आज्ञार्थ

A1 — क्रिया

Imperative forms: तू (bare stem), तुम (-ओ), आप (-इए) commands

Can give commands and make requests at appropriate politeness levels

Imperative forms: तू (bare stem), तुम (-ओ), आप (-इए) commands

Examples

यहाँ आओ। — Come here. (informal)
कृपया बैठिए। — Please sit down. (formal)
चुप कर! — Be quiet! (intimate/rude)
मुझे पानी दीजिए। — Please give me water. (formal)

क्रियाA1

आज्ञार्थ

Imperative forms: तू (bare stem), तुम (-ओ), आप (-इए) commands

Learning Goal

Can give commands and make requests at appropriate politeness levels

Exam Skills:Speaking

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

यहाँ आओ।

Come here. (informal)

कृपया बैठिए।

Please sit down. (formal)

चुप कर!

Be quiet! (intimate/rude)

मुझे पानी दीजिए।

Please give me water. (formal)

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

आज्ञार्थ — Imperative

Hindi has three imperative levels matching the three 'you' forms:

Level	Formation	करना (do)	जाना (go)
तू (intimate)	bare stem	कर	जा
तुम (informal)	stem + ओ	करो	जाओ
आप (formal)	stem + इए	करिए / कीजिए	जाइए

Politeness: तू forms are intimate/rude (used with children, close friends, God). तुम forms are standard informal. आप forms are polite/formal. Adding कृपया (please) increases politeness: कृपया बैठिए.

Irregular: देना→दो/दीजिए, लेना→लो/लीजिए, पीना→पियो/पीजिए.

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Using तू imperative in formal situations (very rude). Forgetting that तुम form adds -ओ, not -ो. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English has one imperative ('Do it!'). Hindi's three levels require social awareness.

Common Error Patterns

Using wrong imperative level for the social context

तू (intimate/rude), तुम (informal standard), आप (formal polite). When in doubt, use आप+कृपया

Wrong imperative ending

तू = bare stem (कर), तुम = stem+ओ (करो), आप = stem+इए (करिए/कीजिए)

यहाँ आओ।

Come here. (informal)

आओ = तुम imperative of आना (come). Standard informal.

कृपया बैठिए।

Please sit down. (formal)

बैठिए = आप imperative of बैठना (sit). कृपया adds politeness.

चुप कर!

Be quiet! (intimate/rude)

कर = तू imperative of करना (do). Bare stem — very direct/rude.

मुझे पानी दीजिए।

Please give me water. (formal)

दीजिए = आप imperative of देना (give). Irregular form (not देइए).

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

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Put it into practice

Try a free exercise from the course

Frequently asked questions

When is आज्ञार्थ used?: Hindi has three imperative levels matching the three 'you' forms:
How is आज्ञार्थ formed?: Politeness: तू forms are intimate/rude (used with children, close friends, God). तुम forms are standard informal. आप forms are polite/formal. Adding कृपया (please) increases politeness: कृपया बैठिए .
What are common mistakes with आज्ञार्थ?: Using तू imperative in formal situations (very rude). Forgetting that तुम form adds -ओ, not -ो. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English has one imperative ('Do it!'). Hindi's three levels require social awareness. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian has ты/вы imperative (делай/делайте) — similar two-level system. Hindi adds a third intimate level (तू). 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech has ty/vy forms (dělej/dělejte). Hindi's three levels, especially the intimate तू, are new.

Level

Formation

करना (do)

जाना (go)

तू (intimate)

bare stem

कर

जा

तुम (informal)

stem + ओ

करो

जाओ

आप (formal)

stem + इए

करिए / कीजिए

जाइए

Frequently asked questions

When is आज्ञार्थ used?

Hindi has three imperative levels matching the three 'you' forms:

How is आज्ञार्थ formed?

Politeness: तू forms are intimate/rude (used with children, close friends, God). तुम forms are standard informal. आप forms are polite/formal. Adding कृपया (please) increases politeness: कृपया बैठिए .

What are common mistakes with आज्ञार्थ?

Using तू imperative in formal situations (very rude). Forgetting that तुम form adds -ओ, not -ो. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English has one imperative ('Do it!'). Hindi's three levels require social awareness. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian has ты/вы imperative (делай/делайте) — similar two-level system. Hindi adds a third intimate level (तू). 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech has ty/vy forms (dělej/dělejte). Hindi's three levels, especially the intimate तू, are new.