A2 verb_system 3 Min. Lesezeit

Hindi Past Continuous and Habitual

Use **rahā thā** for a specific moment in the past, and **tā thā** for repeated old habits.

The Rule in 30 Seconds

  • Continuous = Was doing (Stem + rahā + thā)
  • Habitual = Used to do (Stem + tā + thā)
  • Match gender: rahā/tā for boys, rahī/tī for girls
  • Match number: thā/thī for singular, the/thīñ for plural

Quick Reference

Subject Past Continuous (Was ...) Past Habitual (Used to ...) Ending Match
Main (I - masc) khā rahā thā khātā thā rahā / tā + thā
Main (I - fem) khā rahī thī khātī thī rahī / tī + thī
Woh (He) jā rahā thā jātā thā rahā / tā + thā
Woh (She) jā rahī thī jātī thī rahī / tī + thī
Hum (We) paṛh rahe the paṛhte the rahe / te + the
Aap (You - formal) dekh rahe the dekhte the rahe / te + the

Wichtige Beispiele

3 von 8
1

मैं कल टीवी देख रहा था।

I was watching TV yesterday.

2

हम बचपन में क्रिकेट खेलते थे।

We used to play cricket in childhood.

3

वह हमेशा झूठ बोलता था।

He always used to lie.

💡

The 'Rahā' Rule

Think of 'rahā' as the '-ing' of Hindi. If you see 'rahā', something is movING!

⚠️

Gender Check

Always check your ending! Boys get 'thā', girls get 'thī'. Don't misgender yourself!

The Rule in 30 Seconds

  • Continuous = Was doing (Stem + rahā + thā)
  • Habitual = Used to do (Stem + tā + thā)
  • Match gender: rahā/tā for boys, rahī/tī for girls
  • Match number: thā/thī for singular, the/thīñ for plural

Overview

Welcome to the time machine! Today, we're distinguishing between what you were doing at a specific moment in the past and what you used to do repeatedly. In Hindi, these are two distinct vibes. One is like a video clip (Past Continuous), and the other is like a photo album of memories (Past Habitual).

How This Grammar Works

Think of the Past Continuous as a zoom-in lens. You are zooming in on a specific action that was in progress. "I was eating pizza when you called."

Think of the Past Habitual as a wide-angle lens. It covers a period of time where actions happened repeatedly. "I used to eat pizza every Friday."

Formation Pattern

  1. 1Here is your construction kit. No heavy lifting required!
  2. 21. Past Continuous (Was -ing)
  3. 3Take the verb stem (remove nā).
  4. 4Add rahā (m), rahī (f), or rahe (pl).
  5. 5Add thā (m.sg), thī (f.sg/pl), or the (m.pl).
  6. 6Formula: Stem + rahā/rahī/rahe + thā/thī/the
  7. 7Example: Main jā rahā thā (I was going).
  8. 82. Past Habitual (Used to)
  9. 9Take the verb stem.
  10. 10Add tā (m), tī (f), or te (pl).
  11. 11Add thā (m.sg), thī (f.sg/pl), or the (m.pl).
  12. 12Formula: Stem + tā/tī/te + thā/thī/the
  13. 13Example: Main jātā thā (I used to go).

When To Use It

  • Continuous: Use it for interruptions or setting the scene. "The sun was shining (chamak rahā thā) when I woke up."
  • Habitual: Use it for nostalgia, routines, or old facts. "We used to live (hum rahte the) in Delhi."

When Not To Use It

  • Don't use Continuous for habits. Saying "I was going to school every day" sounds like you were on a never-ending walk to school. Use Habitual: "I used to go" (jātā thā).
  • Don't use Habitual for one-time completed events. "I used to buy a car yesterday" makes zero sense. Use Simple Past for that (which we'll cover elsewhere).

Common Mistakes

  • The Gender Trap: Forgetting to change rahā to rahī if you are female. If you're a girl saying main khā rahā thā, you've just declared yourself a boy. Surprise!
  • The Plural The: For aap (you formal) or ve (they), always use rahe the or te the. Respect the plural marker!

Contrast With Similar Patterns

  • Simple Past vs. Habitual: Simple Past (main gayā) is "I went" (once). Habitual (main jātā thā) is "I used to go" (many times).
  • Present vs. Past: Present is hai (is). Past is thā (was). Easy switch!

Quick FAQ

Q: Can I use kabhi kabhi (sometimes) with Continuous?

Not really. "Sometimes I was eating" sounds odd. Use it with Habitual: "Sometimes I used to eat" (kabhī kabhī main khātā thā).

Q: What about verbs like "to know"?

Good catch! Stative verbs like jānnā (to know) usually prefer the Habitual/Simple form in the past, not Continuous. You "knew" someone, you weren't "knowing" them (unless you're getting philosophical).

Reference Table

Subject Past Continuous (Was ...) Past Habitual (Used to ...) Ending Match
Main (I - masc) khā rahā thā khātā thā rahā / tā + thā
Main (I - fem) khā rahī thī khātī thī rahī / tī + thī
Woh (He) jā rahā thā jātā thā rahā / tā + thā
Woh (She) jā rahī thī jātī thī rahī / tī + thī
Hum (We) paṛh rahe the paṛhte the rahe / te + the
Aap (You - formal) dekh rahe the dekhte the rahe / te + the
💡

The 'Rahā' Rule

Think of 'rahā' as the '-ing' of Hindi. If you see 'rahā', something is movING!

⚠️

Gender Check

Always check your ending! Boys get 'thā', girls get 'thī'. Don't misgender yourself!

🎯

Stative Verbs

Verbs like 'to like' or 'to know' are rarely continuous. Use 'used to' or simple past instead.

💬

Storytelling

Indians love using the Habitual tense to tell childhood stories. 'Hum cricket khelte the' is a classic opener.

Beispiele

8
#1 Mai kal tv dekh raha tha.

मैं कल टीवी देख रहा था।

Focus: dekh raha tha

I was watching TV yesterday.

Specific moment in the past.

#2 Hum bachpan mein cricket khelte the.

हम बचपन में क्रिकेट खेलते थे।

Focus: khelte the

We used to play cricket in childhood.

Repeated action/habit.

#3 Woh hamesha jhooth bolta tha.

वह हमेशा झूठ बोलता था।

Focus: bolta tha

He always used to lie.

Habitual action with 'hamesha' (always).

#4 Jab tum aaye, main so rahi thi.

जब तुम आए, मैं सो रही थी।

Focus: so rahi thi

When you came, I was sleeping.

Continuous action interrupted by another event.

#5 Aap kahan kaam karte the?

आप कहाँ काम करते थे?

Focus: karte the

Where did you use to work?

Formal inquiry about past routine.

#6 Main kal school jata tha.

Main kal school jata tha ✗ -> Main kal school ja raha tha ✓

Focus: ja raha tha

Mistake: 'I used to go to school yesterday'. Correction: 'I was going to school yesterday'.

Don't use habitual for a single specific day.

#7 Woh gaana ga rahi the.

Woh gaana ga rahi the ✗ -> Woh gaana ga rahi thi ✓

Focus: rahi thi

Mistake: Mismatched plural ending. Correction: Singular feminine subject needs 'thi'.

Watch the 'thi' vs 'the' ending!

#8 Kya tum us waqt padh rahe the?

क्या तुम उस वक़्त पढ़ रहे थे?

Focus: padh rahe the

Were you reading at that time?

Question form in continuous.

Teste dich selbst

Choose the correct form for 'We were playing'.

Hum park mein ___ ___ (khelna).

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: khel rahe the

Since it's 'Hum' (We), we need the plural 'rahe the'.

Choose the correct form for 'She used to speak Hindi'.

Woh Hindi ___ ___ (bolna).

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: bolti thi

It's a habit (used to), so we use the '-ti thi' form for a female subject.

Complete the sentence: 'I was thinking...'

Main ___ ___ (sochna - masc).

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: soch raha tha

Continuous action for a male speaker requires 'raha tha'.

🎉 Ergebnis: /3

Visuelle Lernhilfen

Continuous vs. Habitual

Continuous
Khā rahā thā Was eating
Habitual
Khātā thā Used to eat

Which one to choose?

1

Did it happen repeatedly?

YES ↓
NO
Use Continuous (rahā thā)

Keyword Signals

📅

Habitual Words

  • • Hamesha (Always)
  • • Har roz (Every day)
⏱️

Continuous Words

  • • Abhi (Just now)
  • • Us waqt (At that time)

Häufig gestellte Fragen

20 Fragen

No. For single events, use the Simple Past. Habitual is strictly for repeated actions like main roz dautā thā (I ran every day).

Just add nahin before the verb. Main nahin jā rahā thā (I was not going).

Yes! Without thā, it becomes present tense. Main jātā is incomplete, and Main jātā hūn is Present Habitual.

In Hindi, mixed groups default to masculine plural. So, use rahe the or te the.

Not a separate word. The grammar structure verb stem + tā + thā carries the meaning of 'used to' naturally.

Better to say 'I wanted' (main chāhtā thā). Wanting is usually a state, not an active process.

Start with Kyā. Kyā tum so rahe the?

Time usually comes early in the sentence. Main *kal* paṛh rahā thā (I was reading *yesterday*).

Yes! It becomes rahe. Woh khel rahe the (They were playing).

It is thīñ (nasalized), but often written just as thī in Roman Hindi. The verb before it helps clarify: paṛh rahī thīñ.

The structure is the same, but the pronoun (tu, tum, aap) changes the verb ending slightly.

Yes! Main jā rahā thā, par ruk gayā (I was going [to go], but I stopped).

Use Jab (when). Jab main khā rahā thā... (When/While I was eating...).

Yes! Karnā (to do) becomes kartā thā.

In long narratives, speakers might drop the auxiliary thā after the first sentence to keep the flow, but as a learner, keep it in!

Main gayā is 'I went' (done). Main jātā thā is 'I used to go' (routine).

Hinglish is very common! Main *drive* kar rahā thā is perfectly acceptable in conversation.

That uses a different structure (aadat). This grammar is for actions, not being accustomed to something.

Nope! No ne in Continuous or Habitual past. That's only for Simple Past transitive verbs. Relax!

Woh can be he/she (singular) or they (plural). The verb ending tells you which one it is (rahā thā vs rahe the).

War das hilfreich?

Ähnliche Regeln

C1

Dative Subjects and Object Agreement

Overview Welcome to the world of the "Dative Subject." Sounds fancy, right? It's actually one of the most distinctive fe...

B2

Hindi Passive Voice: Using

Overview Passive voice in Hindi is your best friend when you want to sound diplomatic, formal, or just plain mysterious...

B2

Expressing Comp

Overview Ever felt like life is just a series of things you *have* to do? "I have to work," "I have to eat vegetables,"...

B2

Expressing Simultaneous Actions

Overview Ever tried rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time? That's what we're doing with verbs toda...

B2

Connecting Sequential Actions with the Absol

Overview Ever feel like a robot when you speak Hindi? "I woke up. I ate breakfast. I went to work." It gets boring fast....

Kommentare (0)

Zum Kommentieren Anmelden
Noch keine Kommentare. Sei der Erste, der seine Gedanken teilt!

Starte kostenlos mit dem Sprachenlernen

Kostenlos Loslegen