Irregular Future Forms of the

In the regular Hindi future tense, you take a verb like khānā (to eat). You drop the nā to get the stem khā. Then you add ūngā for 'I will eat'. Simple, right? But with denā and lenā, the stem itself changes. Instead of saying de-ūngā, we say dūngā. The 'e' sound disappears entirely. It merges into the suffix. This happens because saying de-ūngā feels like a speed bump in your mouth. Hindi likes to flow like a river. By dropping that extra vowel, the language becomes smoother and faster. You will notice this mostly with verbs that have a single syllable ending in a vowel. It is all about making the speech feel natural and less 'clunky' for you.

1. 1To master these rebels, follow these steps:
2. 2Start with your base verb, for example, denā (to give).
3. 3Remove the nā ending to find the stem. You get de.
4. 4Identify your subject. Let's say it is 'I' (maiñ).
5. 5For maiñ, the suffix is ūngā (male) or ūngī (female).
6. 6Instead of adding it to de, you drop the e. Your new stem is just d-.
7. 7Combine them: dūngā or dūngī.
8. 8For 'you' (tum), the suffix is oge. The stem de becomes do. So, doge.
9. 9For 'he/she/it' (voh), the suffix is egā. The stem de stays de. So, degā.
10. 10For 'we/they/you formal' (ham/ve/āp), the suffix is enge. The stem de stays de. So, denge.
11. 11Notice how the stem only really 'shrinks' for the first person and the informal 'you'. It is like a grammar traffic light—sometimes you go full speed, sometimes you slow down.

You will use these irregular forms constantly in real-world scenarios. Imagine you are at a busy market in Delhi. You want to tell a vendor, 'I will give you fifty rupees.' You would say, maiñ pacās rupaye dūngā. Or maybe you are borrowing a book from a friend and say, 'I will take it tomorrow.' That is maiñ kal lūngā. These verbs are the bread and butter of daily transactions. Use them for promises like 'I will give you the report by 5 PM.' Use them for plans like 'We will take the train at noon.' If you are talking about giving or taking anything—money, time, advice, or even a physical object—these are your go-to forms. They are essential for job interviews too, especially when discussing what you will 'give' to the company.

Don't use the future tense for things happening right now. If you are currently handing someone a pen, use the present continuous: maiñ de rahā hūñ. Also, avoid using it for habits. If you give to charity every Sunday, use the simple present: maiñ detā hūñ. The future tense is strictly for things that haven't happened yet. It is a promise, a plan, or a prediction. Also, don't over-complicate it. If you are unsure about a very near-future event, sometimes the present tense works in Hindi, just like in English. But for a clear, strong 'will', stick to these irregular forms. Using the wrong tense here is like wearing a winter coat to the beach—people will understand you, but you'll look a bit out of place!

The biggest trip-up is trying to be too regular. New learners often say deūngā or leūngā. It sounds a bit like saying 'I will goed' in English. It is understandable, but it marks you as a beginner. Another mistake is forgetting the gender. If you are a woman, you must say dūngī and lūngī. If you are a man, it is dūngā and lūngā. Also, watch out for the tum form. People often say deoge instead of doge. Remember, doge is the correct, shorter version. It actually rhymes with 'yoga' if you stretch your imagination! Finally, don't forget the dot (nasalization) on denge and lenge. Without it, you sound a bit flat.

Let's compare a regular verb like khānā (to eat) with our irregular denā (to give). For khānā, the stem is khā. 'I will eat' is khāūngā. The 'ā' stays there because it is a strong vowel. But for denā, the 'e' is weak and vanishes to become dūngā. Why? Because 'ā' and 'ū' can live together easily. But 'e' and 'ū' are like two people trying to walk through a narrow door at the same time. One has to step aside. In Hindi, the stem vowel is the one that steps aside. This only happens with these specific 'e' and 'o' stem verbs. Most other verbs, like pīnā (to drink) or bolnā (to speak), are much more cooperative and follow the standard rules.