Conjugation of होना — Hindi Grammar

The verb (honāhona) is the fundamental verb for "to be" in Hindi. It functions as a linking verb (copula) to describe states, identities, and qualities. It also acts as an auxiliary verb to form continuous and perfect tenses.

Present Tense

In the present tense, (honāhona) conjugates irregularly based on the person and number of the subject. It does not change for gender in the present tense.

1st Person (I): (maĩ) always takes (hū̃hun).
2nd Person (You): (tum) takes (ho). The formal (āpap) takes (haĩ).
3rd Person (He/She/It/They): Singular subjects ( (vahwah), (yah), names) take (hai). Plural subjects ( (vewe), (ye)) take (haĩ).

मैं भारतीय हूँ।
maĩ bhāratīya hū̃.maĩ bharatiya hun.
I am Indian.
तुम कैसे हो?
tum kaise ho?
How are you?
वह मेरा भाई है।
vah merā bhāī hai.wah mera bhai hai.
He is my brother.
वे बहुत अमीर हैं।
ve bahut amīr haĩ.we bahut amir haĩ.
They are very rich.

Past Tense: State vs. Event

Unlike English, Hindi distinguishes between "being" as a continuous state (was/were) and "being" as an event or process (became/happened).

1. The Stative Past (Was/Were)

Use the forms (thātha), (the), (thīthi), or (thī̃thin) when describing a state that existed in the past. This agrees with the gender and number of the subject.

(thātha): Masculine Singular
(the): Masculine Plural (or formal singular)
(thīthi): Feminine Singular
(thī̃thin): Feminine Plural

मैं कल बीमार था।
maĩ kal bīmār thā.maĩ kal bimar tha.
I was sick yesterday.
किताब मेज़ पर थी।
kitāb mez par thī.kitab mez par thi.
The book was on the table.
वे लोग कौन थे?
ve log kaun the?we log kaun the?
Who were those people?

2. The Dynamic Past (Became/Happened)

Use the forms (huāhua), (hue), or (huīhui) when "being" refers to a change of state, an occurrence, or the act of becoming.

उसे बुखार हुआ।
use bukhār huā.use bukhar hua.
He got a fever (literally: fever became to him).
वहाँ क्या हुआ?
vahā̃ kyā huā?wahan kya hua?
What happened there?
मुझे बहुत ख़ुशी हुई।
mujhe bahut ḵẖuśī huī.mujhe bahut ḵẖushi hui.
I felt very happy (literally: much happiness became to me).

Future Tense

The future tense of (honāhona) indicates that something "will be" or "will happen." These forms change according to gender and number.

Masculine: (hogāhoga) for singular, (honge) for plural/formal.
Feminine: (hogīhogi) for singular, (hongīhongi) for plural.

कल छुट्टी होगी।
kal chuṭṭī hogī.kal chhuṭṭi hogi.
Tomorrow will be a holiday.
सब ठीक होगा।
sab ṭhīk hogā.sab ṭhik hoga.
Everything will be fine.
वे नाराज़ होंगे।
ve nārāz honge.we naraz honge.
They will be angry.

Subject-Verb Agreement

When using (honāhona), it is crucial to match the verb to the subject's respect level and number.

Respect: When talking about someone older or in a formal context, use plural verb forms even for a single person.
Gender: In the past and future tenses, the verb ending must match the gender of the subject (masculine or feminine).

पिताजी घर पर हैं।
pitājī ghar par haĩ.pitaji ghar par haĩ.
Father is at home. (Plural 'haĩ' used for respect)
माताजी खुश थीं।
mātājī khuś thī̃.mataji khush thin.
Mother was happy. (Plural/nasalized 'thī̃' used for respect)

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Hindi course

430 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 1. A few of them, with the words “Conjugation of होना” is about in bold:

यह मेरी दोस्त एना है। यह एक छात्रा है।
yah merī dost enā hai. yah ek chātrā hai.yah meri dost ena hai. yah ek chhatra hai.
This is my friend, Anna. She is a student.
Lesson 2
वह भी सो रहा है। वह नहीं सो रही है।
vah bhī so rahā hai. vah nahī̃ so rahī hai.wah bhi so raha hai. wah nahin so rahi hai.
He is also sleeping. She isn't.
Lesson 16
मैं उनसे प्यार करता हूँ और वो मुझसे प्यार करते हैं।
ma͠i unse pyār kartā hū̃ aur vo mujhse pyār karte ha͠i.main unse pyar karta hun aur wo mujhse pyar karte hain.
I love them and they love me.
Lesson 32

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