Habitual Past Tense

This tense focuses on the frequency of actions. It does not care about a specific finish line. It looks at the "flow" of the past. In English, we say "I used to go." In Hindi, we modify the main verb. We then add a past tense helper. It is like a two-part harmony. The first part shows it was a habit. The second part shows it is over now. It is very predictable once you see the pattern. You just need to match gender and number.

1. 1Creating this tense is like building with blocks. Follow these simple steps:
2. 2Take the verb stem (like khaa from khaana).
3. 3Add the suffix -ta, -te, or -ti based on the subject.
4. 4Add the past auxiliary tha, the, or thi.
5. 5Here is the breakdown for gender and number:
6. 6Masculine Singular: Stem + ta + tha (e.g., main bolta tha)
7. 7Masculine Plural: Stem + te + the (e.g., hum bolte the)
8. 8Feminine Singular: Stem + ti + thi (e.g., voh bolti thi)
9. 9Feminine Plural: Stem + ti + thin (e.g., voh bolti thin)
10. 10Pro tip: The ti stays the same for plural. Only the thin changes its sound slightly. It is like a tiny nasal hum at the end.

Use this when describing your old lifestyle. Imagine you are at a high school reunion. You would say, "We used to eat here." That is a perfect habitual past moment. Use it for general truths that were true then. For example, "The sun used to feel hotter." Use it for repeated actions without a specific end. If you went to the gym every Monday, use this. It works great for describing characters in a story. "The king lived in a palace" uses this form. It sets the scene for your listeners.

Do not use this for one-time events. If you went to Delhi once, use the Simple Past. If you bought a car yesterday, do not use this. This grammar is not for "sudden" actions. Think of it like a movie vs. a photo. This tense is the movie of your life. The Simple Past is just a single snapshot. Also, do not use it for ongoing actions right now. That would be the Present Habitual. If you still do the habit, stay in the present.

Many people forget to match the gender. If a girl says main jata tha, it sounds funny. It is like wearing shoes on the wrong feet. Another mistake is mixing it with the Continuous tense. main ja raha tha means "I was going" (right then). main jata tha means "I used to go" (generally). Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes! Don't stress too much about the nasal n in thin. Just try to make it soft. Another trap is using ne with this tense. Never use ne with the Habitual Past. It only likes the Simple Past or Perfect tenses.

Let's compare this to the Simple Past. Simple Past: main gaya (I went). Habitual Past: main jata tha (I used to go). See the difference? One is a point, one is a line. Now compare it to the Past Continuous. Past Continuous: main ja raha tha (I was going). This is about a specific moment in progress. The Habitual Past is about the whole era. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. Simple Past is green (go once). Habitual Past is a flashing yellow (keep repeating).