देलियै

A Receiver Without Respect

Level 4Sounds Like dēliyai

With a child or a close friend as the receiver, the ending is -यै.

How It Works

Compare the two endings.

ReceiverPastExample
respectedदेलियनिदादी केँ चाह देलियनि
plainदेलियैबउआ केँ बिस्कुट देलियै

Plain receivers are children, close friends, younger relatives and animals. The receiver comes first with केँ: हम गाय केँ घास देलियै. A pronoun uses the object form: हम ओकरा पानि देलियै.

The same ending joins helper verbs: हम संगी केँ किताब दऽ देलियै.

Some books write the ending as -ऐक, as in देलिऐक. This course writes देलियै.

Speakers choose between देलियनि and देलियै by asking one question: would I speak to this person with अहाँ or with तोँ? The answer decides.

If you leave the ending off and say देलहुँ, the sentence is still correct. It just does not show how you feel about the receiver.

Examples (5)

  1. हम बउआ केँ बिस्कुट देलियै।

    I gave the little boy a biscuit.

    देलियै: a plain receiver.

  2. हम संगी केँ किताब देलियै।

    I gave my friend a book.

    A close friend is plain.

  3. हम छोट बहिन केँ कलम देलियै।

    I gave my younger sister a pen.

    A younger relative is plain.

  4. हम गाय केँ घास देलियै।

    I gave the cow some grass.

    An animal is plain.

  5. हम ओकरा पानि देलियै।

    I gave him some water.

    ओकरा: the object form of a plain person.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the respected ending for a child.

    हम बउआ केँ बिस्कुट देलियनि।
    हम बउआ केँ बिस्कुट देलियै।

    -यनि shows respect, so it sounds odd for a small child.

How It Connects

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

देलियैLevel 4A Receiver Without Respect

Learn This First

देलियै is the plain partner of देलियनि, so the respectful form comes first.

Words in This Pattern

केँओकरा