काम, ज़िम्मेदारियाँ, और आदतें
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Describe work, study, household, and community responsibilities in connected language.
- Distinguish routine actions from actions happening right now, using the habitual-progressive contrast.
- Explain obligations and needs using चाहिए, ज़रूरत है, and पड़ना.
- Use सकना to talk about ability and permission in controlled frames.
- Use the experiencer/obligation pattern मुझे ... करना है to say what someone has to do.
- Express frequency and duration using से and तक.
- Discuss a schedule conflict politely and negotiate a solution.
Communication Scenario
Aman has decided to look at a room near Priya's neighborhood, but before he can move, he and his roommate Vikram need to sort out a scheduling conflict: both of them are usually busy in the evenings, and someone needs to be home when the landlord visits on Thursday. Vikram calls Priya for advice, since she has dealt with the same landlord before. In the conversation, Vikram explains his usual routine, what he is doing this week that is different from normal, and what he and Aman each have to do before Thursday.
- Notice how Vikram distinguishes what he usually does (habitual) from what he is doing this particular week (progressive) — the two aspects look different and mean different things.
- Notice three different ways of expressing obligation and need: चाहिए, ज़रूरत है, and करना है, and how they are not simply interchangeable.
- Notice that Vikram uses से and तक to say how long his workday usually lasts, and सकना to ask whether Priya can help.
Where This Chapter Fits
Chapter 4 completes Unit I, संबंध और दिनचर्या. Chapter 3 expanded the oblique system and a wide set of locative postpositions for describing places. Chapter 4 shifts from place description to routines, responsibilities, and constraints, introducing the habitual-progressive contrast as a productive system for the first time in Volume II.
Coming Into This Chapter
You can describe a home, neighborhood, or community using an expanded set of postpositions and oblique forms, you can compare two places, and from Volume I you have controlled exposure to present habitual forms, चाहिए, and सकना for ability.
New in This Chapter
The habitual-progressive contrast as a productive system; expanded चाहिए, recognition of पड़ना, and ज़रूरत है for need and obligation; सकना expanded for ability and permission; the experiencer/obligation pattern मुझे ... करना है; and frequency and duration expressions with से and तक.
Looking Forward
Chapter 5 is the Unit I review, integrating personal background, relationships, community description, and routines/responsibilities into one connected profile. Unit II then begins in Chapter 6 with narrating past events.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter introduces productive vocabulary for work, study, household, and community responsibilities. Volume I daily-routine vocabulary is recycled and expanded with task, schedule, and permission language.
4.1 Work and study tasks (new productive vocabulary)
| Hindi | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ज़िम्मेदारी, काम | responsibility, task/work | feminine and masculine respectively |
| मीटिंग, बैठक | meeting | masculine and feminine; मीटिंग is a common English-origin word, बैठक is the fuller Hindi term |
| समय सीमा, तारीख़ | deadline, date | feminine nouns; तारीख़ takes nukta in careful spelling |
| रिपोर्ट, प्रोजेक्ट | report, project | feminine and masculine; common English-origin office/school words |
| अनुमति, इजाज़त | permission | feminine nouns; near-synonyms, both common |
| छुट्टी | holiday, leave, day off | feminine noun; retroflex ट्ट conjunct |
4.2 Household and community responsibilities (new productive vocabulary)
| Hindi | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| सफ़ाई करना, कपड़े धोना | to clean, to wash clothes | common household verb phrases |
| बाज़ार जाना, खाना बनाना | to go to the market, to cook | recycled movement/cooking vocabulary, reinforced here |
| किराया देना | to pay rent | relevant to Aman and Vikram's living situation |
| मकान मालिक | landlord | masculine noun phrase; recycled and expanded in this chapter |
| बारी | turn (whose turn it is) | feminine noun; useful for negotiating shared tasks |
4.3 Frequency, duration, and status (new productive vocabulary)
| Hindi | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| रोज़, हर हफ़्ते, कभी-कभी | daily, every week, sometimes | frequency adverbs; recycled from Volume I and expanded |
| आम तौर पर, आजकल | usually/generally, these days | useful for signaling habitual versus current time frame |
| सुबह से शाम तक | from morning until evening | duration frame using से...तक, recycled from Chapter 3 |
| पूरा, अधूरा | complete/finished, incomplete/unfinished | invariable-leaning adjectives useful for task status |
| व्यस्त, फ़ुर्सत | busy, free time/leisure | व्यस्त is an adjective; फ़ुर्सत is a feminine noun |
4.4 Recycled vocabulary (Volume I and Chapter 3)
| Hindi | Meaning | First appeared |
|---|---|---|
| स्कूल, दफ़्तर, घर | school, office, home | Volume I, Chapters 3-4 |
| चाहिए, सकना | should/need, can/to be able | Volume I, Chapters 8-9 |
| से, तक | from, until | Volume II, Chapter 3 |
| मोहल्ला, मकान | neighborhood, house | Volume II, Chapter 3 |
Productive load for this chapter: approximately 42 items, combining the new task, household, and frequency vocabulary above with recycled Volume I and Chapter 3 vocabulary. Specialized office or institutional terminology remains receptive only in this chapter and returns productively in Chapter 12.
Devanagari and Pronunciation Focus
This chapter introduces no new letters or matras. It develops schwa deletion in infinitives and verbal nouns, and continues rhythm practice across longer sentences that combine two clauses, such as a routine statement followed by an obligation.
Read ज़िम्मेदारी, सफ़ाई करना, and ज़रूरत as natural spoken forms. Notice that the inherent vowel after the final consonant of an infinitive stem is often reduced in connected speech, and that ज़रूरत is pronounced with the stress falling naturally on the middle syllable rather than the first.
A sentence such as मैं आम तौर पर सुबह काम पर जाता हूँ, लेकिन आज मुझे घर पर रहना है contains two rhythmic units joined by लेकिन. Practice pausing briefly at the comma and keeping each clause's internal rhythm smooth, rather than pausing after every word.
These two forms are easy to confuse for English speakers because both can precede हूँ. Listen carefully: मैं आ सकता हूँ means "I can come," while मैं आना चाहता हूँ means "I want to come." The vowel and consonant shape of सक- versus चाह- carries the entire meaning difference.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter develops two closely related systems: the contrast between habitual and progressive aspect, and an expanded set of need/obligation/ability expressions built around चाहिए, ज़रूरत है, पड़ना, सकना, and the experiencer pattern मुझे ... करना है.
4.5 Language Focus — Habitual versus progressive
The habitual present describes what someone usually or regularly does. The progressive describes what someone is doing right now, or during a specific, limited period such as "these days." Both use a form of होना as an auxiliary, but the main verb form is different: the habitual uses the -ता/-ती/-ते form, and the progressive uses रहा/रही/रहे after the verb stem.
Time markers help signal which aspect is expected: आम तौर पर, रोज़़, and हर हफ़्ते usually accompany the habitual, while आजकल, अभी, and इस हफ़्ते usually accompany the progressive.
4.6 Language Focus — Need and obligation: चाहिए, ज़रूरत है, and पड़ना
चाहिए expresses what someone should do, based on advice, propriety, or general expectation. ज़रूरत है expresses a concrete need for a thing or action. पड़ना, which you will mostly recognize receptively in this chapter, expresses an obligation that arises from circumstances beyond the speaker's control.
You may see or hear sentences such as मुझे आज काम पर जल्दी जाना पड़ेगा ("I will have to go to work early today, whether I want to or not"). Recognize the meaning — an obligation forced by circumstance — but you are not expected to produce पड़ना freely yet. Full productive control develops in later chapters.
4.7 Language Focus — सकना for ability and permission
You have already used सकना for physical or learned ability. This chapter extends it to asking and giving permission, a closely related use of the same form.
4.8 Language Focus — The experiencer/obligation pattern मुझे ... करना है
This pattern, already partly familiar from Volume I, places the person who has an obligation in the को-marked experiencer position rather than as a grammatical subject. The infinitive agrees with the following noun if there is one, or defaults to the masculine singular form if the object is unspecified.
Notice that कपड़े धोने हैं shows the infinitive धोना agreeing with the plural masculine noun कपड़े ("clothes"), while खाना बनाना है keeps the default masculine singular form because खाना ("food") is masculine singular. This agreement pattern connects directly to the object-agreement system that becomes fully productive with ने in Chapter 7.
4.9 Language Focus — Frequency and duration with से and तक
Chapter 3 introduced से and तक for physical distance. This chapter reinforces the same postpositions for time duration.
This chapter does not require productive control of पड़ना, full subjunctive-like conditional politeness, or complex workplace reporting structures. Free production is limited to चाहिए, ज़रूरत है, सकना, and the मुझे ... करना है pattern in familiar responsibility contexts. Full obligation-system flexibility develops further in Chapters 11 and 12.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Vikram calls Priya on the phone to ask for advice about Thursday's landlord visit.
समझ के प्रश्न — Comprehension questions:
- विक्रम आम तौर पर कब से कब तक दफ़्तर में काम करता है? (From when until when does Vikram usually work at the office?)
- इस हफ़्ते विक्रम क्यों घर से काम कर रहा है? (Why is Vikram working from home this week?)
- विक्रम और अमन को गुरुवार से पहले क्या-क्या करना है? (What all do Vikram and Aman have to do before Thursday?)
- प्रिया विक्रम को क्या सलाह देती है? (What advice does Priya give Vikram?)
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a study partner, or a fluent Hindi speaker to read the passage below aloud twice. On the first listen, note the general routine described. On the second listen, complete the table.
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.
मेरा हफ़्ता — My Week:
"मेरा नाम सुनीता है। मैं आम तौर पर सोमवार से शुक्रवार तक सुबह आठ बजे से दोपहर तीन बजे तक स्कूल में पढ़ाती हूँ। स्कूल के बाद मुझे घर के काम भी करने हैं — सफ़ाई, खाना बनाना, और कभी-कभी बाज़ार जाना। लेकिन इस हफ़्ते मैं थोड़ी अलग तरह से व्यस्त हूँ, क्योंकि मेरी बेटी की तबियत ठीक नहीं है। मुझे उसकी देखभाल भी करनी है, तो मैंने स्कूल से दो दिन की छुट्टी माँगी। मुझे उम्मीद है कि मुझे यह छुट्टी मिल सकती है, क्योंकि मुझे सच में उसकी ज़रूरत है। मेरी बहन आजकल हमारे साथ रह रही है, तो वह भी थोड़ी मदद कर सकती है।"
सुनने का काम — Listening task:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| सुनीता आम तौर पर कब से कब तक पढ़ाती है? (From when until when does Sunita usually teach?) | ______ |
| सुनीता को स्कूल के बाद क्या-क्या करना है? (What all does Sunita have to do after school?) | ______ |
| इस हफ़्ते सुनीता क्यों व्यस्त है? (Why is Sunita busy this week?) | ______ |
| सुनीता की मदद कौन कर सकता है? (Who can help Sunita?) | ______ |
Reading Practice
Read the short workplace notice below, which brings together routine, obligation, and permission language, then answer the questions.
समझ के प्रश्न — Comprehension questions:
- What do employees who need Monday or Tuesday off have to do, and by when?
- Which employees should finish their work first before requesting leave?
- Why might some employees have to work from home on Wednesday?
Writing Workshop
Write a connected paragraph explaining a busy week — your own, a remembered one, or an imagined one.
लेखन कार्य — Writing task: Write eight to ten sentences describing a busy week. Your paragraph must include: (1) at least one habitual sentence describing your usual routine, (2) at least one progressive sentence describing what you are doing this particular week that differs from your routine, (3) at least one sentence with चाहिए or ज़रूरत है, (4) at least one sentence using the pattern मुझे ... करना है, and (5) one duration expression using से...तक.
- State your usual routine. Say what you normally do and when, using the habitual.
- Say what is different this week. Describe a current activity using the progressive.
- Explain a need or obligation. Use चाहिए or ज़रूरत है.
- List a task. Use मुझे ... करना है to describe something you have to do.
- Give a duration. Say how long something usually takes using से...तक.
संपादन सूची — Editing checklist:
- Habitual and progressive forms are used correctly and are clearly distinguished.
- चाहिए, ज़रूरत है, and मुझे ... करना है are used accurately.
- The infinitive in मुझे ... करना है agrees correctly with any following noun.
- से and तक are used correctly for duration.
- Spelling, matras, and word spacing are correct, and a danda (।) ends each sentence.
Speaking Practice
नियंत्रित अभ्यास — Controlled practice: routine versus this week
Describe five things you usually do, then describe two things you are doing differently this week, using clear habitual and progressive forms out loud.
संचार कार्य — Communicative task: negotiating responsibilities
With a partner, imagine you share a household. Negotiate who will do three tasks this week, using चाहिए, मुझे ... करना है, and at least one question with सकना asking for help or permission.
अकेले अभ्यास — Solo alternative
Record yourself explaining a busy week, including your usual routine, one current change, one obligation, and one duration expression. Listen back and check your habitual/progressive contrast.
Culture and Communication
How directly someone expresses an obligation often depends on hierarchy, family role, and workplace status. A student might explain a deadline to a teacher quite differently than a manager explains one to an employee. चाहिए and ज़रूरत है can both soften a statement of obligation compared to a blunt command, and this softening matters across many Hindi-speaking professional and family contexts.
Household responsibilities are divided differently across families, roommates, and generations. Some households follow strict rotations; others divide tasks informally by preference or availability. Do not assume that any single pattern of task-sharing represents all Hindi-speaking households.
Common Mistakes
Error: Writing मैं आजकल दफ़्तर जाता हूँ when the intended meaning is "these days I am working from home" — the habitual form contradicts the time marker आजकल.
Correction: मैं आजकल घर से काम कर रहा हूँ। Match the aspect to the time marker: habitual markers like आम तौर पर need the -ता/-ती/-ते form, while current markers like आजकल usually need the progressive.
Error: Writing मुझे कपड़े धोना है instead of मुझे कपड़े धोने हैं.
Correction: मुझे कपड़े धोने हैं। When the object is plural masculine (कपड़े), the infinitive and है must agree with it: धोने हैं, not धोना है.
Error: Writing मुझे पानी चाहिए ज़रूरत है, combining both forms in one sentence.
Correction: Choose one: मुझे पानी चाहिए ("I should have/want water," a general statement) or मुझे पानी की ज़रूरत है ("I need water," a concrete need). Note that ज़रूरत है requires the possessive की before the noun it modifies.
Chapter Review
भाग A — समझ (Comprehension)
1. Return to the model dialogue and answer in English:
- Why does Vikram have flexibility this particular week?
- What does Priya remind Vikram to do about the rent?
भाग B — व्याकरण (Grammar)
1. Complete each sentence with the correct form:
- मैं आम तौर पर रोज़ खाना ______ (बनाना — habitual)।
- आजकल वह घर से काम ______ (करना — progressive)।
- मुझे आज कपड़े ______ (धोना — agreeing with कपड़े) हैं।
2. Rewrite as a polite permission question: मैं कल छुट्टी लूँगा। (Use सकना.)
भाग C — पठन (Reading)
1. Return to the office notice above and answer: What must employees with incomplete reports do before requesting leave?
भाग D — लेखन (Writing)
1. Write the connected paragraph describing a busy week, following all five required elements from the Writing Workshop above.
भाग E — वाचन (Speaking)
1. With a partner, complete the responsibility-negotiation task, using at least one चाहिए statement, one मुझे ... करना है statement, and one permission question with सकना.
Cumulative Review
This chapter recycles daily-routine vocabulary and चाहिए/सकना (Volume I), and से/तक (Volume II, Chapter 3), while developing the habitual-progressive contrast, expanded need/obligation expressions, and the मुझे ... करना है pattern for the first time at the paragraph level.
Practical Performance Task
काम, ज़िम्मेदारियाँ, और आदतें — Work, Responsibilities, and Habits
Complete the following four connected tasks in order.
- Listen to the model dialogue and Sunita's passage above and complete the listening table.
- Speak with a partner (or record yourself): complete the responsibility-negotiation task described in Speaking Practice above.
- Read the office notice above and answer the comprehension questions.
- Write your own connected paragraph describing a busy week, following the Writing Workshop checklist.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Routine description | Clear, accurate description of a usual routine and a current change. |
| Habitual-progressive contrast | Correct and consistent distinction between habitual and progressive forms. |
| Need and obligation | Accurate use of चाहिए, ज़रूरत है, and मुझे ... करना है, including infinitive agreement. |
| सकना and duration | Correct ability/permission questions and accurate से...तक duration expressions. |
| Devanagari and pronunciation | Correct spelling of task and routine vocabulary; intelligible schwa deletion and rhythm across two-clause sentences. |
This task assesses only systems activated in Chapters 1-4. It does not require productive पड़ना, full subjunctive politeness, or advanced workplace reporting, all of which develop further in later chapters.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Vikram has flexibility this week because he is working from home rather than going to the office.
- Priya reminds Vikram to remind the landlord about the rent, if it has not yet been paid.
Listening
- Sunita usually teaches from eight in the morning until three in the afternoon, Monday through Friday.
- After school she has to clean, cook, and sometimes go to the market.
- She is busy this week because her daughter is not feeling well and needs care.
- Her sister, who is currently staying with them, can help.
Reading — Comprehension
- Employees who need Monday or Tuesday off have to tell their manager by this Friday.
- Employees whose reports are incomplete should finish their work first before requesting leave.
- Some employees may have to work from home on Wednesday because a new meeting room is being built in the office.
Chapter Review — भाग B
- (a) बनाता हूँ (b) कर रहा है (c) धोने
- क्या मैं कल छुट्टी ले सकता हूँ?
Looking Ahead
अब आप क्या कर सकते हैं — What you can do now
You can describe work, study, household, and community responsibilities in connected sentences, distinguish habitual routines from current activities, explain needs and obligations with चाहिए and ज़रूरत है, use सकना for ability and permission, express obligation with मुझे ... करना है, and describe duration with से and तक.