What are common mistakes with सकर्मक-अकर्मक जोड़े?

Using the transitive verb for something that happened by itself, which then wrongly demands ne. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: the concept transfers from the -sya pairs, but Russian derives one member from the other predictably while Hindi does not, so the pairs have to be memorised.

सकर्मक-अकर्मक जोड़े: rules, examples & exercises | Hindi Grammar A2

सकर्मक-अकर्मक जोड़े

A2 — क्रिया

खुलना/खोलना, टूटना/तोड़ना — एक ही अर्थ की दो क्रियाएँ

I can choose between the verb that happens and the verb that is done

खुलना/खोलना, टूटना/तोड़ना — एक ही अर्थ की दो क्रियाएँ

Examples

— The glass broke.
— I broke the glass.
— The shop opens at nine.

क्रियाA2

Transitive and Intransitive Pairs

Verb pairs where one happens by itself and the other is done to something

Learning Goal

I can choose between the verb that happens and the verb that is done

Exam Skills:बोलनालिखना

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

The glass broke.

I broke the glass.

The shop opens at nine.

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

Two verbs, one event

Hindi keeps separate verbs for a thing happening and a person making it happen:

It happens	Someone does it
खुलना - to open	खोलना - to open (something)
टूटना - to break	तोड़ना - to break (something)
बनना - to be made	बनाना - to make
बिकना - to be sold	बेचना - to sell
जलना - to burn	जलाना - to burn (something)

दरवाज़ा खुला। - The door opened.
मैंने दरवाज़ा खोला। - I opened the door.

The choice decides ने

The intransitive member takes no ने: दरवाज़ा खुला. The transitive one does: मैंने दरवाज़ा खोला. Getting the verb wrong therefore breaks the whole sentence, not just one word.

Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Using the transitive verb for something that happened by itself, which then wrongly demands ne.

Common Error Patterns

Transitive verb used for a spontaneous event

If Russian would use -sya, take the intransitive member.

ne added to an intransitive verb

darvaza khula, never maine darvaza khula.

The glass broke.

Intransitive: no agent, so no ne.

I broke the glass.

Transitive: ne appears and the verb agrees with the object.

The shop opens at nine.

khulna, not kholna: nobody is named as opening it.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises

A2 Course

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Frequently asked questions

When is सकर्मक-अकर्मक जोड़े used?: Hindi keeps separate verbs for a thing happening and a person making it happen:
How is सकर्मक-अकर्मक जोड़े formed?: The intransitive member takes no ने: दरवाज़ा खुला. The transitive one does: मैंने दरवाज़ा खोला. Getting the verb wrong therefore breaks the whole sentence, not just one word.
What are common mistakes with सकर्मक-अकर्मक जोड़े?: Using the transitive verb for something that happened by itself, which then wrongly demands ne. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: the concept transfers from the -sya pairs, but Russian derives one member from the other predictably while Hindi does not, so the pairs have to be memorised.

Sources

Hindi (London Oriental and African Language Library 12) — John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2006
Yamuna Kachru's reference grammar; the descriptive account relied on for aspect, valency and clause structure.
Outline of Hindi Grammar — Oxford University Press, 1995
R. S. McGregor's outline, the standard concise academic description of Hindi morphology.