Hindi uses an oblique infinitive in -ने before postpositions: पढ़ने के लिए “in order to study,” खाने के बाद “after eating,” बोलने से “by/from speaking,” and पहुँचने पर “on arriving.” The infinitive names an event; the postposition supplies the relationship between that event and the main clause. The direct–oblique form contrast is introduced under oblique infinitive -ने.
English may use to, for, after, by, on, or an -ing form. Hindi does not choose its form from that English surface word. It first puts the verbal noun into oblique -ने, then selects the postposition whose meaning fits.
Core form and meanings
| Pattern | Core use | Example phrase |
|---|---|---|
| -ने के लिए | purpose, intended use | पढ़ने के लिए |
| -ने के बाद | later than an event | खाने के बाद |
| -ने से पहले | earlier than an event | निकलने से पहले |
| -ने से | cause, means, consequence | अभ्यास करने से |
| -ने में | in doing; time/difficulty involved | समझने में |
| -ने पर | on/when/if an event occurs | पहुँचने पर |
| -ने तक | until an event occurs | बारिश रुकने तक |
| -ने के बजाय | instead of doing | बहस करने के बजाय |
The full phrase functions adverbially or as a complement. The infinitive remains non-finite; the main predicate carries tense, mood, and clause-level agreement.
Purpose with के लिए
-ने के लिए identifies an intended goal or use:
मैं शब्दों का अर्थ देखने के लिए शब्दकोश खोलता हूँ।
maĩ śabdoṃ kā arth dekhne ke lie śabdakoś kholtā hū̃.
I open the dictionary to look up the meaning of words. (male speaker)
हमने बच्चों के खेलने के लिए आँगन में जगह छोड़ी।
hamne baccoṃ ke khelne ke lie ā̃gan meṃ jagah choṛī.
We left space in the courtyard for the children to play.
In the first, मैं controls both opening and looking. In the second, the main-clause actor is हम, but बच्चों के explicitly identifies the players. Purpose does not guarantee achievement: opening the dictionary does not entail finding the meaning.
के लिए can also describe intended function rather than a person's immediate plan:
यह बटन स्क्रीन की रोशनी कम करने के लिए है।
yah baṭan skrīn kī rośnī kam karne ke lie hai.
This button is for reducing the screen brightness.
Sequence with के बाद and से पहले
These compound postpositions explicitly order two events:
दवा लेने के बाद थोड़ा पानी पी लेना।
davā lene ke bād thoṛā pānī pī lenā.
Drink a little water after taking the medicine. (informal instruction)
फ़ॉर्म भेजने से पहले सारी तारीख़ें जाँच लीजिए।
form bhejne se pahle sārī tārīkheṃ jā̃c lījie.
Please check all the dates before sending the form. (respectful)
The infinitive's event is earlier than the main event with के बाद, and later than it with से पहले. The -ने ending itself expresses neither relation.
A finite subordinate clause can state the same sequence more explicitly:
जब मैंने दवा ली, उसके बाद मैंने पानी पिया।
jab maĩne davā lī, uske bād maĩne pānī piyā.
After I took the medicine, I drank water.
The finite version repeats the subject and gives both events their own perfective verb. The non-finite version is more compact and normally relies on an understood subject.
Cause and means with से
-ने से can describe a cause, consequence, or means. The result may be good, bad, or neutral.
रोज़ बोलने से उच्चारण बेहतर होता है।
roz bolne se uccāraṇ behtar hotā hai.
Pronunciation improves through speaking every day.
खाली पेट चाय पीने से मुझे बेचैनी होती है।
khālī peṭ cāy pīne se mujhe becainī hotī hai.
Drinking tea on an empty stomach makes me feel uneasy.
से presents the named event as a source or means. It does not necessarily describe one completed action. The first example states a general causal relationship.
Compare -ने से with a converb:
सिर्फ़ फ़ोन करने से समस्या हल नहीं होगी।
sirf fon karne se samasyā hal nahīṃ hogī.
The problem will not be solved merely by making a phone call.
फ़ोन करके आरव ने पता बदलवा लिया।
fon karke ārav ne patā badalvā liyā.
By calling, Aarav got the address changed.
The first evaluates phone-calling as a possible means in general. फ़ोन करके links one actual call to Aarav's achieved result. English by calling can translate both, but Hindi selects between a postpositional verbal noun and an event-linking converb.
Involvement, time, and difficulty with में
-ने में locates a measurement, experience, or difficulty within an action:
यह रिपोर्ट पढ़ने में लगभग बीस मिनट लगेंगे।
yah riporṭ paṛhne meṃ lagbhag bīs minaṭ lageṅge.
It will take about twenty minutes to read this report.
यह नियम समझने में आसान है, पर लागू करने में कठिन।
yah niyam samajhne meṃ āsān hai, par lāgū karne meṃ kaṭhin.
This rule is easy to understand but difficult to implement.
The reader or implementer can remain unexpressed when generic. If a particular person matters, a genitive subject can be added: नए छात्रों के समझने में is possible in a suitable larger sentence, though clearer Hindi often recasts it as नए छात्रों को समझने में when they are experiencers.
Trigger or condition with पर
-ने पर means “on/when doing” and, in instructions or regulations, can approach “if.” It is common in neutral writing and especially frequent in formal notices.
स्टेशन पहुँचने पर मुझे संदेश भेज देना।
sṭeśan pahũcne par mujhe sandeś bhej denā.
Send me a message when you reach the station. (informal)
नियम तोड़ने पर सदस्यता रद्द की जा सकती है।
niyam toṛne par sadasyatā radd kī jā saktī hai.
Membership may be cancelled if the rules are broken. (formal)
The second suppresses the rule-breaker's identity. That compression suits a general regulation, but in a narrative it could create uncertainty about who breaks the rule.
Until, without, and instead of
बारिश रुकने तक हम दुकान के अंदर रहे।
bāriś rukne tak ham dukān ke andar rahe.
We stayed inside the shop until the rain stopped.
जवाब पढ़े बिना हस्ताक्षर करने के बजाय वकील से पूछिए।
javāb paṛhe binā hastākṣar karne ke bajāy vakīl se pūchie.
Instead of signing without reading the response, ask a lawyer. (respectful)
तक sets the endpoint at the infinitive event. के बजाय rejects one possible action in favor of another. The second example also contains पढ़े बिना, a negative non-finite pattern with its own morphology; it is not built from ordinary पढ़ने plus a freely interchangeable postposition.
Same-subject and different-subject readings
With no explicit subject, a postpositional infinitive is usually controlled by the most plausible participant, often the main subject:
दफ़्तर से निकलने से पहले मैंने बत्तियाँ बंद कीं।
daftar se nikalne se pahle maĩne battiyā̃ band kīṃ.
Before leaving the office, I turned off the lights.
The natural reading is that मैं left and turned off the lights. A different subject should be named:
मेरे वहाँ से निकलने से पहले चौकीदार ने दफ़्तर की बत्तियाँ बंद कर दीं।
mere vahā̃ se nikalne se pahle caukīdār ne daftar kī battiyā̃ band kar dīṃ.
Before I left the office, the guard turned off the lights.
मेरे belongs to the infinitive clause; चौकीदार ने belongs to the main clause. This explicit contrast prevents the dangling reading “the guard left.”
A compressed written condition and its expansion
निर्धारित तिथि तक शुल्क जमा न करने पर आवेदन रद्द कर दिया जाएगा।
nirdhārit tithi tak śulk jamā na karne par āvedan radd kar diyā jāegā.
If the fee is not deposited by the specified date, the application will be cancelled. (formal notice)
The non-finite condition omits the applicant as generic. A finite version addresses the reader and makes the logic explicit:
यदि आप निर्धारित तिथि तक शुल्क जमा नहीं करेंगे, तो विभाग आपका आवेदन रद्द कर देगा।
yadi āp nirdhārit tithi tak śulk jamā nahīṃ kareṅge, to vibhāg āpkā āvedan radd kar degā.
If you do not deposit the fee by the specified date, the department will cancel your application. (formal)
The expanded version has separate subjects and finite future verbs. The compressed version is shorter and more impersonal, but not grammatically tenseless as a whole: future जाएगा locates the consequence.
Common Mistakes
1. Using direct -ना before a postposition
❌ सोना से पहले दरवाज़ा बंद करो।
Incorrect — use oblique सोने before से पहले.
✅ सोने से पहले दरवाज़ा बंद कर दो।
sone se pahle darvāzā band kar do.
Close the door before going to sleep. (informal)
2. Copying English “after” order
❌ बाद खाना खाने हम टहलने गए।
Incorrect — compound postposition के बाद follows the oblique infinitive phrase.
✅ खाना खाने के बाद हम टहलने गए।
khānā khāne ke bād ham ṭahalne gae.
After eating, we went for a walk.
3. Doubling a converb and postposition
❌ फ़ोन करके से बात साफ़ हुई।
Incorrect — use either postpositional करने से or a converb construction.
✅ फ़ोन करने से बात साफ़ हुई।
fon karne se bāt sāf huī.
The matter became clear through the phone call.
4. Choosing purpose के लिए for a cause
❌ तेज़ बारिश होने के लिए मैच रुका।
Incorrect for cause — के लिए expresses purpose, not the reason the match stopped.
✅ तेज़ बारिश होने से मैच रुक गया।
tez bāriś hone se maic ruk gayā.
The match stopped because of heavy rain.
5. Leaving a different subject ambiguous
❌ घर पहुँचने पर माँ ने मुझे फ़ोन किया।
Wrong for 'when I reached home'—without an explicit subject, this says or strongly suggests that Mother reached home.
✅ मेरे घर पहुँचने पर माँ ने मुझे फ़ोन किया।
mere ghar pahũcne par mā̃ ne mujhe fon kiyā.
When I reached home, Mother called me.
Key Takeaways
- A postposition supplies the purpose, temporal, causal, conditional, or other relation; -ने only marks the infinitive as oblique.
- के लिए, के बाद, से पहले, से, में, पर, तक, and के बजाय are not interchangeable translations of English prepositions.
- The main finite predicate carries tense and agreement; the oblique infinitive remains unchanged.
- Unexpressed subjects often receive a same-subject reading, so name a different controller when needed.
- करने से evaluates an action as cause or means, while करके links an actual event into a clause chain.
Related Topics
- The infinitive as verbal nounA2 — Use the Hindi -ना form to name an action while preserving its objects, modifiers, and understood or expressed subject.
- Oblique infinitive -neA2 — Recognize and form the Hindi oblique infinitive in -ने before postpositions and in purpose, onset, and related non-finite constructions.
- Infinitive subjects and agreementA2 — Identify who performs a Hindi infinitive and distinguish default -ना from object-controlled infinitive agreement in necessity constructions.
- Conjunctive participle in -karB1 — Use invariant Hindi -कर converbs to connect a shared-subject event with a following finite event as sequence, means, cause, or manner.
- Postpositions and oblique complementsA1 — Build Hindi relational phrases by placing a postposition after an oblique noun or special pronoun form instead of translating English prepositions word for word.
- के लिए purpose and beneficiaryA2 — Use के लिए for intended beneficiaries, purposes, suitability, viewpoints, and bounded temporary periods, with correct noun and pronoun forms.