What are common mistakes with भाववाचक संज्ञा?

Coining an abstract noun with the wrong-register suffix. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: the -ost/-stvo against -ota split gives a working instinct, and the predictable gender is a rare piece of good news that learners often fail to use.

भाववाचक संज्ञा: rules, examples & exercises | Hindi Grammar B2

भाववाचक संज्ञा

B2 — शब्द निर्माण

सुंदरता, मित्रता, बचपन, ऊँचाई — गुण से संज्ञा

I can build an abstract noun from an adjective or a verb

सुंदरता, मित्रता, बचपन, ऊँचाई — गुण से संज्ञा

Examples

— Everyone praises her beauty.
— In childhood we used to play here.
— What is the height of this mountain?

शब्द निर्माणB2

Abstract Nouns

Turning qualities and states into nouns

Learning Goal

I can build an abstract noun from an adjective or a verb

Exam Skills:बोलनालिखना

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Everyone praises her beauty.

In childhood we used to play here.

What is the height of this mountain?

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

The suffixes

-ता	from adjectives, Sanskritic	सुंदर → सुंदरता
-त्व	from nouns, formal	मनुष्य → मनुष्यत्व
-पन	from adjectives and nouns, colloquial	बच्चा → बचपन
-ई	very common, both layers	ग़रीब → ग़रीबी
-आई / -आवट	from verbs	ऊँचा → ऊँचाई; सजना → सजावट

Choosing between them

-ता and -त्व belong to formal writing; -पन and -ई are ordinary speech. सुंदरता is a written word; ख़ूबसूरती is what people say.

They keep a gender

Almost all abstract nouns in -ता, -ई and -आई are feminine; those in -पन and -त्व are masculine.

Apply this grammar in B2 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Coining an abstract noun with the wrong-register suffix.

Common Error Patterns

Formal suffix used in speech

sundarta is written; khubsurti is spoken.

Gender of an abstract noun guessed

-ta, -i and -ai are feminine; -pan and -tva are masculine.

Everyone praises her beauty.

khubsurti, the spoken word; sundarta belongs to writing.

In childhood we used to play here.

-pan, masculine and colloquial.

What is the height of this mountain?

-ai from an adjective, feminine.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in B2 course exercises

B2 Course

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Frequently asked questions

When is भाववाचक संज्ञा used?: -ता and -त्व belong to formal writing; -पन and -ई are ordinary speech. सुंदरता is a written word; ख़ूबसूरती is what people say.
How is भाववाचक संज्ञा formed?: Almost all abstract nouns in -ता, -ई and -आई are feminine; those in -पन and -त्व are masculine.
What are common mistakes with भाववाचक संज्ञा?: Coining an abstract noun with the wrong-register suffix. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: the -ost/-stvo against -ota split gives a working instinct, and the predictable gender is a rare piece of good news that learners often fail to use.

Sources

हिन्दी व्याकरण — काशी नागरी प्रचारिणी सभा, 1920
Kamta Prasad Guru's grammar, the standard prescriptive reference for Hindi morphology and syntax.
देवनागरी लिपि तथा हिंदी वर्तनी का मानकीकरण — केंद्रीय हिंदी निदेशालय, शिक्षा मंत्रालय, भारत सरकार, 1983
The Government of India standard for Devanagari spelling, followed for all written forms here.