The citation form of a declinable adjective usually ends in -आ -ā: अच्छा, बड़ा, छोटा, नया, पुराना. Use this -आ form when the noun is simultaneously masculine, singular, and direct case: नया बैग, लंबा रास्ता, मीठा आम.
The ending does not mean “masculine” by itself. Masculine plural and masculine oblique forms take -ए. Feminine forms take -ई. The -आ cell is therefore the most narrowly conditioned member of the paradigm.
Spelling alone does not identify the class. Invariant adjectives such as ज़िंदा, बढ़िया, and लापता end in the same vowel but do not switch to -ए/-ई: compare बढ़िया कैमरा “excellent camera” and बढ़िया दुकान “excellent shop.” The rule on this page applies only after an adjective is known to be declinable.
यह बढ़िया कैमरा बहुत हल्का है।
yah baṛhiyā kaimrā bahut halkā hai.
This excellent camera is very light.
The agreement set
| Features | अच्छा “good” | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular direct | अच्छा acchā | अच्छा लड़का |
| masculine plural direct | अच्छे acche | अच्छे लड़के |
| masculine singular oblique | अच्छे acche | अच्छे लड़के को |
| masculine plural oblique | अच्छे acche | अच्छे लड़कों को |
| feminine singular | अच्छी acchī | अच्छी लड़की |
| feminine plural | अच्छी acchī | अच्छी लड़कियाँ |
Masculine singular direct subjects
An unmarked masculine singular subject is direct, so a declinable adjective takes -आ.
लंबा पेड़ आँधी में गिर गया।
lambā peṛ ā̃dhī meṃ gir gayā.
The tall tree fell in the storm.
नया पड़ोसी बहुत मिलनसार है।
nayā paṛosī bahut milansār hai.
The new neighbor is very friendly. (male referent)
The noun need not itself end in -आ. पेड़ and पड़ोसी are masculine singular, so the adjective still takes लंबा/नया.
Masculine singular direct objects
An unmarked object can also be direct. Its adjective takes -आ, and in a perfective transitive ने-clause it may control the verb.
मैंने नया लैपटॉप ख़रीदा।
maĩne nayā laipṭop xarīdā.
I bought a new laptop.
अनिता ने काला कोट पहना।
anitā ne kālā koṭ pahnā.
Anita put on a black coat.
Masculine objects लैपटॉप/कोट control ख़रीदा/पहना because they are unmarked. The agents मैंने/अनिता ने do not determine the adjective or perfective ending.
Predicative -आ
The same form appears after a masculine singular direct subject in a predicate.
यह आम मीठा है।
yah ām mīṭhā hai.
This mango is sweet.
आज समुद्र शांत है, लेकिन पानी ठंडा है।
āj samudra śānt hai, lekin pānī ṭhaṇḍā hai.
The sea is calm today, but the water is cold.
मीठा/ठंडा decline and show -आ. शांत is indeclinable and stays fixed. The contrast is morphological; both are predicative adjectives.
Direct -आ versus oblique -ए
A following postposition puts a masculine singular noun phrase in oblique case, changing the adjective to -ए.
ऊँचा पुल दूर से दिखाई देता है।
ū̃cā pul dūr se dikhāī detā hai.
The high bridge is visible from far away.
ऊँचे पुल के नीचे नावें चल रही हैं।
ū̃ce pul ke nīce nāveṃ cal rahī haiṃ.
Boats are moving under the high bridge.
The bridge remains one masculine object in the world. ऊँचा → ऊँचे is triggered by direct versus oblique grammar, not by a change in number.
One versus more than one
एक सस्ता टिकट अभी उपलब्ध है।
ek sastā ṭikaṭ abhī uplabdh hai.
One cheap ticket is still available.
दो सस्ते टिकट अभी उपलब्ध हैं।
do saste ṭikaṭ abhī uplabdh haiṃ.
Two cheap tickets are still available.
Hindi needs no obligatory classifier here. Numeral एक selects masculine singular सस्ता; दो selects plural सस्ते even though invariant loan noun टिकट has the same written shape.
Attributive order and degree
An attributive adjective normally comes before its noun. Degree words precede the adjective without changing its agreement.
यह बहुत महँगा होटल है।
yah bahut mahãgā hoṭal hai.
This is a very expensive hotel.
यह इस ज़िले का सबसे ऊँचा पहाड़ है।
yah is zile kā sabse ū̃cā pahāṛ hai.
This is the highest mountain in this district.
बहुत and सबसे are invariant; महँगा/ऊँचा take masculine singular direct -आ from होटल/पहाड़.
Conventional meanings still use -आ
रोहन मेरा छोटा भाई है।
rohan merā choṭā bhāī hai.
Rohan is my younger brother.
घर बदलना हमारे लिए बड़ा फ़ैसला था।
ghar badalnā hamāre lie baṛā faislā thā.
Moving house was a major decision for us.
छोटा भाई conventionally means younger brother; बड़ा फ़ैसला means a major decision. Neither adjective is necessarily about physical size, but agreement remains regular.
Contrast with indeclinable adjectives
Do not add -आ to an adjective merely because its noun is masculine.
ठंडा कमरा साफ़ और शांत है।
ṭhaṇḍā kamrā sāf aur śānt hai.
The cold room is clean and quiet.
Declinable ठंडा takes -आ; indeclinable साफ़/शांत remain unchanged. The declinable adjective overview compares the two classes in full.
Common Mistakes
1. Using -ए in masculine singular direct case
❌ नए कमरा तैयार है।
Incorrect: direct masculine singular कमरा requires नया.
✅ नया कमरा तैयार है।
nayā kamrā taiyār hai.
The new room is ready.
2. Using -आ with a feminine noun
❌ मीठा चाय बहुत गर्म है।
Incorrect: feminine चाय requires मीठी.
✅ मीठी चाय बहुत गर्म है।
mīṭhī cāy bahut garm hai.
The sweet tea is very hot.
3. Keeping -आ in oblique case
❌ बड़ा कमरे में दो खिड़कियाँ हैं।
Incorrect: before में, adjective and noun become बड़े कमरे.
✅ बड़े कमरे में दो खिड़कियाँ हैं।
baṛe kamre meṃ do khiṛkiyā̃ haiṃ.
There are two windows in the large room.
4. Agreeing with a ने-marked agent
❌ रवि ने नया शर्ट ख़रीदा।
Incorrect: feminine शर्ट requires नई, and the unmarked object controls ख़रीदी.
✅ रवि ने नई शर्ट ख़रीदी।
ravi ne naī śarṭ xarīdī.
Ravi bought a new shirt.
Key Takeaways
- -आ marks the masculine singular direct cell of a declinable adjective paradigm.
- It appears with direct subjects, unmarked direct objects, and matching predicate adjectives.
- Masculine plural and masculine oblique require -ए; feminine requires -ई.
- Indeclinable adjectives never acquire -आ, even beside a masculine singular noun.
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.
- Masculine plural and oblique -eA1 — Use adjective -ए for masculine plurals and for masculine noun phrases made oblique by a postposition.
- Feminine -ī across number and caseA1 — Use adjective -ई with feminine nouns in both singular and plural, direct and oblique contexts.
- Indeclinable adjectivesA2 — Recognize Hindi adjectives that keep one form across gender, number, case, and attributive or predicative position.
- Direct singular and plural formsA2 — Recognize Hindi's default noun forms and build direct plurals across the major masculine and feminine declension classes.
- Oblique singular formationA2 — Form the singular case used before Hindi postpositions and recognize when that case is overt or hidden on the noun.