Expressing 'must' with होना — Hindi Grammar

To express necessity, obligation, or compulsion (equivalent to English "must," "have to," or "need to"), Hindi uses a specific construction involving the infinitive verb and the auxiliary verb (honāhona) - to be.

This structure differs significantly from English because the person who "must" do the action is not the grammatical subject of the sentence. Instead, the person is marked with the postposition (ko) - to.

The Basic Structure

The formula for this construction is:

Subject + को (ko) + Infinitive Verb + है (hai)

Because the subject is marked with (ko), pronouns change to their oblique forms (e.g., (maiṃ) becomes (mujhe)). The verb (honāhona) appears as (hai) - is or (haiṃ) - are in the present tense.

मुझे जाना है।
mujhe jānā hai.mujhe jana hai.
I have to go.
बच्चों को सोना है।
baccoṃ ko sonā hai.bachchoṃ ko sona hai.
The children must sleep.
हमें हिंदी बोलनी है।
hameṃ hiṃdī bolnī hai.hameṃ hiṃdi bolni hai.
We have to speak Hindi.

Agreement with the Object

A crucial rule in this construction is that the verb does not agree with the person (the subject). Instead, the agreement depends on whether there is an object in the sentence.

1. Without an Object (Intransitive)

If there is no object (e.g., verbs like "to go", "to sleep", "to come"), the infinitive verb and the auxiliary (hai) always remain in the masculine singular form. This applies regardless of the gender or number of the person.

सीता को आना है।
sītā ko ānā hai.sita ko ana hai.
Sita has to come.
लड़कों को दौड़ना है।
laṛkoṃ ko dauṛnā hai.larkoṃ ko daurna hai.
The boys have to run.

2. With an Object (Transitive)

If the sentence has an object (something being acted upon), the infinitive verb and the auxiliary (hai) agree with the object in gender and number. The infinitive ending changes from (-nā-na) to (-nī-ni) - feminine or (-ne) - plural.

मुझे चाय पीनी है।
mujhe cāy pīnī hai.mujhe chay pini hai.
I have to drink tea. (Tea is feminine)
राम को केले खरीदने हैं।
rām ko kele kharīdnī haiṃ.ram ko kele kharidni haiṃ.
Ram has to buy bananas. (Bananas are masculine plural)
उसे काम करना है।
use kām karnā hai.use kam karna hai.
He/She has to do work. (Work is masculine singular)

Past and Future Obligations

To express "had to" or "will have to," you simply change the auxiliary verb (hai) to the past or future form of (honāhona). The rules for object agreement remain the same.

Past Tense (Had to)

Use (thātha) - masculine or (thīthi) - feminine.

मुझे कल जाना था।
mujhe kal jānā thā.mujhe kal jana tha.
I had to go yesterday.
हमें किताब पढ़नी थी।
hameṃ kitāb paṛhnī thī.hameṃ kitab parhni thi.
We had to read the book.

Future Tense (Will have to)

Use (hogāhoga) - masculine or (hogīhogi) - feminine.

तुम्हें इंतज़ार करना होगा।
tumheṃ iṃtazār karnā hogā.tumheṃ iṃtazar karna hoga.
You will have to wait.
उसे दवा खानी होगी।
use davā khānī hogī.use dawa khani hogi.
He/She will have to take medicine.

Negation

To make these sentences negative ("must not" or "do not have to"), place the word (nahīṃnahiṃ) before the infinitive verb.

मुझे अभी नहीं जाना है।
mujhe abhī nahīṃ jānā hai.mujhe abhi nahiṃ jana hai.
I do not have to go right now.
राज को काम नहीं करना है।
rāj ko kām nahīṃ karnā hai.raj ko kam nahiṃ karna hai.
Raj does not have to work.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Hindi course

11 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 8. A few of them, with the words “Expressing 'must' with होना” is about in bold:

जब तक मैं नई कार नहीं लेता, मुझे अपनी बाइक चलानी होगी।
jab tak ma͠i naī kār nahī̃ letā, mujhe apnī bāik calānī hogī.jab tak main nai kar nahin leta, mujhe apni baik chalani hogi.
I have to ride my bike until I get a new car.
Lesson 301
मुझे शौचालय साफ़ करना है। यह बहुत गंदा है।
mujhe śaucālay sāf karnā hai. yah bahut gandā hai.mujhe shauchalay saf karna hai. yah bahut ganda hai.
I need to clean the toilet. It is too dirty.
Lesson 469

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