लड़का / लड़के

Masculine Nouns Ending in -आ

Level 1Sounds Like laṛakā aura laṛakē

लड़का becomes लड़के and कमरा becomes कमरे when there is more than one.

How It Works

Most masculine nouns that end in -आ change to -ए for more than one.

OneMore than oneMeaning
लड़कालड़केboy
कमराकमरेroom
बच्चाबच्चेchild
केलाकेलेbanana
कपड़ाकपड़ेpiece of clothing

Some masculine -आ nouns do not change. Most are family words, such as पिता (father), चाचा (uncle) and दादा (grandfather). A few others, such as राजा (king), behave the same way: एक राजा, दो राजा.

Masculine nouns with other endings stay the same too: एक घर, दो घर; एक दोस्त, तीन दोस्त.

The words around the noun change with it. An adjective ending in -आ takes -ए, and the verb becomes plural: छोटा बच्चा सो रहा है (the little child is sleeping), छोटे बच्चे सो रहे हैं (the little children are sleeping).

Before a postposition, the singular also ends in -ए (कमरे में) and the plural ends in -ओं (कमरों में). That form has its own entry.

Examples (5)

  1. यहाँ दो कमरे हैं।

    There are two rooms here.

    कमरा becomes कमरे.

  2. बच्चे बाहर खेल रहे हैं।

    The children are playing outside.

    बच्चे is the plural of बच्चा, and the verb is plural too.

  3. ये केले बहुत मीठे हैं।

    These bananas are very sweet.

    केला becomes केले, and मीठा becomes मीठे to match.

  4. मेरे कपड़े गंदे हैं।

    My clothes are dirty.

    कपड़े is plural, so मेरा and गंदा change too.

  5. मेरे दो चाचा दिल्ली में रहते हैं।

    Two of my uncles live in Delhi.

    चाचा is a family word, so it does not change in the plural.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping -आ after a number.

    मेरे दो बेटा हैं।
    मेरे दो बेटे हैं।

    बेटा is masculine and ends in -आ, so two sons is दो बेटे.

How It Connects

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

लड़का / लड़केLevel 1Masculine Nouns Ending in -आ

Learn This First

This is the most common masculine plural rule, one branch of the general plural overview.