Masculine, feminine and plurals
The big idea
Section titled “The big idea”Every Hindi noun is masculine or feminine. Adjectives and verbs change their ending to match. Tamil does not do this for the speaker, so this is the part to practise most.
The three things that decide the ending:
| Situation | What decides gender | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Talking about yourself | You (the speaker) | Main bhookha hoon (man) / Main bhookhi hoon (woman) |
| Describing a thing | The thing | Ghar bada hai / Gaadi badi hai |
| Talking to someone | The listener | Kya aap bhookhe hain? (to a man) / Kya aap bhookhi hain? (to a woman) |
Adjectives ending in -a
Section titled “Adjectives ending in -a”| Masculine singular | Feminine | Masculine plural |
|---|---|---|
| bada ghar (big house) | badi gaadi (big car) | bade ghar (big houses) |
| achha khaana (good food) | achhi chai (good tea) | achhe log (good people) |
| thanda paani (cold water) | thandi chai (cold tea) | thande kamre (cold rooms) |
Adjectives that do not end in -a never change: theek, garam, sundar (beautiful).
Verbs (habit): -ta, -ti, -te
Section titled “Verbs (habit): -ta, -ti, -te”| Meaning | Man | Woman | Plural or respect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I go / he goes | jaata | jaati | jaate hain |
| I drink | peeta | peeti | peete hain |
| I eat | khaata | khaati | khaate hain |
| I speak | bolta | bolti | bolte hain |
Example: Main chai peeta hoon (man) and Main chai peeti hoon (woman). For a respected person: Papa chai peete hain.
Nouns: which are masculine, which feminine?
Section titled “Nouns: which are masculine, which feminine?”There is no perfect rule, so learn each noun with its adjective. These help:
- Many nouns ending in -a are masculine: khaana, kamra, beta.
- Many nouns ending in -i or -ee are feminine: gaadi, roti, beti, chai.
- People follow their sex: bhai, papa, beta are masculine and behen, maa, beti are feminine.
- Others you must simply learn: ghar, paani, doodh, naam, parivaar are masculine; kitaab, daal, sabzi, umar are feminine.
Plural nouns
Section titled “Plural nouns”| Singular | Plural | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| ladka (boy) | ladke | masculine -a becomes -e |
| ladki (girl) | ladkiyaan | feminine -i becomes -iyaan |
| kitaab (book) | kitaabein | feminine ending in a consonant adds -ein |
| behen (sister) | behenein | same rule |
| ghar (house) | ghar | masculine ending in a consonant does not change |
| bhai (brother) | bhai | does not change |
Examples: Mere paas paanch kitaabein hain. (I have five books.) Do ladke aur teen ladkiyaan. (Two boys and three girls.)
இந்தியில் ஒவ்வொரு பெயர்ச்சொல்லும் ஆண்பால் அல்லது பெண்பால். பெயரடைகளும் வினைகளும் அதற்கேற்ப மாறும். ஆண்பாலில் பொதுவாக -a (bada, jaata), பெண்பாலில் -i (badi, jaati). பேசுபவர் தன்னைப் பற்றிச் சொல்லும்போது பேசுபவரின் பாலும், பொருளை விவரிக்கும்போது பொருளின் பாலும், ஒருவரிடம் பேசும்போது கேட்பவரின் பாலும் முடிவு செய்யும். பன்மை: ladka → ladke, ladki → ladkiyaan, kitaab → kitaabein.