Gender System
M/F gender with adjective and verb agreement
I can identify noun gender and apply agreement
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
अच्छा लड़का
Good boy
अच्छी लड़की
Good girl
पानी ठंडा है।
The water is cold.
लड़का जाता है, लड़की जाती है।
The boy goes, the girl goes.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
लिंग (Gender)
Hindi has two genders: पुल्लिंग (masculine) and स्त्रीलिंग (feminine). Gender affects adjectives, verbs, and postpositions.
| Pattern | Gender | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ends in -ा | Usually M | लड़का (boy), कमरा (room) |
| ends in -ी | Usually F | लड़की (girl), रोटी (bread) |
| ends in consonant | Either! | M: घर (house), F: किताब (book) |
Exceptions to memorize: पानी (water) = M despite -ी ending. राजा (king) = M (natural gender overrides). Common exception list: पानी (M), आदमी (M), मोती (M), दही (M), घी (M).
Why it matters: Adjectives change: अच्छा लड़का (good boy) vs अच्छी लड़की (good girl). Verbs change: लड़का जाता है vs लड़की जाती है.
Common Error Patterns
Wrong gender for a noun
Learn -ा=M, -ी=F pattern + exceptions (पानी, आदमी = M)
Adjective/verb doesn't match noun gender
M: अच्छा/जाता, F: अच्छी/जाती — always match the subject's gender
अच्छा लड़का
Good boy
M noun लड़का → M adjective अच्छा (ending -ा).
अच्छी लड़की
Good girl
F noun लड़की → F adjective अच्छी (ending -ी).
पानी ठंडा है।
The water is cold.
पानी is MASCULINE despite ending in -ी → ठंडा (M adj).
लड़का जाता है, लड़की जाती है।
The boy goes, the girl goes.
Verb changes with gender: जाता (M) vs जाती (F).
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises