A1 · Pronouns
तू, तुम or आप: choosing your “you”
forms of address and जी
आप for strangers and elders, तुम for friends, तू for almost no one — and each with its own verb forms.
At a glance
- Remember
- Aap for strangers and elders, tum for friends, tu almost never — and keep the verb that belongs to the one you chose.
- Form
- आप हैं, आप बैठिएto a stranger, an elder, at work
- Signal words
- आप
- तुम
- तू
- जी
- Trap
- Wrong:आप कहाँ जा रहे हो?Right:आप कहाँ जा रहे हैं?
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.
| to a stranger, an elder, at work | आप हैं, आप बैठिए |
| to a friend, a younger sibling | तुम हो, तुम बैठो |
| to a small child; to anyone else rude | तू है, तू बैठ |
| respect after a name or title | शर्मा जी, माँ जी |
| a polite yes / no | जी हाँ / जी नहीं |
| you, several people | आप लोग, तुम लोग |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
आप is the safe choice with anyone you do not know well.
आप कैसे हैं?How are you?
Each “you” has its own verb forms: तुम हो, आप हैं.
तुम थके हो?Are you tired?
Do not mix two forms of “you” in one conversation.
आप अपना नाम बताइए।Please tell me your name.
जी after a name or title adds respect.
नमस्ते, शर्मा जी।Hello, Mr Sharma.
Example sentences
आप चाय पिएँगे?Will you have some tea?
तुम मेरे सबसे अच्छे दोस्त हो।You are my best friend.
तू बहुत शरारती है!You are very naughty! (to a small child)
आप कहाँ काम करती हैं?Where do you work? (to a woman)
गुप्ता जी, आपका फ़ोन है।Mr Gupta, there is a call for you.
जी हाँ, मैं यहीं रहता हूँ।Yes, I live right here.
6 more example sentences
आप बैठिए, मैं पानी लाता हूँ।Please sit down, I’ll bring some water.
तुम कब आओगे?When will you come?
माँ जी, खाना तैयार है।Mother, the food is ready.
आप लोग कहाँ से हैं?Where are you all from?
तुम लोग जल्दी आओ।Come quickly, you lot.
जी, बताइए।Yes, go ahead.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
हो belongs to तुम; with आप the verb is हैं. You will hear आप … हो in relaxed speech in some regions, but in standard Hindi it is a mix of two levels of respect.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
English has one “you”. Hindi has three, and choosing one is a statement about the relationship. आप is polite: for strangers, older people, customers, teachers, colleagues you do not know well, and your own parents in many families. When in doubt, आप is never wrong.
तुम is familiar: for friends of your own age, younger brothers and sisters, children, and between partners. तू is intimate or rude, depending on who hears it: for a small child, a very close friend, in prayer — and as an insult to anyone else. A learner can safely leave it out of their own speech.
Each “you” has its own verb forms, and they must not be mixed: आप हैं, तुम हो, तू है; आप बैठिए, तुम बैठो, तू बैठ. Starting with आप and finishing with a तुम form is the commonest slip and sounds careless.
The little word जी adds respect wherever it goes. After a name or a title it is like “Mr” or “Ms”, but warmer: शर्मा जी, माँ जी, दीदी जी. Before हाँ and नहीं it makes a polite yes or no, and on its own it means “yes?” or “sorry?”.
A closer look
Moving from आप to तुम
Between adults, the move to तुम is usually offered by the older person, or happens naturally between people of the same age who become friends. Many people use आप with their parents all their lives; others use तुम. Follow what you hear around you.
तू: very close or very rude
तू removes all distance. That is why it is used to a baby, between childhood friends, and to God in many prayers and songs — and why, said to a stranger, it is an insult. A learner who uses it by mistake will be forgiven, but it is better to know what it does.
Worth knowing (2)
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आप लोग: you, several of you
Because आप and तुम are about respect rather than number, a group is often made clear with लोग (people): आप लोग, तुम लोग.
आप लोग अंदर आइए।Please come in, all of you.
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जी on its own
Answering someone who calls you, जी means “yes?”; with a rising voice after something you did not catch, it means “sorry?”.
जी? मैंने सुना नहीं।Sorry? I didn’t hear.
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