An indeclinable adjective keeps one form regardless of the gender, number, or case of the noun it describes. सुंदर sundar is unchanged in सुंदर बच्चा, सुंदर बच्चे, सुंदर बच्ची, and सुंदर बच्चियाँ. The adjective still modifies and semantically agrees with the noun; it simply has no productive agreement endings to display.
This distinction is lexical. Hindi grammar requires agreement only from adjectives that belong to a declinable class, chiefly the common -आ/-ए/-ई class. It does not manufacture gender endings for every word with adjectival meaning.
One form throughout the paradigm
| Noun features | With सुंदर | With declinable नया |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular direct | सुंदर बच्चा | नया बच्चा |
| masculine plural direct | सुंदर बच्चे | नए बच्चे |
| masculine singular oblique | सुंदर बच्चे को | नए बच्चे को |
| masculine plural oblique | सुंदर बच्चों को | नए बच्चों को |
| feminine singular | सुंदर बच्ची | नई बच्ची |
| feminine plural | सुंदर बच्चियाँ | नई बच्चियाँ |
The nouns still inflect normally. Only the invariant adjective refuses the -आ/-ए/-ई alternation.
साफ़ कमरा मेहमानों के लिए तैयार है।
sāf kamrā mehmānoṃ ke lie taiyār hai.
The clean room is ready for the guests.
साफ़ कमरों में सुबह की धूप आती है।
sāf kamroṃ meṃ subah kī dhūp ātī hai.
Morning sunlight enters the clean rooms.
साफ़ रसोई में काम करना आसान है।
sāf rasoī meṃ kām karnā āsān hai.
It is easy to work in a clean kitchen.
साफ़ remains fixed with masculine singular कमरा, masculine plural oblique कमरों में, and feminine singular oblique रसोई में.
Common shapes, not an infallible formula
Many consonant-final adjectives are indeclinable: सुंदर “beautiful,” साफ़ “clean,” आसान “easy,” मुश्किल “difficult,” गंभीर “serious,” ख़ुश “happy,” and तैयार “ready.” Many adjectives ending in other vowels are also fixed, including भारी “heavy,” ज़रूरी “necessary,” बढ़िया “excellent,” and घटिया “poor-quality.”
यह सवाल आसान है, लेकिन इसका जवाब मुश्किल है।
yah savāl āsān hai, lekin iskā javāb muśkil hai.
This question is easy, but its answer is difficult.
ये शर्तें बहुत सख़्त हैं।
ye śarteṃ bahut saxt haiṃ.
These conditions are very strict.
भारी बैग और भारी अलमारी ऊपर मत ले जाइए।
bhārī baig aur bhārī almārī ūpar mat le jāie.
Please do not take the heavy bag and heavy wardrobe upstairs. (respectful)
The final -ई of भारी is part of the adjective's lexical form. It is not a feminine ending: the same word modifies masculine बैग and feminine अलमारी.
Word shape provides a useful clue, not a complete decision procedure. Some borrowed adjectives ending in -आ are invariant, while many thoroughly integrated words decline. Learn a new adjective with two contrasting noun phrases, not with an English gloss alone. The loan-adjective page develops that less predictable area.
Attributive and predicative positions
An indeclinable adjective normally precedes its noun when attributive. As a predicate, it follows the subject and commonly appears with a form of होना. Its shape stays fixed in both positions.
हमने शांत जगह चुनी।
hamne śānt jagah cunī.
We chose a quiet place.
यह जगह रात में बिल्कुल शांत होती है।
yah jagah rāt meṃ bilkul śānt hotī hai.
This place is completely quiet at night.
सारे दस्तावेज़ तैयार हैं।
sāre dastāvez taiyār haiṃ.
All the documents are ready.
The finite or participial material around the adjective still agrees where required: feminine जगह triggers चुनी/होती, and plural दस्तावेज़ triggers हैं. Invariability belongs to the adjective, not to the entire sentence.
Degree without adjective inflection
Degree words combine with indeclinable adjectives in exactly the same way they combine with declinable ones. The degree marker and the adjective both remain fixed where their own class requires it.
दूसरा रास्ता थोड़ा मुश्किल है, पर काफ़ी सुरक्षित है।
dūsrā rāstā thoṛā muśkil hai, par kāfī surakṣit hai.
The other route is a little difficult, but quite safe.
मेरे लिए यही तरीका सबसे आसान है।
mere lie yahī tarīkā sabse āsān hai.
For me, this is the easiest method.
Hindi comparison is analytic: ज़्यादा गंभीर “more serious,” कम ज़रूरी “less necessary,” सबसे आसान “easiest.” Do not add a comparative suffix or an agreement suffix to the invariant adjective.
Conventional meanings do not create endings
An adjective can develop extended meanings without changing morphological class. भारी बारिश means “heavy/intense rain,” भारी नुक़सान means “severe loss,” and साफ़ जवाब may mean a clear or frank answer. These are lexical interpretations, not special agreement patterns.
भारी बारिश से कई सड़कें बंद हैं।
bhārī bāriś se kaī saṛkeṃ band haiṃ.
Several roads are closed because of heavy rain.
मुझे इस सवाल का साफ़ जवाब चाहिए।
mujhe is savāl kā sāf javāb cāhie.
I need a clear answer to this question.
Agreement in a perfective ने-clause
Invariability does not redirect agreement to the agent. The adjective stays fixed, while an agreeing perfective follows the unmarked object when the usual conditions are met.
कविता ने साफ़ कमीज़ पहनी।
kavitā ne sāf kamīz pahnī.
Kavita put on a clean shirt.
साफ़ is invariant. Feminine पहनी agrees with unmarked feminine कमीज़, not with the ने-marked agent as such. If the agent were male, the adjective and object-controlled perfective would remain the same.
Common Mistakes
❌ यह कमरा साफ़ा है।
Incorrect—साफ़ is invariant; साफ़ा is a separate noun meaning ‘turban,’ not its masculine form.
✅ यह कमरा साफ़ है।
yah kamrā sāf hai.
This room is clean.
❌ ये सवाल मुश्किलें हैं।
Incorrect—मुश्किलें is the plural noun ‘difficulties,’ not an agreeing adjective form.
✅ ये सवाल मुश्किल हैं।
ye savāl muśkil haiṃ.
These questions are difficult.
❌ मैंने सुंदरी तस्वीर चुनी।
Incorrect—सुंदरी is not the feminine agreement form of adjectival सुंदर in this noun phrase.
✅ मैंने सुंदर तस्वीर चुनी।
maĩne sundar tasvīr cunī.
I chose a beautiful photograph.
❌ साफ़ मेज़ नई हैं।
Incorrect—singular feminine मेज़ requires singular है; plural हैं cannot complete this clause.
✅ साफ़ मेज़ नई है।
sāf mez naī hai.
The clean table is new.
Key Takeaways
- Indeclinable adjectives keep one form across gender, number, case, and syntactic position.
- Invariability is a lexical class property, not an absence of semantic modification.
- Consonant-final shape is a strong clue, but adjectives such as भारी and बढ़िया show that no single ending test is sufficient.
- Nouns, verbs, auxiliaries, and demonstratives still express agreement even when the adjective cannot.
- Degree and conventional meaning shifts do not turn an invariant adjective into a declinable one.
Related Topics
- Declinable adjectives in -āA1 — Form the -ā, -e, and -ī agreement pattern of variable Hindi adjectives across gender, number, case, and predicate position.
- Loan adjectives and invariabilityA2 — Use most Perso-Arabic and English loan adjectives invariantly while recognizing integrated loans that have entered Hindi agreement paradigms.
- Attributive adjectivesA2 — Place adjectives inside Hindi noun phrases, normally before the head noun, with the agreement required by the adjective's class.
- Predicative adjectives with होनाA2 — Build clauses in which an adjective describes the subject through present, past, or future forms of होना.
- Making indeclinable adjectives agreeA2 — Stop inventing gender and number endings for adjectives such as सुंदर, साफ़, भारी, and तैयार while preserving agreement elsewhere.