A1 · Requests, wishes and conditions
Asking politely: बैठिए, कीजिए, दीजिए
the polite imperative
For आप add इए to the stem: बैठिए, आइए; and four verbs have their own form: कीजिए, दीजिए, लीजिए, पीजिए.
At a glance
- Remember
- For aap: stem plus -iye — and kijiye, dijiye, lijiye, pijiye for the four old verbs.
- Form
- बैठिए, लिखिए, आइए, बोलिएstem + -इए
- Signal words
- कृपया
- ज़रा
- आइए
- -इए
- -इएगा
- जी
- Trap
- Wrong:मुझे पानी देइए।Right:मुझे पानी दीजिए।
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Hindi.
| stem + -इए | बैठिए, लिखिए, आइए, बोलिए |
| करना | कीजिए |
| देना, लेना | दीजिए, लीजिए |
| पीना | पीजिए |
| more courteous, later | बैठिएगा, आइएगा, कीजिएगा |
| formal notice | कृपया यहाँ लिखिए |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
For आप, add -इए to the stem.
आइए, बैठिए।Come in, have a seat.
करना, देना, लेना and पीना have special forms.
मुझे एक कप चाय दीजिए।A cup of tea, please.
-इएगा is softer still and often refers to later.
कल ज़रूर आइएगा।Please do come tomorrow.
कृपया before it makes a formal request.
कृपया यहाँ अपना नाम लिखिए।Please write your name here.
Example sentences
आइए, बैठिए।Come in, have a seat.
कृपया यहाँ अपना नाम लिखिए।Please write your name here.
थोड़ा और खाना लीजिए।Please have some more.
मुझे एक कप चाय दीजिए।A cup of tea, please.
ज़रा धीरे बोलिए।Could you speak a little slower?
कल ज़रूर आइएगा।Please do come tomorrow.
6 more example sentences
यह फ़ॉर्म ध्यान से भरिए।Please fill in this form carefully.
एक मिनट रुकिए।Wait a minute, please.
मेरी बात सुनिए।Please listen to me.
आप भी कुछ पीजिए।Do have something to drink too.
हमारे घर ज़रूर आइएगा।Do come and visit us.
मेरी थोड़ी मदद कीजिए।Please help me a little.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The regular rule would give देइए, but देना belongs to the four verbs with a form of their own: दीजिए, like कीजिए, लीजिए and पीजिए.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Speaking to anyone you call आप — a stranger, an older person, a customer, a teacher — the command is the stem plus -इए: बैठना → बैठिए, लिखना → लिखिए, आना → आइए, बोलना → बोलिए. It is courteous in itself; कृपया, “please”, adds formality, as on a notice.
Four common verbs form it from a different stem: करना → कीजिए, देना → दीजिए, लेना → लीजिए, पीना → पीजिए. You will also hear करिए for कीजिए; it is widespread in speech, while कीजिए is the form of careful speech and writing.
Adding -गा gives a still more courteous form, -इएगा: बैठिएगा, आइएगा, कीजिएगा. It is softer and often points to later: कल ज़रूर आइएगा, “please do come tomorrow”. It is what a host says at the door.
The forms are spelt with -ए: बैठिए, चाहिए, आइए. The older spellings with -ये are still seen on signs, and they are pronounced the same.
A closer look
आप with a तुम command
Mixing the levels is the commonest slip: आप यहाँ बैठो. Each word on its own is fine, but together they say “you, sir, sit here, mate”. Once you have chosen आप, the verb must follow: आप यहाँ बैठिए.
The reverse also happens. Shopkeepers and parents speak to children and to friends with -ओ, and a learner who answers everyone with -इए will sound formal but never rude. When in doubt, choose -इए.
The infinitive and the subjunctive as requests
Notices and instructions often use the subjunctive with आप instead: कृपया लाइन में खड़े रहें, “please stay in the queue”; यहाँ गाड़ी न खड़ी करें. It is impersonal and formal, the tone of a sign or a form.
Worth knowing (1)
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सुनिए to get attention
सुनिए, “listen”, is the polite way to address a stranger, a waiter or a shop assistant: it does the work of English “excuse me”. सुनिए जी is warmer still.
सुनिए, स्टेशन किधर है?Excuse me, which way is the station?
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