Simple past tense: stem + -ा/-ी/-े with split ergativity introduction
Can narrate past events using simple past with intransitive verbs
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
मैं कल दिल्ली गया।
I went to Delhi yesterday. (male speaker)
वह कल आई।
She came yesterday.
बच्चे सो गए।
The children fell asleep.
क्या हुआ?
What happened?
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Hindi simple past is formed from the verb stem + -ा/-ी/-े, agreeing with subject gender/number.
| Subject | Masc.Sg. | Fem. | Masc.Pl. |
|---|---|---|---|
| मैं/तू/वह | गया | गई | — |
| हम/तुम/वे/आप | — | — | गए / गईं |
Intransitive verbs: verb agrees with subject: लड़का गया (The boy went), लड़की गई (The girl went). No auxiliary is used (unlike present tense). Important: Transitive verbs in past tense use a different construction with ने — see topic hi-ne-construction.
Common irregulars: जाना→गया, करना→किया, होना→हुआ, देना→दिया, लेना→लिया.
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesAdding है/हैं to simple past (making it present perfect)
Simple past has NO auxiliary: गया (went). गया है = has gone (present perfect)
Wrong gender agreement on past verb
Past verb agrees with subject: गया (m.sg.), गई (f.), गए (m.pl.), गईं (f.pl.)
मैं कल दिल्ली गया।
I went to Delhi yesterday. (male speaker)
गया (went, m.sg.) — intransitive verb agrees with masculine subject मैं.
वह कल आई।
She came yesterday.
आई (came, f.sg.) — feminine form of आया (came).
बच्चे सो गए।
The children fell asleep.
गए (m.pl. past of जाना) — सो गए is a compound verb (fell asleep).
क्या हुआ?
What happened?
हुआ (happened, m.sg.) — irregular past of होना (to be/happen).
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises