🔗 Hindi Postpositions: The Magic Glue Words!
Imagine you have toy blocks. To connect them, you need special connector pieces. In Hindi, postpositions are like those connector pieces—they join words together and show how things relate!
🎯 What Are Postpositions?
In English, we say “in the box” or “on the table.” The little words “in” and “on” come before the noun—so we call them prepositions.
Hindi does the opposite! The little words come after the noun. So we call them postpositions.
| English (Preposition) | Hindi (Postposition) |
|---|---|
| in the house | ghar mein (घर में) |
| on the table | mez par (मेज़ पर) |
💡 Simple Rule: In Hindi, the “glue word” always comes AFTER the main word!
📦 The Big Six Postpositions
Think of a delivery package. It can:
- Belong to someone (का/के/की)
- Go to someone (को)
- Come from somewhere (से)
- Be inside something (में)
- Be on top of something (पर)
Let’s learn each one!
1️⃣ का / के / की (kaa / ke / kee) — Shows Ownership
This is the “belongs to” postposition. Like saying “Ravi’s book” in English.
🎭 The Three Forms
Why three forms? Hindi nouns have gender (masculine/feminine) and number (one/many). The postposition changes to match!
| Form | When to Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| का (kaa) | Masculine singular noun follows | राम का घर (Ram’s house) |
| के (ke) | Masculine plural OR oblique case | राम के घर में (in Ram’s house) |
| की (kee) | Feminine noun follows | राम की किताब (Ram’s book) |
🌟 Examples
राम का कुत्ता (Ram kaa kuttaa)
→ Ram's dog (dog = masculine singular)
सीता की गुड़िया (Seetaa kee gudiyaa)
→ Sita's doll (doll = feminine)
लड़के के दोस्त (Ladke ke dost)
→ Boy's friends (friends = masculine plural)
🧠 Memory Trick:
- का = masculine singular (ends in “aa” like “beta” - boy)
- की = feminine (ends in “ee” like “beti” - girl)
- के = everything else!
2️⃣ को (ko) — The “To/For” Connector
This postposition shows:
- Direction (going TO someone)
- Receiver (giving FOR someone)
- Specific object (marking a definite thing)
🌟 Examples
माँ को दो (Maa ko do)
→ Give TO mom
बच्चे को खाना दो (Bachche ko khaanaa do)
→ Give food TO the child
मुझको पता है (Mujhko pataa hai)
→ I know (literally: knowledge is TO me)
🎯 When to Use को
| Use Case | Example |
|---|---|
| Telling someone | राम को बताओ (Tell Ram) |
| Giving something | उसको दो (Give to him/her) |
| A specific object | कुत्ते को देखो (Look at THE dog) |
| Experiencing emotions | मुझको भूख लगी (I am hungry) |
💡 Fun Fact: When you say “I am hungry” in Hindi, you literally say “Hunger happened TO me!”
3️⃣ से (se) — The “From/By/With” Word
This is a super useful postposition! It shows:
- Origin (from where)
- Instrument (by what method)
- Companionship (with whom)
- Comparison (than what)
🌟 Examples
दिल्ली से (Dilli se)
→ FROM Delhi
चाकू से काटो (Chaakoo se kaato)
→ Cut WITH a knife
राम से बड़ा (Ram se badaa)
→ Bigger THAN Ram
प्यार से बोलो (Pyaar se bolo)
→ Speak WITH love
📊 The Many Faces of से
| Meaning | Example |
|---|---|
| From (place) | स्कूल से आया (came FROM school) |
| By (method) | बस से जाओ (go BY bus) |
| With (instrument) | पेन से लिखो (write WITH pen) |
| Than (comparison) | सीता से लंबा (taller THAN Sita) |
| Since (time) | सुबह से (SINCE morning) |
4️⃣ में (mein) — The “Inside” Word
This postposition shows something is inside or within something else.
🌟 Examples
घर में (Ghar mein)
→ IN the house
पानी में (Paani mein)
→ IN the water
दिल में (Dil mein)
→ IN the heart
किताब में लिखो (Kitaab mein likho)
→ Write IN the book
🎨 Picture It: में is like a box. Whatever comes before में is INSIDE that box!
┌─────────────┐
│ Ghar में │ = Inside the house
│ (घर में) │
└─────────────┘
5️⃣ पर (par) — The “On/At” Word
This postposition shows something is on top of or at a location.
🌟 Examples
मेज़ पर (Mez par)
→ ON the table
छत पर (Chhat par)
→ ON the roof
स्टेशन पर (Station par)
→ AT the station
समय पर आओ (Samay par aao)
→ Come ON time
🤔 में vs पर — What’s the Difference?
| में (mein) | पर (par) |
|---|---|
| INSIDE, enclosed | ON TOP, surface |
| कमरे में (inside the room) | कमरे की छत पर (on room’s roof) |
| पानी में (in water) | पानी पर (on water surface) |
💡 Think: में = swimming IN pool, पर = floating ON pool
6️⃣ Complex Postpositions — The Combo Words!
Sometimes we combine postpositions with other words to make new meanings. These are like combo moves in a game!
🎮 Common Combos
| Complex Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| के साथ (ke saath) | with | राम के साथ (with Ram) |
| के लिए (ke liye) | for | तुम्हारे लिए (for you) |
| के बारे में (ke baare mein) | about | इस के बारे में (about this) |
| के पास (ke paas) | near/have | मेरे पास (near me / I have) |
| के सामने (ke saamne) | in front of | घर के सामने (in front of house) |
| के पीछे (ke peeche) | behind | पेड़ के पीछे (behind the tree) |
| के ऊपर (ke oopar) | above | सिर के ऊपर (above head) |
| के नीचे (ke neeche) | below | पुल के नीचे (below bridge) |
| के बीच (ke beech) | between | दोनों के बीच (between both) |
| की तरफ (ki taraf) | towards | स्कूल की तरफ (towards school) |
🌟 Examples in Sentences
मैं राम के साथ जाऊँगा
(Main Ram ke saath jaaoongaa)
→ I will go WITH Ram
यह तोहफा तुम्हारे लिए है
(Yah tohfaa tumhaare liye hai)
→ This gift is FOR you
पेड़ के नीचे बैठो
(Ped ke neeche baitho)
→ Sit BELOW the tree
🧩 Pattern: Most complex postpositions start with के (ke) or की (ki)!
🔄 The Oblique Case — A Quick Note
Before postpositions, nouns often change form. This is called the oblique case.
| Direct | Oblique (before postposition) |
|---|---|
| लड़का (ladkaa - boy) | लड़के को (ladke ko - to the boy) |
| घर (ghar - house) | घर में (ghar mein - in the house) |
| लड़की (ladkee - girl) | लड़की को (ladkee ko - to the girl) |
💡 Masculine nouns ending in आ (aa) change to ए (e) before postpositions!
🎯 Quick Summary
graph TD A[Hindi Postpositions] --> B[का/के/की] A --> C[को] A --> D[से] A --> E[में] A --> F[पर] A --> G[Complex] B --> B1["Ownership<br>Ram's book"] C --> C1["To/For<br>Give to mom"] D --> D1["From/By/With<br>From Delhi"] E --> E1["Inside<br>In the house"] F --> F1["On/At<br>On the table"] G --> G1["के साथ, के लिए<br>with, for"]
🌈 Remember This!
| Postposition | Think of… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| का/के/की | 👑 King’s crown | राम का घर (Ram’s house) |
| को | 🎯 Arrow to target | राम को दो (Give to Ram) |
| से | 🚀 Rocket from Earth | दिल्ली से (from Delhi) |
| में | 📦 Inside a box | डिब्बे में (in the box) |
| पर | 🎪 On top of tent | छत पर (on the roof) |
🎉 You Did It!
Now you know the magic glue words of Hindi! These six postpositions (plus their complex friends) will help you connect words and express yourself clearly.
Practice tip: Pick one postposition each day. Use it in 5 sentences. By the end of the week, you’ll be a postposition pro! 🌟
“Learning a language is like solving a puzzle. Each postposition is a piece that helps complete the picture!” 🧩