Case is a property of a word which indicates its use within a phrase or sentence. In Hindi, there are three cases: the direct case, the oblique case, and the vocative case.
The Direct Case
The direct case is used when a nominal phrase is not followed by a postposition. (See the article about postpositions).
The Oblique Case
The oblique case is used when a nominal phrase is followed by a postposition.
Orthography
In the singular number, marked masculine nouns change the final उ.
| Type | Gender | Number | Direct | Translation | Oblique | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marked | Masculine | Singular | लड़का | Boy | लड़के का नाम | The boy’s name |
| Unmarked | Masculine | Singular | आदमी | Man | आदमी का नाम | The man’s name |
| Marked | Feminine | Singular | लड़की | Girl | लड़की का नाम | The girl’s name |
| Unmarked | Feminine | Singular | किताब | Book | किताब का नाम | The name of the book |
| Marked | Masculine | Plural | लड़के | Boys | लड़कों का | of the boys, the boys’ … |
| Unmarked | Masculine | Plural | आदमी | Men | आदमियों का | of the men, the mens’ … |
| Marked | Feminine | Plural | लड़कियां | Girls | लड़कियों का | of the girls, the girls’ … |
| Unmarked | Feminine | Plural | किताबें | Books | किताबों का | of the books, the books’ … |
Examples of spellings:
| Singular | Translation | Plural | Translation | Plural Oblique | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| भाई | Brother | भाई | Brothers | भाइयों का | of the brothers, the brothers’ … |
| कुर्सी | Chair | कुर्सियां | Chairs | कुर्सियों का | of the chairs, the chairs’ … |
| चाकू | Knife | चाकू | Knives | चाकुओं का | of the knives, the knives’ … |
The Vocative Case
The vocative case is used for direct address. It has the same form as the oblique case, except the plural forms are not nasalized.
4 replies on “Case”
Shouldn’t लड़के का नाम be ‘the boys’ names’ and not ‘the boy’s name’?
No. “The boys’ names” would be “लड़कों के नाम”.
Thank you so much for the time and effort you’ve put into creating this website: it’s extremely well designed and tremendously useful!
Just one thing regarding this particular page: I think “of the houses, the houses’ …” should be replaced with “of the men, the men’s…” since the example is about आदमी and not घर.
Thanks for your kind comment! I’m glad that this site has been useful to you. You’re right – there is an error in the table; I will correct it. Let me know if you ever have any questions.