General Hindi for Police Exams: Grammar and Vocabulary
2. Samas: compounds
A samas joins two or more words into one by dropping the linking words between them. Breaking it back into the full phrase is vigraha. Everything depends on which part carries the meaning (the pradhan pad). That single question separates the six kinds.
| Samas | Which part is main | Test | Examples with vigraha |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avyayibhav | First part (an indeclinable) | The whole word behaves like an adverb | yathashakti = shakti ke anusar; pratidin = har din; aajanma = janma tak; bharpet = pet bhar ke |
| Tatpurush | Second part | A case marker (ko, se, ka, mein...) is hidden | rajaputra = raja ka putra; hastalikhit = hath se likhit; deshanikala = desh se nikala; sharanagat = sharan ko aagat |
| Karmadharay | Second part | Two parts are adjective + noun, or a comparison | nilakamala = neela hai jo kamala; mahapurush = mahan hai jo purush; charanakamala = kamala ke saman charana |
| Dvigu | Second part | First part is a number; the word names a group | navaratra = nau ratriyon ka samuh; trilok = teen lokon ka samuh; chaurahaa = char rahon ka samuh; saptah = saat dinon ka samuh |
| Dvandva | Both parts | Vigraha uses 'aur' or 'ya' | mata-pita = mata aur pita; dal-roti = dal aur roti; bhala-bura = bhala ya bura |
| Bahuvrihi | Neither part: a third thing is meant | Vigraha ends with 'jo / jiske ...' | dashanana = dash hain anana jiske (Ravana); lambodara = lamba hai udara jiska (Ganesha); chakradhar = chakra dharan kare jo (Vishnu); trinetra = teen hain netra jiske (Shiva) |
3. Upsarg and pratyay: prefixes and suffixes
An upsarg is placed before a word and changes or adds to its meaning; a pratyay is placed after a word (or a root) and creates a new word. Remember the direction: upsarg first, pratyay last. The Sanskrit upsargs are 22: pra, para, apa, sam, anu, ava, nis/nir, dus/dur, vi, aa, ni, adhi, api, ati, su, ut, abhi, prati, pari, upa, counted with the paired forms as separate.
| Upsarg | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| pra | forward, much | prabala, prakash, prasiddha |
| su / dur | good / bad | sujan, suputra / durjan, durlabh |
Hindi has its own upsargs: a, an (anapadh, anjan), ku (kuputra), su (sudaul), adh (adhapaka), un (unatis), bhar (bharpet) and ni (nidar). Urdu-origin ones are be (bemisal, beimaan), bad (badnaam), la (laparavah), gair (gairhazir) and khush (khushboo).
Pratyay has two families. A krit pratyay is added to a verb root: padh + aai = padhai; likh + avat = likhavat; chal + ak = chaalak; path + ak = paathak. A taddhit pratyay is added to a noun, adjective or pronoun: manav + ta = manavata; ladka + pan = ladakpan; dhan + vaan = dhanvaan; buddhi + maan = buddhimaan; Bharat + iya = Bhaaratiya; samaj + ik = saamajik.
4. Kaal and vachya: tense and voice
Kaal tells when the action happens: bhoot (past), vartaman (present) and bhavishyat (future). The past has the most sub-types, and that is where questions come from. Identify the helping verb at the end of the sentence.
| Kaal and type | Clue at the end | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Samanya bhoot | plain past form | Ram ne patra likha. |
| Aasann bhoot | + hai / hain | Vah aaya hai. |
| Purna bhoot | + tha / thi / the | Vah aaya tha. |
| Apurna bhoot | raha tha / rahi thi | Vah ja raha tha. |
| Sandigdh bhoot | + hoga / hogi | Vah aaya hoga. |
| Hetuhetumad bhoot | two clauses, 'agar... to', both not happened | Varsha hoti to fasal achchhi hoti. |
| Vartaman samanya | ta / ti / te + hai | Vah padhta hai. |
| Bhavishyat samanya | + ega / egi / enge | Vah padhega. |
Vachya shows which noun the verb agrees with. In kartri-vachya the verb follows the doer (the kartta): 'Ram patra likhta hai'. In karm-vachya the verb follows the object, and the doer is shown by 'se' or left out: 'Patra likha gaya', 'Ram se patra likha gaya'. In bhav-vachya there is no object, the verb stays masculine singular, and the sentence usually expresses inability: 'Rogi se utha nahin jata', 'Mujhse chala nahin jata'. The marks of the passive are the participle plus jana: likha gaya, padha jata hai.
5. Karak and the eight parts of speech
Karak is the relation of a noun or pronoun with the verb, shown by a vibhakti (case marker). Learn the eight with their markers and one test sentence each.
| Karak | Marker | Test sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Kartta | ne (or none) | Chhatra ne path padha. |
| Karan | se (means or tool) | Vah kalam se likhta hai. |
| Sampradan | ko, ke liye (giving) | Guru ne shishya ko pustak di. |
| Apadan | se (separation) | Vriksha se phal gira. |
| Sambandh | ka, ke, ki; ra, re, ri | Ram ka ghar bada hai. |
| Adhikaran | mein, par (place or time) | Pustak mez par hai. |
| Karm | ko (or none) | Ram ne Ravan ko mara. |
| Sambodhan | he, are, o (calling out) | Are bhai, idhar aao. |
Hindi words fall into eight parts of speech. Four change form with gender, number or case and are vikari: sangya (noun), sarvanam (pronoun), visheshan (adjective) and kriya (verb). Four never change and are avikari, also called avyay: kriya-visheshan (adverb: dheere, yahan, kal), sambandh-bodhak (postposition: ke paas, ke bina), samuchchay-bodhak (conjunction: aur, kintu, athava) and vismayadi-bodhak (interjection: wah, are, haay).
Pronoun types: purushvachak (personal: main, hum = first person; tu, tum, aap = second; vah, ve, yah = third), nishchayvachak (yah, vah), anishchayvachak (koi, kuchh), sambandhvachak (jo, so), prashnvachak (kaun, kya) and nijvachak (aap, apna, svayam). Adjectives are gunvachak (sundar), sankhyavachak (teen), parimanvachak (thoda doodh) and sarvanamik (yah ladka). Verbs are sakarmak (with an object) or akarmak (without one).
6. Vilom, paryayvachi and anekarthi words
Word-meaning questions are the fastest marks in the paper if you have seen the pair before. Learn them in clusters. Vilom (antonyms) are opposites; paryayvachi (synonyms) give one meaning in several words; anekarthi words are single words with more than one meaning.
| Vilom pair | Vilom pair | Vilom pair |
|---|---|---|
| kritagya - kritaghna | aastik - nastik | utthan - patan |
| upkar - apkar | nindaa - stuti | sanyog - viyog |
| gupt - prakat | jad - chetan | sulabh - durlabh |
| svadheen - paradheen | labh - hani | sthavar - jangam |
| Meaning | Paryayvachi words |
|---|---|
| Fire | anal, pavak, vahni, aag |
| Sky | gagan, nabh, ambar, vyom |
| Water | neer, salil, vari, paani |
| Earth | dhara, dharti, bhu, vasudha, avani |
| Sun | ravi, bhaskar, dinkar, bhanu, divakar |
| Lotus | pankaj, neeraj, jalaj, saroj, ambuj |
Anekarthi examples: kar = hand, ray, tax; arth = wealth, meaning, purpose; kanak = gold, dhatura; kaal = time, death; varn = letter, colour, caste; patr = letter, leaf; gun = quality, rope; uttar = answer, north; ank = lap, number; teer = bank, arrow; dwij = Brahmin, bird, tooth. A related trap is shabd-yugm, words that sound alike: anal (fire) and anil (wind); apeksha (expectation) and upeksha (neglect); parinam (result) and pariman (quantity); prasad (offering or grace) and prasad with a long aa (palace).
7. One-word substitution
These questions give a phrase and ask for a single word. Most are built with a prefix like a-/an- (not), sarva- (all), para- (other) or sva- (self) joined to a stem. Spot the stem in the phrase and then pick the option that carries it.
| Phrase | One word |
|---|---|
| whose enemy was never born | ajatashatru |
| who believes in God / who does not | aastik / nastik |
| who knows everything | sarvagya |
| which has no beginning / no end | anadi / anant |
| which cannot be conquered | ajey |
| who does not return a favour / who remembers it | kritaghna / kritagya |
| who thinks of the distant future | durdarshi |
8. Muhavare and lokoktiyan
A muhavara is a phrase that does not mean what its words say; it has no complete sense alone and changes its verb form with the sentence ('usne angootha dikhaya'). A lokokti is a complete, self-standing sentence that carries a lesson drawn from experience ('jaisi karni waisi bharni'). Both are asked as meaning, and each is easy if you picture the scene.
| Muhavara | Meaning |
|---|---|
| angootha dikhana | clear refusal |
| aankhon ka tara | very dear |
| gagar mein sagar bharna | to say much in few words |
| nau do gyarah hona | to run away |
| aastin ka saanp | a treacherous friend |
| oont ke munh mein jeera | far too little for the need |
| Lokokti | Meaning |
|---|---|
| adhjal gagri chhalkat jaye | a person of little knowledge shows off the most |
| naach na jane aangan tedha | blaming the tool for one's own lack of skill |
| ka barsa jab krishi sukhani | help that comes too late is useless |
9. Shuddh-ashuddh vartani and viram-chinh
Spelling questions give four forms of a word and ask for the correct or the incorrect one. The mistakes are patterned: a short vowel written for a long one, a missing or extra half letter, the wrong sibilant (sh, shh, s) and the conjunct that is written wrongly. Memorise the corrected forms below.
| Correct form | Common wrong form | Why it is wrong |
|---|---|---|
| aashirvad | aarshivad | half r placed on the wrong letter |
| kavayitri | kaviyatri | the i-sign belongs to ya (kavayitri), not to va |
| ujjval | ujjwal | the conjunct is jj + v, from ut + jvala; the second j must carry the half sign |
| prateeksha | pratiksha with short i | the long vowel is needed |
| grihini | grihani | the feminine form needs the i matra |
Viram-chinh (punctuation) marks: purna viram (the vertical bar, danda) ends a sentence; alp viram ( , ) is a short pause; ardh viram ( ; ) a longer pause between related clauses; prashnavachak ( ? ), vismayadibodhak ( ! ); yojak ( - ) joins dvandva and repeated words (mata-pita, dheere-dheere); nirdeshak ( — ) introduces an explanation; vivaran ( :- ) introduces a list or statement; uddharan ( " " ) encloses spoken words; koshthak ( ) encloses an aside; and hansapad ( ^ ) shows that a word has been left out.
Key takeaways
- Sandhi: identify the two vowels that meet. Same vowels give a long vowel (dirgh); a + i/u/ri gives e/o/ar (gun); a + e/o gives ai/au (vriddhi); i/u/ri before another vowel turn to y/v/r (yan); e/ai/o/au before a vowel turn to ay/aay/av/aav (ayadi).
- Samas depends on which part is main: first part, avyayibhav; second part, tatpurush, karmadharay and dvigu; both parts, dvandva; neither, bahuvrihi. A vigraha ending in 'jiske' or 'jo' is bahuvrihi.
- Upsarg goes before a word and pratyay after it. Test the beginning of a word for an upsarg and its end for a pratyay; krit pratyays attach to verb roots, taddhit pratyays to nouns and adjectives.
- Tense comes from the verb ending (hai, tha, hoga), and voice from what the verb agrees with: doer (kartri), object (karm, with 'jana'), or nothing (bhav, inability). 'Ne' alone does not make a sentence passive.
- Karak: 'se' is karan for a tool and apadan for separation; 'ko' is sampradan when something is given. The eight parts of speech split into four that change (noun, pronoun, adjective, verb) and four avyay (adverb, postposition, conjunction, interjection).
- For vocabulary, learn in clusters and by image: synonyms by root image, anekarthi words as sets, one-word substitutions by prefix, muhavare by their scene. A muhavara is a phrase that changes with the sentence; a lokokti is a complete saying. In spelling and punctuation, check the long and short vowels, the conjuncts and the exact mark.
Practice questions (18)
Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.
In the word 'ganesha' (Hindi spelling gana + isha), which sandhi has joined the two parts?
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Answer: C — Gun swar sandhi, because a + ii becomes e
The short a meets long ii and the result is e, which is the gun rule (a/aa + i/ii = e). Dirgh needs two similar vowels, such as a + aa in himalaya, so it is the tempting but wrong choice here.Four words are given with their splits. Which one is NOT an example of yan swar sandhi?
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Answer: D — naayaka (nai + aka)
Naayaka comes from nai + aka, where ai becomes aay: that is ayadi sandhi. The other three each turn a short i or u into y or v before a different vowel, which is yan. Svaagata is the tempting one because it also shows a v, but there the v comes from u.Judge the splits. P: jagadisha = jagat + isha. Q: manohara = manah + hara. R: sajjana = sam + jana. S: dushcharitra = duh + charitra. Which statements are correct?
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Answer: B — P, Q and S only
Sajjana is sat + jana (t joins j to give jj), not sam + jana, which would give sanjana. So R is wrong, and P, Q and S are right. The mix with R is tempting because sam appears in many sandhi words such as santosha.'Yathashakti', meaning 'according to one's strength', is which samas?
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Answer: B — Avyayibhav samas
The first part 'yatha' is an indeclinable and carries the meaning, and the whole word works like an adverb: that is avyayibhav. Tatpurush is tempting because the vigraha uses 'ke anusar', but there the second part is the main one.Which of these is a bahuvrihi samas?
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Answer: D — dashanana, meaning 'one who has ten faces' (Ravana)
Dashanana does not simply mean ten faces; it points to a third person, Ravana, so it is bahuvrihi. Trilok is a dvigu (numeral + group), mahapurush is karmadharay, and mata-pita is dvandva. Trilok is the tempting wrong choice because it also begins with a number.In the sense of Shiva, 'trinetra' (one who has three eyes), and in its plain sense 'trilok' (a group of three worlds), are respectively which samas?
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Answer: A — Bahuvrihi and dvigu
Trinetra in the sense of Shiva names someone outside the two words, so it is bahuvrihi. Trilok names a group of three worlds, so it is dvigu. The order is swapped in the tempting distractor because both words begin with a number.Which upsarg is used in the word 'parikrama' (going around)?
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Answer: C — pari
Parikrama is pari + krama, and 'pari' means all around. Pra means forward and para means reverse or defeat (parajaya), so they only look similar to the eye.Which word has a pratyay but no upsarg?
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Answer: A — padhai
Padhai is padh + aai: only a suffix at the end. Anapadh begins with an, nidar with ni and kuputra with ku, so each has an upsarg at the start. The learner who looks for any joined piece will wrongly choose one of them.'Vah subah Dilli se lauta hoga.' Which tense is this?
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Answer: C — Sandigdh bhoot (doubtful past)
The action is in the past (lauta) but the speaker is unsure, shown by 'hoga'. That is sandigdh bhoot. Bhavishyat is tempting because 'hoga' looks like a future ending, but here the main verb 'lauta' is past, and the event is guessed, not planned.'Rogi se utha nahin jata.' In which vachya is this sentence?
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Answer: D — Bhav-vachya
There is no object, the verb 'utha jata' stays masculine singular and the sentence expresses inability: all marks of bhav-vachya. Karm-vachya is tempting because of 'jata', but it needs an object that the verb agrees with.In 'Vah ghar se nikla', the word 'se' marks which karak?
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Answer: B — Apadan karak
'Se' shows the point from which he left, which is separation: apadan. Karan is tempting because it also uses 'se', but karan names a tool or means, as in 'kalam se likha'.In 'Main aap hi chala jaoonga', what kind of pronoun is the word 'aap'?
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Answer: C — Nijvachak sarvanam (reflexive)
Here 'aap' refers back to the speaker 'main' and means 'myself', so it is nijvachak. The respectful second-person use, as in 'aap kahan ja rahe hain', is the tempting wrong choice because the word looks the same.Which word is the odd one out in the group neer, salil, vari, anal?
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Answer: B — anal
Neer, salil and vari all mean water, while anal means fire. The odd one is therefore anal. Do not pick vari merely because it is the least familiar word.Which single word stands for 'one whose enemy has never been born'?
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Answer: A — ajatashatru
Ajata means 'not born' and shatru means 'enemy', so ajatashatru fits exactly. Ajey means 'who cannot be conquered', and aparajit means 'who has never lost', and both speak of defeat, not of enemies.What does the idiom 'aastin ka saanp' mean?
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Answer: C — A friend who secretly harms you
A snake in the sleeve is close to you and unnoticed, so the idiom means a treacherous friend. An open enemy is the tempting wrong choice, but the idiom is about someone who is trusted.The proverb 'adhjal gagri chhalkat jaye' is used for which situation?
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Answer: C — A person who knows little makes the most show of it
A half-full pot splashes while a full one stays calm, so the saying describes a person of little knowledge who shows off. 'Ka barsa jab krishi sukhani' is about late help, and 'khoda pahad nikli chuhiya' is about wasted effort, so both belong to other proverbs.Which is the correct spelling of the word meaning 'waiting'?
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Answer: D — prateeksha, with a long ii in the third letter
The word comes from prati + eeksha (a long ii), and the sounds join to a long ii, so prateeksha is correct. The short-i form is the common error, and the chh forms change the ksh conjunct.Which of the following is an INCORRECT spelling?
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Answer: A — kaviyatri, with the i-sign on va
The correct form is kavayitri, with the i-sign on ya. The form with the sign on va is wrong. Aashirvad, prateeksha and grihini are all correctly spelt.