Irregular Past Tense

In Hindi, the past tense (perfective aspect) usually looks at the end of the verb. For regular verbs, you take the root and add a vowel. For these irregular ones, the root itself transforms. This happens in the Simple Past, Present Perfect, and Past Perfect. A very important thing to remember: Hindi cares about gender and number. Even these irregular verbs must agree with the subject (or the object, if it is a transitive verb). If a boy went, it is gayā. If a girl went, it is gaī. If a group went, it is gae. It sounds like a lot, but it is actually quite rhythmic. You are basically swapping the ending to match the person you are talking about.

1. 1There are six main irregular verbs you need to memorize. Here is how they transform from their dictionary form (the nā form) to the masculine singular past form:
2. 2jānā (to go) becomes gayā. This is the most common one you will use.
3. 3karnā (to do) becomes kiyā. Use this for any task you finished.
4. 4denā (to give) becomes diyā. Great for when you handed someone a gift.
5. 5lenā (to take) becomes liyā. Perfect for when you bought or received something.
6. 6pīnā (to drink) becomes piyā. Essential for your morning chai or coffee.
7. 7honā (to be/become) becomes huā. This describes things that happened or occurred.
8. 8To make these feminine, change the final ā to ī. To make them plural, change the ā to e. For example, gayā (masculine) becomes gaī (feminine) and gae (plural).

You use these forms whenever an action is completed. Imagine you are at a job interview. The interviewer asks what you did at your last company. You would say, "I did (kiyā) this project." Or imagine you are ordering food. You might tell the waiter you already drank (piyā) your water.

• Use gayā for travel: "I went to Delhi."
• Use kiyā for work: "I did my homework."
• Use huā for events: "The meeting happened at 5 PM."
• Use diyā/liyā for transactions: "I gave him money" or "I took the book."

Do not use these forms for habits in the past. If you want to say "I used to go to school," you use a different form (jātā thā). These irregular forms are only for specific, completed actions. Also, do not use them for ongoing actions. If you were "still going" when something happened, you use the continuous form (jā rahā thā). Think of these irregulars as a snapshot in a photo album, not a long movie. They represent a finished moment in time. If the action is still rolling, keep these rebels in your pocket for later.

The biggest trap is trying to make them regular. You might be tempted to say jāyā instead of gayā. Even native kids do this when they are learning! It sounds logical, but it is wrong. Another common slip-up is the ne particle. For four of these verbs (karnā, denā, lenā, pīnā), you must use ne after the subject. When you use ne, the verb agrees with the object, not the person. If a boy drinks tea (cāy - feminine), he says usne cāy pī, not piyā. Yes, even native speakers mess this up when they are tired! Just take a breath and remember: ne changes the game.

Compare these to regular verbs like khānā (to eat) or bolnā (to speak). For khānā, the root is khā, so the past is khāyā. It follows the rule perfectly. Our irregular friends like karnā (root kar) should be karā, but they aren't. They prefer being unique. Also, notice the difference between honā (to become) and thā (was). thā describes a state in the past ("I was happy"). huā describes a change or an event ("I became happy" or "It happened"). It is like the difference between a still photo and a video of a transformation.