काश

Wishing Things Were Different

Level 4Sounds Like kāśa

काश means if only or I wish. It starts a wish about something that is not true or did not happen.

How It Works

काश starts a wish about something that is not the case. The verb after it shows which time you mean:

Wish aboutVerb formExample
Now-ता formकाश आज छुट्टी होती। (I wish today were a holiday.)
The pastpast form + होताकाश मैंने पहले टिकट ख़रीदा होता। (If only I had bought the ticket earlier.)
The futuresubjunctiveकाश कल बारिश हो जाए। (If only it would rain tomorrow.)

The -ता form here has no है or था after it. It agrees with the subject: होता, होती, होते, होतीं. Talking to a female friend, you would say काश तुम यहाँ होतीं.

The past form plus होता follows the simple past rules, including ने: काश मैंने यह किताब पढ़ी होती.

The wishes about now and about the past use the same verb forms as unreal conditions with अगर: अगर मेरे पास समय होता, ... If you know one, you know the other.

Do not use an ordinary present or past verb after काश. Say काश मैं वहाँ होता.

Examples (5)

  1. काश आज छुट्टी होती।

    I wish today were a holiday.

    होती agrees with feminine छुट्टी and shows the wish is unreal.

  2. काश मुझे तैरना आता।

    If only I knew how to swim.

    Skills use आना; आता shows the speaker can't swim.

  3. काश मैंने पहले टिकट ख़रीदा होता।

    If only I had bought the ticket earlier.

    The past form with होता is a regret; ने stays with the transitive verb.

  4. काश तुम भी हमारे साथ होतीं।

    I wish you were here with us too.

    होतीं agrees with तुम said to a woman.

  5. काश कल बारिश हो जाए।

    If only it would rain tomorrow.

    The subjunctive हो जाए makes a hope about the future.

Common Mistakes

  • Using an ordinary present tense after काश.

    काश आज छुट्टी है।
    काश आज छुट्टी होती।

    काश needs an unreal form. For a wish about now, use the -ता form without है.

How It Connects

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

काशLevel 4Wishing Things Were Different

Learn This First

Wishes use unreal -ता forms or the subjunctive.

Words in This Pattern

काश