मेरा परिवार और दोस्त
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Identify immediate family members and close friends using scheduled vocabulary.
- Use the possessives मेरा, मेरी, and मेरे correctly with familiar nouns.
- State a basic relationship using यह/वह मेरा/मेरी ... है/हैं.
- Describe a person with one or two familiar adjectives, such as अच्छा/अच्छी/अच्छे, in a controlled formulaic pattern.
- Recognize respectful plural हैं in reference to a single respected person.
- Recognize eight new Devanagari consonants and three new matras, and read them inside familiar words.
- Present two or more people, stating their relationship, identity, and one basic characteristic.
Communication Scenario
Mr. Sharma's class has a new assignment this week: bring a photo of someone from home and be ready to introduce them. Priya brings a picture of her mother, her brother, and her best friend. Anil brings a picture of his grandfather and his sister. As students go around the room, the same small set of tools reappears again and again — a possessive word like मेरा or मेरी, a family or friend word, and, once in a while, a simple word of description like अच्छा or अच्छी.
- This chapter gives you the language to talk about your own family and friends using possessives and simple description.
- It also expands your Devanagari consonant and matra set so that you can read and write more of this personal vocabulary.
Where This Chapter Fits
Chapter 3 builds directly on the identification and nominal sentences from Chapter 2. It adds possessive forms, a first controlled adjective pattern, and a deeper look at kinship vocabulary. It does not introduce a full adjective declension system, a full plural paradigm, or oblique forms — those systems continue to grow gradually across the volume.
Coming Into This Chapter
You can already identify people with यह and वह, ask यह/वह कौन है?, build a nominal sentence with है, and notice gender in familiar people-words.
New in This Chapter
Possessives मेरा, मेरी, and मेरे; family and friend vocabulary; a first formulaic adjective agreement pattern with अच्छा/अच्छी/अच्छे; respectful हैं in recognition and limited use; and eight new consonants and three new matras.
Looking Forward
Chapter 4 moves into the classroom, adding के पास for possession and expanding your Devanagari toward longer syllable chains.
Core Vocabulary
Read across each row: the Devanagari form first, then a romanized pronunciation guide, then the English meaning. Continue relying on Devanagari as your primary form — romanization here supports only the newest or trickiest words.
| Devanagari | Romanization | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| परिवार | parivaar | family | masculine noun |
| माँ | maaँ | mother | feminine noun; chandrabindu shows nasalization |
| पिता | pitaa | father | masculine noun |
| भाई | bhaaee | brother | masculine noun |
| बहन | bahan | sister | feminine noun |
| बेटा | betaa | son | masculine noun |
| बेटी | betee | daughter | feminine noun |
| पति | pati | husband | masculine noun |
| पत्नी | patnee | wife | feminine noun |
| दादा | daadaa | paternal grandfather | masculine noun |
| दादी | daadee | paternal grandmother | feminine noun |
| बच्चा | bachchaa | child | masculine noun; plural covers children generally |
| दोस्त | dost | friend | same form for any gender; recycled from Chapter 2 |
| अच्छा | achchhaa | good | variable adjective; masc. sg. form shown |
| अच्छी | achchhee | good | feminine singular form |
| अच्छे | achchhe | good | masculine plural / respectful form |
| बड़ा / बड़ी | badaa / badee | big; older (of siblings) | variable adjective |
| छोटा / छोटी | chhotaa / chhotee | small; younger (of siblings) | variable adjective |
संख्याएँ 21–40 — Numbers 21–40 (supported use):
| Devanagari | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| इक्कीस | ikkees | 21 |
| तीस | tees | 30 |
| चालीस | chaalees | 40 |
Numbers here remain reference support for age expressions such as answering कितने साल के हैं? (recognition only). You are not yet expected to build full number sentences.
Receptive vocabulary (recognize only, do not produce yet): extended kinship terms such as नाना, नानी, चाचा, and चाची; the register contrast among माता, माँ, and मम्मी, and among पिता, पापा, and पिताजी; household terms that vary by region, religion, or family practice; and respectful family address with जी, as in पिताजी.
Devanagari and Pronunciation
Chapters 1 and 2 gave you the ten independent vowels, nineteen consonants, and your first two matras. This chapter adds eight more consonants and three more matras, bringing your total matra set to five.
3.1 Eight new consonants
व sits between the English sounds "v" and "w." Many speakers produce it with the lower lip near the upper teeth, similar to "v," while others produce it closer to "w," especially before certain vowels. Listen for it in पत्नी and later words rather than forcing either English sound onto it.
3.2 Three new matras: उ, ऊ, and ए
Unlike the left-side matra you met in Chapter 2, the उ and ऊ matras attach below the consonant, and the ए matra attaches to the left as a single stroke. All three are pronounced immediately after the consonant, in the order they are spoken.
3.3 Nasalization in familiar forms: माँ and मैं
The chandrabindu mark (ँ) over a vowel shows that the vowel is nasalized — pronounced partly through the nose. You already produce this sound in मैं from Chapter 1. Listen for the same nasal quality in माँ.
3.4 Listening for possessives and respectful हैं
Listen for मेरा, मेरी, and मेरे before family and friend words, and for the respectful use of हैं when a single person is described with special respect.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
3.5 Possessives मेरा, मेरी, and मेरे
Purpose: say that something or someone belongs to you, or is related to you.
Hindi possessives agree with the noun they describe, not with the speaker. मेरा is used before masculine singular nouns, मेरी before feminine nouns, and मेरे before masculine plural or certain respectful references.
This chapter treats possessive agreement as a controlled pattern with the specific nouns listed above. A fuller adjective declension system is not introduced yet.
3.6 Stating relationships
Purpose: introduce a family member or friend with a controlled sentence.
- यह मेरा भाई है। Yah meraa bhaaee hai. This is my brother.
- यह मेरी दोस्त है। Yah meree dost hai. This is my (female) friend.
- यह मेरे दोस्त हैं। Yah mere dost hain. These are my friends. / This is my friend (respectful).
3.7 A first formulaic adjective pattern: अच्छा/अच्छी/अच्छे
Purpose: add one simple description to a person you introduce.
Some Hindi adjectives, including अच्छा, change their ending to match the gender and number of the noun they describe: अच्छा लड़का, अच्छी लड़की, अच्छे लड़के. This chapter introduces this pattern formulaically with अच्छा/अच्छी/अच्छे and, receptively, with बड़ा/बड़ी and छोटा/छोटी. Do not yet generalize this ending pattern to every adjective you encounter — some Hindi adjectives never change form, and that distinction is developed gradually in later chapters.
- यह मेरी अच्छी दोस्त है। Yah meree achchhee dost hai. This is my good friend.
- यह मेरा बड़ा भाई है। Yah meraa badaa bhaaee hai. This is my older brother.
3.8 Respectful हैं with family terms
Purpose: recognize that a single respected family member may be referred to with a plural-looking verb form.
You met हैं receptively in Chapter 2. In family contexts, it is common to describe a single respected person, such as a grandparent or parent, with हैं instead of है: मेरे दादा अच्छे हैं ("My grandfather is good," respectfully). Treat this pattern as formulaic and limited to the family words in this chapter. The fuller honorific agreement system develops later in the volume.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Priya and Anil show each other family photographs during the family-and-friends assignment.
या ("or") and बहुत ("very") appear here receptively, glossed for context only; their grammar is not analyzed until later chapters.
समझ के प्रश्न — Comprehension questions:
- प्रिया का भाई बड़ा है या छोटा? (Is Priya's brother older or younger?)
- प्रिया की दोस्त का नाम क्या है? (What is Priya's friend's name?)
- Why does Anil use हैं instead of है when asking about Priya's grandfather?
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a study partner, or a fluent Hindi speaker to read the model dialogue above aloud, at a natural pace, twice. On the first listen, notice only which possessive word is used each time — मेरा, मेरी, or मेरे. On the second listen, complete the table below.
If no speaker is available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Read the passage aloud yourself, slowly and clearly at first, then at a more natural pace. Any spoken model should be verified by a fluent Hindi speaker before being treated as a pronunciation standard.
एक परिवार — A family:
"यह मेरा परिवार है। यह मेरे पिता हैं। यह मेरी माँ है। यह मेरी बहन है। वह छोटी है। और यह मेरा अच्छा दोस्त है, राज।"
सुनने का काम — Listening task:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| वक्ता के पिता के लिए कौन-सा शब्द है — है या हैं? (Which verb form is used for the speaker's father?) | ______ |
| बहन बड़ी है या छोटी? (Is the sister older or younger?) | ______ |
| What is the friend's name? | ______ |
Reading Practice
Read the two family profiles below aloud, sounding out each Devanagari word slowly.
यह मेरे पिता हैं। यह मेरी माँ है।
यह मेरा छोटा भाई है।
यह मेरे दादा हैं। वह अच्छे हैं।
समझ के प्रश्न — Comprehension questions:
- Which profile describes a brother, and which describes a sister?
- Which profile uses the respectful हैं form, and for whom?
Writing Workshop
Create your own short family or friend profile, following the model profiles above. Your profile should introduce at least two people, use a correctly agreeing possessive, and include one adjective from this chapter.
लेखन कार्य — Writing task: Write three or four short sentences in Devanagari, copying letter shapes and matras carefully.
- Choose your people. Pick two or more family members or friends to introduce.
- Match the possessive. Use मेरा, मेरी, or मेरे to match the gender or respect level of each noun.
- Add one description. Use अच्छा/अच्छी/अच्छे, बड़ा/बड़ी, or छोटा/छोटी for at least one person.
- Check your letters and matras. Compare each Devanagari letter and matra you wrote against the charts above, paying attention to the new उ, ऊ, and ए matras.
संपादन सूची — Editing checklist:
- Each possessive matches the gender or respect level of the noun that follows it.
- At least one adjective from this chapter is used correctly.
- Devanagari letters and matras are copied carefully and clearly.
- A danda (।) ends each sentence.
Speaking Practice
नियंत्रित अभ्यास — Controlled practice: reading the model dialogue aloud
Read the model dialogue above aloud twice: once slowly, sounding out each word, and once at a more natural pace. Pay attention to the nasalized vowel in माँ and to the pronunciation of व in पत्नी-type words.
संचार कार्य — Communicative task: introduce your family or friends
With a partner, show a real or imagined photo and introduce two or three people using मेरा/मेरी/मेरे and at least one description from this chapter. Ask your partner about their own family or friends using यह कौन है?
अकेले अभ्यास — Solo alternative
Record yourself introducing two or three people from your family or circle of friends, using at least two different possessive forms and one adjective. Listen back and check your possessive agreement and pronunciation of व and nasalized vowels.
Culture and Communication
Hindi kinship terms often carry more than a simple English equivalent. Referring to a grandparent or parent with the respectful हैं form, as in this chapter's dialogue, reflects ordinary respectful practice rather than describing more than one person. Family structures, terms of address, and the degree of formality used with different relatives vary across households, regions, and communities.
Family life among Hindi speakers takes many forms, including nuclear and extended households, multigenerational homes, and blended families, across urban, rural, and diaspora settings. Avoid assuming that any single family structure represents all Hindi-speaking communities.
Common Mistakes
Error: A male speaker saying मेरा बहन because he is male, instead of matching the possessive to बहन (feminine).
Correction: The possessive always agrees with the noun that follows it, never with the speaker. Use मेरी बहन regardless of the speaker's own gender.
Error: Assuming every Hindi adjective changes its ending the way अच्छा does.
Correction: Some adjectives are invariable and never change form. For now, learn the behavior of each adjective in this chapter individually; the broader variable-versus-invariable distinction develops in later chapters.
Error: Pronouncing माँ the same as मा, ignoring the chandrabindu.
Correction: The chandrabindu mark shows that the vowel is nasalized. Practice the same nasal quality you already use in मैं.
Chapter Review
भाग A — समझ (Comprehension)
1. Return to the model dialogue and answer in English:
- Who does Priya introduce first?
- How does Priya describe her friend Sunita?
भाग B — व्याकरण (Grammar)
1. Choose मेरा, मेरी, or मेरे:
- ______ भाई (brother)
- ______ बहन (sister)
- ______ दादा (grandfather, respectful)
2. Complete with the correct form of अच्छा: यह मेरी ______ दोस्त है।
भाग C — पठन (Reading)
1. Return to the two family profiles above and answer:
- पहली प्रोफ़ाइल में कौन-कौन है? (Who appears in the first profile?)
- दूसरी प्रोफ़ाइल में हैं का प्रयोग किसके लिए हुआ है? (Who does हैं refer to in the second profile?)
भाग D — लेखन (Writing)
1. Write a three- or four-sentence profile introducing two or more people, using correctly matched possessives and at least one adjective.
भाग E — वाचन (Speaking)
1. Introduce two or three family members or friends to a partner without reading from a script, using at least one possessive and one adjective correctly.
Cumulative Review — Chapters 1–2
Greet a partner using a formula from Chapter 1, introduce yourself with मैं ... हूँ, then identify one person using यह/वह ... है from Chapter 2 before beginning the family tasks above.
Devanagari Recognition Check
Circle or say aloud the two consonants below that share the same place of articulation as English "b" and "p," then find the aspirated partner of each.
प फ ब भ य र
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 3 Performance Task
Present Your Family or Friends
Complete the following four connected tasks in order, as Priya and Anil do while sharing family photographs in class.
- Listen to the model dialogue, or a similar exchange read by your instructor or partner, and complete the listening table above.
- Read the two family profiles above and answer the comprehension questions.
- Write your own family or friend profile, following the writing workshop steps and editing checklist.
- Speak by introducing two or more people to a partner, recording, or instructor, using correctly matched possessives and at least one adjective, without reading from a script.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Possessive agreement | मेरा, मेरी, and मेरे are matched correctly to scheduled nouns. |
| Relationship statements | The learner produces controlled sentences identifying at least two people and their relationship to the speaker. |
| Descriptive vocabulary use | At least one adjective from this chapter is used with correct agreement. |
| Devanagari recognition | Scheduled consonants and matras are read and copied with reasonable accuracy. |
| Task completion | All four tasks are completed and connect clearly across listening, reading, writing, and speaking. |
This task assesses only what this chapter has taught. It does not require a full plural paradigm, oblique forms, a complete adjective declension table, or an extended kinship-system inventory, all of which develop gradually across the volume.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Priya introduces her mother first (यह मेरी माँ है।).
- Priya describes Sunita as her good friend (यह मेरी अच्छी दोस्त है।).
- Anil uses हैं because Priya's grandfather is referred to respectfully, even though he is one person.
Listening
- हैं
- Younger (छोटी)
- Raj
Reading — Comprehension
- The first profile describes a brother; the second describes a sister.
- The second profile uses हैं respectfully for the speaker's grandfather.
Chapter Review — भाग B
- (a) मेरा भाई (b) मेरी बहन (c) मेरे दादा
- अच्छी
Chapter Review — भाग C
- (a) father, mother, younger brother (b) the speaker's grandfather
Devanagari Recognition Check — Correct answers
प and ब share the same place of articulation as English "p" and "b"; their aspirated partners are फ and भ.
Looking Ahead
अब आप क्या कर सकते हैं — What you can do now
You can introduce family members and friends using मेरा, मेरी, and मेरे, add a simple description with अच्छा/अच्छी/अच्छे, and recognize the respectful use of हैं for a single respected person. You can also recognize eight new Devanagari consonants, read three new matras, and notice nasalization in familiar words.