-त होई / गवा होई

Must Be: होई

Level 4Sounds Like ta hō'ī a'ura gavā hō'ī

होई after a verb form makes a confident guess about what is true now or happened already.

How It Works

होई turns a statement into "it must be so". It follows the verb form that would state the fact.

FormExampleMeaning
-त form + होईऊ अबहीं सोवत होईhe must be sleeping now
past form + होईऊ घरे पहुँचि गवा होईhe must have got home
past form + होइहैंऊ लोग पहुँचि गए होइहैंthey must have arrived

Compare ऊ अबहीं सोवत अहै, which states it as a fact. With होई the speaker is guessing from what they know, such as the time of day.

The first part keeps its usual forms, so gender and number still show in गई or गए.

Examples (4)

  1. ऊ घरे पहुँचि गवा होई।

    He must have got home by now.

    पहुँचि गवा होई guesses a finished action.

  2. ऊ अबहीं सोवत होई।

    He must be asleep right now.

    सोवत होई guesses what is going on now.

  3. प्रिया कै ट्रेन अबहीं पहुँचि गई होई।

    Priya's train must have arrived by now.

    गई होई agrees with ट्रेन.

  4. बाहर से आवाज आवत अहै, केउ आवा होई।

    There is a noise outside; someone must have come.

    आवा होई is a guess from what you hear.

Common Mistakes

  • Using अहै for a guess.

    ऊ अबहीं सोवत अहै।
    ऊ अबहीं सोवत होई।

    ऊ सोवत अहै states a fact. Use होई when you are only guessing from the time or the signs.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-त होई / गवा होईLevel 4Must Be: होई

Learn This First

A confident guess adds होई, the future of होब, after a -त or a past form.