8.10: Subjunctive
Subjunctive Mood
Instructor Video: Subjunctive
Subjunctive verb forms are generally used to convey desirability, possibility, probability, uncertainty or a wish about some future action or event.
Structure
If we delete the suffix – गा, गे or गी from the future verb forms then the subjunctive verb form is remaining.
| Future | Subjunctive |
| मैं खाऊँगी। “I will eat.” | मैं खाऊँ? “Perhaps, I may eat?” |
| हम पढ़ेंगे। “We will study.” | हम पढ़ें? “Perhaps we may study?” |
| शायद वह बाज़ार जाएगा। “Perhaps he will go to the market.” | शायद वह बाज़ार जाए। “Perhaps he may go to the market.” |
Notes:
- The subjunctive form of a verb remains the same regardless of whether it refers to a masculine or a feminine subject.
- Three verbs that are irregular forms in future (लेना to take , देना to give and होना to be ) are also have irregular in the subjunctive case.
| Pronouns | Future | Subjunctive | ||||
| होना | लेना | देना | होना | लेना | देना | |
| मैं | होऊँगा | लूँगा | दूँगा | होऊँ | लूँ | दूँ |
| हम | होंगे | लेंगे | देंगे | हों | लें | दें |
| तू | होगा | लेगा | देगा | हो | ले | दे |
| तुम | होगे | लोगे | दोगे | हो | लो | दो |
| आप | होंगे | लेंगे | देंगे | हों | लें | दें |
| यह | होगा | लेगा | देगा | हो | ले | दे |
| वह | होगा | लेगा | देगा | हो | ले | दे |
| ये | होंगे | लेंगे | देंगे | हों | लें | दें |
| वे | होंगे | लेंगे | देंगे | हों | लें | दें |
For examples:
- Future: शायद वह कल दिल्ली जाएगा / जाएगी। “Perhaps he / she will go to Delhi tomorrow.”
- Subjunctive: शायद वह कल दिल्ली जाए। “He / She may go to Delhi tomorrow.”
- Future: अगले साल भी मैं हिन्दी पढूंगी | “I will study Hindi next year too.”
- Subjunctive: शायद अगले साल भी मैं हिन्दी पढूंगी | “Perhaps I may study Hindi next year.”
Negation of Subjunctive
The negative particle used with the subjunctive is always न.
- शायद वह कल दिल्ली न जाए। “Perhaps S/he may not go to Delhi tomorrow.”
- शायद आज वर्षा न हो | “Perhaps it may not rain today.”
Subjunctive Case in Imperfective and Perfective Aspects
In order to use subjunctive case in imperfective and perfective aspect, a subjunctive form of होना is added as an auxiliary to the habitual, Progressive, or perfective forms of the main verb.
Simple Subjunctive
- शायद हम दिल्ली जायें। “Perhaps we may go to Delhi.”
- शायद बच्चे क्रिकेट खेलें | “Perhaps children may play cricket.”
Subjunctive Habitual
- शायद वह जयपुर में हिन्दी पढ़ता हो। “Perhaps he learns/ used to learn Hindi in Jaipur.”
- शायद वह सारी रात पढ़ाई करती हो | “Perhaps, she studies whole night.”
Subjunctive Progressive
- शायद हम दिल्ली जा रहे हों। “Perhaps we may be going to Delhi.”
- शायद मेरे दोस्त अभी कोई फ़िल्म देख रहे हों | “Perhaps my friends may be watching some movie.”
Subjunctive Perfective
- शायद उसने वहाँ काम किया हो। “Perhaps S/he may have worked there.”
- शायद उसने तुम से कुछ कहा हो | “Perhaps s/he may have said something to you.”
Uses of Subjunctive Case
To express desirability
- चलो आज कहीं बाहर चलें। “Let’s go out somewhere today.”
- चलो आज हिन्दी में बात करें | “Let’s talk in Hindi today.”
To express advice/permission (may, should)
- मैं अन्दर आऊँ? “May I Come in?”
- मैं घर जाऊँ? “May I go home?”
Let’s Constructions
- चलिए घूमने चलें! “Let’s go for a walk.”
- चलिए खाना खायें ! “Let’s eat food.”
Most polite form of request
- आप मेरे साथ आएँ। “Please come with me.”
- अब खाना खाएँ। “Let’s eat now.”
To express probability/uncertainty
- शायद आज बारिश हो। “Perhaps, it may rain today.”
- शायद कल वह यहाँ आये | “Perhaps, s/he may come here tomorrow.”
To express wishes/blessings/curses
- जन्मदिन मुबारक हो! “Wish you a happy birthday!”
- नया साल मुबारक हो ! “Wish you a happy new year!”
Complex Sentences: Uses of Subjunctive in Subordinate Clauses
Subjunctive case can be used in subordinate clause to express desire and possibility.
For examples:
मैं/ हम/ तुम/ आप/ वह/ वे ….. चाहता/ चाहती/ चाहते/ चाहतीं ….. हूँ / है / हो/ हैं कि …
- मैं चाहती हूँ कि आप हिन्दी पढ़ें। “I want you to study Hindi.”
- माँ चाहती है कि मैं डॉक्टर बनूँ | “Mother wants me to become a doctor.”
मेरी/ तुम्हारी/ आपकी/ उसकी/ उनकी इच्छा है कि…
- मेरी माँ की इच्छा है कि मैं हिन्दुस्तान जाऊँ। “My mother wants me to go to India.”
- उसकी इच्छा है कि हम मिठाई खायें | “S/he wants us to eat sweets.”
More expressions
| Expressions | Examples | |
| 1 | कितना अच्छा हो कि… | कितना अच्छा हो कि वह वापस आए! “It would be great if she came back!” |
| 2 | काश कि… | काश कि……. आज छुट्टी हो जाए। “If only today would be holiday.” |
| 3 | X को चाहिये कि… | तुम्हें चाहिये कि तुम गरीबों की मदद करो। “You ought to / should help the poor.” |
| 4 | यह ज़रूरी / आवश्यक है कि… | यह ज़रूरी/आवश्यक है कि हम गरीबों की मदद करें। “It is necessary for us to help the poor.” |
| 5 | मेरा ख़्याल/ विचार (opinion) है कि… | मेरा ख़्याल/ विचार (opinion) है कि आज तुम कहीं न जाओ। “I think you should not go anywhere today.” |
| 6 | यह मुमकिन/संभव (possible) है कि… | मुमकिन/संभव है कि वे लोग अगले साल पाकिस्तान जायें. “It is possible that they will go to Pakistan.” |
| 7 | यह हो सकता है कि…… | हो सकता है कि कल वह आये। “It may be that she will come tomorrow.” |
Other constructions requires subjunctive with c onjunctions
ताकि/ जिससे कि……..(so that)
- हिन्दी पढ़ो ताकि/ जिससे कि भारत में हिन्दी बोल सको। “Learn Hindi so that you can speak Hindi in India.”
The subjunctive of possibility is common in Conditional (if…..then construction)
- अगर तुम कहो तो मैं भी तुम्हारे साथ चलूँ (गा)। “If you say than I will also come with you.”
In the sentence with जब तक……न the subjunctive form is generally used (if the reference is to a future action)
- जब तक मैं न बुलाऊँ, (तब तक) अंदर न आना। “Don’t come in until I call you.”
The subjunctive is used in “as if/ as though” clauses that indicate supposition or imagined actions or situations, particularly after expressions such as “it seems as if / as though….” or “it appears as if / as though.”
- हमें ऐसा लगा जैसे हम वहाँ अजनबी हों। “It seemed to us / we felt as if we were strangers there.”
- वह इतनी सुंदर है मानो गुलाब हो। “She is as pretty (that you would think of her) as though she were a rose.”
Activity 1
| Please write two subjunctive sentences in Hindi that express | |||
| (a) | desirability | 1. | |
| 2. | |||
| (b) | advice/permission | 1. | |
| 2. | |||
| (c) | Let’s construction | 1. | |
| 2. | |||
| (d) | polite form of request | 1. | |
| 2. | |||
| (e) | probability/uncertainty | 1. | |
| 2. | |||
| (f) | Blessing/Curse/Wishes | 1. | |
| 2. |
Activity 2
(a) Food Recipe: Please write a recipe of your favorite Indian/South Asian food. You have done this before using imperative sentences. Here you have to write the recipe using subjunctive sentences.
(b) Giving Direction: Imagine that you have invited a friend to your house for a party. Your friend does not know your the direction from her/his house to your house. Please write a direction in Hindi. [Hint: Please use subjunctive sentences].
(c) Good wishes:
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