Subjunctive -ए

Wishes, Suggestions and Possibilities

Level 3Sounds Like ē sambhāvanārthaka rūpa

Drop -गा from the future to get the subjunctive: आऊँगा becomes आऊँ, as in क्या मैं अंदर आऊँ?

How It Works

The subjunctive is easy to build from the future. Remove the -गा, -गी or -गे ending:

SubjectFutureSubjunctive
मैंजाऊँगाजाऊँ
तू, यह, वहजाएगाजाए
तुमजाओगेजाओ
हम, आप, ये, वेजाएँगेजाएँ

Because the gender ending is gone, men and women use the same form: मैं क्या करूँ? A few verbs are short: देना gives दूँ, दे, दें, and होना gives हो, हों.

Common uses:

  • Asking permission or advice: क्या मैं अंदर आऊँ? (May I come in?), मैं क्या करूँ? (What should I do?)
  • Suggestions: अब चलें? (Shall we go now?)
  • Wishes: मैं चाहती हूँ कि रीना भी आए (I want Reena to come too).
  • Possibilities: शायद वह आज न आए (He might not come today).

The negative usually uses न: न आए. The तुम form looks the same as the familiar command, as in आओ.

Examples (5)

  1. क्या मैं अंदर आऊँ?

    May I come in?

    आऊँ asks permission for the speaker.

  2. अब चलें?

    Shall we go now?

    चलें suggests doing something together.

  3. मैं क्या करूँ?

    What should I do?

    करूँ asks for advice. Men and women both say करूँ.

  4. मैं चाहती हूँ कि रीना भी आए।

    I want Reena to come too.

    After चाहना कि, the wished-for action uses the subjunctive.

  5. शायद वह आज न आए।

    He might not come today.

    शायद with the subjunctive shows a possibility, and न makes it negative.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the future when asking permission.

    क्या मैं अंदर आऊँगा?
    क्या मैं अंदर आऊँ?

    आऊँगा asks Will I come in? To ask May I come in, drop -गा.

How It Connects

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

Subjunctive -एLevel 3Wishes, Suggestions and Possibilities

Learn This First

The subjunctive is the future without -गा.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 2 more in the full list.

Words in This Pattern

-ए-ऊँ-ओ-एं