Conjunctions
Conjunctions: और/लेकिन/या/क्योंकि/इसलिए/कि
Can connect ideas using basic Hindi conjunctions for addition, contrast, alternatives, and cause/result
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
मैं चाय और बिस्कुट चाहता हूँ।
I want tea and biscuits.
वह थक गया लेकिन काम करता रहा।
He got tired but kept working.
मैं नहीं आया क्योंकि बीमार था।
I didn't come because I was sick.
मुझे पता है कि वह आएगा।
I know that he will come.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
संयोजक — Conjunctions
Hindi conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses.
| Hindi | Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| और | coordinating | and | चाय और बिस्कुट |
| लेकिन / पर / मगर | adversative | but | छोटा लेकिन अच्छा |
| या | disjunctive | or | चाय या कॉफ़ी? |
| क्योंकि | causal | because | मैं नहीं आया क्योंकि बीमार था |
| इसलिए | resultative | therefore | बारिश हुई इसलिए गीला है |
| कि | subordinating | that | मुझे पता है कि वह आएगा |
Word order: Unlike English 'because', Hindi क्योंकि can start a sentence or join mid-sentence. इसलिए always introduces the result clause.
मैं चाय और बिस्कुट चाहता हूँ।
I want tea and biscuits.
और = and. Connects two nouns.
वह थक गया लेकिन काम करता रहा।
He got tired but kept working.
लेकिन = but. Contrasts two clauses.
मैं नहीं आया क्योंकि बीमार था।
I didn't come because I was sick.
क्योंकि = because. No word order change in Hindi (unlike German weil).
मुझे पता है कि वह आएगा।
I know that he will come.
कि = that (subordinating). Introduces a content clause.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Put it into practice
Try a free exercise from the courseFrequently asked questions
- When is संयोजक used?
- Word order: Unlike English 'because', Hindi क्योंकि can start a sentence or join mid-sentence. इसलिए always introduces the result clause.
- What are common mistakes with संयोजक?
- Learners confuse क्योंकि (because) and इसलिए (therefore) — they express opposite directions of causation. 🇬🇧 English: Direct parallels exist (and/but/or/because/therefore/that), making this relatively easy for English speakers. 🇩🇪 German: German und/aber/oder/weil/deshalb/dass — very similar. But German weil changes word order (verb-final); Hindi doesn't. 🇷🇺 Russian: Russian и/но/или/потому что/поэтому/что — direct matches. Hindi conjunctions don't trigger word order changes. 🇨🇿 Czech: Czech a/ale/nebo/protože/proto/že — direct parallels. This is one of the easier Hindi topics for Czech speakers.