More Postpositions in Hindi

In Brief

Hindi compound postpositions come after a noun or pronoun: के लिए “for,” के बारे में “about,” के साथ “with,” के पास “near / in someone’s possession,” के बिना “without,” and की तरफ़ “towards.” The word before them normally takes an oblique form—the form used before a postposition: तुम → तुम्हारे लिए, वह → उसके बारे में, लड़का → लड़के के साथ.

Overview

English usually puts words such as “for,” “with,” and “about” before a noun. Hindi puts their equivalents after it, so they are called postpositions. Many common Hindi meanings are expressed by a group of two words rather than one: के लिए, के बारे में, and so on. These are often called compound postpositions.

This A2 topic builds directly on the Hindi oblique case. “Case” simply means that a noun or pronoun may change form according to its job in the sentence. Before these postpositions, लड़का becomes लड़के, for example: लड़के के लिए “for the boy.” Pronouns often change more visibly: मैं becomes मेरे in मेरे पास.

These expressions are essential in everyday Hindi. They let you talk about purpose, companionship, possession, absence, topics of conversation, and direction. The beginner rule is regular: learn each expression as a complete unit, and put the preceding noun or pronoun in the required oblique form.

How It Works

The basic pattern

The normal structure is:

noun or pronoun in oblique form + compound postposition

Meaning	Hindi postposition	Basic example
for; intended for	के लिए	बच्चों के लिए “for the children”
about; concerning	के बारे में	फ़िल्म के बारे में “about the film”
with; together with	के साथ	दोस्त के साथ “with a friend”
near; with/in the possession of	के पास	स्टेशन के पास “near the station”
without	के बिना	पानी के बिना “without water”
towards; in the direction of	की तरफ़	घर की तरफ़ “towards home”

The के in the first five expressions is part of the postposition. Do not choose between का, के, की according to the preceding noun. Say सीता के लिए, even though सीता is feminine, and कमरे के बारे में, even though कमरा is masculine singular.

की तरफ़ is different: की is fixed because तरफ़ is treated as feminine. Thus Hindi has राम की तरफ़, बच्चों की तरफ़, and मेरी तरफ़.

Nouns before compound postpositions

A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, or idea. Its oblique form follows the usual Hindi rules.

Hindi	English	Note
लड़के के लिए	for the boy	masculine singular -ा → -े
लड़कों के लिए	for the boys	plural oblique ends in -ों
लड़की के साथ	with the girl	feminine singular unchanged
लड़कियों के साथ	with the girls	plural oblique -यों
घर के पास	near the house	many consonant-final singular nouns do not change
किताब के बारे में	about the book	singular किताब does not change

A common trap is the masculine -ा noun. Compare direct लड़का आया “the boy came” with oblique लड़के के साथ “with the boy.” In the plural, all nouns that have a distinct plural oblique form need it before a postposition: बच्चे → बच्चों के लिए, किताबें → किताबों के बारे में.

Pronouns before compound postpositions

A pronoun is a short word used instead of a name or noun, such as “I,” “you,” or “they.” With these postpositions, Hindi commonly uses forms that look like possessives.

Basic pronoun	Before के…	Before की तरफ़	Example
मैं (I)	मेरे	मेरी	मेरे लिए / मेरी तरफ़
हम (we)	हमारे	हमारी	हमारे साथ / हमारी तरफ़
तू (intimate you)	तेरे	तेरी	तेरे बिना / तेरी तरफ़
तुम (you)	तुम्हारे	तुम्हारी	तुम्हारे लिए / तुम्हारी तरफ़
आप (polite/plural you)	आपके	आपकी	आपके बारे में / आपकी तरफ़
यह (this; he/she nearby)	इसके	इसकी	इसके पास / इसकी तरफ़
वह (that; he/she)	उसके	उसकी	उसके साथ / उसकी तरफ़
ये (these; they nearby)	इनके	इनकी	इनके लिए / इनकी तरफ़
वे (those; they)	उनके	उनकी	उनके बिना / उनकी तरफ़
कौन (who)	किसके	किसकी	किसके पास? / किसकी तरफ़?

In natural speech, यह and वह are often pronounced closer to ye and vo, but the written oblique forms remain इसके and उसके. Standard Hindi also distinguishes इनके and उनके for plural or respectful reference.

के लिए: purpose, recipient, and benefit

Use के लिए when something is intended for someone, done for someone’s benefit, or meant for a purpose.

• यह उपहार आपके लिए है। — This gift is for you.
• पढ़ने के लिए समय चाहिए। — Time is needed for studying.
• हम चाय के लिए रुके। — We stopped for tea.

English “for” has many meanings, so it does not always equal के लिए. A duration such as “for two hours” is commonly दो घंटे तक (“up to/for two hours”), while a price may use में: सौ रुपये में “for one hundred rupees.” Learn के लिए by function, not by replacing every English “for.”

के बारे में: the topic of thought or speech

Use के बारे में for what someone speaks, asks, knows, reads, or thinks about:

• उसके बारे में बताओ। — Tell me about him/her.
• आप इस योजना के बारे में क्या सोचते हैं? — What do you think about this plan?

The whole group के बारे में stays together. The final में is not optional in this meaning.

के साथ: accompaniment and association

Use के साथ when people or things are together, or when one thing comes together with another:

• मैं अपने परिवार के साथ रहता हूँ। — I live with my family.
• चाय के साथ बिस्कुट लीजिए। — Have some biscuits with the tea.

Do not automatically use it for an instrument. English says “write with a pen,” but Hindi normally uses simple से: कलम से लिखना, not कलम के साथ लिखना. के साथ means accompaniment; से can mark the means or tool.

के पास: location and possession

With a place, के पास means “near”:

• होटल स्टेशन के पास है। — The hotel is near the station.

With a person, it often expresses possession. Hindi does not normally use a direct equivalent of English “have” in this construction:

possessor + के पास + possessed item + होना

• मेरे पास किताब है। — I have a book. Literally, “Near/with me, a book exists.”
• क्या आपके पास समय है? — Do you have time?
• उसके पास पैसे नहीं हैं। — He/She does not have money.

The verb है/हैं agrees in number with the possessed item: मेरे पास एक चाबी है, but मेरे पास दो चाबियाँ हैं.

के बिना: absence

Use के बिना for “without”:

• पानी के बिना जीवन संभव नहीं है। — Life is not possible without water.
• तुम्हारे बिना मैं नहीं जाऊँगा। — I will not go without you.

A verb can appear as an infinitive—the dictionary-like -ना form—before it: बताए बिना “without telling,” खाए बिना “without eating.” This verbal pattern is introduced more fully below because its form is not simply के बिना.

की तरफ़: direction

Use की तरफ़ for movement, orientation, or attention towards something:

• वह दरवाज़े की तरफ़ गया। — He went towards the door.
• सबने मेरी तरफ़ देखा। — Everyone looked towards me.

For a precise destination, Hindi often uses को or no overt marker instead: वह दिल्ली गया “he went to Delhi.” दिल्ली की तरफ़ गया means that he went in Delhi’s direction and does not necessarily say that he arrived there.

Examples in Context

Hindi	English	Note
मैंने तुम्हारे लिए चाय बनाई है।	I have made tea for you.	intended recipient
यह कमरा मेहमानों के लिए है।	This room is for guests.	plural oblique मेहमानों
परीक्षा के बारे में कोई सवाल है?	Is there any question about the exam?	topic
मुझे उसके बारे में ज़्यादा नहीं पता।	I do not know much about him/her.	pronoun उसके
रीना अपने भाई के साथ बाज़ार गई।	Reena went to the market with her brother.	accompaniment
मोबाइल के साथ चार्जर भी मिलता है।	A charger also comes with the phone.	things supplied together
बैंक डाकघर के पास है।	The bank is near the post office.	physical location
मेरे पास एक किताब है।	I have a book.	possession; singular है
उनके पास तीन गाड़ियाँ हैं।	They have three cars.	possession; plural हैं
क्या तुम्हारे पास थोड़ा समय है?	Do you have a little time?	everyday question
टिकट के बिना अंदर मत जाइए।	Please do not go inside without a ticket.	absence
वह कुछ कहे बिना चला गया।	He left without saying anything.	verb + -ए बिना
बच्चा अपनी माँ की तरफ़ दौड़ा।	The child ran towards his/her mother.	direction
उसने मेरी तरफ़ देखा और मुस्कुराई।	She looked towards me and smiled.	pronoun before की तरफ़
यह काम मेरे लिए मुश्किल है।	This task is difficult for me.	affected person

Common Mistakes

Keeping a masculine -ा noun in its direct form

• Wrong: लड़का के साथ
• Right: लड़के के साथ
• Why: A masculine singular noun ending in -ा normally changes -ा to -े before a postposition.

Using a basic pronoun instead of its required form

• Wrong: मैं के पास एक सवाल है।
• Right: मेरे पास एक सवाल है।
• Why: मैं becomes मेरे before के पास. Learn the frequent chunks मेरे लिए, मेरे साथ, and मेरे पास as units.

Changing के to match a feminine noun

• Wrong: सीता की लिए यह फूल है।
• Right: सीता के लिए यह फूल है।
• Why: के लिए is a fixed compound postposition. The gender of सीता does not change के.

Using के in front of तरफ़

• Wrong: वह मेरे के तरफ़ आया।
• Right: वह मेरी तरफ़ आया।
• Why: The standard expression is की तरफ़. With pronouns this gives मेरी, तुम्हारी, उसकी, हमारी, and so on.

Translating English “with” mechanically

• Wrong: मैं चाकू के साथ फल काटता हूँ। (if the knife is the tool)
• Right: मैं चाकू से फल काटता हूँ।
• Why: Use के साथ for accompaniment, but usually से for the instrument used to perform an action.

Making the verb agree with the possessor in a के पास sentence

• Wrong: मेरे पास दो टिकट है।
• Right: मेरे पास दो टिकट हैं।
• Why: The possessed thing controls singular or plural agreement: one ticket है, two tickets हैं.

Usage Notes

पास can appear without के when it functions as an ordinary adverb meaning “nearby”: पास आओ “come closer” and वह पास रहता है “he lives nearby.” When a specific reference point is named, use के पास: वह स्कूल के पास रहता है.

Hindi often uses अपने rather than उसके/उनके when “his/her/their own” refers back to the subject: राहुल अपने दोस्त के साथ आया means “Rahul came with his own friend.” राहुल उसके दोस्त के साथ आया normally points to somebody else’s friend. This is the reflexive possessive use of अपना, a word that refers back to the sentence’s subject.

Both तरफ़ and the spelling तरफ are widely seen; तरफ़ marks the consonant sound more precisely. You may also encounter ओर in की ओर, especially in writing: घर की ओर and घर की तरफ़ both mean “towards home.” की ओर can sound slightly more formal or literary, while की तरफ़ is very common in everyday language.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master all of these patterns at A2, but they explain forms you will soon encounter.

Verbs with बिना

To say “without doing,” Hindi commonly uses an oblique infinitive-like form ending in -ए, followed by बिना:

• खाए बिना — without eating
• बताए बिना — without telling
• सोचे बिना — without thinking
• मुझसे पूछे बिना — without asking me

This differs from noun phrases such as खाने के बिना, which can mean “without food” or, in an appropriate context, “without the act of eating.” For an accompanying action, खाए बिना is usually the natural choice: वह खाए बिना चला गया “he left without eating.”

In formal or compact writing, बिना may also come before a noun: बिना अनुमति के “without permission.” Everyday Hindi also uses अनुमति के बिना. Notice that the expanded preposed pattern often includes a final के.

के पास is not used for every kind of possession

के पास works especially well for things that someone has available, carries, controls, or possesses: money, a phone, a ticket, time, or information. Hindi uses other structures for close relationships and inherent attributes:

• मेरी एक बहन है। — I have one sister. (literally “my one sister exists”)
• उसकी नीली आँखें हैं। — He/She has blue eyes.
• इस घर में तीन कमरे हैं। — This house has three rooms.

Using मेरे पास एक बहन है may suggest that your sister is physically with you rather than simply stating the family relationship.

Broader meanings of तरफ़

की तरफ़ can mark more than physical direction. It may indicate a side, source, or representation:

• मेरी तरफ़ से धन्यवाद। — Thanks from me / on my behalf.
• आप किसकी तरफ़ हैं? — Whose side are you on?
• कंपनी की तरफ़ से एक संदेश आया। — A message came from the company.

Here की तरफ़ से is a larger postpositional expression meaning “from the side of,” “on behalf of,” or “from.” Learn it separately rather than interpreting every word literally.

Other related compound postpositions

Once the pattern is familiar, you will recognize many more combinations: के सामने “in front of,” के पीछे “behind,” के अंदर “inside,” के बाहर “outside,” and के कारण “because of.” They follow the same broad rule: the noun or pronoun before them is oblique.

Practice Tips

1. Build six phrase families. Take one pronoun at a time and say: मेरे लिए, मेरे बारे में, मेरे साथ, मेरे पास, मेरे बिना, मेरी तरफ़. Then repeat with तुम्हारे/तुम्हारी and उसके/उसकी. This makes the exceptional-looking की तरफ़ pattern easier to remember.
2. Transform direct nouns into phrases. Start with लड़का, बच्चे, लड़की, किताबें, then make लड़के के साथ, बच्चों के लिए, लड़की के बारे में, किताबों के बिना. Check the oblique ending before checking the postposition.
3. Describe your real surroundings and possessions. Say what is near you and what you have: मेरे पास फ़ोन है, घर के पास दुकान है. Then add one sentence each with “for,” “about,” “with,” “without,” and “towards.”

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Oblique Case — explains why nouns and pronouns change before these postpositions.
• Foundation: Basic Postpositions — introduces common forms such as में, पर, से, को, and का/के/की.
• Foundation: Possessive Postposition — helps explain the forms मेरे/मेरी, तुम्हारे/तुम्हारी, and the fixed linker in compound postpositions.