Question words: कौन/क्या/कहाँ/कब/क्यों/कैसे/कितना + क्या as yes/no marker
Can ask and understand basic questions
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
क्या तुम हिन्दी बोलते हो?
Do you speak Hindi?
तुम कहाँ रहते हो?
Where do you live?
यह कितने का है?
How much does this cost?
आप कैसे हैं?
How are you?
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
| Hindi | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| क्या | what / yes-no marker | क्या तुम जाते हो? |
| कौन | who | कौन आया? |
| कहाँ | where | तुम कहाँ हो? |
| कब | when | तुम कब आओगे? |
| क्यों | why | तुम क्यों रोते हो? |
| कैसे | how | आप कैसे हैं? |
| कितना | how much/many | कितना पैसा? |
क्या has a dual role: as a question word ("what?") and as a yes/no marker at sentence start: क्या तुम ठीक हो? (Are you okay?). कितना inflects like an adjective: कितना (m.sg.), कितनी (f.), कितने (m.pl.).
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesUsing wrong question word or confusing क्या as 'what' vs yes/no marker
क्या at sentence start = yes/no marker. क्या in content position = 'what'
Not inflecting कितना for gender/case
कितना (m.sg.), कितनी (f.), कितने (m.pl./oblique)
क्या तुम हिन्दी बोलते हो?
Do you speak Hindi?
क्या at the start turns a statement into a yes/no question.
तुम कहाँ रहते हो?
Where do you live?
कहाँ (where) stays in the position where the answer would go.
यह कितने का है?
How much does this cost?
कितना inflects: कितने (oblique m.sg. before का).
आप कैसे हैं?
How are you?
कैसे (how) — one of the most common greetings in Hindi.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises