Whether you want to learn Hindi for fun, to enjoy a new array of books and media, to communicate with locals on an upcoming trip, or as part of your professional career, you will need to understand the tenses. Just like in English (and most other languages), Hindi utilises tenses in its vocabulary to indicate when events take place. Learning how tenses work in Hindi is vital for a good understanding of the language! Read on to learn how Hindi tenses work.
Why Should You Learn Hindi?
Hindi is the most spoken native language in India, with more than 422 million Indian people speaking it as their first language. On top of that, another 130 million Indians speak Hindi as their second or even third language. These figures should not be surprising given that Hindi is the official language of the Indian government, along with English. With a total of more than 550 million speakers, over a population of nearly 1.4 billion, Hindi is an essential medium of communication in India.
Hindi ranks third on the most spoken languages on Earth.
While not every region in India is Hindi-focused (many have their own regional languages), its use is widespread enough that knowing it is bound to be helpful wherever you are. Additionally, learning Hindi will help you develop a better ear and understanding of several other Into-Aryan languages, such as Urdu, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali, and Gujarati.
Many of these languages share lots of words, so you will be better able to understand people in a large swath of areas, even if they speak a local language rather than Hindi.
If you are heading to India for your studies, work, or just for vacation, getting to know the local language could come in very handy, especially because India can be a very disorienting and unfamiliar territory for Westerners.
Basics of Tenses in Hindi
The first thing to realise is all the possibilities available for tenses in Hindi. There are 3 main categories of tenses in Hindi: Past, Present, and Future. And, each main category has 4 sub-types.
Present Tense
- Indefinite
- Continuous
- Perfect
- Perfect Continuous
Past Tense
- Indefinite
- Continuous
- Perfect
- Perfect Continuous
Future Tense
- Indefinite
- Continuous
- Perfect
- Perfect Continuous
The main things to remember are the big three: Present, Past, and Future. In this article, we will examine the most common sub-types of tenses within these three main types and look at Hindi tenses examples for these sub-types.
Some tense types are often referred to as “moods” in Hindi, such as the Indicative Mood and Subjunctive Mood. For today, simply focus on the Past, Present, and Future.
To conjugate verbs in Hindi, you must first identify the stem of the verb. This is pretty easy as every regular verb will end in -naa. By removing this -naa suffix, you find the stem of the verb. The number of irregular verbs is limited, so let's not worry about them for now.
Example: To read = Padhnaa ➡ Padh is the stem of the verb, and naa is the infinitive suffix.
See the example below (for a masculine subject):
| Tense | Simple | Progressive | Perfect | Perfect Progressive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | I read - Main padhta hoon | I am reading - Main padh rahaa hoon | I have read - Main padhaa hoon | I have been reading - Main padhtaa rahaa hoon |
| Past | I read - Main padhaa | I was reading - Main padh rahaa thaa | I had read - Main padhaa thaa | I had been reading - Main padhtaa rahaa thaa |
| Future | I will read - Main padhunga | I will be reading - Main padhtaa rahunga | I will have read - Main padhaa hooungaa | I will have been reading - Main padhataa rahaa houngaa |
Refresher: Conjugating with Pronouns
Remember that Hindi requires verbs to be conjugated depending on the subject! It’s a basic feature of Hindi grammar that trips up many learners, especially English speakers.
Verbs have different endings depending if the subject is masculine or feminine. It means that each verb for each tense and each pronoun will have two forms. The feminine form nearly always ends in -ee or -en, whereas the masculine form ends either in-e or-aa.
Luckily, most Hindi verbs are regular, making it easy to learn as their conjugation will follow logical and identical patterns.
One more thing to recall is the different types of “you” in Hindi. In English, regardless of whether you are talking to your friend or the President, you will use "you.”
In Hindi "you" can have three different forms.
- "Tu" is the "you" for your loved ones and maybe your closest friends.
- "Tum" is the familiar "you" that you would use while speaking to your colleagues.
- "Aap" is the formal and respectful "you" that you would use if speaking to a stranger or a superior.
Present Tenses in Hindi
The present tense is the tense we typically use in daily life since it’s used to talk about what we are doing in the present moment. There are a few different ways to use the present tense in Hindi, just like in English.
Here are some uses of the present tenses in Hindi with examples.
You simply must learn how to conjugate the verb "to be" in Hindi, which is hona. It is used as an auxiliary verb in many instances. See the tables below to learn how to conjugate hona.
Present Simple in Hindi
A tense aims to set the action within a time frame. The present simple form is commonly used to describe an action or a fact that is true in the present, something that happens regularly, or something that is always true. In Hindi, to conjugate any verb in the present simple, you will use the auxiliary verb "to be" or "hona". See the declension below:
Verb: Hona ("to be") Conjugation in Present Tense
| English | Romanised Hindi | Devanagari |
|---|---|---|
| I am | Main hoon | मैं हूँ |
| You (intimate) are | Too hai | तू है |
| You (familiar) are | Tum ho | तुम हो |
| You (formal) are | Aap hain | आप हैं |
| He / She / This is | Voh / Yeh hai | वह / यह है |
| We are | Ham hain | हम हैं |
| They are | Ve / Ye hain | वे / ये हैं |
Also, you need to know how to form the participle of a verb.
Once you identified the stem of a verb, remove the infinitive suffix -naa and add either -taa (singular masculine), -te (plural masculine), or -tee (singular and plural feminine), this gives you the participle.
The present simple is built as follows:
👉 Stem of the verb + present participle suffix + auxiliary "hona"
For "to read" this will unfold as:
👉 I read = Padhnaa ➡ Padh + taa ➡ Main Padhtaa + hoon
Verb: Padhnaa ("to read") Conjugation in Present Tense
| English | Romanised Hindi | Devanagari |
|---|---|---|
| I read | Main Padhtaa (-ee) hoon | मैं पढ़ता / पढ़ती हूँ |
| You (intimate) read | Too Padhtaa (-ee) hai | तू पढ़ता / पढ़ती है |
| You (familiar) read | Tum Padhte (-tee) ho | तुम पढ़ते / पढ़ती हो |
| You (formal) read | Aap Padhte (-ee) hain | आप पढ़ते / पढ़ती हैं |
| He / She / This reads | Voh / Yeh Padhtaa (-ee) hai | वह / यह पढ़ता है / पढ़ती है |
| We read | Ham Padhte (-ee) hain | हम पढ़ते / पढ़ती हैं |
| They read | Ve / Ye Padhte (-ee) hain | वे / ये पढ़ते हैं |
Present Continuous in Hindi
The present continuous is used when the action we are talking about takes place while we are talking, or to describe future plans.
The mark of the continuous tense in English, whether present, past, or future, is the suffix -ing.
In Hindi, the equivalent of -ing is the word "raha" if the subject is a masculine singular, "rahe" if the subject is masculine plural, and "rahi" if the subject is feminine (both singular and plural).
To form the present continuous in Hindi you will need to use the stem of the verb followed by the Hindi word "raha" and then add the present tense of the auxiliary "hona.”
Verb: Padhnaa ("to read") Conjugation in Present Continuous Tense
| English | Romanised Hindi | Devanagari |
|---|---|---|
| I am reading | Main Padh raha (rahi) hoon | मैं पढ़ रहा / रही हूँ |
| You (intimate) are reading | Too Padh raha (rahi) hai | तू पढ़ रहा / रही है |
| You (familiar) are reading | Tum Padh rahe (rahi) ho | तुम पढ़ रहे / रही हो |
| You (formal) are reading | Aap Padh rahe (rahi) hain | आप पढ़ रहे / रही हैं |
| He / She / This is reading | Voh / Yeh Padh raha (rahi) hai | वह / यह पढ़ रहा / रही है |
| We are reading | Ham Padh rahe (rahi) hain | हम पढ़ रहे / रही हैं |
| They are reading | Ve / Ye Padh rahe (rahi) hain | वे / ये पढ़ रहे / रही हैं |
Past Tenses in Hindi
To be able to conjugate in the past tenses in Hindi, you will need to know the past tense of the auxiliary verb "to be" - Hona.
This verb is used to modify other verbs to turn them into actions that took place previously. In Hindi, using the verb hona in the past tense indicates that the target action took place in the past.
Learning all the tenses is necessary for building simple and complex sentences in Hindi.
Verb: Hona ("to be") Conjugation in Past Tense
| English | Romanised Hindi | Devanagari |
|---|---|---|
| I was | Main tha (thi) | मैं था / थी |
| You (intimate) were | Too tha (thi) | तू था / थी |
| You (familiar) were | Tum the (thin) | तुम थे / थीं |
| You (formal) were | Aap the (thin) | आप थे / थीं |
| He / She / This was | Voh / Yeh tha (thi) | वह / यह था / थी |
| We were | Ham the (thin) | हम थे / थीं |
| They were | Ve / Ye the (thin) | वे / ये थे / थीं |
Past Simple in Hindi
The Past Simple is used to describe an action or a fact that happened in the past, recent or not, that is finished. To form the past simple in Hindi, you need to proceed the same way you did for the present simple but rather than using the present form of the verb "hona" you will use the past tense. The form between parentheses is the feminine conjugation.
Verb: Padhnaa ("to read") Conjugation in Past Simple Tense
| English | Romanised Hindi | Devanagari |
|---|---|---|
| I used to read / I would read | Main Padhtaa (-ee) tha (thi) | मैं पढ़ता / पढ़ती था / थी |
| You (intimate) used to read | Too Padhtaa (-ee) tha (thi) | तू पढ़ता / पढ़ती था / थी |
| You (familiar) used to read | Tum Padhte (-tee) the (thin) | तुम पढ़ते / पढ़ती थे / थीं |
| You (formal) used to read | Aap Padhte (-ee) the (thin) | आप पढ़ते / पढ़ती थे / थीं |
| He / She / This used to read | Voh / Yeh Padhtaa (-ee) tha (thi) | वह / यह पढ़ता / पढ़ती था / थी |
| We used to read | Ham Padhte (-ee) the (thin) | हम पढ़ते / पढ़ती थे / थीं |
| They used to read | Ve / Ye Padhte (-ee) the (thin) | वे / ये पढ़ते / पढ़ती थे / थीं |
The Past Continuous
The past continuous is used to describe an action that started in the past and is still happening at the time of speaking. It describes incomplete or ongoing actions. Once again, to write the past continuous form of a regular verb, simply use the same way you wrote the present continuous but replace the present tense form of the auxiliary with the past tense of "hona".
Verb: Padhnaa ("to read") Conjugation in Past Continuous Tense
| English | Romanised Hindi | Devanagari |
|---|---|---|
| I was reading | Main Padh raha (rahi) tha (thi) | मैं पढ़ रहा / रही था / थी |
| You (intimate) were reading | Too Padh raha (rahi) tha (thi) | तू पढ़ रहा / रही था / थी |
| You (familiar) were reading | Tum Padh rahe (rahi) the (thin) | तुम पढ़ रहे / रही थे / थीं |
| You (formal) were reading | Aap Padh rahe (rahi) the (thin) | आप पढ़ रहे / रही थे / थीं |
| He / She / This was reading | Voh / Yeh Padh raha (rahi) tha (thi) | वह / यह पढ़ रहा / रही था / थी |
| We were reading | Ham Padh rahe (rahi) the (thin) | हम पढ़ रहे / रही थे / थीं |
| They were reading | Ve / Ye Padh rahe (rahi) the (thin) | वे / ये पढ़ रहे / रही थे / थीं |
Future Tenses in Hindi
Now that you understand the past tenses in Hindi, we will take a closer look at the future tenses. You will need to study the Simple Future and the Future Continuous to be able to successfully describe future events or a state that is expected to happen at a later date.
The Simple Future
This tense is used for many different reasons: describing a future event, to indicate the willingness (I will) or non-willingness (I won't) of the subject, to give an order (You will!), or an invitation (Will you?).
In Hindi, this tense does not require the use of "hona" or the participle of the verb.
Instead, the Hindi conjugation uses a unique suffix for each pronoun, marking the future tense. The form between parentheses is the feminine conjugation.
Verb: Padhnaa ("to read") Conjugation in Future Tense
| English | Romanised Hindi | Devanagari |
|---|---|---|
| I will read | Main Padhunga (padhungi) | मैं पढ़ूंगा / पढ़ूंगी |
| You (intimate) will read | Too Padhega (padhegi) | तू पढ़ेगा / पढ़ेगी |
| You (familiar) will read | Tum Padhoge (padhogi) | तुम पढ़ोगे / पढ़ोगी |
| You (formal) will read | Aap Padhenge (m.) / Padhengee (f.) | आप पढ़ेंगे / पढ़ेंगी |
| He / She / This will read | Voh / Yeh Padhega (padhegi) | वह / यह पढ़ेगा / पढ़ेगी |
| We will read | Ham Padhenge (m.) / Padhengee (f.) | हम पढ़ेंगे / पढ़ेंगी |
| They will read | Ve / Ye Padhenge (m.) / Padhengee (f.) | वे / ये पढ़ेंगे / पढ़ेंगी |
The Future Continuous
This tense is used to describe an action or state that is expected to happen in the future but that will not be completed. In English, we use the auxiliary "to be" in the future tense form (i.e . will) and we add the suffix -ing at the end of the verb. The Hindi conjugation is rather similar as we use the future tense of the auxiliary "hona" to conjugate regular verbs.
Verb: Hona ("to be") Conjugation in Future Tense
| English | Romanised Hindi | Devanagari |
|---|---|---|
| I will read | Main Padhunga (Padhungi) | मैं पढ़ूंगा / पढ़ूंगी |
| You (intimate) will read | Too Padhoga (Padhogi) | तू पढ़ोगा / पढ़ोगी |
| You (familiar) will read | Tum Padhoge (Padhogi) | तुम पढ़ोगे / पढ़ोगी |
| You (formal) will read | Aap Padhoge (Padhogi) | आप पढ़ोगे / पढ़ोगी |
| He / She / This will read | Voh / Yeh Padhoga (Padhogi) | वह / यह पढ़ेगा / पढ़ेगी |
| We will read | Ham Padhoge (Padhogi) | हम पढ़ेंगे / पढ़ेंगी |
| They will read | Ve / Ye Padhoge (Padhogi) | वे / ये पढ़ेंगे / पढ़ेंगी |
Verb: Padhnaa ("to read") Conjugation in Future Continuous Tense
| English | Romanised Hindi | Devanagari |
|---|---|---|
| I will be reading | Main Padh raha (rahi) hunga (hungi) | मैं पढ़ रहा / रही हूंगा / हूंगी |
| You (intimate) will be reading | Too Padh raha (rahi) hoga (hogi) | तू पढ़ रहा / रही होगा / होगी |
| You (familiar) will be reading | Tum Padh rahe (rahi) hoge (hogi) | तुम पढ़ रहे / रही होगे / होगी |
| You (formal) will be reading | Aap Padh rahe (rahi) honge (hongi) | आप पढ़ रहे / रही होंगे / होंगी |
| He / She / This will be reading | Voh / Yeh Padh raha (rahi) hoga (hogi) | वह / यह पढ़ रहा / रही होगा / होगी |
| We will be reading | Ham Padh rahe (rahi) honge (hongi) | हम पढ़ रहे / रही होंगे / होंगी |
| They will be reading | Ve / Ye Padh rahe (rahi) honge (hongi) | वे / ये पढ़ रहे / रही होंगे / होंगी |
All in all, Hindi grammar is not as complicated as one might think. But, learning any new language, and especially one that is from a different language family from your mother tongue, will be tricky and will require some time and effort.
Learning about verb tenses in Hindi is a necessary step to achieve fluency. Keep on learning and practicing and you’ll be able to read, write, speak, and listen to Hindi over time!
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