| Forms of "You," Commands, Negations, and Pluralization |
| Forms of "You" |
| Aap- To be safe, use Aap. It is respectful, and reflects well on your own personality. Unlike other forms of "you," it is appropriate to use it no matter who you are speaking to. It's formal, but if you use it in an everyday situation, it's ok. |
| Tum- This is an informal way to address a person. You can use it around friends and siblings. A good rule: Don't say it to anyone who doesn't know your personal life, like your parents, teachers, strangers (even of the same age). |
| Tu- I would reccomend not using this at all. Use it with the wrong person, and you will most probably get slapped. It can be endearing (such as a husband to a wife), but if used incorrectly (which is most of the time) it is degrading... |
| Commands |
| Knowing which command to use depends on what form of "you" is being used. |
| Aap- Stem of the verb + iye. Iye is pronounced Ee-yeh |
| Look!- Dekhiye (from the verb dekhna) Walk!- Chaliye (from the verb chalna) |
| Tie it!- Badhiye (from the verb badhna) Do it!!- Kariye (from the verb karna) |
| Tum- Stem of the verb + o |
| Look!- Dekho (from the verb dekhna) Walk!- Chalo (from the verb chalna) |
| Tie it!- Badho (from the verb badhna) Do it!- Karo (from the verb karna) |
| Tu- Stem of the verb (remember this isn't the best option) |
| Look!- Dekh (from the verb dekhna) Walk!- Chal (from the verb chalna) |
| Tie it!- Badh (from the verb badhna) Do it!- Kar (from the verb karna) |
| But of course, it gets a little more confusing. Some verbs are just one word. Others are two. Some examples are rest (aaram karna), close (bund karna), and lie (jhuth bolna). These are compound verbs. Aaram karna literally means "to do the resting," bund karna "to do the closing," and jhuth bolna "to speak the lie." Aaram, bund, and jhuth are nouns. If you just say "Jhuth!" you are just saying "The Lie!" and that is not the same as "Lie!" Here is how to use compound verbs in commands. |
| Aap- Unchanged noun + stem of the verb + iye |
| Rest!- Aaram kariye Close it!- Bund kariye |
| Abstain!- Parhez kariye (parhez is abstinence) Be thirsty!- Pias lagiye (pias=thirst, lagna=to appear) |
| Tum- Unchanged noun + stem of the verb + o |
| Rest!- Aaram karo Close it!- Bund karo |
| Abstain!- Parhez karo (do the abstinence) Be thirsty!- Pias lago (appear thirst) |
| Tu- Unchanged noun + stem of the verb |
| Rest!- Aaram kar Close it!- Bund kar |
| Abstain!- Parhez kar (do the abstinence) Be thirsty!- Pias lag (I know it doesn't make sense in English) |
| Negations |
| These can be used in regular declaritive sentences, in questions, and commands. |
| For Aap, use nahin (pronounced Nayhee). For tum, use naa. For tu, use mut. Nahin is best to use if in doubt. To figure out where to put the negation, think of what you are negating. Put the negation before that. For example: |
| I'm tired I'm going to finish this later... |
| I am learning Hindi- Mein Hindi sikhti hoon The negation is: I am not learning Hindi- Mein Hindi nahin sikhti hoon What is this sentence saying? Mein nahin Hindi sikhti hoon This sentence is saying It is not Hindi I am learning. It isn't saying that "I" am not learning at all, just that "I" am not learning Hindi. |
| Habeeb is going now- Habeeb abhi ja raha hai Habeeb is not going now- Habeeb abhi naa ja raha hai Devesh is a good boy- Devesh achcha ladka hai Devesh is not a good boy- Devesh achcha ladka nahin hai. Why does the nahin in the last sentence preceed the hai, rather than achcha (good) or ladka (boy)? Because it is the same as in English. Think of the English sentence "Devesh isn't a good boy"... isn't it natural just to pair the negation with "is"? One would not say "Devesh is a not good boy" or "Devesh is a good not boy." |
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