To Be in the Present Tense in Hindi

In Brief

Hindi uses four main present-tense forms of होना (“to be”): हूँ with मैं, हो with तुम, है with most singular subjects, and हैं with plural subjects and formal आप. Put the form at the end of a basic statement: मैं तैयार हूँ। (“I am ready.”)

Overview

होना is the Hindi infinitive (the dictionary form of a verb) meaning “to be.” Its present forms connect a subject to an identity, description, condition, or location: रीना डॉक्टर है। means “Reena is a doctor,” while रीना घर पर है। means “Reena is at home.” These forms are also called forms of the copula, a linking verb that joins the subject to information about it.

This is an essential A1 pattern. You need it to introduce yourself, describe people and objects, say where something is, and ask basic questions. It also prepares you for Hindi tense constructions such as मैं पढ़ता हूँ। (“I study,” said by a male speaker), where a form of होना acts as an auxiliary, or helping verb.

English speakers should watch for two differences. Hindi normally puts the linking verb at the end, and its choice reflects both number and level of respect. English “you are” therefore has several Hindi equivalents: तू है, तुम हो, and आप हैं. Hindi also has no equivalent of English “a/an,” so “I am a student” is simply मैं छात्र हूँ।

How It Works

The four core forms

Subject	Present form	Basic meaning	Example
मैं	हूँ	am	मैं ठीक हूँ। — I am fine.
तू	है	are (very intimate)	तू तैयार है। — You are ready.
तुम	हो	are (informal/familiar)	तुम तैयार हो। — You are ready.
आप	हैं	are (formal/respectful)	आप तैयार हैं। — You are ready.
यह / वह; singular noun	है	is	यह नया है। — This is new.
हम	हैं	are	हम तैयार हैं। — We are ready.
ये / वे; plural noun	हैं	are	वे घर पर हैं। — They are at home.

The simplest beginner rule is worth memorizing as pairs:

• मैं हूँ
• तुम हो
• आप हैं
• यह/वह है
• हम/ये/वे हैं

तू is grammatically singular and takes है, but it is highly intimate. It may sound affectionate among very close people, in some family relationships, or when addressing a small child; in the wrong situation it can sound insulting. If unsure, choose आप हैं for respectful interaction or तुम हो once a familiar relationship is established.

Basic sentence order

A neutral linking sentence follows this pattern:

subject + information about the subject + form of होना

Function	Pattern	Example
Identity	subject + noun + होना	मैं शिक्षक हूँ। — I am a teacher.
Description	subject + adjective + होना	कमरा साफ़ है। — The room is clean.
Condition	subject + state + होना	हम तैयार हैं। — We are ready.
Location	subject + place phrase + होना	चाबी मेज़ पर है। — The key is on the table.

A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea; an adjective describes one. Hindi does not insert an article before a profession or identity: वह डॉक्टर है। can mean “He is a doctor” or “She is a doctor.” Context supplies both the person’s gender and the English article.

Agreement and gender

The forms हूँ, है, हो, हैं do not change for masculine versus feminine gender:

• रवि तैयार है। — Ravi is ready.
• मीरा तैयार है। — Meera is ready.

However, a changeable adjective may agree with the person or thing it describes. Agreement means that a word changes form to match features such as gender or number:

• रवि अच्छा है। — Ravi is good.
• मीरा अच्छी है। — Meera is good.
• लड़के अच्छे हैं। — The boys are good.
• लड़कियाँ अच्छी हैं। — The girls are good.

Some adjectives, including तैयार (“ready”), खुश (“happy”), and many adjectives ending in a consonant, do not change in this way. Keep two decisions separate: choose the adjective form for gender and number, then choose the correct form of होना for person, number, and respect.

Making negative sentences

Put नहीं (“not”) immediately before the form of होना:

subject + description/location + नहीं + होना

• मैं व्यस्त नहीं हूँ। — I am not busy.
• वह घर पर नहीं है। — He/She is not at home.
• हम डॉक्टर नहीं हैं। — We are not doctors.
• तुम देर से नहीं हो। — You are not late.

In casual speech, the final copula is sometimes omitted in short negative statements when the meaning is obvious, but learners should use the complete pattern नहीं + हूँ/है/हो/हैं. It is clear and neutral in both speech and writing.

Asking questions

For a yes/no question, place क्या at the beginning. The rest of the sentence normally keeps statement order:

• क्या आप डॉक्टर हैं? — Are you a doctor?
• क्या यह सही है? — Is this correct?
• क्या तुम घर पर हो? — Are you at home?

Here क्या marks the whole sentence as a yes/no question; it is not translated as the object “what.” In conversation, intonation alone may also turn a statement into a question: तुम ठीक हो? (“Are you okay?”)

With a question word, put that word where the requested information would naturally appear:

• आप कौन हैं? — Who are you?
• वह कहाँ है? — Where is he/she?
• तुम कैसे हो? — How are you? (to a male or a mixed/plural group)
• तुम कैसी हो? — How are you? (to a female)
• ये क्या हैं? — What are these?

Notice that कैसा (“what kind/how”) changes for agreement: कैसा masculine singular, कैसी feminine singular, and कैसे masculine plural or respectful. The formal greeting is therefore commonly आप कैसे हैं? to a man and आप कैसी हैं? to a woman.

Examples in Context

Hindi	English	Note
मैं छात्र हूँ।	I am a student.	Identity; a male student
मैं छात्रा हूँ।	I am a student.	Identity; a female student
वह अच्छा है।	He is good.	Masculine singular description
वह अच्छी है।	She is good.	Feminine singular adjective
आप कैसे हैं?	How are you?	Respectful; addressed to a man
तुम आज बहुत खुश हो।	You are very happy today.	Familiar तुम
हम दिल्ली में हैं।	We are in Delhi.	Plural हम
बच्चे बाहर हैं।	The children are outside.	Plural noun
मेरी किताब मेज़ पर है।	My book is on the table.	Location; singular subject
ये आम मीठे हैं।	These mangoes are sweet.	Plural adjective and हैं
क्या यह सीट खाली है?	Is this seat free?	Yes/no question
वह अभी घर पर नहीं है।	He/She is not at home right now.	Negation
आप मेरे नए शिक्षक हैं।	You are my new teacher.	Respectful singular with plural-style agreement
मेरे पास समय है।	I have time.	Literally, time exists “near me”

Common Mistakes

Using है after every subject

• Wrong: मैं तैयार है।
• Right: मैं तैयार हूँ।
• Why: है is not a universal equivalent of English “is/am/are.” The pronoun मैं always selects हूँ in the present.

Treating all forms of “you” alike

• Wrong: आप ठीक हो?
• Right: आप ठीक हैं?
• Why: आप is grammatically respectful and takes हैं. Use हो with तुम and है with intimate तू.

Copying English word order

• Wrong: मैं हूँ डॉक्टर। in a neutral introduction
• Right: मैं डॉक्टर हूँ।
• Why: Hindi normally places the linking verb at the end. Other orders can occur for emphasis or in stylized speech, but they are not the safe beginner pattern.

Adding an English-style article

• Wrong idea: searching for a separate Hindi word for “a” in “She is a teacher.”
• Right: वह शिक्षिका है।
• Why: Hindi has no indefinite articles corresponding to English “a” and “an.” The noun can stand directly before the verb.

Matching the verb but not the adjective

• Wrong: सीमा अच्छा है।
• Right: सीमा अच्छी है।
• Why: है is correct for the singular subject, but the changeable adjective must be feminine अच्छी for Seema.

Confusing है and हैं in writing or pronunciation

• Wrong: वे यहाँ है।
• Right: वे यहाँ हैं।
• Why: वे is plural or respectful and takes हैं. The final mark in हैं indicates nasalization; it is not merely decorative.

Usage Notes

Respect can trigger plural-style grammar

Hindi often uses plural-style verb agreement to show respect to one person. आप always takes हैं, even when addressing a single person. A respected person referred to in the third person may also take हैं:

• दादी घर पर हैं। — Grandmother is at home.
• शर्मा जी व्यस्त हैं। — Mr./Ms. Sharma is busy.

This does not mean that grandmother or Sharma is plural. The grammar marks respect. With a changeable adjective, respectful agreement may also be plural-style: दादाजी अच्छे हैं।

यह/ये and वह/वे in everyday speech

In careful writing, यह and वह are singular (“this/he/she” and “that/he/she”), while ये and वे are plural (“these/they” and “those/they”). Everyday pronunciation often reduces यह toward ye and वह toward vo, so listening may initially seem inconsistent with the spelling. Keep the written contrast clear, and use the verb to help interpret number: वह है versus वे हैं.

Location, existence, and possession

The same forms cover more than English identity sentences. They state location (दूध फ्रिज में है।, “The milk is in the fridge”) and existence (यहाँ एक समस्या है।, “There is a problem here”).

Hindi commonly expresses possession with के पास (“near/in the possession of”) rather than a direct equivalent of English “have”:

• मेरे पास एक कार है। — I have a car.
• उनके पास दो टिकट हैं। — They have two tickets.

The verb agrees with the thing possessed: singular कार है, plural टिकट हैं.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master all of these points at A1, but they explain patterns you will soon encounter.

First, present forms of होना frequently work as helping verbs. In the habitual present, Hindi combines a participle (a verb form used inside a larger tense) with the copula: मैं काम करता हूँ। (“I work,” male speaker), वह काम करती है। (“She works”), and वे काम करते हैं। (“They work”). The final हूँ/है/हैं follows the subject pattern learned here, while करता/करती/करते carries gender and number agreement.

Second, a bare adjective plus the copula describes a state, while other verb constructions can express an action or changing state. वह शांत है। means “He/She is calm”; it does not itself mean “He/She is becoming calm.” English “is” appears in many continuous verb forms, but Hindi does not translate it word for word. For example, “She is reading” is वह पढ़ रही है, a complete progressive construction, not simply an adjective plus है.

Third, Hindi sometimes omits the copula in headlines, labels, slogans, poetry, or highly compressed conversation. This is a matter of style, not the normal beginner rule. In an ordinary complete statement, retain the appropriate form: यह बहुत ज़रूरी है। (“This is very important.”)

Finally, होना has forms in other tenses and moods. The past forms था, थी, थे, थीं show gender and number more visibly than the present forms, while future forms include होगा, होगी, होंगे. Learning the present pattern first gives you the foundation for recognizing these later systems.

Practice Tips

1. Drill subjects in fixed pairs. Say मैं हूँ, तुम हो, आप हैं, वह है, हम हैं, वे हैं aloud until each pair feels automatic. Then add one adjective, such as तैयार, to make full sentences.
2. Transform one sentence three ways. Start with वह घर पर है।, negate it as वह घर पर नहीं है।, and turn it into क्या वह घर पर है? This practices statement order without changing too many things at once.
3. Describe your immediate surroundings. Make five daily sentences such as फोन मेज़ पर है and किताबें बैग में हैं. Check whether the subject is singular, plural, or respectful before choosing है or हैं.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Personal Pronouns — learn the Hindi subjects and the difference between तू, तुम, and आप.
• Next step: Simple Present Tense — use these forms as helping verbs in sentences such as मैं पढ़ता हूँ.
• Next step: To Be — Past Tense — contrast present है/हैं with past था/थी/थे/थीं.
• Next step: Basic Modal Expressions — build useful patterns such as मुझे जाना है and मुझे पानी चाहिए.