Which postposition each verb demands
I can use the right postposition with a verb I have just learned
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
मैं कल उससे मिला।
I met him yesterday.
बच्चा अँधेरे से डरता है।
The child is afraid of the dark.
मैंने उसे सब बता दिया।
I told him everything.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
| मिलना | से | मैं उससे मिला। - I met him. |
| पूछना | से | मैंने उससे पूछा। |
| डरना | से | वह कुत्ते से डरता है। |
| बात करना | से | मैंने उससे बात की। |
| कहना | से | मैंने उससे कहा। |
| बताना | को | मैंने उसे बताया। |
| देना | को | मैंने उसे दिया। |
Both mean to tell, and they take different postpositions: उससे कहा but उसे बताया. This pair alone accounts for a large share of learner errors.
The postposition is part of the dictionary entry, not something derivable. मिलना से, डरना से, बताना को.
Apply this grammar in B2 course exercises
Practice ExercisesChoosing the postposition by the Russian case rather than learning it with the verb.
Postposition chosen by the Russian case
Learn the postposition with the verb; several pairs do not match.
kahna and batana given the same postposition
usse kaha but use bataya.
मैं कल उससे मिला।
I met him yesterday.
milna takes se, matching the Russian instrumental with s.
बच्चा अँधेरे से डरता है।
The child is afraid of the dark.
darna takes se; Russian uses the genitive with no preposition.
मैंने उसे सब बता दिया।
I told him everything.
batana takes ko, unlike kahna, which takes se.
The check for this topic is still being prepared
Ready-made hints are free
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in B2 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.