A2 · Can, want, must
जाना है: having to, as a plan
obligation with the infinitive and होना
मुझे जाना है, “I have to go / I’m to go”: the person takes को, the infinitive is followed by है or था.
At a glance
- Remember
- Mujhe jana hai: to me, going is — a plan, not a command.
- Form
- मुझे … जाना हैI have to
- Signal words
- मुझे … है
- जाना है
- करना है
- था
- Trap
- Wrong:मैं कल दफ़्तर जाना है।Right:मुझे कल दफ़्तर जाना है।
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
| I have to | मुझे … जाना है |
| where do you need to go? | आपको कहाँ जाना है? |
| had to, was to | मुझे … जाना था |
| feminine object | मुझे चिट्ठी लिखनी है |
| feminine plural object | मुझे चिट्ठियाँ लिखनी हैं |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
Person with को + infinitive + है expresses a plan or a task.
मुझे कल सुबह जल्दी उठना है।I have to get up early tomorrow.
था moves it into the past.
उसे कल डॉक्टर के पास जाना था।She was supposed to go to the doctor yesterday.
A feminine object can make the infinitive agree.
मुझे आज दो चिट्ठियाँ लिखनी हैं।I have to write two letters today.
It also says what you want to do next.
मुझे आपसे कुछ पूछना है।There is something I want to ask you.
Example sentences
मुझे कल सुबह जल्दी उठना है।I have to get up early tomorrow.
हमें पाँच बजे स्टेशन पहुँचना है।We have to be at the station at five.
आपको कहाँ जाना है?Where do you need to go?
मुझे आज दो चिट्ठियाँ लिखनी हैं।I have to write two letters today.
उसे कल डॉक्टर के पास जाना था।She was supposed to go to the doctor yesterday.
मुझे आपसे कुछ पूछना है।There is something I want to ask you.
5 more example sentences
आपको किस स्टेशन पर उतरना है?Which station do you need to get off at?
मुझे अभी बहुत काम करना है।I still have a lot of work to do.
हमें नौ बजे तक होटल पहुँचना था।We were supposed to reach the hotel by nine.
तुम्हें क्या ख़रीदना है?What do you need to buy?
बच्चों को कल परीक्षा देनी है।The children have an exam tomorrow.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English starts with “I”, so learners start with मैं. But the subject of है here is the infinitive, “going”; the person is the one for whom it is, मुझे.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
The plainest way to say what you have to do is the infinitive followed by है, with the person in the को form: मुझे कल दिल्ली जाना है, “I have to go to Delhi tomorrow”; आपको कहाँ जाना है?, “where do you need to go?” — a question every rickshaw driver asks.
It describes a plan or a task that is on your list, neither the gentle advice of चाहिए nor the pressure of पड़ना. Often it is close to English “I’m supposed to” or simply “I want to”: मुझे आपसे कुछ पूछना है, “there’s something I want to ask you”.
With था it moves into the past: मुझे कल डॉक्टर के पास जाना था, “I had to / was supposed to go to the doctor yesterday” — often with the suggestion that it did not happen.
As with चाहिए, a feminine object can make the infinitive and the auxiliary agree: मुझे दो चिट्ठियाँ लिखनी हैं. The unagreeing लिखना है is also widely used.
A closer look
Three ways to say “have to”
मुझे जाना है: it is on my list. मुझे जाना चाहिए: it is the right thing to do. मुझे जाना पड़ेगा: I have no choice. English “I have to go” can mean any of the three, and Hindi makes you pick.
In a hurry at the end of a conversation, all three are heard; अब मुझे चलना है and अब मुझे चलना चाहिए are the friendly ones.
Worth knowing (1)
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Exams are “given”
A student does not “write” or “take” an exam in Hindi but “gives” it: परीक्षा देना. With है: मुझे कल परीक्षा देनी है, with देनी agreeing with the feminine परीक्षा.
मुझे अगले हफ़्ते परीक्षा देनी है।I have an exam next week.
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