Hindi Tenses — Kaal (काल)
Present, past and future tenses with their sub-tenses, rules and example sentences.
In Hindi grammar (vyakaran), kaal (काल) means tense — it tells us the time of an action. Hindi has three main tenses: Vartaman kaal (वर्तमान काल, present), Bhootkaal (भूतकाल, past) and Bhavishyat kaal (भविष्यत् काल, future). Each is divided into sub-tenses such as simple, continuous and perfect. The helping verb and verb ending tell you which tense a sentence is in.
Present Tense — वर्तमान काल
Vartaman kaal describes actions happening now or that happen habitually. The helping verbs हूँ / है / हैं / हो are used with the subject.
| Sub-tense | हिंदी | Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | सामान्य वर्तमान | A habitual or general action. | मैं पढ़ता हूँ। | I read. / I study. |
| Present Continuous | अपूर्ण वर्तमान | An action going on right now. | मैं पढ़ रहा हूँ। | I am reading. |
| Present Perfect | पूर्ण वर्तमान | An action just completed, effect in the present. | मैंने पढ़ा है। | I have read. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | पूर्ण अपूर्ण वर्तमान | An action started earlier and still continuing. | मैं दो घंटे से पढ़ रहा हूँ। | I have been reading for two hours. |
Past Tense — भूतकाल
Bhootkaal describes actions that already happened. The helping verbs था / थी / थे appear in most of its forms.
| Sub-tense | हिंदी | Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Past | सामान्य भूत | An action completed in the past. | वह आया। | He came. |
| Present Perfect (Recent Past) | आसन्न भूत | An action completed very recently. | वह आया है। | He has come. |
| Past Perfect | पूर्ण भूत | An action completed well before another past event. | वह आया था। | He had come. |
| Past Continuous | अपूर्ण भूत | An action that was going on in the past. | वह आ रहा था। | He was coming. |
| Conditional Past | हेतुहेतुमद् भूत | A past action dependent on a condition. | यदि वह आता तो मैं मिलता। | If he had come, I would have met him. |
Future Tense — भविष्यत् काल
Bhavishyat kaal describes actions that will happen later. Verbs take endings such as -गा / -गी / -गे.
| Sub-tense | हिंदी | Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Future | सामान्य भविष्य | An action that will certainly happen. | मैं पढ़ूँगा। | I will read. |
| Probable Future | संभाव्य भविष्य | An action that may possibly happen. | शायद मैं पढ़ूँ। | Perhaps I may read. |
| Future Continuous | अपूर्ण भविष्य | An action that will be going on in the future. | मैं पढ़ रहा हूँगा। | I will be reading. |
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