Hindi Causatives: Using -

Think of the verb as a chain of command.

1. 1Intransitive/Basic: The action happens. (The child sleeps.)
2. 2First Causative: You make it happen directly. (Mom puts the child to sleep.)
3. 3Second Causative: You get a third party to make it happen. (Mom asks the nanny to put the child to sleep.)

In Hindi, you don't add extra words like "make" or "cause" to the sentence. Instead, you modify the verb itself. It’s efficient—like turning a manual car into an automatic with one switch.

1. 1Hindi verbs love to shapeshift. Here is the magic formula using the verb stem (root):
2. 2The Root: Take the infinitive (e.g., karnaa - to do) and drop the naa. You get kar.
3. 3First Causative (Direct): Add -aa to the root. kar + aa = karaa (karaanaa).
4. 4Second Causative (Indirect): Add -vaa to the root. kar + vaa = karvaa (karvaanaa).
5. 5The Vowel Twist: Be careful! If the root has a long vowel, it often gets "shortened" when you add these suffixes. It's like the verb goes on a diet to fit the new ending.
6. 6khaanaa (to eat) → khilaanaa (to feed) → khilvaanaa (cause to feed). *Note the aa became i.*
7. 7sonaa (to sleep) → sulaanaa (to put to sleep) → sulvaanaa. *Note the o became u.*

Use this when you are the puppet master.

• Ordering services: "I got my car repaired" (mainne gaadi theek karvaayi).
• Helping/Forcing: "I made him laugh" (mainne use hansaayaa).
• Instruction: "Please get this letter written" (ye chhitthi likhvaa dijiye).

It’s crucial for everyday survival in India. You don't "cut" your hair; you "get your hair cut" (baal katvaanaa). If you say main baal kaatta hoon, people might think you are a barber!

Don't use causatives for things you simply do yourself with a tool.

• Correct: I drive the car. (main gaadi chalaata hoon)
• Incorrect: I make the car drive. (Unless you have a self-driving Tesla, then maybe?)

Also, don't use it if the "making" is purely emotional or abstract without a specific resulting action. For "He made me happy," we usually use specific phrases (khush kar diya) rather than a causative verb form of "to be happy."

1. 1The Vowel Trap: Beginners often say khaalaanaa instead of khilaanaa. Remember, the root usually gets lighter! seekhnaa (to learn) becomes sikhaanaa (to teach), not seekhaanaa.
2. 2Wrong Helper: In Second Causative sentences (Getting X done by Y), the person doing the work (Y) is marked with se.

• *Wrong:* mainne raam ko kaam karvaayaa.
• *Right:* mainne raam se kaam karvaayaa (I got the work done by Ram).

1. 1Mixing Levels: Using the Second Causative (-vaa) when you are doing it directly. If *you* are feeding the baby, use khilaanaa, not khilvaanaa.

In English, we use helper verbs: "I had it done," "I made him go." In Hindi, the verb morphs.

• English: Separate words (make/have/get).
• Hindi: Suffixes (-aa/-vaa).

Think of it like a Swiss Army knife. English brings a separate screwdriver; Hindi just flips out the screwdriver blade from the main handle.

Q: Do all verbs have causatives?

Most do! But some intransitive verbs (like aanaa - to come, jaanaa - to go) don't follow the standard pattern or rely on different verbs entirely (bulaanaa - to call/invite, bhejjaa - to send).

Q: Is there a Third Causative?

Nope. You can't "have someone make someone make someone do it" grammatically. At that point, just hold a meeting.