ये ye “these” and वे ve “those” appear before plural nouns in careful Standard Hindi: ये किताबें “these books,” वे लड़के “those boys.” ये presents a near or immediately accessible group; वे presents a farther or previously identified group.
Like singular यह/वह, these demonstratives usually make a referent identifiable, but they are not obligatory articles. Hindi can introduce an indefinite plural with a bare noun or कुछ “some,” then use ये/वे when the group becomes established.
Direct plural noun phrases
| Noun type | Near | Far |
|---|---|---|
| masculine -आ | ये लड़के ye laṛke | वे लड़के ve laṛke |
| feminine -ई | ये लड़कियाँ ye laṛkiyā̃ | वे लड़कियाँ ve laṛkiyā̃ |
| invariant plural | ये आदमी ye ādmī | वे आदमी ve ādmī |
The demonstrative shows plural number but not gender. The noun and any agreeing adjective supply the gender pattern.
ये नए जूते आरामदायक हैं।
ye nae jūte ārāmdāyak haiṃ.
These new shoes are comfortable.
वे लाल साड़ियाँ बहुत सुंदर हैं।
ve lāl sāṛiyā̃ bahut sundar haiṃ.
Those red saris are very beautiful.
नए is masculine plural with जूते. Indeclinable color adjective लाल does not change before feminine plural साड़ियाँ. In both sentences the copula is plural हैं.
Singular and plural contrasted
यह बच्चा सो रहा है, लेकिन ये बच्चे खेल रहे हैं।
yah baccā so rahā hai, lekin ye bacce khel rahe haiṃ.
This child is sleeping, but these children are playing.
वह लड़की बस में चढ़ गई, और वे लड़कियाँ यहीं रुक गईं।
vah laṛkī bas meṃ caṛh gaī, aur ve laṛkiyā̃ yahīṃ ruk gaīṃ.
That girl got on the bus, and those girls stayed here.
Careful written Hindi contrasts singular यह/वह with plural ये/वे. In everyday conversation, ये often serves singular near reference and वो can serve singular or plural far reference (informal). Written agreement and the noun usually make the intended number clear.
Position with number words
The usual order is demonstrative + number + adjective + noun.
ये तीन खाली सीटें हमारे लिए हैं।
ye tīn khālī sīṭeṃ hamāre lie haiṃ.
These three empty seats are for us.
वे दो पुराने मकान अगले महीने बिकेंगे।
ve do purāne makān agle mahīne bikeṅge.
Those two old houses will be sold next month.
Hindi has no obligatory classifier between an ordinary number and a count noun: ये तीन सीटें, not a structure like “these three pieces seats.” Certain measure nouns exist, but they are lexical nouns, not a general classifier system. Full numeral formation belongs in Numbers and Measurement.
With दोनों, the phrase means “both”: ये दोनों कमरे “both these rooms.” With a larger number, forms such as चारों mean “all four,” but that distributive system is treated separately.
Oblique plural इन and उन
Before a postposition, ये/वे become इन/उन. A declined plural noun also takes its oblique plural, often in -ों.
| Direct | Postpositional phrase |
|---|---|
| ये बच्चे | इन बच्चों को |
| वे कमरे | उन कमरों में |
| ये किताबें | इन किताबों पर |
| वे महिलाएँ | उन महिलाओं से |
इन बच्चों को पानी दे दीजिए।
in baccoṃ ko pānī de dījie.
Please give these children some water.
उन कमरों में अभी सफ़ाई हो रही है।
un kamroṃ meṃ abhī safāī ho rahī hai.
Those rooms are being cleaned right now.
In the second sentence, singular feminine सफ़ाई controls हो रही है; the plural rooms are inside a locative phrase and do not control the predicate. Agreement follows syntax, not the nearest plural noun.
Indefinite introduction and definite follow-up
कुछ मेहमान जल्दी आ गए। वे मेहमान बाहर इंतज़ार कर रहे हैं।
kuch mehmān jaldī ā gae. ve mehmān bāhar intazār kar rahe haiṃ.
Some guests arrived early. Those guests are waiting outside.
कुछ मेहमान introduces an indefinite group. वे मेहमान then retrieves that identifiable group. English would often use the guests in the second sentence; Hindi demonstrative वे makes the discourse link explicit, but a contextually clear bare मेहमान is also possible.
Scope with सिर्फ़
The position of सिर्फ़ “only” changes what is being limited.
सिर्फ़ ये दो छात्र चुने गए।
sirf ye do chātr cune gae.
Only these two students were selected.
ये दो छात्र सिर्फ़ एक किताब पढ़ रहे हैं।
ye do chātr sirf ek kitāb paṛh rahe haiṃ.
These two students are reading only one book.
In the first, सिर्फ़ excludes other people from the selected set. In the second, it limits the students' object to one book rather than limiting which students are involved. Hindi uses word order, focus particles, and context to express scope.
Honorific singular: an important exception
ये/वे can also refer to one respected person, with plural-honorific agreement. A singular title or name reveals that reading.
ये डॉक्टर मेहरा हैं; वे आज आपकी जाँच करेंगे।
ye ḍokṭar mehrā haiṃ; ve āj āpkī jā̃c kareṅge.
This is Dr. Mehra; he will examine you today. (respectful singular, male referent)
This is not a plural noun phrase. It is the grammatical honorific system described under respectful third-person reference.
Common Mistakes
1. Using singular यह with plural किताबें
❌ यह कुर्सियाँ खाली हैं।
Incorrect in careful Standard Hindi: the demonstrative must be plural.
✅ ये कुर्सियाँ खाली हैं।
ye kursiyā̃ khālī haiṃ.
These chairs are free.
2. Leaving a counted feminine noun singular
❌ ये दो लड़की मेरी बहनें हैं।
Incorrect: the counted noun लड़की needs direct plural लड़कियाँ.
✅ ये दो लड़कियाँ मेरी बहनें हैं।
ye do laṛkiyā̃ merī bahneṃ haiṃ.
These two girls are my sisters.
3. Keeping direct forms before a postposition
❌ वे कमरों में लोग ठहरे हैं।
Incorrect: before में, वे becomes उन; कमरों is already oblique plural.
✅ उन कमरों में लोग ठहरे हैं।
un kamroṃ meṃ log ṭhahre haiṃ.
People are staying in those rooms.
4. Making the verb singular with a plural subject
❌ ये बच्चे बाहर खेल रहा है।
Incorrect: plural masculine बच्चे requires खेल रहे हैं.
✅ ये बच्चे बाहर खेल रहे हैं।
ye bacce bāhar khel rahe haiṃ.
These children are playing outside.
Key Takeaways
- Use direct plural ये/वे before near and far plural nouns in careful Standard Hindi.
- Put number words after the demonstrative: ये तीन सीटें.
- Before postpositions, use oblique इन/उन and the noun's oblique plural form.
- Context distinguishes true plural ये/वे from respectful reference to one person.
Related Topics
- यह and वह as determinersA1 — Use singular यह and वह before nouns for near and far reference, and change them to इस and उस before postpositions.
- No articles in HindiA1 — Interpret bare Hindi noun phrases as definite, indefinite, or generic through context, demonstratives, specificity, and information structure.
- यह वह ये वे demonstratives and pronounsA2 — Use the standard near–far and singular–plural demonstrative system यह, वह, ये, वे as determiners and pronouns, including oblique and honorific forms.
- इस उस इन उन oblique demonstrativesA2 — Map direct यह वह ये वे to singular इस उस and plural इन उन before postpositions, including honorific third-person reference.
- Direct singular and plural formsA2 — Recognize Hindi's default noun forms and build direct plurals across the major masculine and feminine declension classes.
- Oblique plural formationA2 — Build the plural noun forms required before postpositions across the major Hindi declension classes.