Accusative marker को — Hindi Grammar

The postposition (ko) is one of the most frequently used grammar particles in Hindi. Its primary function is to mark the direct object of a sentence—the person or thing receiving the action of the verb.

While English relies on word order to show who is doing what to whom, Hindi uses (ko) to explicitly tag the object. However, it is not used with every object; its usage depends on whether the object is a living being and whether it is specific ("the") or general ("a").

Definite vs. Indefinite Objects

The most common use of (ko) is to distinguish between a specific object and a general one. This is similar to the difference between "the" and "a" in English.

If you are talking about a specific item (definite), you must use (ko).

लड़के ने गाड़ी को चलाया।
laṛke ne gāṛī ko calāyā.larke ne gari ko chalaya.
The boy drove the car.
मैं उस पत्र को पढ़ रहा हूँ।
ma͠i us patr ko paṛh rahā hū̃.main us patr ko parh raha hun.
I am reading that letter.

If you are talking about a general item (indefinite), you omit (ko).

लड़के ने गाड़ी चलाई।
laṛke ne gāṛī calāī.larke ne gari chalai.
The boy drove a car.
मैं पत्र पढ़ रहा हूँ।
ma͠i patr paṛh rahā hū̃.main patr parh raha hun.
I am reading a letter.

Human and Animate Objects

When the direct object is a human being or a specific animal, (ko) is almost always mandatory. This is because people are inherently specific. You cannot omit the marker when referring to proper names or specific people.

राम ने सीता को देखा।
rām ne sītā ko dekhā.ram ne sita ko dekha.
Ram saw Sita.
पुलिस ने चोर को पकड़ा।
pulis ne cor ko pakṛā.pulis ne chor ko pakra.
The police caught the thief.
माँ बच्चे को बुलाती है।
mā̃ bacce ko bulātī hai.man bachche ko bulati hai.
Mother calls the child.

Pronouns with 'Ko'

When personal pronouns (like "I", "you", "we") are the object of a sentence, they must be marked with (ko). However, adding (ko) to a pronoun often changes its form completely.

Common transformations include:

(ma͠imain) - I + (ko) becomes (mujhe) or (mujhako).
(vahwah) - He/She/It + (ko) becomes (use) or (usako).
(ham) - We + (ko) becomes (hamẽ) or (hamako).

क्या तुम मुझे जानते हो?
kyā tum mujhe jānte ho?kya tum mujhe jante ho?
Do you know me?
अध्यापक ने हमको पढ़ाया।
adhyāpak ne hamko paṛhāyā.adhyapak ne hamko parhaya.
The teacher taught us.

Emphasis and Clarity

Sometimes, (ko) is used with inanimate objects simply to add emphasis or to avoid confusion in complex sentences. Using the marker highlights the object, drawing the listener's attention to it specifically.

पानी को मत बर्बाद करो।
pānī ko mat barbād karo.pani ko mat barbad karo.
Do not waste the water.
सच्चाई को छिपाना मुश्किल है।
saccāī ko chipānā muśkil hai.sachchai ko chhipana mushkil hai.
It is difficult to hide the truth.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Hindi course

26 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 19. A few of them, with the words “Accusative marker को” is about in bold:

मैंने आपको नौ साल से नहीं देखा!
ma͠ine āpko nau sāl se nahī̃ dekhā!mainne apko nau sal se nahin dekha!
I haven't seen you for nine years!
Lesson 175

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