Virtual Hindi - Grammar Lesson 5

LESSON 5

REGULAR CONJUGATIONAL PATTERNS (contd.)

1. Perfective: ‘I went’, etc.

m:òù c:l:a     m. m:òù c:l:i     f.

hm: c:l:ð hm: c:l:i

(a) Perfective forms denote completeness of action, without specific reference to time. They are used chiefly, but not only, of events occurring in past time.

(b) Note some spelling conventions. The perfective forms of CÜn:a ‘touch’ and s:in:a ‘sew’ and thus.

CÚA: CÚI CÚO CÚIùù touched

es:y:a s:i es:O s:iù sewed

(c) Verbs whose stem ends in –a, -o, -e, or –i show a semi-vocalic glide y: before masculine singular endings.

A:y:a A:I A:O A:I came

s:<y:a s:<I s:<O s:<Iù slept

K:ðy:a K:ðI K:ðy:ð K:ðIù rowed

es:y:a s:i es:O s:i sewed

(d) The perfective forms of five verbs require special note:

       Gender-Number Concord

m.sg. f.sg. m.pl. f.pl.

krn:a eky:a ki ekO kiù

l:ðn:a el:y:a l:i el:O l:iù

dðn:a edy:a di edO diù

j:an:a g:y:a g:I g:O g:Iù

h<n:a hÚA: hÚI hÚO hÚIù

Note the difference between perfective hÚA: ‘became’ and past tense T:a

m:òù l:_aI m:ðù z:Km:I hÚA:. I was wounded in the war.

m:òù l:_aI m:ðù B:art: m:ðù T:a. I was in India during the war.

(e) In general, perfective forms of transitive verbs are not used in subject concord constructions of the type so far considered. Perfective forms of a few transitive verbs are, however, used in subject concord constructions: e.g.

b:<l:n:a speak, talk          l:an:a bring          s:m:j:n:a understand

(f) With perfective forms the negative n: is common, as well as n:hiù. The choice is semantic and discourse dependent.

2. Perfective present: ‘I have gone’, etc.

m:òù c:l:a hÜú m. m:òù c:l:i hÜú f.

v:h c:l:a hò v:h c:l:i hò

t:Úm: c:l:ð h< t:Úm: c:l:i h<

hm: c:l:ð hòù hm: c:l:i hòù

(a) Perfective present forms define actions as completed and connected in some way with present time (present relevance). These forms have nothing to do with whether an action occurred in the immediate past or in the more distant past.

m:òù AB:i A:y:a hòÜ. I’ve just come.

m:òù Ok b:ar edll:i g:y:a hÜú. I’ve been to Delhi once. ‘on one occasion’

3. Perfective past: ‘I went, had gone’, etc.

m:òù c:l:a T:a m:òù c:l:i T:i

v:h c:l:a T:a v:h c:l:i T:i

hm: c:l:ð T: hm: c:l:i T:iù

(a) Perfective past forms define actions as completed specifically in past time, and disconnected in some way from the present. They can correspond to the English verb forms ‘had come’, ‘had gone’, etc. as well as to simple past tenses: e.g.

m:òù kl: A:y:a T:a. I came yesterday.
The implication here is that whatever the speaker is now doing is not a direct sequel to the action of his coming. Compare:

m:òù kl: A:y:a hÜú. I got here yesterday (in order to attend today’s meeting, for a much anticipated stay, etc.).

and

m:òù kl: A:y:a. I came yesterday (matter-of-fact-statement, neutral with regard to time and context of action).

4. Subjunctive: ‘I may go’, etc.

(a) Spelling conventions.

m:òù c:l:Üú t:Úm: c:l:<

v:h c:l:ð hm: c:l:ðù

(b) Subjective forms characterize actions as possible, desired or desirable, hypothetical, subject to some doubt, etc., rather than as objectively realized or envisaged: e.g.

m:òù c:lÜ:ú ? May I go? Shall I go?

m:òù kl: S:ay:d edll:i j:aUú. I’ll perhaps go to Delhi tomorrow.

(c) The negative used with subjunctive forms is regularly n:: e.g.
m:òù kl: S:ay:d edll:i n: j:aUú. I perhaps won’t go to Delhi tomorrow.

(d) The subjunctive forms of h<n:a ‘be’, dðn:a ‘give’, and l:ðn:a ‘take’ are:

m:òù h<Uú dÜú l:Üú

v:h h< dð l:ð

t:Úm: h< / h<A< d< l:<

v:ð h<ù dðù l:ðù

In construction with dðn:a, “beneficiaries” are marked by the postposition k<. More frequently than not the beneficiary (indirect object) precedes the direct object (patient).

m:ò s:it:a k< ekt:ab: dÜúg:a. I shall give Sita the book.

m:òù us:ð ekt:ab: t:Üúg:a. I shall give her the book.

(e) Subjunctives are often used as polite request forms and in making suggestions: e.g.

A:p: m:ÚJ:ð p:t:Ò el:K:ðù. Please write me a letter.

c:l:ðù ? Shall we go?

5. Future: ‘I shall go’, etc.

(a) Spelling conventions

m:òù c:l:Üúg:a m:òù c:l:Üúg:i

v:h c:l:ðg:a v:h c:l:ðg:i

t:Úm: c:l:<g:a t:Úm: c:l:<g:i

v:ð c:l:ðgù:ð v:ð c:l:ðgù:i

(b) Note that future forms can be derived from subjunctives by adding the adjectivally inflected element.

(c) Both n:hiù and n: are used as negatives with future forms. Discourse-related semantics determine the choice.

6. Imperfective, continuous, and perfective forms with the future auxiliary.

These forms express likelihood that a given action may be occurring, or may have occurred: e.g.

AB:i A:t:ð h<gù:ð. He’s probably coming now / He’ll be here directly.

AB:i A: rhð h<g:ð. He’s probably on his way now.

A:p: j:an:t:ð h<g:ð. I expect you know. You will know.

AB:i A:O h<g:ð. He must have just come.

THE EMPHATIC ENCLITIC hi, B:i

These forms are used freely in Hindi. Their function is to stress the importance of the word or syntactic group immediately preceding them in sentences.

(a) hi has a restrictive force:

b:n:ars: kð l:<g: ehndi hi b:<l:t:ð hòù. The people of Banaras speak Hindi (not another language).

m:òù Ok hi b:ar v:haú g:y:a hÜú. I’ve been there just once (not more often).

1. G:r p:r; or, if the sense is ‘I didn’t go out all day’, G:r p:r hi.

Note that the form AB:i ‘now’ represents Ab: - hi and contrasts with Ab: ‘now’ as meaning ‘at this particular time’ rather than ‘at the present time’. Note its use in such sentences as:

m:òù AB:i A:y:a hÜú. I’ve just come.

m:òù AB:i n:hiù g:y:a. I haven’t gone yet.

(b) B:i has inclusive force, frequently being translatable as ‘also’. Sometimes as ‘even’, especially with negatives:

m:òù B:i v:haú T:a. I was there too.

us: g:aúv: m:ðù kÚA:ú B:i n:hiù T:i. There wasn’t even a well in that village.

VOCABULARY

l:_aI	f. war	kafi	f. coffee
b:ar	f. time, occasion	-p:y:a	m. rupee; money (usu. pl.)
Ok b:ar	once	s:edüy:aú	f. pl. cold season
Aùg:n:	m. courtyard	m:>s:m:	m. season, weather
b:ùb:I	f. Bombay	l:<g:	m. pl. people
b:n:ars:	m. Banaras	s:b: l:<g:	everyone
rðsXrðùX	m. restaurant	dÜD:	m. milk
b:rs:at:	f. rainy season	l:ðn:a	take
z:Km:i	wounded	p:in:a	drink
ekt:n:a	how many?	l:an:a	bring
ekt:n:a edn:	how many days?	s:m:J:n:a	understand
s:ara	entire, all	p:hÚúc:n:a	arrive
s:ara edn:	all day	Ab:	now
j:in:a	live, be alive	S:ay:d	perhaps
krn:a	do

A:y:a	A:I	A:O	A:I	came
s:<y:a	s:<I	s:<O	s:<Iù	slept
K:ðy:a	K:ðI	K:ðy:ð	K:ðIù	rowed
es:y:a	s:i	es:O	s:i	sewed

	m.sg.	f.sg.	m.pl.	f.pl.
krn:a	eky:a	ki	ekO	kiù
l:ðn:a	el:y:a	l:i	el:O	l:iù
dðn:a	edy:a	di	edO	diù
j:an:a	g:y:a	g:I	g:O	g:Iù
h<n:a	hÚA:	hÚI	hÚO	hÚIù

m:òù l:_aI m:ðù z:Km:I hÚA:.	I was wounded in the war.
m:òù l:_aI m:ðù B:art: m:ðù T:a.	I was in India during the war.

m:òù c:l:a hÜú m.	m:òù c:l:i hÜú f.
v:h c:l:a hò	v:h c:l:i hò
t:Úm: c:l:ð h<	t:Úm: c:l:i h<
hm: c:l:ð hòù	hm: c:l:i hòù

m:òù AB:i A:y:a hòÜ.	I’ve just come.
m:òù Ok b:ar edll:i g:y:a hÜú.	I’ve been to Delhi once. ‘on one occasion’

m:òù c:l:a T:a	m:òù c:l:i T:i
v:h c:l:a T:a	v:h c:l:i T:i
hm: c:l:ð T:	hm: c:l:i T:iù

m:òù kl: A:y:a hÜú.	I got here yesterday (in order to attend today’s meeting, for a much anticipated stay, etc.).
and
m:òù kl: A:y:a.	I came yesterday (matter-of-fact-statement, neutral with regard to time and context of action).

m:òù c:lÜ:ú ?	May I go? Shall I go?
m:òù kl: S:ay:d edll:i j:aUú.	I’ll perhaps go to Delhi tomorrow.

m:òù h<Uú	dÜú	l:Üú
v:h h<	dð	l:ð
t:Úm: h< / h<A<	d<	l:<
v:ð h<ù	dðù	l:ðù

m:ò s:it:a k< ekt:ab: dÜúg:a.	I shall give Sita the book.
m:òù us:ð ekt:ab: t:Üúg:a.	I shall give her the book.

A:p: m:ÚJ:ð p:t:Ò el:K:ðù.	Please write me a letter.
c:l:ðù ?	Shall we go?

m:òù c:l:Üúg:a	m:òù c:l:Üúg:i
v:h c:l:ðg:a	v:h c:l:ðg:i
t:Úm: c:l:<g:a	t:Úm: c:l:<g:i
v:ð c:l:ðgù:ð	v:ð c:l:ðgù:i

AB:i A:t:ð h<gù:ð.	He’s probably coming now / He’ll be here directly.
AB:i A: rhð h<g:ð.	He’s probably on his way now.
A:p: j:an:t:ð h<g:ð.	I expect you know. You will know.
AB:i A:O h<g:ð.	He must have just come.

b:n:ars: kð l:<g: ehndi hi b:<l:t:ð hòù.	The people of Banaras speak Hindi (not another language).
m:òù Ok hi b:ar v:haú g:y:a hÜú.	I’ve been there just once (not more often).

m:òù AB:i A:y:a hÜú.	I’ve just come.
m:òù AB:i n:hiù g:y:a.	I haven’t gone yet.

m:òù B:i v:haú T:a.	I was there too.
us: g:aúv: m:ðù kÚA:ú B:i n:hiù T:i.	There wasn’t even a well in that village.