine form of the verb would be lkhini. To illustrate, ‘I want to write a story’ would be ‘mujhe ek khani likhni hai’. The example is using the verb in the singular form; the plural for masculine subjects would be likhney and remain likhni for the plural feminine subject.
bantana- share: As used in the paragraph the verb is referring to a masculine subject. In case it is to be used for a feminine subject the verb would change its form to bantani. Bantana and Bantani are both singular. Their plurals would be bantaney for a masculine plural subject and remain bantani for a feminine plural subject.
raha- stayed: Once again the verb as used in the paragraph is referring to a masculine subject. In case it is to be used for a feminine subject the verb would be rahi. To illustrate verb usage for a singular feminine subject, ‘Sheena stayed in an Ashram’ in Hindi would be ‘sheena ashram mein rahi’. The plural form for both masculine and feminine would be rahey. ‘We stayed in an Ashram’ in Hindi would be ‘hum ashram mein rahey.’
diya- gave: The verb diya is referring to a masculine subject in the paragraph. The feminine form of the verb would be di. The example is using the verb in the singular form, the plural would be diyey. The verb experiences no change with the change of gender.
