Basic Modal Expressions in Hindi

In Brief

Hindi commonly puts the person who has a need or duty in a को form: मुझे पानी चाहिए। means “I need water,” मुझे जाना है। means “I have to go,” and आपको यह करना चाहिए। means “You should do this.” Instead of beginning with मैं “I,” these patterns usually begin with मुझे, literally “to me.”

Overview

English uses verbs and modal phrases such as “need,” “have to,” and “should.” Hindi often expresses the same ideas with a different sentence shape. The person affected by the need or duty is marked with को “to,” while the needed thing or action comes afterward. Grammarians call this a dative construction: a construction in which the person is presented as the one to whom something is necessary.

At A1, three patterns cover a great deal of everyday communication:

• person + को + noun + चाहिए — someone needs or wants a thing
• person + को + infinitive + है — someone has to do something
• person + को + infinitive + चाहिए — someone should do something

An infinitive is the dictionary form of a verb, normally ending in -ना, such as जाना “to go,” करना “to do,” and पढ़ना “to read.” The beginner rule is simple: choose the right को form, add the thing or action, and finish with चाहिए or the appropriate form of होना “to be.” Later sections explain agreement, politeness, negatives, and other useful nuances.

How It Works

1. Mark the person with को

With an ordinary noun or name, add को directly:

• रवि को — Ravi needs/has to/should …
• बच्चों को — the children need/have to/should …
• मेरी बहन को — my sister needs/has to/should …

Personal pronouns have common combined forms. These are worth learning as complete units.

English person	Hindi form	Example opening
I	मुझे / मुझको	मुझे जाना है…
you, intimate singular	तुझे / तुझको	तुझे सोना चाहिए…
you, familiar singular	तुम्हें / तुमको	तुम्हें पढ़ना है…
he / she / it / that person	उसे / उसको	उसे दवा चाहिए…
this person / he / she	इसे / इसको	इसे आराम चाहिए…
we	हमें / हमको	हमें चलना है…
you, respectful or plural	आपको	आपको बैठना चाहिए…
they / those people	उन्हें / उनको	उन्हें मदद चाहिए…
these people	इन्हें / इनको	इन्हें समय चाहिए…

The shorter forms such as मुझे, तुम्हें, उसे, हमें, उन्हें are extremely common. Forms with -को, such as मुझको and उसको, are also correct. At first, choose one set for active use, but learn to recognize both.

2. Needing a thing: को + noun + चाहिए

Use this pattern when the need is a person, object, substance, or other noun (a naming word such as “book,” “water,” or “help”):

person + को + needed thing + चाहिए

• मुझे पानी चाहिए। — I need water.
• सीमा को एक किताब चाहिए। — Seema needs a book.
• हमें आपकी मदद चाहिए। — We need your help.

There is normally no है after चाहिए in a present-tense sentence. Do not build the sentence as चाहिए है.

This same pattern frequently means want, especially when requesting or choosing something: मुझे चाय चाहिए। can be “I need tea” or “I would like tea.” Context tells you whether the meaning is necessity or desire. For a strong personal desire to perform an action, Hindi also uses other constructions, notably मैं जाना चाहता हूँ / मैं जाना चाहती हूँ “I want to go”; that is not the same as मुझे जाना चाहिए “I should go.”

3. Having to do something: को + infinitive + है

For a duty, necessity, or fixed task, use:

person + को + verb in -ना + है / हैं

• मुझे जाना है। — I have to go.
• तुम्हें काम करना है। — You have to work.
• आपको यहाँ रुकना है। — You have to stay here.

The final form of होना usually follows the grammatical number or respectful status associated with the को phrase in everyday teaching and usage: मुझे … है, उसे … है, but हमें … हैं, आपको … है/हैं, and उन्हें … हैं may be heard, with respectful usage favoring हैं for आप. In actual speech, singular है is also widespread after an infinitive even with plural experiencers. As a beginner, learn complete model sentences and use आपको … है as a safe, very common pattern; recognize respectful आपको … हैं as well.

This construction can sound like “have to,” “am supposed to,” or simply “am going to,” depending on context. मुझे कल दिल्ली जाना है। often presents tomorrow’s trip as a plan or requirement rather than as a prediction.

4. Giving advice: को + infinitive + चाहिए

For “should” or “ought to,” use:

person + को + verb in -ना + चाहिए

• आपको यह करना चाहिए। — You should do this.
• हमें अब चलना चाहिए। — We should leave now.
• उसे डॉक्टर से बात करनी चाहिए। — He or she should speak to a doctor.

चाहिए does not change for “I,” “you,” or “they.” The sentence is often advice, but it can express moral duty or what is generally desirable. Tone and context determine its force.

5. Agreement of the infinitive

The default infinitive ends in masculine singular -ना: जाना, सोना, काम करना. However, an infinitive can behave like an adjective and agree with a following or understood feminine or plural item. Agreement means changing a word’s ending to match another word.

Type	Pattern	Example	Meaning
Default or no direct object	-ना	मुझे जाना है।	I have to go.
Feminine singular object	-नी	मुझे दवा लेनी है।	I have to take medicine.
Masculine plural object	-ने	हमें जूते खरीदने हैं।	We have to buy shoes.
Feminine plural object	-नी (with plural auxiliary where used)	उसे किताबें पढ़नी हैं।	She/he has to read books.

The same principle occurs with चाहिए: तुम्हें हिंदी सीखनी चाहिए। “You should learn Hindi.” At A1, it is enough to use -ना confidently in object-free expressions such as जाना चाहिए. Begin noticing -नी and -ने in sentences with an object rather than trying to master every agreement condition immediately.

6. Making the patterns negative

Put नहीं immediately before चाहिए or before the final है/हैं:

• मुझे चाय नहीं चाहिए। — I do not want/need tea.
• आपको वहाँ नहीं जाना चाहिए। — You should not go there.
• मुझे आज काम नहीं करना है। — I do not have to work today / my task is not to work today.

Be careful with the last example. Depending on emphasis and context, a negative -ना है sentence may mean that something is not required, or may sound like an instruction not to do it. To state “it is not necessary,” ज़रूरत नहीं है is often clearer: मुझे आज काम करने की ज़रूरत नहीं है। “I do not need to work today.”

7. Asking questions

Hindi can turn the same patterns into yes/no questions by adding क्या at the beginning. Question words can occupy the position of the missing information.

• क्या आपको पानी चाहिए? — Do you need/want water?
• क्या मुझे अभी जाना है? — Do I have to go now?
• मुझे क्या करना चाहिए? — What should I do?
• हमें कहाँ जाना है? — Where do we have to go?

Examples in Context

Hindi	English	Note
मुझे पानी चाहिए।	I need water.	A needed thing with चाहिए
आपको कुछ और चाहिए?	Do you need anything else?	Natural service or shopping question
रीना को नई किताब चाहिए।	Reena needs a new book.	Noun plus को
हमें आपकी मदद चाहिए।	We need your help.	The needed item follows the person
मुझे कल जल्दी उठना है।	I have to get up early tomorrow.	Obligation or plan
बच्चों को अब सोना है।	The children have to sleep now.	Noun phrase with को
आपको यह फ़ॉर्म भरना है।	You have to fill in this form.	Instruction or required task
मुझे ये चिट्ठियाँ लिखनी हैं।	I have to write these letters.	Feminine plural object; लिखनी agrees
हमें अब चलना चाहिए।	We should leave now.	Advice including the speaker
आपको थोड़ा आराम करना चाहिए।	You should rest a little.	Polite advice
उसे रोज़ दवा लेनी चाहिए।	He/She should take medicine every day.	लेनी agrees with feminine दवा
तुम्हें उससे माफ़ी माँगनी चाहिए।	You should apologize to him/her.	Familiar तुम्हें
मुझे क्या करना चाहिए?	What should I do?	Asking for advice
क्या हमें टिकट खरीदने हैं?	Do we have to buy tickets?	Masculine plural agreement
आपको वहाँ नहीं जाना चाहिए।	You should not go there.	Negative advice

Common Mistakes

1. Using मैं instead of मुझे

• Wrong: मैं पानी चाहिए।
• Right: मुझे पानी चाहिए।
• Why: The person who needs something takes को. The pronoun मैं changes to मुझे (or मुझको).

2. Adding है after चाहिए

• Wrong: मुझे पानी चाहिए है।
• Right: मुझे पानी चाहिए।
• Why: In the present tense, चाहिए normally completes this noun-need pattern by itself.

3. Confusing “have to” and “should”

• Wrong for “I have to go”: मुझे जाना चाहिए।
• Right: मुझे जाना है।
• Why: जाना है states a requirement or assigned plan. जाना चाहिए gives advice: “I should go.”

4. Translating “want to” with चाहिए

• Wrong for a personal wish: मैं जाना चाहिए।
• Right: मैं जाना चाहता हूँ। (male speaker) / मैं जाना चाहती हूँ। (female speaker)
• Why: चाहिए expresses need, desirability, or advice. A personal desire to act normally uses चाहना in this pattern.

5. Missing infinitive agreement

• Less natural: मुझे दवा लेना है।
• Better in careful standard Hindi: मुझे दवा लेनी है।
• Why: The infinitive commonly agrees with the feminine object दवा, changing लेना to लेनी. Spoken usage varies, but learning the standard agreement makes your Hindi more accurate.

6. Using तुम forms with आप

• Wrong: आपको जाना हो।
• Right: आपको जाना है। / respectfully, आपको जाना है/हैं according to usage and context
• Why: हो belongs with ordinary तुम sentences in the present tense. आप takes respectful forms, although modal-infinitive constructions show some real variation in the auxiliary.

Usage Notes

चाहिए ranges from practical need to polite preference. In a shop, मुझे यह चाहिए। usually means “I want this” or “This is the one I need.” A server may ask आपको क्या चाहिए?, naturally meaning “What would you like?” The literal English word “need” can sound stronger than the Hindi sentence in these settings.

For advice, आपको … चाहिए is grammatically polite because of आप, but advice can still sound intrusive if the context does not invite it. Softening words help: शायद आपको आराम करना चाहिए। “Perhaps you should rest.” By contrast, official instructions often use आपको … है, which presents the action as a requirement: आपको यहाँ हस्ताक्षर करना है। “You have to sign here.”

Hindi often omits information that is obvious. अब जाना है। can mean “I/we/you have to leave now,” with the person understood from context. Beginners should keep the को phrase until the intended person is clear.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these alternatives at A1, but they help explain forms you will meet later.

ज़रूरत “need” offers a more explicit way to discuss necessity. It is commonly followed by की with a noun or by an oblique infinitive in -ने plus की:

• मुझे मदद की ज़रूरत है। — I need help.
• मुझे जाने की ज़रूरत है। — I need to go.
• मुझे जाने की ज़रूरत नहीं है। — I do not need to go.

This last sentence clearly means absence of necessity, which is useful when English “don’t have to” might otherwise be ambiguous.

For stronger obligation, Hindi uses expressions such as ज़रूरी है “it is necessary” and पड़ना “to have to/be compelled to”:

• आपको समय पर आना ज़रूरी है। — It is necessary for you to arrive on time.
• मुझे कल जाना पड़ेगा। — I will have to go tomorrow.

Past-time forms add a past form of होना. Agreement can become more visible:

• मुझे जाना था। — I had to go / I was supposed to go. (male speaker or default masculine action)
• मुझे जाना था। is also widely used without making the speaker’s gender the focus; with an agreeing feminine object, compare मुझे किताब पढ़नी थी। “I had to read the book.”
• तुम्हें पहले बताना चाहिए था। — You should have said so earlier.

Finally, चाहिए can state a general norm without naming a person: समय पर पहुँचना चाहिए। “One should arrive on time.” This impersonal style is common for general advice and rules.

Practice Tips

1. Build three versions from one idea. Start with जाना and say मुझे जाना है, मुझे जाना चाहिए, and मुझे नहीं जाना चाहिए. Explain aloud how “have to,” “should,” and “should not” differ.
2. Drill the को forms as sentence openings. Cycle through मुझे, तुम्हें, उसे, हमें, आपको, उन्हें with one ending, such as मदद चाहिए. This prevents the common habit of using मैं or वह.
3. Notice agreement in real sentences. Underline the object in दवा लेनी है, किताबें पढ़नी हैं, and जूते खरीदने हैं. Match it to -नी or -ने, but keep object-free verbs in the easy default -ना form.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: To Be — Present Tense — review हूँ, है, हो, and हैं, which support the infinitive + होना patterns used here.