Hindi · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 1 of 12
Stories and memories
पुरानी यादेंpuraanee yaaden
Tell a story about the past in Hindi: the past perfect (आई थी, देखा था), the -कर (-kar) form and words like first, then and in the end.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Tell a story in the past using several past tenses
- Say what had happened before with the past perfect
- Join two actions with the -कर (-kar) form
- Order events with first, then, later and in the end
Listen
At home in Prayagraj, Riya asks her grandmother about her first years in the city. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Riya
दादी, आप इस शहर में पहली बार कब आई थीं?
Daadee, aap is shahar men pahlee baar kab aaee theen?
Grandma, when did you first come to this city?
Dadi
शादी के बाद, उन्नीस सौ सत्तर में। तब मैं सिर्फ़ बीस साल की थी।
Shaadee ke baad, unnees sau sattar men. Tab main sirf bees saal kee thee.
After my wedding, in 1970. I was only twenty then.
Riya
और दादा जी से आप पहली बार कहाँ मिली थीं?
Aur daadaa jee se aap pahlee baar kahaan milee theen?
And where did you first meet Grandpa?
Dadi
एक दोस्त की शादी में। उन्होंने मुझे वहाँ देखा था, और दो हफ़्ते बाद उनके पिता जी हमारे घर आए।
Ek dost kee shaadee men. Unhonne mujhe vahaan dekhaa thaa, aur do hafte baad unke pitaa jee hamaare ghar aaye.
At a friend's wedding. He had seen me there, and two weeks later his father came to our house.
Riya
अच्छा! और शादी के बाद आपने क्या किया?
Achchhaa! Aur shaadee ke baad aapne kyaa kiyaa?
Really? And what did you do after the wedding?
Dadi
पहले मैंने कॉलेज की पढ़ाई पूरी की, फिर मैं एक स्कूल में टीचर बन गई।
Pahle mainne kolej kee padhaaee pooree kee, phir main ek skool men teechar ban gaee.
First I finished my college studies, then I became a teacher at a school.
Riya
आपको स्कूल का पहला दिन याद है?
Aapko skool kaa pahlaa din yaad hai?
Do you remember your first day at the school?
Dadi
हाँ। उस दिन मैं सुबह जल्दी उठी और नई साड़ी पहनकर बस से स्कूल गई।
Haan. Us din main subah jaldee uthee aur naee saaree pahankar bas se skool gaee.
Yes. That day I got up early, put on a new sari and went to the school by bus.
Riya
फिर क्या हुआ?
Phir kyaa huaa?
Then what happened?
Dadi
रास्ते में बहुत बारिश हुई। जब मैं स्कूल पहुँची, बच्चे पहले ही आ गए थे, और मेरी साड़ी पूरी गीली थी।
Raaste men bahut baarish huee. Jab main skool pahunchee, bachche pahle hee aa gaye the, aur meree saaree pooree geelee thee.
It rained hard on the way. When I got to the school, the children had already arrived, and my sari was soaking wet.
Riya
अरे! तो आपने क्या किया?
Are! To aapne kyaa kiyaa?
Oh no! So what did you do?
Dadi
कुछ नहीं। मैं गीली साड़ी में ही क्लास में गई। आख़िर में सब ठीक रहा, और मैंने वहाँ तीस साल पढ़ाया।
Kuchh naheen. Main geelee saaree men hee klaas men gaee. Aakhir men sab theek rahaa, aur mainne vahaan tees saal padhaayaa.
Nothing. I went into the class in my wet sari. In the end it all went well, and I taught there for thirty years.
Understand
Had done: the past perfect
To say that something had happened before another moment in the past, add / / / (thaa / thee / the / theen) to the simple past: (bachche pahle hee aa gaye the), the children had already arrived. The rules you know stay the same: without (ne) the verb follows the person; with it follows the object, and so does .
Hindi also uses this tense for things that happened long ago or on one particular occasion, where English uses the simple past: (aap kab aaee theen?), when did you come? So in stories and memories you will hear it all the time.
Dadi talks about her husband with respect, so she uses (ve). With (ne), becomes (unhonne): (unhonne mujhe vahaan dekhaa thaa), he had seen me there. When the object takes (ko), the verb doesn't agree with it and stays masculine singular. (mujhe) is short for (mujhko), so Dadi says (dekhaa thaa), even though she is a woman.
| Meaning | Hindi |
|---|---|
| I had gone (a man / a woman) | / (main gayaa thaa / gaee thee) |
| the children had arrived | (bachche aa gaye the) |
| I had seen the film | (mainne film dekhee thee) |
| he had seen me (with respect) | (unhonne mujhe dekhaa thaa) |
| when did you come? (to a woman, polite) | (aap kab aaee theen?) |
Having done: the -कर form
To join two actions done one after the other by the same person, put the first verb in the -कर (-kar) form: the stem plus (kar). (naee saaree pahankar main skool gaee) means “having put on a new sari, I went to school”, or simply “I put on a new sari and went to school”.
The -कर form never changes for person or gender. (karnaa) is the one exception: it becomes (karke). In speech you will also hear -के (-ke) with other verbs: (khaake) for (khaakar). Whether you need (ne) depends only on the last verb.
- मैं सुबह उठकर चाय पीता हूँ।Main subah uthkar chaay peetaa hoon.I get up in the morning and have tea. (a man speaking)
- उसने खाना खाकर टीवी देखा।Usne khaanaa khaakar teevee dekhaa.He had his meal and then watched TV.
- काम ख़त्म करके मुझे फ़ोन करो।Kaam khatm karke mujhe fon karo.Call me when you've finished work.
- आपसे मिलकर ख़ुशी हुई।Aapse milkar khushee huee.Nice to meet you. (literally “having met you, there was joy”)
First, then, in the end
These words put the events of a story in order. (jab) means “when”: , … (jab main skool pahunchee, …), when I got to the school, … The second part can start with (to) or (tab), but it often starts without them.
You know (khaane ke baad), after eating. “Before doing” works the same way with (se pahle): (skool jaane se pahle), before going to school.
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (pahle) | first; before |
| (phir), (uske baad) | then, after that |
| (do hafte baad) | two weeks later |
| …, () … (jab …, (to) …) | when …, … |
| (jaane se pahle) | before going |
| (aane ke baad) | after coming |
| (aakhir men) | in the end, finally |
More in the grammar: The simple past and the ने construction · Joining actions: -कर, -आ हुआ, -ते ही · Relative clauses: जो … वह, जब … तब, जहाँ … वहाँ · Verb families: खुलना, खोलना, खुलवाना · Emphasis: ही, भी, तो
New words
- पहली बारpahlee baarfor the first time · (baar) means “time”, as in (do baar), twice.
- आई थींaaee theenhad come; came (to a woman, polite) · the past perfect of (aanaa); to a man: (aaye the)
- शादीshaadeewedding; marriage · feminine; (shaadee ke baad), after the wedding
- सिर्फ़sirfonly, just
- उन्होंनेunhonnehe, she (with respect), they: with ने (ne) · (ve) + (ne). (vah) + is (usne).
- बादbaadlater · after a time: (do hafte baad), two weeks later
- पूराpooraacomplete, whole; completely · (padhaaee pooree karnaa), to finish your studies
- बननाbannaato become · (main teechar ban gaee), I became a teacher. No (ne).
- याद हैyaad hairemember(s) · Like (pasand): (mujhe yaad hai), I remember. (yaad, memory) is feminine; plural (yaaden).
- पहनकरpahankarhaving put on, after putting on · the -कर (-kar) form of (pahannaa)
- बच्चाbachchaachild · masculine; plural (bachche), children
- पहले हीpahle heealready · (hee) stresses the word before it: (geelee saaree men hee), in the wet sari, just as I was.
- आख़िर मेंaakhir menin the end, finally
- पढ़ानाpadhaanaato teach · (mainne tees saal padhaayaa), I taught for thirty years.
Practise
1.Riya asks her grandmother, with respect: “Where did you first meet Grandpa?” Which word fits? ___ (daadaa jee se aap pahlee baar kahaan ___)
2.Dadi is talking about her first day. Put the words in order, starting with (bachche).
Tap the words below in the right order.The children had already arrived.
3.Match the Hindi with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.What does (naee saaree pahankar main skool gaee) mean?
5.How do you say “before going to school”?
6.A man says “I had seen that film.” Which sentence is correct?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
फिर क्या हुआ?
Phir kyaa huaa?
Then what happened?
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.