करो / कीजिए
Commands and Polite Requests
The command form of a verb depends on how you address the person: तू, तुम or आप.
How It Works
Hindi has a command form for each word for you. Start with the stem (बैठ from बैठना) and add the ending for the person you are speaking to.
| Verb | तू | तुम | आप |
|---|---|---|---|
| आना | आ | आओ | आइए |
| बैठना | बैठ | बैठो | बैठिए |
| करना | कर | करो | कीजिए, करिए |
| देना | दे | दो | दीजिए |
| लेना | ले | लो | लीजिए |
| पीना | पी | पियो | पीजिए |
Most verbs follow the pattern: -ओ for तुम and -इए for आप. Learn the exceptions: देना and लेना give दो and लो, and करना, देना, लेना and पीना have special आप forms ending in -जिए. For करना, both कीजिए and करिए are correct.
Choose by relationship. A friend, a younger brother or a child hears बैठो. A shopkeeper, a teacher or a guest hears बैठिए. The bare stem बैठ is for very close people or small children and can sound rude to anyone else.
In speech, the -इए form already sounds polite. The word कृपया (please) is mostly for signs and formal writing.
Examples (5)
- यह काम करो।
Do this job.
करो is the command for तुम.
- यह काम कीजिए।
Please do this job.
कीजिए is the polite command for आप.
- पानी दीजिए।
Some water, please.
देना has the special polite form दीजिए.
- आइए, बैठिए।
Come in, please have a seat.
A host's welcome: two -इए forms for a guest.
- अमित, इधर आओ।
Amit, come here.
आओ: a friendly command for someone you call तुम.
Common Mistakes
Adding -ओ to देना or लेना.
पानी देओ।पानी दो।देना and लेना shorten to दो and लो in the तुम form.
Using a तुम command with someone you call आप.
सर, यहाँ बैठो।सर, यहाँ बैठिए।Someone you address as आप gets the -इए form. बैठो would sound rude to a teacher or a stranger.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Commands are stems with an ending chosen by the person addressed.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice करो / कीजिए in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Hindi lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
