The personal pronouns and possessives in Modern Standard Hindi of the Hindustani language display 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 and indicate more cases using postpositions.
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 10 cases as shown below, as well as the nominative and the oblique (this is used to make the accusative and the dative). 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. The eight primary postpositions of Hindi are mentioned in the table below: Case MarkerPostpositionExplanationExampleEnglishErgativeने (ne)marks the subject of the sentenceइसने (isne)he/sheAccusativeको (ko)marks the receiver of an actionइसको (isko)him/herDativemarks the indirect object; can also mark the subject (quirky subject) to him/herInstrumentalसे (se)marks the object with/using which the action was doneइससे (isse)with him/herAblativeshows movement away from the objectfrom him/herGenitiveका (kā)shows possessionइसका (iskā)his/her(s)Inessiveमें (mẽ)shows something is in/inside somethingइसमें (ismẽ)in him/herAdessiveपे / पर (pe / par)shows something is on/at somethingइसपे (ispe)on him/herTerminativeतक (tak)shows something goes up to the objectइसतक (istak)till him/herSemblativeसा (sā)shows resemblance इससा (issā)like him/her Note:
The pronoun इस (is), which is the oblique case of the nominative demonstrative pronoun यह (yah), can be translated as he, she, it, and this. The postpositions which end in the vowel ा (-ā) (which are the genitive and semblative postpositions) can further decline according to gender, number, and grammatical case of the noun it describes. The declension of postpositions follows the following declension by changing their end vowels: +Declension PatternCaseMasculineFeminineSingularPluralSingularPluralNominativeा -āे -eी -īObliqueे -e
+Genitive MarkerCaseMasculineFeminineSingularPluralSingularPluralNominativeका kāके keकी kīObliqueके ke
+Semblative MarkerCaseMasculineFeminineSingularPluralSingularPluralNominativeसा sāसे seसी sīObliqueसे 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. Case1st Person2nd PersonSingularPluralIntimateFamiliarFormalSingularPluralNominativeमैंहमतूतुमआपObliqueErgativeRegularमुझतुझRegular (Emphatic)मुझीहमींतुझी तुम्हीं—Ergative (Emphatic)——Accusativeमुझेहमेंतुझेतुम्हें—Dative
+Postpositional Pronouns using the Oblique/Ergative CasesCase1st Person2nd PersonSingularPluralIntimateFamiliarFormalSingularPluralErgativeमैंनेहमनेतूनेतुमनेआपनेAccusativeमुझकोहमकोतुझकोतुमकोआपकोDativeInstrumentalमुझसेहमसेतुझसेतुमसेआपसेAblativeGenitive————आपकाInessiveमुझमेंहममेंतुझमेंतुममेंआपमेंAdessiveमुझपेहमपेतुझपेतुमपेआपपेTerminativeमुझतकहमतकतुझतकतुमतकआपतकSemblativeमुझसाहमसातुझसातुमसाआपसा Note:
In the eastern dialects of Hindi, the pronoun हम is used as both the first person singular and plural pronoun. When plurality is to be implied then words such as लोग (people), सब (all) are added after the pronoun. True genitive pronouns exist for the personal pronouns (except आप ), and they cannot be constructed from the oblique cases; they are discussed in the 'Possessive Pronouns' section below. The emphasised oblique case for the pronoun आप (āp) is constructed periphrastically using the exclusive emphatic particle ही (hī), which is आप ही (āp hī). Although pronounced the same as आफी (āphī), it is never written like that.
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. The demonstrative pronouns just like the personal pronouns can be declined into the nominative, ergative, accusative/dative and the oblique case.
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. CaseDemonstrativeInterrogativeRelativeProximalNon-proximalSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralNominativeLiteraryयहयेवहवेक्या,कौन , जोColloquialयेवोEmphaticयहीवही——(जो भी) ()Accusativeइसेइन्हेंउसेउन्हेंकिसेकिन्हेंजिसेजिन्हेंDativeObliqueRegularइसइनउसउनकिसकिनजिसजिनErgativeइन्होंउन्होंकिन्होंजिन्होंEmphaticइसीइन्हींउसीउन्हीं किसीकिन्हीं——
+Postpositional Pronouns using the Oblique & Ergative CasesCaseDemonstrativeInterrogativeRelativeProximalNon-proximalSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPluralErgativeइसनेइन्होंनेउसनेउन्होंनेकिसनेकिन्होंनेजिसनेजिन्होंनेAccusativeइसकोइनकोउसकोउनकोकिसकोकिनकोजिसकोजिनकोDativeInstrumentalइससेइनसेउससेउनसेकिससेकिनसेजिससेजिनसेAblativeGenitiveइसकाइनकाउसकाउनकाकिसकाकिनकाजिसकाजिनकाInessiveइसमेंइनमेंउसमेंउनमेंकिसमेंकिनमेंजिसमेंजिनमेंAdessiveइसपेइनपेउसपेउनपेकिसपेकिनपेजिसपेजिनपेTerminativeइसतकइनतकउसतकउनतककिसतककिनतकजिसतकजिनतकSemblativeइससाइनसाउससाउनसाकिससाकिनसाजिससाजिनसा Notes:
The ergative case is predominantly used with animate nouns. कौन is the animate interrogative and क्या is the inanimate interrogative. जो is used as both the animate and inanimate relative pronoun. The genitive and semblative postpositions decline to agree with the number, gender, and case of the object it possesses or describes, respectively.
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). PersonNominativeGenitiveMasculineFeminineSingularPluralObliqueSingularPluralOblique1st Personमैंमेरामेरेमेरीहमहमाराहमारेहमारी2nd PersonIntimateतूतेरातेरेतेरीFamiliarतुमतुम्हारातुम्हारेतुम्हारीFormalआपआपकाआपकेआपकी
PersonNominativeGenitiveMasculineFeminineSingularPluralObliqueSingularPluralObliqueDemonstrativeProximalSingularयहयेइसकाइसकेइसकीPluralयेइनकाइनकेइनकीDistalSingularवहवोउसकाउसकेउसकीPluralवेउनकाउनकेउनकीInterrogativeSingularकौन, क्या , किसकाकिसकेकिसकीPluralकिनकाकिनकेकिनकीRelativeSingularजो, सो , जिसकाजिसकेजिसकीPluralजिनकाजिनकेजिनकी
The possessive pronouns and the genitive postposition का (kā) decline to agree with the number, gender, and case of the possessed object. In colloquial usage, जो (jo) functions as both an animate and inanimate relative pronoun. सो (so) (inanimate relative pronoun) is also sometimes used but in a limited manner.
Reflexive pronouns There are several words in Hindi that function as reflexive pronouns. 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 casesBhatt, Rajesh (2003). Experiencer subjects. Handout from MIT course “Structure of the Modern Indo-Aryan Languages”.—it can have the sense of any of these two cases.
ख़ुद (khud) and स्वयं (svayam) are indeclinable reflexive pronouns. अपना (apnā) is a declinable reflexive pronoun.
CaseMasculineFeminineSingularPluralSingularPluralDeclinableNominativeअपनाअपनेअपनीObliquewith nounअपनेsans nounअपनेअपनोंअपनीअप्नियोंUndeclinableNominativeख़ुद ObliqueNominativeस्वयंOblique
Indefinite pronouns There are two indefinite pronouns in Hindi: कोई (someone, somebody) and कुछ (something). कुछ is also used as an adjective (numeral and quantitative) and as an adverb meaning ‘some, a few, a little, partly.’ Similarly, कोई 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 (of some kind, some, something) is formed. The indefinite pronouns of Hindi are mentioned in the table below: CaseAnimateInanimateAnimateInanimateAnimateInanimateSingularPlural (some)Plural (several)NominativeकोईकुछकईObliquewith nounकिसीकुछsans nounकिन्हींकुछोंकइयों 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: InterrogativeRelativeDemonstrativeProximalNon-proximalUndeclinableTimeकबजबअबतबDirectionकिधरजिधरइधरउधरPlaceकहाँजहाँयहाँवहाँMannerकैसेजैसेऐसेवैसेDeclinableQuantityकितनाजितनाइतनाउतनाQualityकैसाजैसाऐसावैसा
+Declension PatternCaseMasculineFeminineSingularPluralSingularPluralNominativeा े ी Obliquewith nounेsans nounे ों ी ियों +Declension for कितना (kitnā) [how much?]CaseMasculineFeminineSingularPluralSingularPluralNominativeकितनाकितने कितनी Obliquewith nounकितनेsans nounकितनेकितनोंकितनी कितनियों
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