How Maithili Differs From Hindi

FoundationsSounds Like maithilī ā hindī

Maithili is its own language: the words, the endings and the respect system differ from Hindi.

How It Works

Maithili and Hindi share a script and many roots, but they are separate languages. These are the first differences you will notice.

HindiMaithili
मैं ठीक हूँहम ठीक छी
वह घर में हैओ घर मे अछि / छथि
तुम कहाँ होतोँ कतय छह
मैंने खायाहम खएलहुँ
  • To be: छी, छथि, अछि, not हूँ, है.
  • Postpositions: मे, सँ, केँ, not में, से, को.
  • Possession: -क joined to the noun, not का, की, के.
  • Past: no ने, and the verb does not change for the object's gender or number.
  • Respect more than gender: a verb changes for how much respect the person gets: गेलाह, गेल.
  • Future: -ब, -त, -ताह, not -गा, -गी.

Common words also differ: पानि, चाह, गाम, कोना, किएक.

Examples (5)

  1. हम गाम सँ आएल छी।

    I have come from the village.

    छी, सँ and आएल are all Maithili forms.

  2. ओ घर मे छथि।

    She is at home.

    छथि and मे replace Hindi हैं and में.

  3. हम माछ-भात खाइत छी।

    I eat fish and rice.

    -ैत छी is the Maithili present.

  4. बाबूजी काल्हि पटना जेताह।

    Father will go to Patna tomorrow.

    -ताह replaces Hindi -गे.

  5. अहाँ चाह लेब कि कॉफी?

    Will you have tea or coffee?

    अहाँ and कि are Maithili.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the Hindi forms of to be and में.

    हम घर में ठीक हैं।
    हम घर मे ठीक छी।

    Maithili uses छी and मे; है and में are Hindi.

  • Adding ने to a past sentence.

    हम ने खाना खएलहुँ।
    हम खाना खएलहुँ।

    Maithili has no ने in the past.

How It Connects

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

How Maithili Differs From HindiFoundations

Learn This First

The differences from Hindi are often small marks on the page, such as मे against में, so reading Devanagari comes first.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

छीछथिअछिछहमेसँकेँ-कगेलकोनाकिएक