A Door Into Hindi: Lesson 9

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9.1

Optative / Subjunctive


The optative tense (also called the subjunctive or conditional tense) is used to express an action that has not happened yet which is in doubt, or subject to conditions, or uncertain.

The optative tense is useful for sentences like:

क्या मैं जाऊँ? "Should I go?"

क्या कहूँ? "What should [I] say?"

Formula:

Root Verb

+ "Auxiliary Sound"

The "auxiliary sounds" that are to be attached to the root verb are given in the table below with their corresponding pronouns:

Pronoun

Aux. sound

मैं

ऊँ

तुम

वह, यह

हम

एँ

आप

एँ

वे, ये

एँ

Note that of the auxiliary sounds correspond approximately to the normal auxiliary verbs ( हूँ, हो, है, हैं ) with the letter removed.


 

 

Regular verbs


Irregular verbs



Pronoun

Aux. sound

जाना

देखना

लेना

देना

होना

मैं

RV + ऊँ

जाऊँ

देखूँ

लूँ

दूँ

हूँ, होऊँ

तुम

RV +

जाओ

देखो

लो

दो

हो

वह, यह

RV +

जाए

देखे

ले

दे

हो

हम

RV + एँ

जाएँ

देखें

लें

दें

हों

आप

RV + एँ

जाएँ

देखें

लें

दें

हों

वे, ये

RV + एँ

जाएँ

देखें

लें

दें

हों


See Snell's Teach Yourself Hindi (2000)
Section 10.1 page 125