Hindi marks grammatical relationships with postpositions (परसर्ग) that follow the noun, where English would place a preposition before it. This reference lists the major postpositions with their meaning, the case they govern, and a worked example.
How it works
Hindi has a two-way case system in the singular: the direct case (used when there is no postposition) and the oblique case (used whenever a postposition follows). The single most important rule is:
Any postposition forces the preceding noun or pronoun into the oblique case.
So लड़का (boy, direct) becomes लड़के before any postposition, and the pronoun मैं (I) becomes the oblique stem मुझ before को, giving मुझको. Possessive का/के/की additionally agrees in gender and number with the thing possessed, not the possessor.
Core postpositions at a glance
| Postposition | Romanised | Primary meaning | Common use |
|---|---|---|---|
| में | mein | in, inside | Location: घर में (in the house) |
| पर | par | on, at | Surface/time: मेज़ पर (on the table) |
| को | ko | to, for (dative); marks definite object | राम को दो (give to Ram) |
| से | se | from, with, by | Origin/instrument: दिल्ली से (from Delhi) |
| के लिए | ke lie | for | Purpose: तुम्हारे लिए (for you) |
| का/के/की | kā/ke/kī | of, ‘s (possessive) | रमेश का घर (Ramesh’s house) |
| तक | tak | until, up to | Time/distance: रात तक (until night) |
| के साथ | ke sāth | with (accompaniment) | मेरे साथ (with me) |
| के बारे में | ke bāre mein | about, regarding | इस बारे में (about this) |
| ने | ne | ergative subject marker | राम ने खाया (Ram ate) |
The oblique case: what changes
Before any postposition, the preceding noun or pronoun shifts to its oblique form. The most common patterns:
- Masculine ा-ending nouns:
लड़का→लड़के,घरremainsघर(already ends in consonant) - Feminine nouns: mostly unchanged in the oblique singular
- Pronouns: मैं → मुझ (before को/से/पर), तुम → तुम्हें/तुम (varies), वह → उस/उसे
- का/के/की: the possessive agrees with the gender and number of the possessed object, not the possessor — so रमेश की बहन (Ramesh’s sister) uses की because बहन (sister) is feminine
The ने rule — ergative construction
Hindi has an ergative construction with perfective transitive verbs: the subject takes ने and the verb agrees with the object, not the subject. This is one of Hindi’s most confusing features for learners:
लड़के ने किताब पढ़ी— The boy read the book (verb पढ़ी agrees with किताब, feminine)लड़की ने खाना खाया— The girl ate food (verb खाया agrees with खाना, masculine)
ने is only used with transitive verbs in the perfective — never with intransitive verbs or in non-perfective tenses.
Compound postpositions built on के
Most compound postpositions begin with के (the masculine oblique of का). Because they start with के, the noun before them must be in the oblique case:
मेरे लिए(for me) — notमैं के लिएघर के पास(near the house) — notघर पासउसके बारे में(about him/her) — oblique उस + के = उसके
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