Two singular noun phrases joined by और aur “and” normally form one plural coordination. The predicate therefore resolves to plural agreement: मोहन और सोहन आए mohan aur sohan āe “Mohan and Sohan came,” and रीना और सीमा आईं rīnā aur sīmā āīṃ “Reena and Seema came.”
Agreement resolution asks what features the complete coordination contributes. Number is plural; gender follows the coordinated nouns when they match and uses a resolution rule when they differ. Case is separate: each conjunct belongs to the direct or oblique coordinated phrase even when a single postposition follows the whole unit.
The core same-gender patterns
| Coordination | Resolved features | Predicate |
|---|---|---|
| भाई और बेटा bhāī aur beṭā | masculine plural | आए हैं āe haiṃ |
| रीना और सीमा rīnā aur sīmā | feminine plural | आईं āīṃ |
| किताब और कॉपी kitāb aur kopī | feminine plural | नई हैं naī haiṃ |
| कमरा और बरामदा kamrā aur barāmdā | masculine plural | खाली हैं khālī haiṃ |
मोहन और सोहन समय पर पहुँच गए।
mohan aur sohan samay par pahũc gae.
Mohan and Sohan arrived on time.
रीना और सीमा कल ही लौट आईं।
rīnā aur sīmā kal hī lauṭ āīṃ.
Reena and Seema returned just yesterday.
The two masculine names select गए; the two feminine names select written feminine plural आईं. With an indeclinable adjective such as खाली, only the auxiliary visibly marks plurality.
Coordination does not pluralize each conjunct
Each conjunct keeps the number intended for its own referent. In भाई और बहन, both nouns are singular, while the whole phrase is plural. In माता-पिता और बच्चे, the first expression denotes two parents and बच्चे is already plural.
माँ और बेटी दोनों तैयार हैं।
mā̃ aur beṭī donoṃ taiyār haiṃ.
The mother and daughter are both ready.
दो शिक्षक और तीन छात्र बैठक में आए।
do śikṣak aur tīn chātr baiṭhak meṃ āe.
Two teachers and three students came to the meeting.
English speakers should not add a plural ending to both singular nouns merely because the combined reference is plural. Hindi plural agreement belongs to the full coordination; noun morphology belongs to each conjunct.
A shared postposition scopes over the whole coordination
A single postposition can follow the last conjunct and govern the entire coordinate phrase. Every changeable conjunct must nevertheless be oblique.
| Direct coordination | Oblique coordination |
|---|---|
| लड़का और लड़की laṛkā aur laṛkī | लड़के और लड़की से laṛke aur laṛkī se |
| बेटा और भाई beṭā aur bhāī | बेटे और भाई को beṭe aur bhāī ko |
| लड़के और लड़कियाँ laṛke aur laṛkiyā̃ | लड़कों और लड़कियों से laṛkoṃ aur laṛkiyoṃ se |
लड़का और लड़की बाहर खड़े हैं; एक अध्यापक लड़के और लड़की से बात कर रहा है।
laṛkā aur laṛkī bāhar khaṛe haiṃ; ek adhyāpak laṛke aur laṛkī se bāt kar rahā hai.
The boy and girl are standing outside; a teacher is talking to them.
Direct लड़का becomes oblique लड़के before the shared से. Feminine singular लड़की has no overt oblique change, but it belongs to the same governed phrase.
लड़के और लड़कियाँ लौट आए; हमने लड़कों और लड़कियों को अंदर बुलाया।
laṛke aur laṛkiyā̃ lauṭ āe; hamne laṛkoṃ aur laṛkiyoṃ ko andar bulāyā.
The boys and girls returned; we called them inside.
Both plural nouns change before को. This is layered case: the nouns show oblique morphology, while the postposition carries most of the relational meaning. Individual postposition meanings belong in the postposition overview.
Repeat the marker when relations differ or contrast
When conjuncts take different markers, each marker must be stated: रीना को और अमित से rīnā ko aur amit se “to Reena and from Amit.” Repetition can also create contrast even with the same marker.
मैंने रीना को संदेश भेजा और अमित से जवाब माँगा।
maĩne rīnā ko sandeś bhejā aur amit se javāb mā̃gā.
I sent Reena a message and asked Amit for a reply.
रीना ने भी और अमित ने भी इस बात की पुष्टि की।
rīnā ne bhī aur amit ne bhī is bāt kī puṣṭi kī.
Both Reena and Amit confirmed this. (contrastive emphasis)
Neutral style prefers one shared ने—रीना और अमित ने. Repetition with भी in the second example explicitly highlights each conjunct, so it is marked and emphatic rather than the default.
Agreement can be hidden or redirected
Present copula हैं clearly marks plural, but an indeclinable adjective may not. In perfective transitive clauses with ने, subject resolution does not control the verb. An unmarked object may instead control agreement.
रीना और सीमा ने अदरक वाली चाय बनाई।
rīnā aur sīmā ne adrak vālī cāy banāī.
Reena and Seema made ginger tea.
Feminine singular बनाई agrees with unmarked object चाय, not with the feminine plural subject. If the object were को-marked, the verb would take default masculine singular. Coordination never cancels the ordinary agreement hierarchy.
Word order may license proximity agreement in restricted presentational or colloquial structures, but the reliable neutral pattern for a preverbal coordinated subject is resolved plural agreement. Learners should master that pattern before analyzing marked alternatives.
Vocative coordination
Two names or titles can form a coordinated vocative. The following command reflects the addressees' honorific level and combined number.
रीना और अमित, तुम दोनों इधर आओ।
rīnā aur amit, tum donoṃ idhar āo.
Reena and Amit, both of you come here. (informal/familiar)
माता जी और पिता जी, आप दोनों बैठिए।
mātā jī aur pitā jī, āp donoṃ baiṭhie.
Mother and Father, please both sit down. (respectful)
The names and kin terms are vocatives, not oblique complements. Respectful आप दोनों still takes honorific बैठिए.
A natural exchange
कौन-कौन आएगा? — मेरी बहन और उसका बेटा आएँगे; मैंने दोनों से बात कर ली है।
kaun-kaun āegā? — merī bahan aur uskā beṭā āẽge; maĩne donoṃ se bāt kar lī hai.
Who all will come? — My sister and her son will come; I've spoken to both of them.
The mixed coordination resolves as masculine plural आएँगे; pronominal दोनों से packages both referents in one oblique phrase.
Common Mistakes
1. Keeping singular agreement with two subjects
❌ रीना और सीमा कल आई।
Incorrect in neutral standard Hindi: two feminine subjects require plural आईं.
✅ रीना और सीमा कल आईं।
rīnā aur sīmā kal āīṃ.
Reena and Seema came yesterday.
2. Marking only the final changeable conjunct oblique
❌ लड़का और लड़की से पूछो।
Incorrect when से scopes over both: लड़का must become oblique लड़के.
✅ लड़के और लड़की से पूछो।
laṛke aur laṛkī se pūcho.
Ask the boy and the girl.
3. Pluralizing each singular name
❌ रीनाएँ और सीमाएँ आईं।
Incorrect when one Reena and one Seema are meant; coordination itself supplies plural reference.
✅ रीना और सीमा आईं।
rīnā aur sīmā āīṃ.
Reena and Seema came.
4. Forcing subject agreement through ने
❌ रीना और सीमा ने चाय बनाईं।
Incorrect here: the verb agrees with singular unmarked चाय.
✅ रीना और सीमा ने चाय बनाई।
rīnā aur sīmā ne cāy banāī.
Reena and Seema made tea.
Key Takeaways
- Coordinated singular nouns normally form a plural phrase.
- Matching masculine or feminine conjuncts yield corresponding plural agreement.
- Each noun keeps its own number, while the complete coordination controls predicate number.
- A shared postposition governs every conjunct, so each changeable noun must be oblique.
- Perfective ने clauses follow the normal object/default agreement hierarchy.
Related Topics
- Mixed-gender coordinationB1 — Resolve agreement when masculine and feminine Hindi nouns are joined, while keeping case and perfective alignment separate.
- Direct singular and plural formsA2 — Recognize Hindi's default noun forms and build direct plurals across the major masculine and feminine declension classes.
- The oblique before simple postpositionsA2 — Apply oblique case consistently to complete noun phrases before simple Hindi postpositions such as को, ने, से, में, पर, and तक.
- Adjective agreement with coordinated nounsA2 — Resolve adjective agreement across noun phrases joined by और, while keeping attributive agreement local and predicate agreement plural.
- Coordination and shared argumentsB2 — Coordinate Hindi noun phrases and predicates while tracking shared subjects, objects, postpositions, agreement, and clause boundaries.
- और coordinationA1 — Join words, phrases, predicates, and clauses with neutral Hindi और while keeping case, agreement, and punctuation clear.