घर कहाँ है?
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Identify rooms, household objects, and common belongings in Devanagari.
- State where something or someone is using में, पर, and के पास.
- Ask and answer simple कहाँ? questions about a home or neighborhood.
- Expand मेरे पास ... है to say what you have and what you do not have.
- Recognize that some nouns change form before certain postpositions.
- Describe a simple neighborhood using familiar location words.
- Read a short housing note or neighborhood description in Devanagari.
- Write a short description of a home and its location relative to familiar places.
Communication Scenario
Priya is visiting Anil's home for the first time. Anil shows her around, pointing out the living room, the kitchen, and his own room, and mentioning where a few of his things are. Afterward, on the way out, Anil describes the neighborhood: what is near the house, what is across from it, and what is behind it.
- This chapter introduces three closely related postpositions of place — में, पर, and के पास — along with के सामने, के पीछे, and के अंदर in controlled, formulaic phrases.
- You will also begin noticing that some nouns look slightly different right before these postpositions. This is your first exposure to the oblique form. You are not expected to control the full oblique system yet — only to recognize it in familiar words.
Where This Chapter Fits
Chapter 7 continues Unit II, रोज़मर्रा की ज़िंदगी. It builds on the food and drink language of Chapter 6 and introduces the first postpositions of the volume.
Coming Into This Chapter
You can say what you like, dislike, need, and eat or drink using मुझे ... पसंद है, मुझे ... चाहिए, and a first habitual verb frame. You can also express simple possession with मेरे पास ... है from Chapter 4.
New in This Chapter
Rooms, household objects, and neighborhood places; the postpositions में, पर, के पास, के सामने, के पीछे, and के अंदर; कहाँ? questions; first oblique singular awareness; and expanded मेरे पास ... है/नहीं है.
Looking Forward
Chapter 8, बाज़ार में, introduces shopping, prices, quantities with कितना/कितनी, and your first look at nukta letters.
Core Vocabulary
These words are productive for this chapter. Devanagari is the primary form; romanization is given only for new or difficult items, following the reduced-romanization policy for Chapters 5–10.
7.1 Rooms and the home
| Devanagari | Romanization | English | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| घर | ghar | house, home | m. |
| कमरा | kamraa | room | m. |
| रसोई | rasoee | kitchen | f. |
| बैठक | baiṭhak | living room, sitting room | f. |
| बेडरूम | beḍroom | bedroom | m. |
| बाथरूम | baathroom | bathroom | m. |
| आँगन | aaँgan | courtyard | m. |
| दरवाज़ा | darvaazaa | door | m. |
| खिड़की | khiḍkee | window | f. |
7.2 Belongings and household objects
| Devanagari | Romanization | English | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| किताब | kitaab | book | f. |
| मेज़ | mez | table | f. |
| कुर्सी | kursee | chair | f. |
| बिस्तर | bistar | bed | m. |
| अलमारी | almaaree | cupboard, wardrobe | f. |
| फ़ोन | fon | phone | m. |
| चाबी | chaabee | key | f. |
7.3 Neighborhood places and location words
| Devanagari | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| पड़ोस | paḍos | neighborhood |
| बाज़ार | baazaar | market |
| पार्क | paark | park |
| स्कूल | skool | school |
| दुकान | dukaan | shop |
| सड़क | saḍak | street, road |
| यहाँ | yahaaँ | here |
| वहाँ | vahaaँ | there |
Receptive only: additional housing types such as फ़्लैट and अपार्टमेंट, and regional or rural housing terms. These vary widely and are not required for production in this chapter.
Devanagari and Pronunciation
Chapter 7 introduces no new independent vowels or matras. It does introduce a small set of high-frequency conjuncts that appear in this chapter's vocabulary, and it continues building schwa deletion awareness.
7.4 Conjuncts in home and location words
Notice the conjunct स्क in स्कूल and स्त-type clusters that you will see more of in later chapters. For now, simply recognize that two consonants can combine into a single visual unit, as introduced in Chapter 4.
Notice schwa deletion again in familiar-looking words: कमरा is pronounced closer to "kamraa," and घर keeps its final consonant without an extra vowel sound, the same way खाना did in Chapter 6. This remains an awareness system, not yet a complete rule.
कमरा becomes कमरे में ("in the room"). The final आ changes to ए before में. This small, regular change is part of the oblique form, introduced formally in the next section. Listen for this shift as you read the examples below.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter introduces location postpositions and a first, limited look at oblique forms. You are not yet expected to control the full oblique paradigm — only to recognize and reproduce it in the controlled patterns below.
7.5 Saying where something is with में and पर
में means "in" or "inside," and पर means "on" or "at." Like all Hindi postpositions, they follow the noun rather than coming before it, unlike English prepositions. Keep your location phrases close to the models in this chapter for now; the full range of meanings for these postpositions is developed further starting in Chapter 11.
7.6 First look at the oblique form
Some Hindi nouns change form right before certain postpositions. This changed form is called the oblique form. You already saw a small hint of this with मेरे पास in Chapter 4. Here, notice the same pattern: कमरा ("room") becomes कमरे before में and पर. Feminine nouns like मेज़ ("table") do not change in the singular. For this chapter, simply recognize and reproduce the oblique forms shown in the vocabulary and examples. A fuller explanation of the oblique system continues to develop across Chapters 8–15.
| Direct form | Oblique form (before postposition) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| कमरा | कमरे | कमरे में |
| घर | घर | घर में (no change) |
| बाज़ार | बाज़ार | बाज़ार के पास (no change) |
7.7 Location with के पास, के सामने, के पीछे, and के अंदर
Learn के पास (near), के सामने (in front of / across from), के पीछे (behind), and के अंदर (inside) as formulaic phrases for now, following the same के pattern as मेरे पास from Chapter 4. Full possessive-agreement analysis of का/की/के continues to develop in later chapters.
7.8 Asking कहाँ?
Answer कहाँ? questions using the location phrases above: घर पार्क के पास है। ("The house is near the park.")
7.9 Expanding possession with मेरे पास
This expands the formulaic pattern from Chapter 4 into both affirmative and negative statements. It remains formulaic; the full existential-possession system continues to develop in later chapters.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Anil shows Priya around his home, then describes the neighborhood outside.
समझ के प्रश्न — Comprehension questions:
- अनिल के कमरे में क्या है? (What is in Anil's room?)
- अनिल की किताबें कहाँ हैं? (Where are Anil's books?)
- घर के सामने क्या है? (What is in front of the house?)
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a study partner, or a fluent Hindi speaker to read the model dialogue aloud twice. On the first listen, notice only which rooms and places are mentioned. On the second listen, complete the table below.
If no speaker is available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Read the passage slowly at first, then at a natural pace. Any spoken model should be verified by a fluent Hindi speaker before being treated as a pronunciation standard.
सीमा का घर — Seema's House:
"मेरा घर छोटा है। मेरे घर में एक बैठक, एक रसोई, और दो कमरे हैं। मेरे पास एक बड़ी खिड़की है। घर के पास एक पार्क है, और बाज़ार घर के सामने है।"
सुनने का काम — Listening task:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| सीमा के घर में क्या-क्या है? (What does Seema's house have?) | ______ |
| सीमा के पास क्या है? (What does Seema have?) | ______ |
| बाज़ार कहाँ है? (Where is the market?) | ______ |
Reading Practice
Read the short neighborhood note below aloud, sounding out each Devanagari word carefully, then answer the questions.
घर में एक बैठक, एक रसोई, और दो कमरे हैं।
स्कूल घर के पास है।
एक दुकान घर के सामने है।
पार्क घर के पीछे है।
समझ के प्रश्न — Comprehension questions:
- Name the three room types mentioned in the note.
- What is across from the house?
- What is behind the house?
Writing Workshop
Write a short description of a home — real or imagined — combining this chapter's location language with vocabulary and patterns from earlier chapters.
लेखन कार्य — Writing task: Write four to six sentences in Devanagari describing a home, what is in it, and where it is located relative to two neighborhood places.
- Name the home and one or two rooms. Use यह ... है or मेरा घर ... है.
- State what is in a room. Use ... कमरे में है or ... मेज़ पर है.
- State one thing you have and one thing you do not have. Use मेरे पास ... है and मेरे पास ... नहीं है.
- Locate the house relative to two places. Use two of के पास, के सामने, or के पीछे.
- Check your Devanagari. Compare your spelling of home and location words against the vocabulary tables above, and check any oblique forms like कमरे.
संपादन सूची — Editing checklist:
- में or पर appears at least once, correctly.
- At least one of के पास, के सामने, or के पीछे appears correctly.
- मेरे पास ... है and मेरे पास ... नहीं है both appear correctly.
- Home and location words are spelled correctly in Devanagari, without unnecessary romanization.
- 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 oblique shift in कमरे में and to schwa deletion in कमरा and पड़ोस.
संचार कार्य — Communicative task: describing a home
With a partner, describe your real or imagined home. Name at least two rooms, say where one object is using में or पर, and locate your home relative to at least one neighborhood place using के पास, के सामने, or के पीछे. Your partner should ask at least one कहाँ? question.
अकेले अभ्यास — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing the home in the Reading Practice section above as if it were your own. State what is in the home, where one object is, and where the home is located. Listen back and check your pronunciation of oblique forms and schwa deletion.
Culture and Communication
Housing arrangements among Hindi-speaking communities vary enormously by region, income, city or village setting, and family structure. Some households include extended family across generations; others do not. This chapter's home is one example, not a universal Hindi-speaking home.
Neighborhood layout, distances, and nearby places differ between dense urban settings and rural areas. A market, school, or park may be a short walk away in one setting and much farther in another. Treat the vocabulary in this chapter as flexible tools for describing many kinds of neighborhoods.
Common Mistakes
Error: Following English word order and saying में कमरे for "in the room."
Correction: Hindi postpositions follow the noun: कमरे में. Unlike English prepositions, में, पर, and similar words always come after the noun they relate to.
Error: Saying कमरा में instead of कमरे में.
Correction: Masculine nouns ending in आ, such as कमरा, change to ए before postpositions like में and पर: कमरे में, कमरे पर. Not every noun changes this way — घर stays the same.
Error: Saying किताब मेज़ में है when the book is on top of the table.
Correction: Use पर for "on" a surface: किताब मेज़ पर है. Reserve में for "in" or "inside": किताब अलमारी में है ("The book is in the cupboard").
Chapter Review
भाग A — समझ (Comprehension)
1. Return to the model dialogue and answer in English:
- What three things does Anil have in his room?
- Where is the school in relation to Anil's house?
भाग B — व्याकरण (Grammar)
1. Complete with में or पर:
- फ़ोन मेज़ ______ है। (the phone is on the table)
- किताबें अलमारी ______ हैं। (the books are in the cupboard)
2. Give the correct oblique form: कमरा → ______ में.
3. Write one sentence locating a shop near a school, using के पास.
भाग C — पठन (Reading)
1. Return to the neighborhood note above and answer:
- How many rooms does the house have, according to the note?
- Where is the park located?
भाग D — लेखन (Writing)
1. Write a short home and neighborhood description of four to six sentences, following the Writing Workshop steps above.
भाग E — वाचन (Speaking)
1. With a partner, describe a home and its neighborhood without reading from a script, including at least one कहाँ? question and answer.
Cumulative Review — Chapters 1–6
This chapter recycles greetings and courtesy (Chapter 1), यह/वह and questions (Chapter 2), possessives and adjective agreement (Chapter 3), possession with के पास (Chapter 4), and food preferences (Chapter 6), alongside the new home and location language above.
Practical Performance Task
घर कहाँ है? — Describing a Home and Its Neighborhood
Complete the following four connected tasks in order.
- Listen to the model dialogue or listening passage above and complete the listening table.
- Speak by describing a home to a partner, including at least one object's location and the home's location relative to two places.
- Read the neighborhood note and identify the rooms and nearby places mentioned.
- Write a short home and neighborhood description of four to six sentences in Devanagari, following the Writing Workshop checklist.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Location with में/पर | Correct postposition choice for "in" versus "on." |
| Neighborhood location | Correct use of के पास, के सामने, or के पीछे for at least one relationship. |
| Possession | मेरे पास ... है and मेरे पास ... नहीं है used correctly. |
| Oblique awareness | Recognizable, correct use of at least one oblique form such as कमरे में. |
| Devanagari reading and writing | Home and location vocabulary is read and written accurately, without unnecessary romanization. |
This task evaluates only what Chapter 7 has taught. It does not require full oblique plural mastery, a comprehensive account of every postposition meaning, or advanced address or housing vocabulary — these remain outside this chapter's scope.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Anil has a bed, a table, and a cupboard (बिस्तर, मेज़, अलमारी) in his room.
- The school is behind Anil's house (घर के पीछे).
- A shop is in front of / across from the house (घर के सामने).
Listening
- Seema's house has a living room, a kitchen, and two rooms (बैठक, रसोई, दो कमरे).
- Seema has a big window (एक बड़ी खिड़की).
- The market is in front of / across from the house (घर के सामने).
Reading — Comprehension
- Living room, kitchen, and two rooms (बैठक, रसोई, कमरे).
- A shop (दुकान) is across from the house.
- The park (पार्क) is behind the house.
Chapter Review — भाग B
- (a) पर (b) में
- कमरे
- Sample answer: दुकान स्कूल के पास है।
Chapter Review — भाग C
- (a) Three rooms in addition to the living room and kitchen, as stated. (b) The park is behind the house.
Looking Ahead
अब आप क्या कर सकते हैं — What you can do now
You can describe the rooms and belongings in a home, say where something is using में and पर, locate a home relative to nearby places, ask and answer कहाँ? questions, and recognize a first oblique form change.