किताबें / लड़कियाँ

Feminine Plural Forms

Level 1Sounds Like kitābēṁ aura laṛakiyām̐

लड़की becomes लड़कियाँ and किताब becomes किताबें.

How It Works

Feminine nouns make the plural in two main ways.

EndingOneMore than oneMeaning
-ईलड़कीलड़कियाँgirl
-ईगाड़ीगाड़ियाँcar
consonantकिताबकिताबेंbook
consonantबहनबहनेंsister
-आमातामाताएँmother

With an -ई noun, the long ई becomes a short इ and -याँ follows: रोटी, रोटियाँ. A few nouns end in a short -इ and follow the same pattern, such as तिथि, तिथियाँ (dates).

Other feminine nouns add -एँ. After a consonant it is a vowel sign: किताबें. After a vowel it is a full letter: माताएँ. Nouns ending in -इया, such as चिड़िया (bird), only add the nasal mark: चिड़ियाँ.

Both endings are nasal, so write the mark: -याँ has a moon-and-dot and -ें has a dot. Adjectives keep their -ई form with feminine plurals: नई किताबें (new books).

Before a postposition, both kinds end in -ओं: लड़कियों को, किताबों में.

Examples (5)

  1. मेज़ पर तीन किताबें हैं।

    There are three books on the table.

    किताब adds -एँ.

  2. मेरी दो बहनें हैं।

    I have two sisters.

    बहन adds -एँ: बहनें.

  3. बाहर दो गाड़ियाँ हैं।

    There are two cars outside.

    गाड़ी ends in -ई, so the plural is गाड़ियाँ.

  4. लड़कियाँ हिंदी पढ़ती हैं।

    The girls study Hindi.

    लड़कियाँ takes the plural verb हैं.

  5. ये रोटियाँ ताज़ी हैं।

    These rotis are fresh.

    रोटी becomes रोटियाँ, and ताज़ी keeps its feminine -ई.

How It Connects

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किताबें / लड़कियाँLevel 1Feminine Plural Forms

Learn This First

The feminine plural endings are the other main branch of the general plural overview.