A1 · Postpositions
से: from, with, by, since
the postposition से
से is from, with a tool, by a means of transport, since a time, and the partner of ask, talk and meet.
At a glance
- Remember
- Se is from, with, by and since — and you ask, talk to and meet people se.
- Form
- दिल्ली सेfrom Delhi
- Signal words
- से
- मुझसे
- आपसे
- Trap
- Wrong:मैं कल राम को मिला।Right:मैं कल राम से मिला।
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
| from Delhi | दिल्ली से |
| with a pen | पेन से |
| by bus | बस से |
| since Monday | सोमवार से |
| ask the teacher | टीचर से पूछना |
| talk to a friend | दोस्त से बात करना |
| meet Ram | राम से मिलना |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
से means “from” a place, a person or a time.
वह अभी दफ़्तर से आई है।She has just come from the office.
से means “with” a tool and “by” a means of transport.
मैं बस से जाता हूँ।I go by bus.
With a point in time से means “since”.
मैं सोमवार से बीमार हूँ।I have been ill since Monday.
Ask, talk to, meet and be afraid of take से.
मैं टीचर से पूछूँगा।I will ask the teacher.
से is also “than”.
आज कल से ठंडा है।Today is colder than yesterday.
Example sentences
यह ट्रेन मुंबई से आ रही है।This train is coming from Mumbai.
बच्चा चम्मच से खाता है।The child eats with a spoon.
मैं सुबह से काम कर रहा हूँ।I have been working since this morning.
आप उससे बात कीजिए।Please talk to him.
मैं कुत्तों से डरता हूँ।I am afraid of dogs.
हम ट्रेन से जयपुर गए।We went to Jaipur by train.
6 more example sentences
मैं दो साल से हिंदी सीख रहा हूँ।I have been learning Hindi for two years.
कृपया ध्यान से सुनिए।Please listen carefully.
मैंने पेन से लिखा।I wrote with a pen.
दरवाज़ा बाहर से बंद है।The door is locked from the outside.
क्या आप मेरे पिताजी से मिले?Did you meet my father?
यह घर स्टेशन से दूर है।This house is far from the station.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English “meet Ram” has a plain object, and a person as object usually takes को. But मिलना in the sense of meeting someone takes से: राम से मिला. राम को मिला would mean that Ram received or found something.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
से starts as “from”: from a place (दिल्ली से), from a person (दोस्त से), from a time (सुबह से). मैं लंदन से हूँ is “I am from London”.
It is also the instrument and the means: पेन से लिखना(to write with a pen)चम्मच से खाना(to eat with a spoon)बस से जाना(to go by bus) In adverbs it means “with” a quality: ध्यान से (carefully, with attention), प्यार से (lovingly).
With a point in time it means “since”, and then the verb is usually in the present where English uses the present perfect: मैं सोमवार से बीमार हूँ, “I have been ill since Monday”; वह दो साल से यहाँ रहता है, “he has lived here for two years”.
Some verbs take से where English has a plain object or “to”: से पूछना(to ask someone)से बात करना(to talk to someone)से मिलना(to meet someone)से डरना(to be afraid of) And से is the “than” of comparisons.
A closer look
“Since” and “for” with the present
English uses the present perfect for something that began in the past and still goes on: “I have lived here for two years”. Hindi uses the present with से: मैं दो साल से यहाँ रहता हूँ. The same से covers both “since” and “for”, because it marks where the period starts or how long it has lasted.
Adverbs with से
Many manner adverbs are a noun or adjective with से: ध्यान से (carefully), आराम से (slowly, comfortably), जल्दी से(quickly)ठीक से(properly) They stand before the verb like any adverb.
Worth knowing (2)
-
Written together with a pronoun
After a pronoun, से is one word with it: मुझसे, आपसे, उनसे.
आपसे मिलकर ख़ुशी हुई।Nice to meet you.
-
से … तक: from … to
से gives the start and तक the end, in time and in space.
दुकान नौ से पाँच बजे तक खुली रहती है।The shop is open from nine to five.
How well do you know this topic?
This is filled in automatically after you practise. You can change it here at any time.
Next on the path: 28 · Happening now: बोल रहा हैBack to the learning path