B1
Intermediate
At B1 speech stops being a run of separate sentences. An opinion comes with a reason, a story has a beginning and an end, and a misunderstanding can be cleared up without anyone stepping in to help.
Mistakes still happen, but they no longer get in the way of being understood. This is the level at which a language becomes usable at work.
Present, past and future3
The past
2The future
1Moods, modal and compound verbs9
Requests, wishes and conditions
1Can, want, must
1Verbs in pairs
4B1Compound verbs with जानाStem + जाना marks a change completed: सो जाना, “to fall asleep”; भूल जाना, “to forget”; बैठ जाना, “to sit down”.B1लेना and देना: for yourself, for someone elseStem + लेना when the action comes back to the doer (खा लिया), stem + देना when it goes out to others (बता दिया).B1Beginning to: करने लगाOblique infinitive + लगना: वह रोने लगी, “she began to cry” — with no ने, whatever the verb.B1Already done: कर चुका हैBare stem + चुका है: मैं खा चुका हूँ, “I have already eaten” — never with ने.
Causatives and the passive
3B1Verb pairs: बनना / बनाना, खुलना / खोलनाOne verb for “it happens”, its partner for “someone makes it happen”: दरवाज़ा खुला, but उसने दरवाज़ा खोला.B1Having something done: बनवाना, करवानाStem + वाना: have someone else do it. मैंने बाल कटवाए, “I had my hair cut”; the person who does it takes से.B1The passive: किया जाता हैPast participle + जाना in any tense: यहाँ हिंदी बोली जाती है, “Hindi is spoken here”.
Joining clauses, reported speech7
Infinitives and participles
3B1While doing: the -ते हुए form (गाते हुए)Stem + ते हुए says what someone is doing at the same time; before a noun it agrees: बहता हुआ पानी.B1Done, made: the -आ हुआ form (बना हुआ, लिखा हुआ)The past form with हुआ describes the state an action has left behind: बना हुआ खाना, खुली हुई खिड़की.B1As soon as: the -ते ही form (पहुँचते ही)Stem + ते ही means “as soon as”, and the form never changes.
Joining clauses
2Reported speech
2B1Reporting a statement: उसने कहा कि …A reported statement follows कि and keeps the tense the speaker used; the pronouns may stay as they were or change.B1Reporting questions and requests: पूछा कि, कहा कि … आऊँA question is reported with पूछना, से and कि and keeps its question word; a request takes कि with the subjunctive, or -ने को कहना.