Hindi pronouns

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The personal pronouns and possessives in Modern Standard Hindi of the Hindustani language displays a higher degree of inflection than other parts of speech. Personal pronouns have distinct forms according to whether they stand for a subject (nominative), a direct object (accusative), an indirect object (dative), or a reflexive object. Pronouns further have special forms used with postpositions.

Contents

The possessive pronouns are the same as the possessive adjectives, but each is inflected to express the grammatical person of the possessor and the grammatical gender of the possessed.

Pronoun use displays considerable variation with register and dialect, with particularly pronoun preference differences between the most colloquial varieties of Hindi.

Postpositions

The function of case marking in Hindi is done exclusively by postpositions. The pronouns of Hindi can be declined into three cases, nominative, oblique (and ergative), and dative/accusative. The oblique and ergative case is used with the case marking postpositions to form the ergative, accusative/dative, instrumental/ablative, genitive, inessive, adessive, terminative, and semblative cases. The postpositions are considered to be bound morphemes to the pronouns. [1] The eight primary postpositions of Hindi are mentioned in the table below:

Case MarkerPostpositionExplanationExampleEnglish
Ergativeने (ne)marks the subject of the sentenceइसने (isne)he/she
Accusativeको (ko)marks the receiver of an actionइसको (isko)him/her
Dativemarks the indirect object; can also mark the subject (quirky subject)to him/her
Instrumentalसे (se)marks the object with/using which the action was doneइससे (isse)with him/her
Ablativeshows movement away from the objectfrom him/her
Genitiveका (kā)shows possessionइसका (iskā)his/her(s)
Inessiveमें (mẽ)shows something is in/inside somethingइसमें (ismẽ)in him/her
Adessiveपे / पर (pe / par)shows something is on/at somethingइसपे (ispe)on him/her
Terminativeतक (tak)shows something is goes up to the objectइसतक (istak)till him/her
Semblativeसा (sā)shows resemblanceइससा (issā)like him/her

Note:

Declension Pattern
CaseMasculineFeminine
SingularPluralSingularPlural
Nominative

-e

Oblique

-e

Genitive Marker
CaseMasculineFeminine
SingularPluralSingularPlural
Nominativeका

के

ke

की

Obliqueके

ke

Semblative Marker
CaseMasculineFeminine
SingularPluralSingularPlural
Nominativeसा

से

se

सी

Obliqueसे

se

Personal pronouns

Hindi has personal pronouns in the first and second person, but not the third person, where demonstratives are used instead. They are inflected for case and number (singular, and plural), but not for gender. Pronouns decline for four grammatical cases in Hindi: The nominative case, the accusative/dative case and two postpositional cases, the oblique and ergative cases. The second person pronouns have three levels of formality: intimate, familiar, and formal. As also done in many other Indo-European languages, the plural pronouns are used as singular polite or formal pronouns. [2] [3]

Case1st Person2nd Person
SingularPluralIntimateFamiliarFormal
SingularPlural
Nominativeमैं

mãĩ

हम

ham

तू

तुम

tum

आप

āp

ObliqueErgative
Regularमुझ

mujh

तुझ

tujh

Regular

(Emphatic)

मुझी

mujhī

हमीं

hamī̃

तुझी

tujhī

तुम्हीं

tumhī̃

Ergative

(Emphatic)

Accusativeमुझे

mujhe

हमें

hamẽ

तुझे

tujhe

तुम्हें

tumhẽ

Dative
Postpositional Pronouns using the Oblique/Ergative Cases
Case1st Person2nd Person
SingularPluralIntimateFamiliarFormal
SingularPlural
Ergativeमैंने

mãĩne

हमने

hamne

तूने

tūne

तुमने

tumne

आपने

āpne

Accusativeमुझको

mujhko

हमको

hamko

तुझको

tujhko

तुमको

tumko

आपको

āpko

Dative
Instrumentalमुझसे

mujhse

हमसे

hamse

तुझसे

tujhse

तुमसे

tumse

आपसे

āpse

Ablative
Genitiveआपका

āpkā

Inessiveमुझमें

mujhmẽ

हममें

hammẽ

तुझमें

tujhmẽ

तुममें

tummẽ

आपमें

āpmẽ

Adessiveमुझपे

mujhpe

हमपे

hampe

तुझपे

tujhpe

तुमपे

tumpe

आपपे

āppe

Terminativeमुझतक

mujhtak

हमतक

hamtak

तुझतक

tujhtak

तुमतक

tumtak

आपतक

āptak

Semblativeमुझसा

mujhsā

हमसा

hamsā

तुझसा

tujhsā

तुमसा

tumsā

आपसा

āpsā

Note:

Demonstrative, interrogative, and relative pronouns

Just like Sanskrit, Hindi does not have true third person pronouns, but its demonstratives play their role when they stand independently of a substantive. [5] The demonstrative pronouns just like the personal pronouns can be declined into the nominative, ergative, accusative/dative and the oblique case. [3]

The relative and the interrogative pronouns can be constructed for the non-nominative cases by just changing the first consonant of the demonstrative pronouns to ज (j) and क (k) respectively.

CaseDemonstrativeInterrogativeRelative
ProximalNon-proximalSingularPluralSingularPlural
SingularPluralSingularPlural
NominativeLiteraryयह

yah

ये

ye

वह

vah

वे

ve

क्या,कौन

kyā, kaun

जो

jo

Colloquialये

ye

वो

vo

Emphaticयही

yahī

वही

vahī

(जो भी)

(jo bhī)

Accusativeइसे

ise

इन्हें

inhẽ

उसे

use

उन्हें

unhẽ

किसे

kise

किन्हें

kinhẽ

जिसे

jise

जिन्हें

jinhẽ

Dative
ObliqueRegularइस

is

इन

in

उस

us

उन

un

किस

kis

किन

kin

जिस

jis

जिन

jin

Ergativeइन्हों

inhõ

उन्हों

unhõ

किन्हों

kinhõ

जिन्हों

jinhõ

Emphaticइसी

isī

इन्हीं

inhī̃

उसी

usī

उन्हीं

unhī̃

किसी

kisī

किन्हीं

kinhī̃

Postpositional Pronouns using the Oblique & Ergative Cases
CaseDemonstrativeInterrogativeRelative
ProximalNon-proximalSingularPluralSingularPlural
SingularPluralSingularPlural
Ergativeइसने

isne

इन्होंने

inhõne

उसने

usne

उन्होंने

unhõne

किसने

kisne

किन्होंने

kinhõne

जिसने

jisne

जिन्होंने

jinhõne

Accusativeइसको

isko

इनको

inko

उसको

usko

उनको

unko

किसको

kisko

किनको

kinko

जिसको

jisko

जिनको

jinko

Dative
Instrumentalइससे

isse

इनसे

inse

उससे

usse

उनसे

unse

किससे

kisse

किनसे

kinse

जिससे

jisse

जिनसे

kinse

Ablative
Genitiveइसका

iskā

इनका

inkā

उसका

uskā

उनका

unkā

किसका

kiskā

किनका

kinkā

जिसका

jiskā

जिनका

jinkā

Inessiveइसमें

ismẽ

इनमें

inmẽ

उसमें

usmẽ

उनमें

unmẽ

किसमें

kismẽ

किनमें

kinmẽ

जिसमें

jismẽ

जिनमें

jinmẽ

Adessiveइसपे

ispe

इनपे

inpe

उसपे

uspe

उनपे

unpe

किसपे

kispe

किनपे

kinpe

जिसपे

jispe

जिनपे

jinpe

Terminativeइसतक

istak

इनतक

intak

उसतक

ustak

उनतक

untak

किसतक

kistak

किनतक

kintak

जिसतक

jistak

जिनतक

jintak

Semblativeइससा

issa

इनसा

insa

उससा

ussa

उनसा

unsa

किससा

kissa

किनसा

kinsa

जिससा

jissa

जिनसा

jinsa

Notes:

Possessive pronouns

The possessive pronouns are the same as the possessive adjectives, but each is inflected to express the grammatical person of the possessor and the grammatical gender of the possessed. Unlike the personal pronouns (except for आप), there are no true possessive pronoun forms for the demonstrative pronouns. So, the demonstrative, interrogative, and relative possessive pronouns are formed using oblique case with the postposition का (kā). [2] [7]

PersonNominativeGenitive
MasculineFeminine
SingularPluralObliqueSingularPluralOblique
1st Personमैं

mãĩ

मेरा

merā

मेरे

mere

मेरी

merī

हम

ham

हमारा

hamārā

हमारे

hamāre

हमारी

hamārī

2nd PersonIntimateतू

तेरा

terā

तेरे

tere

तेरी

terī

Familiarतुम

tum

तुम्हारा

tumhārā

तुम्हारे

tumhāre

तुम्हारी

tumhārī

Formalआप

āp

आपका

āpkā

आपके

āpke

आपकी

āpkī

PersonNominativeGenitive
MasculineFeminine
SingularPluralObliqueSingularPluralOblique
DemonstrativeProximalSingularयह

yah

ये

ye

इसका

iskā

इसके

iske

इसकी

iskī

Pluralये

ye

इनका

inkā

इनके

inke

इनकी

inkī

DistalSingularवह

vah

वो

vo

उसका

uskā

उसके

uske

उसकी

uskī

Pluralवे

ve

उनका

unkā

उनके

unke

उनकी

unkī

InterrogativeSingularकौन, क्या

kaun, kyā

किसका

kiskā

किसके

kiske

किसकी

kiskī

Pluralकिनका

kinkā

किनके

kinke

किनकी

kinkī

RelativeSingularजो, सो

jo, so

जिसका

jiskā

जिसके

jiske

जिसकी

jiskī

Pluralजिनका

jinkā

जिनके

jinke

जिनकी

jinkī

Reflexive pronouns

There are a number of words in Hindi that function as reflexive pronouns. [8] [7] The indeclinable स्वयं(svayam) can indicate reflexivity pertaining to subjects of any person or number, and—since subjects in Hindi can appear in the nominative, or dative cases [9] —it can have the sense of any of these two cases.

CaseMasculineFeminine
SingularPluralSingularPlural
DeclinableNominativeअपना

apnā

अपने

apne

अपनी

apnī

Obliquewith nounअपने

apne

sans nounअपने

apne

अपनों

apnõ

अपनी

apnī

अप्नियों

apniyõ

UndeclinableNominativeख़ुद

khud

Oblique
Nominativeस्वयं

svayam

Oblique

Indefinite pronouns

There are two indefinite pronouns in Hindi: कोई koī (someone, somebody) and कुछ kuch (something). कुछ kuch is also used as an adjective (numeral and quantitative) and as an adverb meaning ‘some, a few, a little, partly.’ Similarly, कोई koī can be used as an adverb in the sense of ‘some, about.’ When it is used with the semblative postposition सा the pronoun कोई सा koī sā (of some kind, some, something) is formed. The indefinite pronouns of Hindi are mentioned in the table below: [7]

CaseAnimateInanimateAnimateInanimateAnimateInanimate
SingularPlural (some)Plural (several)
Nominativeकोई

koī

कुछ

kuch

कई

kaī

Obliquewith nounकिसी

kisī

कुछ

kuch

sans nounकिन्हीं

kinhī̃

कुछों

kuchõ

कइयों

kaīyõ

Note:The animate plural forms are also used as formal animate singular forms.

Adverbial pronouns

Adverbial pronouns of Hindi and the declension pattern of the declinable pronouns are mentioned in the table below: [7]

InterrogativeRelativeDemonstrative
ProximalNon-proximal
UndeclinableTimeकब

kab

जब

jab

अब

ab

तब

tab

Directionकिधर

kidhar

जिधर

jidhar

इधर

idhar

उधर

udhar

Placeकहाँ

kahā̃

जहाँ

jahā̃

यहाँ

yahā̃

वहाँ

vahā̃

Mannerकैसे

kaise

जैसे

jaise

ऐसे

aise

वैसे

vaise

DeclinableQuantityकितना

kitnā

जितना

jitnā

इतना

itnā

उतना

utnā

Qualityकैसा

kaisā

जैसा

jaisā

ऐसा

aisā

वैसा

vaisā

Declension Pattern
CaseMasculineFeminine
SingularPluralSingularPlural
Nominative

-e

Obliquewith noun

-e

sans noun

-e

ों

ियों

-iyõ

Declension for कितना (kitnā) [how much?]
CaseMasculineFeminine
SingularPluralSingularPlural
Nominativeकितना

kitnā

कितने

kitne

कितनी

kitnī

Obliquewith nounकितने

kitne

sans nounकितने

kitne

कितनों

kitnõ

कितनी

kitnī

कितनियों

kitniyõ

References

  1. Schmidt (2003 :293)
  2. 1 2 http://www.koausa.org/iils/pdf/ModernHindiGrammar.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  3. 1 2 Spencer, Andrew (2020-08-20). "CASE IN HINDI".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Snell & Weightman (1989 :106)
  5. Shapiro, Michael C. (2003). A Primer of Modern Standard Hindi. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt Ltd. pp. 264–265. ISBN   81-208-0508-9.
  6. Hoop, H.; Narasimhan, Bhuvana (2007-12-04), Ergative Case-marking in Hindi, vol. 72, pp. 63–78, retrieved 2020-08-20
  7. 1 2 3 4 N. Koul, Omkar (2008). Modern Hindi Grammar. United States of America: McNeil Technologies, Inc. pp. 75–81. ISBN   978-1-931546-06-5.
  8. "Reflexive Pronouns". hindilanguage.info. 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  9. Bhatt, Rajesh (2003). Experiencer subjects. Handout from MIT course “Structure of the Modern Indo-Aryan Languages”.

Bibliography