Hindi/Plurals and postpositions

Plurals

Singular nouns are nouns that describe one object or thing. One dog, one idea. Plurals nouns describe more than onte thing Two dogs, two ideas.

Hindi forms plurals by modifying the end of a noun, just like English adds an s to the end of a noun. However, in Hindi there are four different ways of forming a plural depending on the gender of a noun and its ending (type 1 or 2).

Masculine Nouns

Type 1 Type 1 masculine nouns form plurals by changing the आ ā into an ए e:

लड़्का laṛkā boy लड़्के laṛke boys

कुरता kurtā an indian collarless shirt कुरते kurte kurtas/shirts

Type 2 The plural form of type 2 masculine is the same as the singular:

आम ām mango, mangoes

गाँव găv village, vilages

Feminine Nouns

'Type 1 Type 1 feminine nouns form plurals by replacing ई ī with इयाँ iyă:

लड़्की laṛkī girl लड़कियाँ laṛkiyă girls

साड़ी saṛī sari साड़ियाँ saṛiyă saris

Type 2 Type 2 feminine nouns form plurals by ading एँ ẽ to the end.

औरत aurat lady, woman औरतें auratẽ ladies, women

बस bas bus बसें basẽ buses

Postpositions

Postpositions are words that come after a noun to indicate a relationship to something else. (English uses prepositions which come before the word). These are words such as, in, before, about, with. Some examples

को ko to में mẽ in से se of, with पर par on तक tak up to

Hindi also uses more complex prepositions beginning with के ke:

के पस ke pas near ले लिए ke lie for के बारे में ke bāre mẽ about के अंदर ke andar inside के बद ke bad after के बिना ke binā without के साथ ke sath with के ऊपर ke ūpar on top of

The nouns that postpositions act on must be put into a new case, called the oblique case. The oblique case has two endings for singular and plural nouns:

Masculine Nouns

Type 1

लड़का laṛkā boy लड़के को laṛke ko to the boy लड़कों को laṛkõ ko to the boys

कुरता kurtā an indian collarless shirt कुरते के पस kurte ke pas near the kurta कुरतों के पस kurtõ ke pas near the kurtas

Type 2 The plural form of type 2 masculine is the same as the singular:

आम ām mango आम से ām se with a mango आमों से āmõ se with mangoes

गाँव găv village, vilages गाँव में găv mẽ in the village गाँवों में găvõ mẽ in the vilages

Feminine Nouns

'Type 1 Type 1 feminine nouns form plurals by replacing ई ī with इयाँ iyă:

लड़की laṛkī girl लड़की के बद 'laṛkī ke bad after the girl लड़कियों के बद laṛkiyõ ke bad after the girls

साड़ी saṛī sari साड़ी के ऊपर saṛī ke ūpar on top of the sari साड़ियों के ऊपर saṛiyõ ke ūpar on top of the saris

Type 2 Type 2 feminine nouns form plurals by ading एँ ẽ to the end.

औरत aurat lady, woman औरत के लिए aurat lfor the woman औरतओं के लिए auratõ ke lie for the women

बस bas bus बस के आंदर bas ke andar inside the bus बसों के आंदर basõ ke andar inside the buses