Hindi · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 1 of 12
Talking about the past
कल क्या किया?kal kyaa kiyaa?
Say what you did at the weekend in Hindi: the simple past, the ने (ne) construction, and words like last week and two days ago.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say where you went, what you did and what it was like
- Use ने (ne) with verbs that have an object
- Make the verb agree with the right word
- Say when: yesterday, last week, two days ago
Listen
On Monday morning, Vikram and his colleague Neha talk about their weekends at their office in Delhi. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Vikram
नमस्ते नेहा जी। आपका वीकेंड कैसा रहा?
Namaste Nehaa jee. Aapkaa veekend kaisaa rahaa?
Hello, Neha. How was your weekend?
Neha
बहुत अच्छा रहा। शनिवार को मैं आगरा गई।
Bahut achchhaa rahaa. Shanivaar ko main Aagraa gaee.
It was very good. On Saturday I went to Agra.
Vikram
अच्छा? क्या आपने ताजमहल देखा?
Achchhaa? Kyaa aapne Taajmahal dekhaa?
Really? Did you see the Taj Mahal?
Neha
हाँ, सुबह छह बजे। वहाँ मैंने पेठा भी ख़रीदा।
Haan, subah chhah baje. Vahaan mainne pethaa bhee khareedaa.
Yes, at six in the morning. I bought some petha there too.
Vikram
मैं भी पिछले महीने आगरा गया। मुझे पेठा बहुत पसंद है।
Main bhee pichhle maheene Aagraa gayaa. Mujhe pethaa bahut pasand hai.
I went to Agra last month too. I love petha.
Neha
और आपने वीकेंड पर क्या किया?
Aur aapne veekend par kyaa kiyaa?
And what did you do at the weekend?
Vikram
शनिवार को मैं घर पर रहा। मैंने खाना बनाया और एक फ़िल्म देखी।
Shanivaar ko main ghar par rahaa. Mainne khaanaa banaayaa aur ek film dekhee.
On Saturday I stayed at home. I cooked and watched a film.
Neha
फ़िल्म कैसी थी?
Film kaisee thee?
What was the film like?
Vikram
अच्छी थी। और रविवार को मैंने दोस्तों के साथ क्रिकेट खेला।
Achchhee thee. Aur ravivaar ko mainne doston ke saath kriket khelaa.
It was good. And on Sunday I played cricket with friends.
Neha
तो आपका वीकेंड भी अच्छा रहा।
To aapkaa veekend bhee achchhaa rahaa.
So your weekend was good too.
Understand
Went, stayed: the simple past
The simple past says what happened: I went, he stayed. Take the verb without -ना (-naa) and add -aa for a man and -ee for a woman. Use -e for several men, a mixed group, and a man you call (aap) or (tum); several women, or a woman you call (aap) or (tum), take -een (see the table). There is no (hoon) or (hai) after it.
With verbs that have no object, such as go, come, stay and get up, the verb follows the person, just as in the present: Vikram says (main ghar par rahaa), Neha would say (main ghar par rahee). When the stem ends in a vowel, a y slips in: (aanaa) → (aayaa). (jaanaa, to go) is irregular: (gayaa), (gaee), (gaye).
| Meaning | a man, men | a woman, women |
|---|---|---|
| I went | (main gayaa) | (main gaee) |
| I came | (main aayaa) | (main aaee) |
| I stayed | (main rahaa) | (main rahee) |
| you went (friendly) | (tum gaye) | (tum gaeen) |
| you went (polite) | (aap gaye) | (aap gaeen) |
| he / she went | (vah gayaa) | (vah gaee) |
| we went | (ham gaye) | (ham gaeen) |
| they went | (ve gaye) | (ve gaeen) |
I watched a film: the ने construction
Verbs that have an object (watch, eat, buy, make, do, play) work differently in the past. The person gets the little word (ne) after it, and the verb then agrees with the object, the thing that was watched or eaten. It's a bit like saying “by me, a film was watched”.
So Vikram, a man, says (mainne ek film dekhee) with feminine (dekhee), because (film) is feminine. And he says (mainne khaanaa banaayaa) with masculine (banaayaa), because (khaanaa, food) is masculine. Neha would say exactly the same.
(ne) is written together with a pronoun: (mainne), (tumne), (aapne), (hamne). With (vah) it's (usne), and with (ve) (unhonne). Some verbs are irregular: (karnaa) → (kiyaa), feminine (kee); (lenaa) → / (liyaa / lee); (denaa) → / (diyaa / dee); (peenaa) → / (piyaa / pee).
| The object is… | Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| masculine: (khaanaa) | (mainne khaanaa banaayaa.) | I cooked. |
| masculine: (pethaa) | (mainne pethaa khareedaa.) | I bought petha. |
| feminine: (film) | (mainne film dekhee.) | I watched a film. |
| feminine: (chaay) | (usne chaay pee.) | He / she drank tea. |
When? Yesterday, last week, ago
With a past verb, (kal) means “yesterday”. For “last”, use (pichhle) before the time word: (pichhle hafte), last week. For “ago”, put (pahle) after the time: (do din pahle), two days ago.
- कल मैं घर पर रही।Kal main ghar par rahee.Yesterday I stayed at home. (a woman speaking)
- पिछले महीने वह आगरा गया।Pichhle maheene vah Aagraa gayaa.Last month he went to Agra.
- मैंने दो दिन पहले यह फ़िल्म देखी।Mainne do din pahle yah film dekhee.I watched this film two days ago.
Was, were: था, थी, थे, थीं
The past of (hai) is (thaa), “was”. Unlike (hai), it changes for men and women, like an adjective: (thaa) for one man or a masculine thing, (thee) for one woman or a feminine thing. Neha asks (film kaisee thee?) because (film) is feminine.
(the) and (theen) are the plural forms, for several people and for (ham), and also for (tum) and (aap) even when you speak to one person.
| Person | masculine | feminine |
|---|---|---|
| , , , (main, too, yah, vah) | (thaa) | (thee) |
| , , , , (tum, aap, ham, ye, ve) | (the) | (theen) |
- फ़िल्म अच्छी थी।Film achchhee thee.The film was good.
- कल हम आगरा में थे।Kal ham Aagraa men the.Yesterday we were in Agra.
More in the grammar: To be: am, is, are, was, were · The simple past and the ने construction
New words
- वीकेंडveekendweekend · masculine; the English word is used in everyday Hindi. (veekend par), at the weekend
- कैसा रहा?Kaisaa rahaa?How was it? · (rahaa) is the past of (rahnaa). For a feminine word: (kaisee rahee?)
- गया / गईgayaa / gaeewent (a man / a woman) · The past of (jaanaa), to go.
- आपनेaapneyou (in the past, with ne) · (aap) + (ne). (main) + (ne) is (mainne).
- ताजमहलTaajmahalthe Taj Mahal · masculine
- पेठाpethaapetha, a sweet from Agra · masculine
- ख़रीदनाkhareednaato buy · past: (khareedaa)
- पिछलाpichhlaalast, previous · (pichhle maheene), last month; (pichhlee baar), last time
- घर परghar parat home
- फ़िल्मfilmfilm · feminine
- था / थीthaa / theewas (masculine / feminine) · You saw (thaa) in (kal somvaar thaa), yesterday was Monday.
- के साथke saathwith · (doston ke saath), with friends. Before (ke saath) the plural (dost) becomes (doston); more in chapter 2.
- तोtoso, then
- पहलेpahleago; before · after the time: (do din pahle), two days ago
Practise
1.Neha wants to say “On Saturday I went to Agra.” Which sentence is correct?
2.Vikram says “I watched a film.” Which word fits? ___ (mainne ek film ___)
3.Put the words in order to ask about the Taj Mahal.
Tap the words below in the right order.Did you see the Taj Mahal?
4.Match the Hindi with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.Vikram wants to say “I stayed at home.” Which sentence is correct?
6.Put the words in order: say that you watched a film.
Tap the words below in the right order.I watched a film.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
आपका वीकेंड कैसा रहा?
Aapkaa veekend kaisaa rahaa?
How was your weekend?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.