Hindi grammar · Intermediate (B1)
Joining actions: -कर, -आ हुआ, -ते ही
How to say “having done”, “broken” and “as soon as” in Hindi with the -कर, -आ हुआ and -ते ही forms.
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), I put on a new sari and went to school.
The -कर form never changes. (karnaa) is the exception: (karke). In speech you also hear -के (-ke) with other verbs: (khaake). Whether you need (ne) depends only on the last verb. With feelings, the -कर form often gives the reason: (yah sunkar mujhe dukh huaa), I was sad to hear this.
- मैं सुबह उठकर चाय पीता हूँ।Main subah uthkar chaay peetaa hoon.I get up in the morning and have tea. (a man speaking)
- काम ख़त्म करके मुझे फ़ोन करो।Kaam khatm karke mujhe fon karo.Call me when you've finished work.
- यह सुनकर मुझे बहुत ख़ुशी हुई।Yah sunkar mujhe bahut khushee huee.I'm very happy to hear that.
Broken, open: the -आ हुआ form
To describe a state, take the simple past form and add / / (huaa / huee / huye). Both parts agree with the noun, like adjectives: (tootaa huaa dhakkan), the broken lid; (khulee huee khirkee), the open window.
With (hai) it says how something is: (beepee badhaa huaa hai), the blood pressure is high. Compare (dhakkan toot gayaa), the lid broke, which tells you what happened. In speech is often left out: (dukaan khulee hai), the shop is open.
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (tootaa huaa dhakkan) | the broken lid |
| (tootee huee kursee) | the broken chair |
| (khulee huee khirkee) | the open window |
| (dhakkan tootaa huaa hai.) | The lid is broken. |
As soon as: -ते ही
The stem + -ते ही (-te hee) means “as soon as”. It never changes: (jheel par pahunchte hee main hairaan rah gaee), as soon as I got to the lake, I was amazed.
- घर पहुँचते ही मैंने उसे फ़ोन किया।Ghar pahunchte hee mainne use fon kiyaa.As soon as I got home, I called her.
- खाता खुलते ही आप चेक जमा कर सकती हैं।Khaataa khulte hee aap chek jamaa kar saktee hain.As soon as the account is open, you can pay in the cheque. (to a woman)
Keep doing: -ता रहना
The -ता (-taa) form, as in the present habitual, + (rahnaa) means “to keep doing, to go on doing”. carries the tense: (paanee kaa rang badaltaa rahtaa thaa), the colour of the water kept changing; (padhte raho), keep studying.
While doing, about to: -ते हुए, -ता हुआ, -ने वाला
The stem + -ते हुए (-te huye) means “while doing”: (padhte huye), while reading; (haath hilaate huye), waving. Before a noun, the -ता (-taa) form + (huaa) describes something in progress, and both parts agree like an adjective: (chaltee huee tren), a moving train.
The -ने (-ne) form + (vaalaa) means “about to”: (steshan band hone vaalaa hai), the station is about to close; in the past, “nearly”: (main fel hone vaalee thee), I nearly failed. Before a noun, or on its own, it means “the one who does”: (padhne vaale), readers.
Chains of -कर and fixed -कर words
To describe steps, string actions together with -कर (-kar); only the last verb shows the tense: (teem aakar chhat dekhegee, phir naap lekar dizaain banaayegee), the team will come and look at the roof, then take measurements and draw up a design. Some -कर forms are fixed words: (khaaskar), especially; (kul milaakar), all in all; (hokar), via; (jaan-boojhkar), on purpose. The opposite is (binaa) + the -ए (-e) form: (binaa padhe), without reading.