Masculine plural: -आ ending nouns → -ए

Imagine you are looking at a group of objects. If the word is masculine and ends in ā, it follows a specific transformation. You simply drop the ā and add e. It is a clean swap. This change tells your listener exactly how many things you are talking about. It also sets the stage for the rest of your sentence. In Hindi, verbs and adjectives often change to match the noun. So, mastering this noun change is like getting the first domino to fall correctly. If you get the noun right, the rest of the sentence usually follows naturally. Think of the ā to e shift as a signal. It says, "Hey, there is more than one of these!"

1. 1Changing these nouns is a simple three-step process. You can do this in your head in milliseconds once you practice.
2. 2Identify the noun and ensure it is masculine.
3. 3Check if it ends with the ā vowel sound (written as ा in Devanagari).
4. 4Replace that ā sound with the e sound (written as े).
5. 5Let's look at a classic example: laṛkā (boy).
6. 6Step 1: laṛkā is masculine.
7. 7Step 2: It ends in ā.
8. 8Step 3: Change ā to e to get laṛke (boys).
9. 9It works the same for objects. Take kamrā (room). Swap the end, and you get kamre (rooms). It’s like a grammar magic trick. One becomes many with just a tiny vowel shift. Yes, even native speakers might slip up if they are rushing, but this rule is very consistent.

You will use this rule in almost every "normal" plural situation.

• At the Market: You want to buy more than one banana. You ask for kele instead of kelā.
• At Home: You are talking about the rooms in your apartment. You use kamre.
• With Family: You are introducing your sons. You call them your beṭe instead of beṭā.
• In the City: You are looking for specific roads or raste.

Basically, whenever you have two or more of a masculine -ā noun, this rule is your best friend. It is the default way to talk about groups of things in the masculine category. Think of it like a green light for pluralizing. If it fits the criteria, go for it!

This is where it gets interesting. Not every masculine noun ending in ā wants to change. Some nouns are "stubborn" and stay the same. These are usually related to respected family members or specific Sanskrit/Persian loanwords.

• Family Titles: Words like pitā (father), dādā (paternal grandfather), and cācā (uncle) do not change. You wouldn't say cāce. That would sound very strange!
• Nouns not ending in ā: If a masculine noun ends in a consonant (like ghar - house) or another vowel (like hāthī - elephant), this rule does not apply. ghar stays ghar in the simple plural.
• The "Oblique" Case: If a preposition like "in," "on," or "from" follows the noun, the ending might change differently (to oṃ). But for now, stick to the basic plural. Think of these exceptions like speed bumps—just slow down and recognize them, but don't let them stop your journey.

The most common trip-up is "over-pluralizing." Some learners try to add extra sounds because they want it to sound "more plural."

• Mistake: Saying laṛkāeṃ or laṛkāoṃ for basic plurals.
• Correction: Just stick to laṛke.
• Mistake: Changing family words. Saying mere do dāde (my two grandfathers).
• Correction: It should be mere do dādā.
• Mistake: Applying this to feminine nouns. laṛkiyāṃ (girls) is a totally different rule!

Don't feel bad if you mix these up. Even university students have a "brain fart" moment with these occasionally. Just remember: if it's a guy or an object and ends in ā, e is usually the way to go.

It helps to see how this differs from other groups.

• Masculine Consonant Nouns: seb (apple) stays seb (apples). No change at all!
• Feminine ī Nouns: laṛkī (girl) becomes laṛkiyāṃ. This involves adding a whole new syllable.
• Feminine Consonant Nouns: kitāb (book) becomes kitābeṃ. It gets a nasalized 'en' sound.

Our -ā to -e rule is actually the simplest of the bunch. It is a straight substitution. No adding extra letters, just changing the one you already have. It’s the "minimalist" approach to plurals.