Verb pairs where one happens by itself and the other is done to something
I can choose between the verb that happens and the verb that is done
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
गिलास टूट गया।
The glass broke.
मैंने गिलास तोड़ा।
I broke the glass.
दुकान नौ बजे खुलती है।
The shop opens at nine.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
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) |
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 ExercisesUsing the transitive verb for something that happened by itself, which then wrongly demands ne.
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.
गिलास टूट गया।
The glass broke.
Intransitive: no agent, so no ne.
मैंने गिलास तोड़ा।
I broke the glass.
Transitive: ne appears and the verb agrees with the object.
दुकान नौ बजे खुलती है।
The shop opens at nine.
khulna, not kholna: nobody is named as opening it.
The check for this topic is still being prepared
Ready-made hints are free
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises
Yamuna Kachru's reference grammar; the descriptive account relied on for aspect, valency and clause structure.
R. S. McGregor's outline, the standard concise academic description of Hindi morphology.