A1 · Postpositions
In and on: में and पर
the postpositions in and on
Hindi says “room in” and “table on”, and the noun before the postposition changes its form.
At a glance
- Remember
- Mein is inside, par is on top — and the noun before them takes its oblique form.
- Form
- कमरे मेंin the room
- Signal words
- में
- पर
- Trap
- Wrong:चाबी कमरा में है।Right:चाबी कमरे में है।
Your turn
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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.
| in the room | कमरे में |
| in the bag | बैग में |
| on the table | मेज़ पर |
| on the roof | छत पर |
| at home | घर पर |
| at the station | स्टेशन पर |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
में means in or inside and comes after the noun.
दूध फ़्रिज में है।The milk is in the fridge.
पर means on, and at a place where something happens.
किताब मेज़ पर है।The book is on the table.
A masculine noun in -ā takes -e before a postposition.
चाबी कमरे में है।The key is in the room.
Towns and countries always take में.
मेरी बहन दिल्ली में रहती है।My sister lives in Delhi.
Example sentences
मेरा फ़ोन बैग में है।My phone is in the bag.
बिल्ली छत पर बैठी है।The cat is sitting on the roof.
पापा अभी दफ़्तर में हैं।Dad is at the office now.
दीवार पर एक घड़ी है।There is a clock on the wall.
आज मैं घर पर हूँ।I am at home today.
बच्चे कमरे में खेल रहे हैं।The children are playing in the room.
6 more example sentences
पानी बोतल में है।The water is in the bottle.
गाड़ी सड़क पर खड़ी है।The car is standing on the road.
तस्वीर दीवार पर है।The picture is on the wall.
चाय कप में है।The tea is in the cup.
वह समय पर आया।He came on time.
हम स्टेशन पर मिलेंगे।We will meet at the station.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Before any postposition a masculine noun in -ā takes its oblique form in -e. Leaving कमरा unchanged is the commonest beginner’s mistake; it has to be कमरे में.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
मेंmeans in or insideपरmeans on Both stand after the noun: बैग में, “in the bag”; दीवार पर, “on the wall”.
A masculine noun ending in -ा changes that ending to -े before any postposition: कमरा becomes कमरे में. This form is called the oblique. Feminine nouns and masculine nouns ending in a consonant do not change in the singular: मेज़ पर, घर में.
पर also means “at” a place where something happens: घर पर is “at home”, while घर में is “inside the house”. In the same way दफ़्तर में and दफ़्तर पर can both be heard, with the same difference.
Towns, countries and areas always take में: दिल्ली में, भारत में, बाज़ार में. English “at the station” is usually स्टेशन पर, because a station is a place where something happens.
A closer look
Why “at home” is पर
घर पर places a person at home as a location, the way English says “at”. घर में is about the inside of the building: घर में चार कमरे हैं, “the house has four rooms”.
पर for time
पर can also mark a point in time or an occasion: समय पर(on time)जन्मदिन पर(on someone’s birthday)छुट्टी पर(on holiday) Days of the week and dates, however, take को.
Worth knowing (2)
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A city takes में
Living in a city or a country is always में: मुंबई में, भारत में.
मैं मुंबई में रहता हूँ।I live in Mumbai.
-
Pronouns join में
After a pronoun, में is written as one word with it: इसमें (in this), उसमें (in that).
इस डिब्बे में क्या है? इसमें किताबें हैं।What is in this box? There are books in it.
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