A simple postposition is a short relational word placed after a noun phrase, such as को ko, ने ne, से se, में meṃ, पर par, or तक tak. The noun phrase immediately before it stands in the oblique case. This rule holds whether the postposition marks a participant, location, source, instrument, or limit.
This page focuses on the shared case frame rather than the individual meanings of those postpositions. Their semantic contrasts belong in the Postpositions group. Morphologically, the stable pattern is [oblique noun phrase] + [postposition].
The basic frame
| Direct phrase | Before a simple postposition | Visible change |
|---|---|---|
| लड़का laṛkā | लड़के को laṛke ko | -ā → -e |
| कमरा kamrā | कमरे में kamre meṃ | -ā → -e |
| लड़के laṛke | लड़कों ने laṛkoṃ ne | direct plural -e → oblique -oṃ |
| दोस्त dost | दोस्त से dost se | no overt singular change |
| लड़कियाँ laṛkiyā̃ | लड़कियों को laṛkiyoṃ ko | -iyā̃ → -iyoṃ |
| किताबें kitābeṃ | किताबों में kitāboṃ meṃ | -eṃ → -oṃ |
कमरा ऊपर है, लेकिन हम अभी कमरे में नहीं जा सकते।
kamrā ūpar hai, lekin ham abhī kamre meṃ nahīṃ jā sakte.
The room is upstairs, but we can't go into the room yet.
The first कमरा is direct as the subject. The second becomes oblique कमरे before में. English changes only the word order by adding in before the noun; Hindi also exposes case on a changeable noun.
को, से, में, पर, and तक use the same morphology
The postpositions have different meanings, but they all require an oblique complement. A masculine -ā noun therefore shows -e before each one.
इस लड़के को रास्ता बता दीजिए।
is laṛke ko rāstā batā dījie.
Please tell this boy the way.
मैं पहले भी उस लड़के से मिल चुका हूँ।
maĩ pahle bhī us laṛke se mil cukā hū̃.
I've met that boy before as well.
रवि कमरे में है, और उसका भाई रास्ते पर इंतज़ार कर रहा है।
ravi kamre meṃ hai, aur uskā bhāī rāste par intazār kar rahā hai.
Ravi is in the room, and his brother is waiting on the road.
हम पुराने क़िले तक पैदल गए।
ham purāne qile tak paidal gae.
We walked as far as the old fort.
The lexical contribution changes—recipient, source, containment, surface/location, endpoint—but लड़के, कमरे, रास्ते, क़िले all display the same singular oblique pattern.
The meanings and alternations of these items are treated separately in pages such as को as a recipient and goal marker and में for containment and domains.
ने also follows an oblique noun phrase
Although ने ne marks certain subjects rather than an English-style spatial relation, it is morphologically a postposition and takes an oblique complement. Thus direct singular लड़का becomes लड़के ने, and direct plural बच्चे bacce becomes बच्चों ने baccoṃ ne.
लड़के ने दरवाज़ा खोला और बच्चों ने सामान अंदर रखा।
laṛke ne darvāzā kholā aur baccoṃ ne sāmān andar rakhā.
The boy opened the door, and the children put the luggage inside.
This page does not attempt to teach the tense-aspect conditions governing ने. The important case fact is that once ने appears, the noun phrase before it is oblique.
Case spreads through the noun phrase
The postposition follows the noun, but it governs the whole phrase. Masculine changeable adjectives, possessives, and demonstratives must agree with the oblique noun.
| Direct | Oblique before postposition |
|---|---|
| यह बड़ा कमरा yah baṛā kamrā | इस बड़े कमरे में is baṛe kamre meṃ |
| मेरा छोटा बेटा merā choṭā beṭā | मेरे छोटे बेटे को mere choṭe beṭe ko |
| वे पुराने दोस्त ve purāne dost | उन पुराने दोस्तों से un purāne dostoṃ se |
इस बड़े कमरे में सबके लिए जगह है।
is baṛe kamre meṃ sabke lie jagah hai.
There is room for everyone in this large room.
मेरे छोटे बेटे को अभी नींद आ रही है।
mere choṭe beṭe ko abhī nīnd ā rahī hai.
My younger son is sleepy right now.
English possessives do not inflect in to my younger son. Hindi मेरा छोटा बेटा changes at three points: मेरे छोटे बेटे को. The layered marking is redundant enough to make the phrase easy to recognize in fluent speech.
An unchanged noun is still oblique
With feminine singulars and invariant masculine singulars, the noun may look the same. Compare direct यह किताब yah kitāb with oblique इस किताब पर is kitāb par, or direct मेरा दोस्त merā dost with oblique मेरे दोस्त से mere dost se.
यह किताब उपयोगी है, इसलिए मैंने इस किताब पर नोट्स बनाए हैं।
yah kitāb upyogī hai, islie maĩne is kitāb par noṭs banāe haiṃ.
This book is useful, so I've made notes on this book.
मेरा दोस्त घर पर है; मैं अपने दोस्त से बाद में बात करूँगा।
merā dost ghar par hai; maĩ apne dost se bād meṃ bāt karū̃gā.
My friend is at home; I'll talk to my friend later.
The demonstratives इस and possessives मेरे/अपने make case visible even when किताब and दोस्त themselves do not change.
Plural complements must be oblique plural
All major declensions overtly distinguish oblique plural. A direct plural cannot simply be followed by a postposition.
लड़कियाँ बाहर हैं; अध्यापिका उन लड़कियों को अंदर बुला रही है।
laṛkiyā̃ bāhar haiṃ; adhyāpikā un laṛkiyoṃ ko andar bulā rahī hai.
The girls are outside; the teacher is calling those girls inside.
किताबें वापस आ गई हैं, लेकिन कुछ किताबों पर नाम नहीं लिखा है।
kitābeṃ vāpas ā gaī haiṃ, lekin kuch kitāboṃ par nām nahīṃ likhā hai.
The books have been returned, but some books don't have a name written on them.
This is where case is most audible: लड़कियाँ → लड़कियों, किताबें → किताबों. The postposition adds the relation after the number-and-case form has been built.
The postposition closes the noun phrase
A modifier belonging to the noun normally appears before the noun, while the postposition follows the entire unit. उस पुराने घर में us purāne ghar meṃ means “in that old house.” Putting में immediately after the demonstrative would split the phrase.
The vocative is different: direct address does not take a following postposition. लड़के! laṛke! can be a singular call, but लड़के को laṛke ko is an oblique noun phrase with को, not a vocative.
A natural exchange
चाबियाँ कहाँ हैं? — नीले डिब्बे में देखो; मैंने चाबियों को वहीं रखा था।
cābiyā̃ kahā̃ haiṃ? — nīle ḍibbe meṃ dekho; maĩne cābiyoṃ ko vahīṃ rakhā thā.
Where are the keys? — Look in the blue box; I had put the keys right there.
Masculine नीला डिब्बा nīlā ḍibbā becomes नीले डिब्बे में, and feminine direct plural चाबियाँ cābiyā̃ becomes oblique plural चाबियों before को.
Common Mistakes
1. Attaching a postposition to masculine direct singular
❌ मैं लड़का को बुला रहा हूँ।
Incorrect: लड़का must become oblique लड़के before को.
✅ मैं लड़के को बुला रहा हूँ।
maĩ laṛke ko bulā rahā hū̃.
I'm calling the boy.
2. Mixing direct and oblique words inside one phrase
❌ उस बड़ा कमरे में खिड़की नहीं है।
Incorrect: the adjective must also be oblique बड़े.
✅ उस बड़े कमरे में खिड़की नहीं है।
us baṛe kamre meṃ khiṛkī nahīṃ hai.
There is no window in that large room.
3. Using a direct feminine plural before a postposition
❌ इन किताबें पर धूल जमी है।
Incorrect: किताबें becomes oblique plural किताबों before पर.
✅ इन किताबों पर धूल जमी है।
in kitāboṃ par dhūl jamī hai.
Dust has settled on these books.
4. Treating ने as exempt from oblique case
❌ लड़का ने खिड़की खोली।
Incorrect: ने requires oblique लड़के.
✅ लड़के ने खिड़की खोली।
laṛke ne khiṛkī kholī.
The boy opened the window.
Key Takeaways
- Simple postpositions take an oblique noun phrase to their left.
- को, ने, से, में, पर, and तक share the same case requirement despite different meanings.
- Masculine -ā nouns visibly change in the singular; many other singular nouns do not.
- All regular plural classes have an overt oblique plural form.
- Demonstratives, possessives, and changeable adjectives must match the case of the whole phrase.
Related Topics
- Oblique singular formationA2 — Form the singular case used before Hindi postpositions and recognize when that case is overt or hidden on the noun.
- Oblique plural formationA2 — Build the plural noun forms required before postpositions across the major Hindi declension classes.
- The oblique in compound postpositional phrasesA2 — Build oblique noun phrases before compound Hindi postpositions such as के साथ, के लिए, के पास, and के बारे में.
- 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.
- को as recipient and goal markerA1 — Use को for recipients, animate or institutional endpoints, selected experiencers, and time points while forming its oblique noun and pronoun complements.
- में for containment and domainsA1 — Use में for physical interiors, membership, time spans, languages, and abstract domains with correct oblique complements and pronoun forms.