Objective:

Review making the present tense form of verbs depending on gender, number, and person. (See July 12, 2008 - Present Tense masculine and June 13, 2008 - Present Tense feminine)

Review all the forms for:

• लिखना (likhanaa) - to write
• कहना (kahanaa) - to say

Lesson

In order to form the present tense, you must remember these combination of pronouns and helper verbs:

I [verb] = मैं [verb] हूँ। (main [verb] huun)

We [verb] = हम [verb] हैं। (ham [verb] hain.)

You [verb] (very informal) = तू [verb] है (tuu [verb] hai) (use the singular form of the verb)

You [verb] (informal) = तुम [verb] हो (tum [verb] ho) (use the plural form of the verb)

You [verb] (formal) = आप [verb] हैं (aap [verb] hain) (use the plural form of the verb)

He/She/It [verb]. वह [verb] है। (vah [verb] hai)

They [verb]. वे [verb] हैं। (ve [verb] hain).

You must also learn three rules:

1) If the subject is masculine and singular take the root of the verb and add “ता (ta)”

2) If the subject is masculine and plural take the root of the verb and add “ते (te)”

3) If the subject is feminine take the root of the verb and add “ती (tii)”

Example using लिखना (likhanaa) - to write

Masculine forms

I write = मैं लिखता हूँ। (main likhata huun)

We write = हम लिखते हैं। (ham likhate hain.)

You write (very informal) = तू लिखता है (tuu likhata hai) (use the singular form of the verb)

You write (informal) = तुम लिखते हो (tum likhate ho) (use the plural form of the verb)

You write (formal) = आप लिखते हैं (aap likhate hain) (use the plural form of the verb)

He writes . वह लिखता है। (vah likhata hai)

They write. वे लिखते हैं। (ve likhate hain).

Feminine forms

I write. = मैं लिखनी हूँ। (main likhataii huun)

We write = हम लिखनी हैं। (ham likhataii hain.)

You write (very informal) = तू लिखनी है (tuu likhataii hai) (use the singular form of the verb)

You write (informal) = तुम लिखनी हो (tum likhataii ho) (use the plural form of the verb)

You write (formal) = आप लिखनी हैं (aap likhataii hain) (use the plural form of the verb)

She writes . वह लिखनी है। (vah likhataii hai)

They write. वे लिखनी हैं। (ve likhataii hain).

Here is another example using कहना (kahanaa) - to say

Masculine forms

I say = मैं कहता हूँ। (main kahata huun)

We say = हम कहते हैं। (ham kahate hain.)

You say (very informal) = तू कहता है (tuu kahata hai) (use the singular form of the verb)

You say (informal) = तुम कहते हो (tum kahate ho) (use the plural form of the verb)

You say (formal) = आप कहते हैं (aap kahate hain) (use the plural form of the verb)

He says . वह कहता है। (vah kahata hai)

They say. वे कहते हैं। (ve kahate hain).

Feminine forms

I say. = मैं कहती हूँ। (main kahatii huun)

We say = हम कहती हैं। (ham kahatii hain.)

You say (very informal) = तू कहती है (tuu kahatii hai) (use the singular form of the verb)

You say (informal) = तुम कहती हो (tum kahatii ho) (use the plural form of the verb)

You say (formal) = आप कहती हैं (aap kahatii hain) (use the plural form of the verb)

She says. वह कहती है। (vah kahatii hai)

They say. वे कहती हैं। (ve kahatii hain).

Resources

Visit the page about the present tense: http://www.ispeakhindi.com/wiki/index.php?title=Verbs_-_Present_Tense

 

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Objective:

Review the present tense masculine verb forms from yesterday’s lesson.

Learn the different forms of the verb for present tense feminine forms.

Lesson:

Review of masculine form

First get the “root” of the verb by remove “-ना (-naa)”.  If the subject is masculine singular, then add “ता (ta)” to the end.  If the subject is masculine and plural add “ते (te)”.

Now you just need to know the “helper” verb for the pronoun you want to use.  These pairings are the same for the feminine form of the present tense that we are covering today.

masculine - first person - singular

I [verb]  = मैं [verb] हूँ।  (main [verb] huun)

example:  I read.   मैं पढ़ता हूँ।  (main pardta huun).

masculine - first person - plural

We [verb] = हम [verb] हैं। (ham [verb] hain.)

example: We read.  हम पढ़ते हैं। (ham pardte hain.)

masculine - second person

The second person can be a little confusing.  There are three versions of you.  तू (tuu), तुम (tum), and आप (aap).  All three of which can be used when talking to a single person.  The first one “तू (tuu)” is grammatically singular and is the least formal.  It would be used when talking to your child, for instance.  The other two तुम (tum), and आप (aap) are grammatically plural.  The most polite version is आप (aap).

You will want to remember these combinations of the three “you” pronouns and the helper verbs.

तू (tuu) and है (hai)

तुम (tum) and हो (ho)

आप (aap) and हैं (hain)

Now in the present tense, the singular masculine is the verb root with “ता (ta)” added.  And the plural case is the root with “ते (te)” added.  The various forms of “I read.” are as follows:

तू पढ़ता है    (tuu pardta hai)

तुम पढ़ते हो   (tum pardte ho)

आप पढ़ते हैं   (aap pardte hain)

masculine - third person - singular

He [verb].  वह [verb] है। (vah [verb] hai)

example: He reads.  वह पढ़ता है। (vah pardta hai)

masculine - third person - plural

They [verb].  वे [verb] हैं। (ve [verb] hain).

example: They read.  वे पढ़ते हैं। (ve pardte hain).

Feminine Present Tense

After understanding the masculine version, the feminine form will be easy.  Take the root of the verb and add “ती (thii)” for both the singular and plural forms.  Here is an example using पढ़ना (pardnaa) - to read.

I read. (female speaker)  मैं पढ़ती हूँ।  (main pardtii huun).

We read. (referring to a group of females) हम पढ़ती हैं। (ham pardtii hain.)

You read. (referring to a female)  Three versions:

तू पढ़ती है    (tuu pardtii hai)

तुम पढ़ती हो   (tum pardtii ho)

आप पढ़ती हैं   (aap pardtii hain)  (This is the most formal.. If in doubt, use this form.)

She reads.  वह पढ़ती है। (vah pardtii hai)

They read.  वे पढ़ती हैं। (ve pardtii hain).  (for a group of females)

Resources:

I have created the beginnings of a page on the wiki explaining the present tense.  I have only completed the example for “to read”.  Sign up for an account on the wiki, http://www.ISpeakHindi.com/wiki and log in.  Once you are logged in, visit the page about the present tense: http://www.ispeakhindi.com/wiki/index.php?title=Verbs_-_Present_Tense You can click on “edit” for a particular section or for the whole page at the top.  Fill out the missing information.  If somebody else has already completed all of the verbs, go find another Hindi verb and add it to the list.

 

 Standard Podcast [6:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Objective:

Learn to identify the root of a verb and conjugate it for a masculine subject in the present tense.

Lesson:

The present tense are simple statements about what is happening now, examples: “I read.” “He writes.” “They shop.” etc. The conjugation of the verb will change depending up three things:

1) The “person” of the subject. Is the subject first person. Are you talking about “I” or “We”. Or is the subject second person, i.e. “you”. Or is the subject third person, i.e. “He” or “them”

2) Is the subject plural or singular?

3) Is the subject masculine, feminine, or a combination of the two. Remember that in Hindi, every noun has a “gender”, and the appropriate form of the verb needs to be used to match that gender.

But before we get to the different forms of the present tense verb for masculine subjects, let us talk about the “root” of a verb.  If you were to look up a verb in the dictionary, it would be in its “infinitive” form.  Here are the verbs we will be using for the these four sessions on the present tense verbs:

पढ़ना (pardnaa) - to read

लिखना (likhanaa) - to write

कहना (kahanaa) - to say

खाना (khaanaa) - to eat

जाना (jaanaa) - to go

आना (aanaa) - to come

सीखना (siikhana) - to learn

सुनना (sunanaa) - to listen

Notice how all the words end in -ना (-naa)?  Remove that part, and you have the root of the verb.  It is the root that endings are added to for each different case.  The root of the verb “to read” पढ़ना (pardnaa) is पढ़ (pard).  Identify the root of each of the other verbs.  I will give you the answers tomorrow.

First Person

Singular

The first person singular refers to “I”, the person that is speaking.  “I” in Hindi is “मैं (main)”.

There is a helper verb for मैं (main) is हूँ (huun).  You will want to remember this combination मैं (main) goes with हूँ (huun).

Now for the present tense, singular, first person, masculine subjects, you take the root of the verb and add “ता (ta)” and insert it between the मैं (main) goes with हूँ (huun).  For example:

I read.   मैं पढ़ता हूँ।  (main pardta huun).

Take the other verbs above and create the sentences:

I say.  (Where I refers to a male speaker.)

I eat.

I go.

I come

I learn.

I listen.

We will give you the answers in the next three podcasts.

Plural

The plural first person is “We” (masculine) which is “हम (ham)”.  This always goes with “हैं (hain)”.  Remember this pair “हम (ham)” and “हैं (hain)”.

Now for the plural form of the verb, we need to take the root and add “ते (te)”.  For example:

We read.  हम पढ़ते हैं। (ham pardte hain.)

Now try to create the masculine, first person, plural forms of each of the verbs given above.

Second Person

The second person can be a little confusing.  There are three versions of you.  तू (tuu), तुम (tum), and आप (aap).  All three of which can be used when talking to a single person.  The first one “तू (tuu)” is grammatically singular and is the least formal.  It would be used when talking to your child, for instance.  The other two तुम (tum), and आप (aap) are grammatically plural.  The most polite version is आप (aap).

You will want to remember these combinations of the three “you” pronouns and the helper verbs.

तू (tuu) and है (hai)

तुम (tum) and हो (ho)

आप (aap) and हैं (hain)

Now in the present tense, the singular masculine is the verb root with “ता (ta)” added.  And the plural case is the root with “ते (te)” added.  The various forms of “I read.” are as follows:

तू पढ़ता है    (tuu pardta hai)

तुम पढ़ते हो   (tum pardte ho)

आप पढ़ते हैं   (aap pardte hain)

Now try to use the verbs mentioned above to create these three different types of “You (blank)” sentences.  We will review the answers in the upcoming podcasts.

Third Person

Singular

The masculine third person singular includes the pronouns he,  it, and this.  All of these  are वह (vah).  The helper verb is है (hai).  So remember this combination वह (vah) and है (hai).  Here is an example:

He reads.  वह पढ़ता है। (vah pardta hai)

Now you try creating similar sentences using the verbs above.

Plural

The third person plural includes these and they.  Which is “वे (ve)”.  And the helper verb is “हैं (hain)”.

They read.  वे पढ़ते हैं। (ve pardte hain).

Other Resources

I have created the beginnings of a page on the wiki explaining the present tense.  I have only completed the example for “to read”.  Sign up for an account on the wiki, http://www.ISpeakHindi.com/wiki and log in.  Once you are logged in, visit the page about the present tense: http://www.ispeakhindi.com/wiki/index.php?title=Verbs_-_Present_Tense You can click on “edit” for a particular section or for the whole page at the top.  Fill out the missing information.  If somebody else has already completed all of the verbs, go find another Hindi verb and add it to the list.

 

 Standard Podcast [6:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today we are going over the following question works.

Who?  - कौन (kaun)

What? - क्या (kyaa)

Why? - क्यों (kyon)

How? - कैसा  (kaisaa)

When? - कब (kab)

Where? - कहाँ  (kahaan)

How many? - कितने  (kitne)

Whose? - किसका (kiskaa)

How much? - कितना (kitnaa)

Flash Cards - Interrogatives with pronunciation help

Flash Cards - Interrogatives

I have created a page on our wiki to put information regarding Interrogatives.  Feel free to add examples to the wiki on how to use these question words or any other information related to them.  (You will have to create an account and log in to make edits.  I had to do this in order to decrease the amount of spam that was showing on the wiki.)

 

 Standard Podcast [6:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today is Tuesday, June 10, 2008.

“My husband is not at home.” - मेरे पति घर पर नहीं हैं।  (mere pati ghar par nahiin hain.)

My wife is not at home. - मेरी पत्नी घर पर नहीं हैं।  (merii patnii ghar par nahiin hain.)

My son is not at home. - मेरा बेटा घर पर नहीं है। (mera beta ghar par nahiin hai.)

My daughter is not at home. - मेरी बेटी घर पर नहीं है।  (meri betii ghar par nahiin hai.)

 

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Today is Monday, June 9, 2008.

“Who is this?”(with respect) ये कौन हैं?

When talking to someone with respect, you use the plural version of pronouns and verbs. Therefore, if you look at ये कौन हैं? You would literally have “Who are these?” Which would not make sense. But in Hindi, when talking to someone with respect, it is correct.

ये = these (formal; grammatically plural)

The singular form of ये is यह.

कौन = who

हैं = are

The singular version of हैं is है. The bindu appears with the plural version but is not present in the singular version. The bindu adds a nasal sound.

If you want to say “Who is this?” in a casual way, without the formal respect that is in “ये कौन हैं?”, then you would say “यह कौन है?”.

“What is your name?” - आपका नाम क्या है?

“Who is speaking?” - आप कौन बोल रहे हैं?

In English, we often try to make phrases seem more respectful by adding “please”. For example, instead of saying “Who is speaking?” we might say, “who is speaking please?”. It might be tempting to add “कृपया” which is the Hindi word for “please” into these phrases. However, that is not necessary, because “आप” and “ये” already convey the respect.

 

 Standard Podcast [8:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

आज रविवार जून ८, २००८ है।

aaj ravivaar joon oct do hizar oct hai

Today is Sunday June 8, 2008.

We are going to focus on learning to count from 21-30. Here are the numbers that we are learning today:

21 — इक्कीस IKKEES
22 — बाईस BAAEES
23 — तेईस TE-EES
24 — चौबीस CHAUBEES
25 — पच्चीस PACCHEES (hold the “ch”)
26 — छब्बीस CHHABBEES (hold the “b”)
27 — सत्ताईस SATTAAEES (hold the “t”)
28 — अट्ठाईस ATTHAAEES (hold the “TH”)
29 — उनतीस UNATEES
30 — तीस TEES

We will briefly review counting from 0-10 and 11-20. If you need a more complete review of those, please listen to the following podcasts where we focus on those numbers:

May 29, 2008 - Numbers 11-20

May 20, 2008 - Numbers 0-10

 

 Standard Podcast [5:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is today’s reading exercise:

नमन कर मनन कर।

मदन नहर पर कलश भर।

डगर पर मटक मटक कर मत चल।

Listen closely to the podcast, and then come to the website: http://www.ispeakhindi.com/2008/06/03/first-june-reading-part-3first-june-reading-part-3/ and leave an explanation of what you understood.  Also come visit the website and see the notes that other readers have left.

Suggestions of things to do:

1) Provide a translation of one or more words/sentences.

2) Provide a transliteration of the Hindi script.

3) Leave a note using one or more of the words in a sentence you made up.

4) Leave a note about usage or links to other resources to help you learn the Hindi script.

Also, you can look at the previous two days lessons for more information and flashcards:

June 5, 2008: First June Reading (part 1)

June 6, 2008: First June Reading (part 2)

 

 Standard Podcast [5:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Here is the  reading exercise for today:

1) ईश भजन कर।

2) रमण तडप मत।

3) भवन तक चल।

4) अजय नगर चल।
See if you can follow along with the audio.  Leave a comment on the website (http://www.ispeakhindi.com/2008/06/03/first-june-reading-part-2first-june-reading-part-2/) with an explanation of the words and sounds that you understood.

 

 Standard Podcast [6:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

1) अजय आ।

2) ऐनक पहन।

3) पवन चल।

—-

1) अजय आ। ahjay aah| Ajay come. (Ajay is a boy’s name.)

अ = a

ज = ja

य = ya

All together it makes “ajay”

आ = aah

2) ऐनक पहन। aenak pahan = put the glasses

ऐनक = aenak = glasses

पहन = pahan = put

ऐ = ai

न = na

क = ka

प = pa

ह = ha

न = na

3) पवन चल। pavan chal = Pavan go. (Pavan is a boy’s name.)

प = pa

व = va

न = na

च = cha

ल = la

June Reading 1 (part 1) - Letter FlashCards

–

अ = a

आ = aa

ऐ = ai

क = ka

च = cha

ज = ja

न = na

व = va

ल = la

प = pa

य = ya

ह = ha

 

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