Past Verbs Agree With the Object

Level 2Sounds Like nē aura karma kā mēla

After ने, the verb takes its gender and number from the object: मीरा ने अख़बार पढ़ा, रवि ने किताब पढ़ी.

How It Works

ObjectExampleMeaning
masc. sg. अख़बारमीरा ने अख़बार पढ़ा।Meera read the newspaper.
fem. sg. किताबराहुल ने किताब पढ़ी।Rahul read the book.
masc. pl. समोसेअनीता ने दो समोसे खाए।Anita ate two samosas.
fem. pl. किताबेंरवि ने दो किताबें पढ़ीं।Ravi read two books.

The doer's gender plays no part. Meera, a woman, gets पढ़ा because अख़बार is masculine. Rahul, a man, gets पढ़ी because किताब is feminine.

With a noun + करना verb, the noun is usually the object: उसने कोशिश की (कोशिश is feminine), हमने बात की.

Two cases fall back to the masculine singular: when the object has को (मैंने रीमा को देखा) and when no object is said (उसने खाया).

The same rule holds with है or था. With a feminine plural object, the nasal moves to the helper: रवि ने दो किताबें पढ़ी हैं.

Examples (5)

  1. राहुल ने किताब पढ़ी।

    Rahul read the book.

    पढ़ी agrees with feminine किताब, not with Rahul.

  2. मीरा ने अख़बार पढ़ा।

    Meera read the newspaper.

    पढ़ा agrees with masculine अख़बार, not with Meera.

  3. रवि ने दो किताबें पढ़ीं।

    Ravi read two books.

    A feminine plural object gives पढ़ीं.

  4. अनीता ने दो समोसे खाए।

    Anita ate two samosas.

    A masculine plural object gives खाए.

  5. उसने कोशिश की।

    He tried.

    की agrees with feminine कोशिश.

Common Mistakes

  • Making the verb agree with the doer.

    मीरा ने अख़बार पढ़ी।
    मीरा ने अख़बार पढ़ा।

    After ने, the verb agrees with अख़बार, which is masculine.

How It Connects

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Past Verbs Agree With the ObjectLevel 2

Learn This First

Object agreement is the second half of the ने rule.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

ने