Definition of “To Be”
- English:
The verb “to be” indicates existence, identity, or a state of being. Its present tense forms include am, is, and are. - Hindi:
The concept of “being” is expressed with the verb “होना”. Depending on the subject (its person, number, and sometimes politeness), होना changes its form to हूँ, है, हैं, or हो.
2. Detailed Explanation with Subject-Verb Agreement
A. “Am”
- Usage in English:
- Used only with the first-person singular subject “I”.
- Example: “I am a teacher.”
- Hindi Equivalent:
- “हूँ” is used with “मैं” (I).
- Example in Hindi: “मैं एक शिक्षक हूँ।”
- Translation: “I am a teacher.”
B. “Is”
- Usage in English:
- Used with third-person singular subjects (he, she, it, or singular nouns).
- Example: “She is kind.”
- Hindi Equivalent:
- “है” is used with singular subjects like “वह” (he/she/it) or “यह” (this/that).
- Example in Hindi: “वह दयालु है।”
- Translation: “She is kind.”
C. “Are”
- Usage in English:
- Used with plural subjects and with the second-person singular or plural “you” (depending on context).
- Example 1: “They are students.”
- Example 2: “You are my friend.”
- Hindi Equivalent:
- “हैं” is generally used with plural subjects or with formal/plural forms of “you” (like “आप”).
- However, with the informal second-person singular “तुम”, a different form “हो” is often used.
- Examples in Hindi:
- “वे छात्र हैं।”
Translation: “They are students.” - “आप बहुत दयालु हैं।”
Translation: “You are very kind.” - “तुम मेरे दोस्त हो।”
Translation: “You are my friend.”
- “वे छात्र हैं।”
3. Summary Table of Forms
| Person/Subject | English Form | Hindi Subject | Hindi Form of “होना” | Example (Hindi) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-person singular | am | मैं | हूँ | मैं एक छात्र हूँ। | I am a student. |
| Third-person singular | is | वह/यह | है | वह डॉक्टर है। | He/She is a doctor. |
| Second-person singular | are (informal) | तुम | हो | तुम मेरे दोस्त हो। | You are my friend. |
| Second-person singular | are (formal) | आप | हैं | आप बहुत समझदार हैं। | You are very intelligent. |
| First/Third-person plural | are | हम/वे | हैं | हम अच्छे हैं। वे खुश हैं। | We are good. They are happy. |
4. Additional Notes
Position in Sentence:
In Hindi, the verb (in its appropriate form) usually comes at the end of the sentence. In contrast, in English, the verb generally follows the subject.Negation:
To make a negative sentence, Hindi adds “नहीं” before the verb form.- Example:
- English: “I am not a teacher.”
- Hindi: “मैं शिक्षक नहीं हूँ।”
- Example:
Context of Formality:
Hindi distinguishes between formal and informal forms, especially for “you.”- Informal “you”: तुम (using “हो”)
- Formal “you”: आप (using “हैं”)
5. More Examples
Example with “am”:
- English: “I am happy.”
- Hindi: “मैं खुश हूँ।”
Example with “is”:
- English: “It is a beautiful day.”
- Hindi: “यह एक सुंदर दिन है।”
Example with “are”:
- English: “We are ready.”
- Hindi: “हम तैयार हैं।”
More Examples Using “Am”
Example:
- English: I am hungry.
- Hindi: मैं भूखा हूँ।
Note: For a female speaker, it would be **”मैं भूखी हूँ।”_
Example:
- English: I am a student.
- Hindi: मैं छात्र हूँ।
Note: For a female student, use **”मैं छात्रा हूँ।”_
Example (Negative):
- English: I am not tired.
- Hindi: मैं थका हुआ नहीं हूँ।
Note: For a female speaker, **”मैं थकी हुई नहीं हूँ।”_
More Examples Using “Is”
Example:
- English: She is my teacher.
- Hindi: वह मेरी शिक्षिका है।
Note: If referring to a male teacher, it would be **”वह मेरा शिक्षक है।”_
Example:
- English: It is a red apple.
- Hindi: यह लाल सेब है।
Example:
- English: He is very kind.
- Hindi: वह बहुत दयालु है।
Example:
- English: This book is interesting.
- Hindi: यह किताब रोचक है।
More Examples Using “Are”
Example:
- English: They are my friends.
- Hindi: वे मेरे दोस्त हैं।
Example (Informal “you”):
- English: You are intelligent.
- Hindi: तुम बुद्धिमान हो।
Example (Formal “you”):
- English: You are very kind.
- Hindi: आप बहुत दयालु हैं।
Example:
- English: We are excited for the trip.
- Hindi: हम यात्रा के लिए उत्साहित हैं।
Example:
- English: The dogs are playful.
- Hindi: कुत्ते शरारती हैं।
Note: Here, “हैं” is used since कुत्ते (dogs) is plural.
Summary Table of Additional Examples
| English Sentence | Hindi Translation | Verb Form Used |
|---|---|---|
| I am hungry. | मैं भूखा हूँ। | am (हूँ) |
| I am a student. | मैं छात्र हूँ। | am (हूँ) |
| I am not tired. | मैं थका हुआ नहीं हूँ। | am (हूँ) |
| She is my teacher. | वह मेरी शिक्षिका है। | is (है) |
| It is a red apple. | यह लाल सेब है। | is (है) |
| He is very kind. | वह बहुत दयालु है। | is (है) |
| This book is interesting. | यह किताब रोचक है। | is (है) |
| They are my friends. | वे मेरे दोस्त हैं। | are (हैं) |
| You (informal) are intelligent. | तुम बुद्धिमान हो। | are (हो) |
| You (formal) are very kind. | आप बहुत दयालु हैं। | are (हैं) |
| We are excited for the trip. | हम यात्रा के लिए उत्साहित हैं। | are (हैं) |
| The dogs are playful. | कुत्ते शरारती हैं। | are (हैं) |
