Three degrees of obligation: should, have to, had no choice
I can tell apart advice, intention and unavoidable obligation
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
I had to leave early.
You should rest.
I had to take the medicine.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
| मुझे जाना चाहिए। | I should go. | advice |
| मुझे जाना है। | I have to go. / I'm going to. | plan or mild need |
| मुझे जाना पड़ा। | I had to go. | no choice about it |
All three put the person in the को form and keep the infinitive with its -ना.
पड़ना says the obligation came from outside and the speaker would rather it had not:
With a transitive verb the infinitive agrees with the object: मुझे दवा लेनी पड़ी।
Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises
Practice ExercisesUsing chahiye for an obligation that was actually unavoidable, which understates it.
chahiye used for an unavoidable obligation
If Russian would say prishlos, use parna.
Infinitive not agreeing with a feminine object
dava leni pari, not dava lena para.
I had to leave early.
parna: the obligation came from outside.
You should rest.
chahiye is advice, the weakest of the three.
I had to take the medicine.
leni, not lena: the infinitive agrees with dava, which is feminine.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises
Kamta Prasad Guru's grammar, the standard prescriptive reference for Hindi verb and particle usage.
Yamuna Kachru's reference grammar; the descriptive account of modality, particles and reported speech used here.