A1 · Nouns
The oblique: the form before a postposition
the oblique case
Before any postposition a noun takes its oblique form: कमरा becomes कमरे में, and every plural ends in -ों.
At a glance
- Remember
- Before a postposition, singular -a turns to -e, and every plural ends in -on.
- Form
- लड़का / लड़के कोthe boy / to the boy
- Signal words
- में
- पर
- को
- से
- का
- की
- के
- Trap
- Wrong:इन किताबें में तस्वीरें हैं।Right:इन किताबों में तस्वीरें हैं।
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
| the boy / to the boy | लड़का / लड़के को |
| the boys / to the boys | लड़के / लड़कों को |
| house / in the houses | घर / घरों में |
| girl / with the girls | लड़की / लड़कियों के साथ |
| book / in the books | किताब / किताबों में |
| this big room / in this big room | यह बड़ा कमरा / इस बड़े कमरे में |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
Before any postposition a noun takes its oblique form.
बच्चे कमरे में हैं।The children are in the room.
In the singular only masculine nouns in -ā change, to -e.
लड़के को बुलाइए।Please call the boy.
In the plural every noun takes -õ.
पापा ने बच्चों को कहानी सुनाई।Dad told the children a story.
Nouns in -ī take -iyõ.
वह लड़कियों के साथ खेलती है।She plays with the girls.
Example sentences
बेटे का नाम अमन है।The son’s name is Aman.
दरवाज़े पर कोई है।There is someone at the door.
मैं दोस्तों के साथ बाहर जा रहा हूँ।I’m going out with friends.
इन किताबों में तस्वीरें हैं।There are pictures in these books.
लड़कियों को इनाम मिला।The girls got a prize.
यह बच्चों का कमरा है।This is the children’s room.
6 more example sentences
कमरे की खिड़की खुली है।The window of the room is open.
इन घरों में बिजली नहीं है।There is no electricity in these houses.
लड़के से पूछिए।Ask the boy.
बहनों के लिए तोहफ़े हैं।There are presents for the sisters.
उस कुत्ते से दूर रहो।Keep away from that dog.
इस शहर में बहुत पेड़ हैं।There are a lot of trees in this town.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The plain plural किताबें is the form learners know, so they keep it before the postposition. But a plural before a postposition is always the -õ form: किताबों में, लड़कियों को, घरों से.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
A noun followed by a postposition — में, पर, को, से, का and all the others — does not stand in its plain form. It takes the oblique form, and the rules are short.
In the singular only masculine nouns in -ा change, and they change to -े: कमरा → कमरे में, लड़का → लड़के को, बेटा → बेटे का. Every other singular noun stays as it is: घर में, लड़की को, किताब पर.
In the plural every noun changes, and all of them end in -ों: लड़कों को, घरों में, किताबों पर, बहनों के साथ. Nouns in -ी make it -ियों: लड़कियों को, चाबियों से.
The words in front of the noun change too. यह and वह become इस and उस, ये and वे become इन and उन, and adjectives in -ā take -e: बड़ा कमरा, but इस बड़े कमरे में.
A closer look
One form for every postposition
Unlike the cases of Latin or German, the oblique is a single form that serves every postposition alike. The postposition says what the relation is; the oblique only says “a postposition follows”. That makes it easy: learn two endings, -e and -õ, and they work with में, को, के साथ and all the rest.
The whole phrase changes
Everything in front of the noun goes oblique with it: मेरा छोटा भाई (my little brother) but मेरे छोटे भाई को (to my little brother); वे पुराने घर but उन पुराने घरों में. Feminine adjectives do not change: मेरी छोटी बहन को.
Worth knowing (2)
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The oblique without a postposition
A few time expressions are oblique with no postposition after them: इस साल (this year), अगले हफ़्ते (next week), उस दिन (that day).
मैं अगले हफ़्ते दिल्ली जाऊँगा।I will go to Delhi next week.
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Calling people
When you call out to several people, the plural ends in -ो with no nasal: बच्चो!, दोस्तो!, भाइयो और बहनो!.
बच्चो, अंदर आओ!Children, come inside!
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