A2 pronouns 3 دقيقة للقراءة

The Interrogative Pronoun

Replace the specific information in a sentence with the matching 'K-word' to form a question instantly.

The Rule in 30 Seconds

  • Question words in Hindi start with 'K'.
  • Place the word where the answer goes.
  • Agreement matters for 'kitna' and 'kiska'.
  • 'Kaun' changes to 'kisne' in past tense.

Quick Reference

Hindi Word English Meaning Usage Context Example
Kya What Objects / Actions Yeh kya hai?
Kaun Who People (Subject) Woh kaun hai?
Kahan Where Place / Location Aap kahan hain?
Kab When Time Party kab hai?
Kyun Why Reason Tum udas kyun ho?
Kaise How Manner / State Aap kaise hain?
Kitna/Kitni How much/many Quantity Paani kitna hai?
Kiska Whose Possession Yeh phone kiska hai?

أمثلة رئيسية

3 من 9
1

तुम्हारा नाम क्या है?

What is your name?

2

आप कहाँ रहते हैं?

Where do you live?

3

यह रास्ता कहाँ जाता है?

Where does this road go?

🎯

The 'Ne' Factor

Watch out for the past tense! 'Kaun' is shy in the past and wears a mask called 'Kisne'. Whenever someone *did* something in the past, ask 'Kisne?' not 'Kaun?'.

💬

Tone Matters

In India, saying 'Kya?' abruptly can sound rude, like 'What?!' in English. Soften it with 'Ji?' (Yes/Pardon?) if you didn't hear someone.

The Rule in 30 Seconds

  • Question words in Hindi start with 'K'.
  • Place the word where the answer goes.
  • Agreement matters for 'kitna' and 'kiska'.
  • 'Kaun' changes to 'kisne' in past tense.

Overview

### Overview

Ready to turn your statements into questions? In Hindi, almost every question word starts with the letter k. Convenient, right? We call these the "K-words." They are your keys to unlocking information, making plans, and figuring out what on earth is happening in a Bollywood movie.

### How This Grammar Works

Hindi question words function like placeholders. You usually put the question word exactly where the answer would go in the sentence. It’s not like English where you have to drag the "Wh-" word all the way to the front. You just drop the "K-word" in the slot, and boom—you have a question.

### Formation Pattern

Here is the cheat sheet for the main players:

  1. 1Kya (What)
  2. 2Kaun (Who)
  3. 3Kahan (Where)
  4. 4Kab (When)
  5. 5Kyun (Why)
  6. 6Kaise (How)
  7. 7Kitna (How much/many)

### When To Use It

Use these whenever you need specific details.

  • Need a name? Use kaun.
  • Need a location? Use kahan.
  • Need a reason? Use kyun.

Example:

  • Statement: Ram *ghar* ja raha hai. (Ram is going *home*.)
  • Question: Ram *kahan* ja raha hai? (Where is Ram going?)

See? We just swapped ghar (home) with kahan (where).

### When Not To Use It

Don't confuse the specific "What" (kya inside a sentence) with the Yes/No marker (kya at the start).

  • If you ask Kya aap chai piyenge?, you are asking "Will you drink tea?" (Yes/No).
  • If you ask Aap kya piyenge?, you are asking "*What* will you drink?" (Coffee? Juice? Lassi?).

### Common Mistakes

  1. 1Wrong Word Order: Putting the question word at the start like in English. Kahan aap ja rahe hain? sounds poetic but weird in daily chat. Stick to Aap kahan ja rahe hain?.
  2. 2Ignoring Gender: Kitna (how much) changes shape! It becomes kitna (m.sg), kitne (m.pl), or kitni (f). Using kitna for everything is a dead giveaway you're a beginner.
  3. 3The Case of the Missing Agent: When kaun (who) is the subject in the past tense, it changes to kisne. Don't say Kaun yeh kiya?; say Kisne yeh kiya?.

### Contrast With Similar Patterns

  • English vs. Hindi: English moves the auxiliary verb ("Where are you going?"). Hindi keeps the verb at the end (Aap kahan ja rahe hain?).
  • Intonation: In informal speech, you can sometimes just raise your voice at the end of a statement without a question word, but for real information, you need the K-word.

### Quick FAQ

Q: Can I use kya for people?

No! Kya is for things or actions. Use kaun for people. Unless you are insulting someone, then... actually, still don't do it.

Q: How do I ask "Who all are coming?"

Double it! Kaun-kaun aa rahe hain? Hindi loves doubling words for plurals.

Reference Table

Hindi Word English Meaning Usage Context Example
Kya What Objects / Actions Yeh kya hai?
Kaun Who People (Subject) Woh kaun hai?
Kahan Where Place / Location Aap kahan hain?
Kab When Time Party kab hai?
Kyun Why Reason Tum udas kyun ho?
Kaise How Manner / State Aap kaise hain?
Kitna/Kitni How much/many Quantity Paani kitna hai?
Kiska Whose Possession Yeh phone kiska hai?
🎯

The 'Ne' Factor

Watch out for the past tense! 'Kaun' is shy in the past and wears a mask called 'Kisne'. Whenever someone *did* something in the past, ask 'Kisne?' not 'Kaun?'.

💬

Tone Matters

In India, saying 'Kya?' abruptly can sound rude, like 'What?!' in English. Soften it with 'Ji?' (Yes/Pardon?) if you didn't hear someone.

💡

Word Order Flexibility

While the standard is Subject-Object-Verb, you can move the question word for emphasis. 'Tum kahan ja rahe ho?' vs 'Ja kahan rahe ho tum?' (rare/dramatic). Stick to standard for now!

⚠️

Gender Trap

Always check what you are asking about. 'Kitna' (how much) changes gender based on the item. 'Kitna paisa' (money-masculine) vs 'Kitni cheeni' (sugar-feminine).

أمثلة

9
#1 Tumhara naam kya hai?

तुम्हारा नाम क्या है?

Focus: kya

What is your name?

Standard intro question.

#2 Aap kahan rehte hain?

आप कहाँ रहते हैं?

Focus: kahan

Where do you live?

Formal address 'Aap'.

#3 Yeh rasta kahan jata hai?

यह रास्ता कहाँ जाता है?

Focus: kahan

Where does this road go?

Asking for directions.

#4 Tumne khana kab khaya?

तुमने खाना कब खाया?

Focus: kab

When did you eat food?

Past tense usage.

#5 Aapko kitni bhashayein aati hain?

आपको कितनी भाषाएँ आती हैं?

Focus: kitni

How many languages do you know?

'Kitni' agrees with 'bhashayein' (feminine plural).

#6 Darwaze par kaun hai?

दरवाजे पर कौन है?

Focus: kaun

Who is at the door?

Subject inquiry.

#7 Kisne tumhari madad ki?

किसने तुम्हारी मदद की?

Focus: Kisne

Who helped you? (Lit: By whom was help done?)

Advanced: 'Kaun' becomes 'Kisne' in past transitive.

#8 ✗ Aapka ghar kahan hai?

✓ Aapka ghar kahan hai?

Focus: kahan

Where is your house?

Wait, this is correct! A common mistake is putting 'kahan' first: ✗ 'Kahan aapka ghar hai?'

#9 ✗ Tum kyun ro raha hai?

✓ Tum kyun ro rahe ho?

Focus: kyun

Why are you crying?

Mistake: Verb must agree with subject 'Tum' (ho/rahe), not 'hai'.

اختبر نفسك

Choose the correct question word for the context.

Aap ____ ja rahe hain? (Asking for destination)

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: kahan

'Kahan' means 'where'. 'Kaun' is who, 'kab' is when.

Select the correct form for quantity.

Aapko ____ chai chahiye? (Tea is feminine)

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: kitni

Since 'chai' (tea) is feminine, we use 'kitni'.

Identify the subject in the past tense.

____ ye kitab kharidi? (Who bought this book?)

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: Kisne

In the past tense with a transitive verb (bought), 'Kaun' changes to the agentive form 'Kisne'.

🎉 النتيجة: /3

وسائل تعلم بصرية

Subject vs. Oblique Case

Direct (Subject)
Kaun (Who) Kaun aa raha hai?
Kya (What) Kya gira?
Oblique (with Postpositions)
Kisne (Who+ne) Kisne khaya?
Kisko (To whom) Kisko diya?

Which 'What' to use?

1

Is the answer Yes or No?

YES ↓
NO
Use 'Kya' in the middle. (Specific info)
2

Start sentence with 'Kya'.

Common Questions

👋

Meeting People

  • • Aap kaun hain?
  • • Naam kya hai?
🛍️

Shopping

  • • Daam kitna hai?
  • • Dukan kahan hai?

الأسئلة الشائعة

21 أسئلة

Generally, no. In English, we say 'Where are you?', but in Hindi, it's 'Aap **kahan** hain?'. Putting it first sounds very poetic or dramatic.

Huge difference! Kya at the start makes it a Yes/No question (Kya aap teek hain? = Are you okay?). Kya in the middle asks for specific info (Aap kya kha rahe hain? = What are you eating?).

You can repeat the word! Kaun-kaun aa rahe hain? literally means 'Who-who are coming?'. This implies you expect a list of names.

Kisne is just Kaun + the case marker ne. You use it when asking who did an action in the past tense, like Kisne toda? (Who broke it?).

It's somewhere in between. It has a nasal ending. Think of it like 'Kyoon' but don't hit the 'n' too hard. It’s nasalized.

Mostly, but it's also used for 'What kind of'. Woh kaise aadmi hain? can mean 'What kind of man is he?' or 'How is that man?'.

Use Kiska. Yeh kiska hai? (Whose is this?). Make sure Kiska agrees with the object: Kiski gaadi (Whose car - fem).

Kaahe is a dialectal variation (often Bhojpuri/Avadhi) often heard in songs or rural speech. Stick to Kyun for standard Hindi.

Yes! Kidhar is very common in spoken Hindi/Urdu for 'Where'. Tum kidhar ja rahe ho? is totally fine colloquially.

You can say Kab (When) or be specific with Kitne baje? (At how many bells/o'clock?).

It means 'For what' or 'Why'. Kis (what/which) + liye (for). Tum yahan kisliye aaye ho? (For what reason have you come here?).

In formal and complete sentences, yes. Aap kahan hain?. In very casual slang, people might drop it, but don't do that until you're a pro.

Kaun itself doesn't change, but the verb after it reveals the gender. Kaun aaya? (Who came? - Male implied) vs Kaun aayi? (Female implied).

Use Kaunsa (masc) or Kaunsi (fem). Kaunsa rang? (Which color?) or Kaunsi car? (Which car?).

Not usually in the same clause, but you can list them. Kab aur kahan? (When and where?).

You can ask Kya matlab? (What meaning?/What do you mean?).

Some do by doubling (kya-kya, kaun-kaun). Kitna changes to Kitne for masculine plural items.

Yes. Kab aaoge? (When will you come?) and Kab aaye? (When did you come?) are both valid.

Use Kitne ka hai? (Of how much is it?) or just Kitna hua? (How much did it become/total?).

Avoid Tu kaun hai? (Rude). Use Aap kaun hain? (Polite/Formal).

Yes! Kya baat hai! (What a matter/thing!) is used to say 'Wow!' or 'Awesome!'.

هل كان هذا مفيداً؟
السابق
The Hindi Postposition for ‘About
التالي
Using 'Kaise' to Ask

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