Hindi Conditionals
·3 mins
I’ve been digging deep into Hindi’s conditional (if-then) phrases recently. My coursework has included several different styles of conditionals, but I been struggling to get my head around the implied nuance of each construction. A few articles on hindilanguage.info (great site!) have been very helpful:
Still, I can’t seem to find a resource that lists the different cases in a concise format. So here’s my attempt to consolidate them. Disclaimer: I’m just a Hindi language learner. :)
| Naunced Meaning | If (अगर/यदि)… | then (तो)… | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| high probability | Future | Future | अगर आप भारत जायेंगे तो ताज महल देखेंगे। | If you will go to India, (then) you will see the Taj mahal. |
| lesser probability | Past | Future | अगर तुमने सुबह चाय नहीं पी तो सिर दर्द होगा। | If you don’t drink tea in the morning, (then) you might have a headache. |
| contrafactual (imagining, dreaming, very little, if no probability) | Subjunctive Contrafactual Non-Aspect (ता/ती/ते) | Subjunctive Contrafactual Non-Aspect (ता/ती/ते) | अगर राहुल लॉटरी जीतता तो सब को मकान देता। | If Rahul won the lottery, (then) he would give everyone a house. |
| contrafactual (past looking) | Subjunctive Contrafactual Past Aspect (Past + होता/होती/होते) |
Subjunctive Contrafactual Past Aspect (Past + होता/होती/होते) |
अगर तुमने मेहनत की होती तो परीक्षा में पास होते। | If you had worked hard, (then) you would have passed the examination. |
| contrafactual (past continuous) | Subjunctive Contrafactual Past Aspect (Past Continuous + होता/होती/होते) |
Subjunctive Contrafactual Past Aspect (Past Continuous + होता/होती/होते) |
अगर मैं बाहर न काम कर रहा होता तो मुझे इतना पसीना नहीं आ रहा होता। | If I hadn’t been working outside, then I wouldn’t be sweating so much. |
| contrafactual (present habitual) | Subjunctive Contrafactual Habitual Aspect (Present Habitual + होता/होती/होते) |
Subjunctive Contrafactual Habitual Aspect (Present Habitual + होता/होती/होते) |
अगर तुम हिंदी सीखते होते तो तुम हिंदी जानते होते। | If you had studied Hindi (regularly), then you would know Hindi. |
| Present | Present | अगर आप यहाँ आना चाहते हैं तो आप आ सकते हैं। | If you wish to come here, (then) you can come here. | |
| Present | Future | अगर आप में साहस है तो आप सब कुछ कर सकेंगे। | If you have courage, (then) you can do everything. | |
| Future | Present | अगर आप पढ़ेंगे तो आप सफल हो सकते हैं। | If you will study, (then) you can be successful. | |
| possibility, condition, hypothetical statement, opinion, desire, duty, or obligation | Subjunctive | Present | अगर आप समय पर आयें तो हम समय पर काम खत्म कर सकते हैं। | If you come on time, (then) we can finish the work on time. |
| " | Subjunctive | Future | अगर सब ठीक हो जाए तो हम घर जल्दी जायेंगे। | If everything goes well, (then) we will go home early. |
| " | Subjunctive | Subjunctive | अगर आप मेहनत करें तो आप सफल हों। | If you work hard, (then) you might be successful. |
| " | Subjunctive | Imperative | अगर आप हिन्दी सीखना चाहें तो इस किताब को पढ़िए। | If you want to learn Hindi, (then) please read this book. |
Other resources: