Hindi pronouns

The Hindi personal pronouns and possessives 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 used with 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 three cases, nominative, oblique (and ergative), and dative/accusative. The oblique and ergative case is used with the case marking postpositions to form the ergative, accusative/dative, instrumental/dative, 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 mention in the table below:

Case Marker	Postposition	Explanation	Example	English
Ergative	ने (ne)	marks the subject of the sentence	इसने (isne)	he/she
Accusative	को (ko)	marks the receiver of an action	इसको (isko)	him/her
Dative		marks the indirect object; can also mark the subject (quirky subject)		to him/her
Instrumental	से (se)	marks the object with/using which the action was done	इससे (isse)	with him/her
Ablative		shows movement away from the object		from him/her
Genitive	का (kā)	shows possession	इसका (iskā)	his/her(s)
Inessive	में (mẽ)	shows something is in/inside something	इसमें (ismẽ)	in him/her
Adessive	पे / पर (pe / par)	shows something is on/at something	इसपे (ispe)	on him/her
Terminative	तक (tak)	shows something is goes up to the object	इसतक (istak)	till him/her
Semblative	सा (sā)	shows resemblance	इससा (issā)	like him/her

Note:

• The pronoun इस (is) which is the oblique case of the nominative demonstrative pronoun वह (vah) 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 follow the following declension by changing their end vowels:

Declension Pattern Case Masculine Feminine Singular Plural Singular Plural Nominative ा -ā े -e ी -ī Oblique े -e

Genitive Marker Case Masculine Feminine Singular Plural Singular Plural Nominative का kā के ke की kī Oblique के ke

Semblative Marker Case Masculine Feminine Singular Plural Singular Plural Nominative सा sā से se सी sī Oblique से 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.

Case 1st Person 2nd Person Singular Plural Intimate Familiar Formal Singular Plural Nominative मैं mãĩ हम ham तू tū तुम tum आप āp Oblique Ergative Regular मुझ mujh तुझ tujh Regular (Emphatic) मुझी mujhī हमीं hamī̃ तुझी tujhī तुम्हीं tumhī̃ — Ergative (Emphatic) — — Accusative मुझे mujhe हमें hamẽ तुझे tujhe तुम्हें tumhẽ — Dative

Postpositional Pronouns using the Oblique/Ergative Cases Case 1st Person 2nd Person Singular Plural Intimate Familiar Formal Singular Plural Ergative मैंने mãĩne हमने hamne तूने tūne तुमने tumne आपने āpne Accusative मुझको mujhko हमको hamko तुझको tujhko तुमको tumko आपको āpko Dative Instrumental मुझसे mujhse हमसे hamse तुझसे tujhse तुमसे tumse आपसे āpse Ablative Genitive — — — — आपका āpkā Inessive मुझमें mujhmẽ हममें hammẽ तुझमें tujhmẽ तुममें tummẽ आपमें āpmẽ Adessive मुझपे mujhpe हमपे hampe तुझपे tujhpe तुमपे tumpe आपपे āppe Terminative मुझतक mujhtak हमतक hamtak तुझतक tujhtak तुमतक tumtak आपतक āptak Semblative मुझसा mujhsā हमसा hamsā तुझसा tujhsā तुमसा tumsā आपसा āpsā

Note:

• In the eastern dialects of Hindi, the pronoun हम ham is used as both the first person singular and plural pronoun. When plurality is to be implied then words such as लोग log (people), सब sab (all) are added after the pronoun.
• True genitive pronouns exist for the personal pronouns (except आप āp) 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 interrogative and the relative 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.

Case Demonstrative Interrogative Relative Proximal Non-proximal Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Nominative Literary यह yah ये ye वह vah वे ve क्या,कौन kyā, kaun जो jo Colloquial ये ye वो vo Emphatic यही yahī वही vahī — — (जो भी) (jo bhī) Accusative इसे ise इन्हें inhẽ उसे use उन्हें unhẽ किसे kise किन्हें inhẽ जिसे jise जिन्हें jinhẽ Dative Oblique Regular इस is इन in उस us उन un किस kis किन kin जिस jis जिन jin Ergative इन्हों inhõ उन्हों unhõ किन्हों kinhõ जिन्हों jinhõ Emphatic इसी isī इन्हीं inhī̃ उसी usī उन्हीं unhī̃ किसी kisī किन्हीं kinhī̃ — —

Postpositional Pronouns using the Oblique & Ergative Cases Case Demonstrative Interrogative Relative Proximal Non-proximal Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Ergative इसने isne इन्होंने inhõne उसने usne उन्होंने inhõne किसने kisne किन्होंने kinhõne जिसने jisne जिन्होंने jinhõne Accusative इसको isko इनको inko उसको usko उनको unko किसको kisko किनको kinko जिसको jisko जिनको jinko Dative Instrumental इससे isse इनसे inse उससे usse उनसे unse किससे kisse किनसे kinse जिससे jisse जिनसे kinse Ablative Genitive इसका iskā इनका inkā उसका uskā उनका unkā किसका kiskā किनका kinkā जिसका jiskā जिनका jinkā Inessive इसमें ismẽ इनमें inmẽ उसमें usmẽ उनमें unmẽ किसमें kismẽ किनमें kinmẽ जिसमें jismẽ जिनमें jinmẽ Adessive इसपे ispe इनपे inpe उसपे uspe उनपे unpe किसपे kispe किनपे kinpe जिसपे jispe जिनपे jinpe Terminative इसतक istak इनतक intak उसतक ustak उनतक untak किसतक kistak किनतक kintak जिसतक jistak जिनतक jintak Semblative इससा issa इनसा insa उससा ussa उनसा unsa किससा kissa किनसा kinsa जिससा jissa जिनसा jinsa

Notes:

• The ergative case is predominantly used with animate nouns.
• कौन kaun is the animate interrogative and क्या kyā 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).

Person Nominative Genitive Masculine Feminine Singular Plural Oblique Singular Plural Oblique 1st Person मैं mãĩ मेरा merā मेरे mere मेरी merī हम ham हमारा hamārā हमारे hamāre हमारी hamārī 2nd Person Intimate तू tū तेरा terā तेरे tere तेरी terī Familiar तुम tum तुम्हारा tumhārā तुम्हारे tumhāre तुम्हारी tumhārī Formal आप āp आपका āpkā आपके āpke आपकी āpkī

Person Nominative Genitive Masculine Feminine Singular Plural Oblique Singular Plural Oblique Demonstrative Proximal Singular यह yah ये ye इसका iskā इसके iske इसकी iskī Plural ये ye इनका inkā इनके inke इनकी inkī Distal Singular वह vah वो vo उसका uskā उसके uske उसकी uskī Plural वे ve उनका unkā उनके unke उनकी unkī Interrogative Singular कौन, क्या kaun, kyā किसका kiskā किसके kiske किसकी kiskī Plural किनका kinkā किनके kinke किनकी kinkī Relative Singular जो, सो jo, so जिसका jiskā जिसके jiske जिसकी jiskī Plural जिनका jinkā जिनके jinke जिनकी jinkī

• 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 animate and inanimate relative pronoun. सो (so) (inanimate relative pronoun) also sometimes used but in a limited manner.

Reflexive Pronouns

There are a number of 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 cases—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.

Case			Masculine		Feminine
			Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
Declinable	Nominative		अपना apnā	अपने apne	अपनी apnī
	Oblique	with noun	अपने apne
		sans noun	अपने apne	अपनों apnõ	अपनी apnī	अप्नियों apniyõ
Undeclinable	Nominative		ख़ुद khud
	Oblique
	Nominative		स्वयं svayam
	Oblique

Indefinite Pronouns

There are two indefinite pronouns in Hindi: कोई koī (someone, somebody) and कुछ kuch (something). कुछ kuch is also used as an adjective (numeral and quantitative) and as an adverb meaning ‘some, a few, a little, partly.’ Similarly, कोई koī can be used as an adverb in the sense of ‘some, about.’ When it is used with the semblative postposition सा sā the pronoun कोई सा koī sā (of some kind, some, something) is formed. The indefinite pronouns of Hindi are mentioned in the table below:

Case		Animate	Inanimate	Animate	Inanimate	Animate	Inanimate
		Singular		Plural (some)		Plural (several)
Nominative		कोई koī	कुछ kuch			कई kaī
Oblique	with noun	किसी kisī		कुछ kuch
	sans noun			किन्हीं kinhī̃	कुछों kuchõ	कइयों kaīyõ

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:

Interrogative Relative Demonstrative Proximal Non-proximal Undeclinable Time कब kab जब jab अब ab तब tab Direction किधर kidhar जिधर jidhar इधर idhar उधर udhar Place कहाँ kahā̃ जहाँ jahā̃ यहाँ yahā̃ वहाँ vahā̃ Manner कैसे kaise जैसे jaise ऐसे aise वैसे vaise Declinable Quantity कितना kitnā जितना jitnā इतना itnā उतना utnā Quality कैसा kaisā जैसा jaisā ऐसा aisā वैसा vaisā

Declension Pattern Case Masculine Feminine Singular Plural Singular Plural Nominative ा -ā े -e ी -ī Oblique with noun े -e sans noun े -e ों -õ ी -ī ियों -iyõ Declension for कितना (kitnā) [how much?] Case Masculine Feminine Singular Plural Singular Plural Nominative कितना kitnā कितने kitne कितनी kitnī Oblique with noun कितने kitne sans noun कितने kitne कितनों kitnõ कितनी kitnī कितनियों kitniyõ

Bibliography

• Schmidt, Hans (2003). "Temathesis in Rotuman" (PDF). In John Lynch (ed.). Issues in Austronesian Historical Phonology. Pacific Linguistics Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies. pp. 175–207. ISBN 978-0-85883-503-0.
• Shapiro, Michael C. (2003). "Hindi". In Cardona, George; Jain, Dhanesh (eds.). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Routledge. pp. 250–285. ISBN 978-0-415-77294-5.
• Snell, Rupert; Weightman, Simon (1989). Teach Yourself Hindi (2003 ed.). McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-142012-9.