चाहिए

Saying What You Need

Level 1Sounds Like cāhi'ē

मुझे X चाहिए says I need or would like X: the person takes को and चाहिए comes last.

How It Works

चाहिए is the everyday way to say what someone needs or would like to have. It is also how you ask for things in a shop: मुझे दो किलो आलू चाहिए.

Build it in three parts: the person with को, the thing, and चाहिए.

चाहिए does not change for gender, and in speech it stays the same for one thing or many. In careful writing you may see चाहिएँ with plural things.

In the past, add था, थी, थे or थीं to match the thing: मुझे एक कमरा चाहिए था, उसे चाय चाहिए थी.

Never use मैं with चाहिए. Say मुझे पानी चाहिए, not मैं पानी चाहिए.

With a -ना verb, चाहिए means should: आपको आराम करना चाहिए (You should rest). That use has its own entry.

मुझे पानी चाहिए।
I need some water.
मुझे is the person; चाहिए comes last.
आपको क्या चाहिए?
What would you like?
A shopkeeper's question: आपको is the customer.
हमें दो कमरे चाहिए।
We need two rooms.
चाहिए stays the same with plural कमरे.
मीरा को चाय चाहिए थी।
Meera wanted some tea.
In the past, थी agrees with feminine चाय.
राहुल को नए जूते चाहिए।
Rahul needs new shoes.
नए agrees with जूते, but चाहिए does not change.

Using मैं with चाहिए.
मैं पानी चाहिए।
मुझे पानी चाहिए।
चाहिए needs the person in the को form: मुझे, not मैं.

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

चाहिएLevel 1Saying What You Need

Needs are said with a को pronoun and the fixed word चाहिए.

चाहनाको

Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Hindi lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.