Masculine and Feminine
Every noun is masculine or feminine, and some verbs and adjectives change to match.
How It Works
Awadhi nouns are masculine or feminine. The gender is not always clear from the noun itself, so notice the words around it.
Gender shows up in two main places.
- Past of verbs without an object, such as go and come: ऊ गवा (he went), ऊ गई (she went), ऊ आवा, ऊ आई.
- Adjectives ending in -आ: नवा फ्लैट (a new flat, masculine), नई साइकिल (a new bicycle, feminine).
Most adjectives, such as छोट and पुरान, do not change at all. The present with -त usually stays the same for men and women too: ऊ पढ़त अहै can be a boy or a girl.
Plural forms are different. A group of men or a respected person takes गए, a group of women takes गईं.
Examples (5)
- अमित गवा।
Amit went.
गवा is the masculine past of जाब.
- नेहा गई।
Neha went.
गई is the feminine past.
- नवा फ्लैट
A new flat.
नवा goes with a masculine noun.
- नई साइकिल
A new bicycle.
The adjective changes to नई for a feminine noun.
- ऊ पढ़त अहै।
He or she is reading.
The -त form usually stays the same for both.
Common Mistakes
Using the masculine past for a woman.
नेहा गवा।नेहा गई।The past of जाब has to match the gender of the person who went.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Gender first shows in vowel endings, so you need to read those vowels.
Related Patterns
- गवा / गई / गएWent: गवा, गई and गए
The past of जाब in all three forms.
Level 2 - छोट / पुरान / नवाDescribing Things
Adjectives that change and adjectives that do not.
Level 1 - रहा / रही / रहेWas and Were
The same pattern for the past of to be.
Level 2 - -त अहैDoing Now or Usually: -त अहै
A form that stays the same for men and women.
Level 1
Practice Masculine and Feminine in Bubblegum
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