The Hindi tenses
When something happens and how it is seen — finished, in progress, already done before: that is the question every tense answers. Here are all the topics about it, each with its own page and its own exercises.
All 10 topics on tense and time
A1The everyday present: बोलता हैStem + ता, ती or ते, then हूँ, है, हो or हैं: मैं हिंदी बोलता हूँ, “I speak Hindi”.A1Happening now: बोल रहा हैStem + रहा, रही or रहे, then हूँ, है, हो or हैं: मैं खा रहा हूँ, “I am eating”.A2The simple past: वह आया, वह गईStem + ा, ी, े or ीं, with no auxiliary: वह आया, “he came”; वह आई, “she came”.A2The past with ने: agreeing with the objectWith a transitive verb in the past, the subject takes ने and the verb agrees with the object: मैंने चाय पी.A2Irregular pasts: गया, किया, दिया, लिया, हुआFive everyday verbs have their own past: जाना → गया, करना → किया, देना → दिया, लेना → लिया, होना → हुआ.A2Used to and was doing: जाता था, जा रहा थाThe two presents with था instead of है: वह जाता था, “he used to go”; वह जा रहा था, “he was going”.B1Have done and had done: आया है, आया थाThe past form plus है is “has done”, plus था “had done” — with ने where the simple past has it.B1When the verb agrees with nothing: ने with कोIf the subject has ने and the object has को, the verb takes the neutral form in -ा: मैंने उस लड़की को देखा.A2The future: जाऊँगा, जाएगी, and होगा for “probably”Stem + ऊँ, ए, ओ or एँ, then गा, गी or गे: मैं करूँगा, वह करेगी, हम करेंगे.B1About to: जाने वाला हैThe oblique infinitive + वाला/वाली/वाले + होना: ट्रेन छूटने वाली है, “the train is about to leave”.
Practise the tenses
Exercises from every topic on tense and time, mixed together. That is exactly the hard part: almost anyone can build a form when it says next to it which one is meant.