Hindi normally puts relational words after their complement: कमरे में kamre meṃ “in the room,” मेज़ पर mez par “on the table,” and लड़के को laṛke ko “to the boy.” That is why they are called postpositions, not prepositions.
The complement is oblique. Sometimes that case is visible, as in कमरा → कमरे में; sometimes the noun looks unchanged, as in किताब → किताब पर. The basic frame is always [oblique complement] + [postposition].
The core word order
English says in the room, with the preposition first. Hindi says the equivalent of “room-in,” and the noun may change form.
मेहमान ऊपर वाले कमरे में ठहरे हैं।
mehmān ūpar vāle kamre meṃ ṭhahre haiṃ.
The guests are staying in the upstairs room.
Direct कमरा kamrā becomes oblique कमरे kamre before में. Its marked adjective also appears as वाले, because case belongs to the whole noun phrase.
आपकी चाबी रसोई की मेज़ पर पड़ी है।
āpkī cābī rasoī kī mez par paṛī hai.
Your key is lying on the kitchen table.
The feminine noun मेज़ has no distinct singular oblique ending, but it is still the oblique complement of पर. A missing visible change does not make it direct.
A compact noun paradigm
| Direct phrase | Postpositional phrase | Change |
|---|---|---|
| लड़का laṛkā | लड़के को laṛke ko | masculine -ā → -e |
| कमरा kamrā | कमरे में kamre meṃ | masculine -ā → -e |
| लड़की laṛkī | लड़की से laṛkī se | singular form unchanged |
| लड़के laṛke | लड़कों को laṛkoṃ ko | plural → -oṃ |
| किताबें kitābeṃ | किताबों पर kitāboṃ par | plural → -oṃ |
नए लड़के को दफ़्तर का रास्ता बता दीजिए।
nae laṛke ko daftar kā rāstā batā dījie.
Please show the new boy the way to the office.
इन किताबों पर किसी का नाम नहीं लिखा है।
in kitāboṃ par kisī kā nām nahīṃ likhā hai.
No one's name is written on these books.
Plural complements make oblique case especially clear: किताबें → किताबों, लड़के → लड़कों. Detailed declension belongs on the oblique before simple postpositions page; the essential fact here is that the postposition licenses that form.
Core simple postpositions
| Postposition | Core contribution | Example phrase |
|---|---|---|
| में meṃ | inside, within a domain | बैग में baig meṃ “in the bag” |
| पर par | on a surface, at a point | छत पर chat par “on the roof” |
| से se | from, with/by means of, comparison | दिल्ली से dillī se “from Delhi” |
| को ko | recipient, selected goal/object, time point | रीना को rīnā ko “to Reena” |
| तक tak | endpoint, as far as | पुल तक pul tak “as far as the bridge” |
| ने ne | selected perfective agent | लड़के ने laṛke ne “the boy [agent]” |
These labels are starting points, not one-word translations. में can locate something in a physical container or in an abstract domain; से covers source, instrument, and comparison; को has recipient and grammatical uses. Each receives its own page because the choice depends on meaning and construction.
बैग में कपड़े हैं, और ऊपर की जेब में टिकट रखे हैं।
baig meṃ kapṛe haiṃ, aur ūpar kī jeb meṃ ṭikaṭ rakhe haiṃ.
There are clothes in the bag, and the tickets are in the top pocket.
हम पुराने पुल तक पैदल जाएँगे, फिर लौट आएँगे।
ham purāne pul tak paidal jāẽge, phir lauṭ āẽge.
We'll walk as far as the old bridge and then come back.
Pronouns use special linked forms
Personal and demonstrative pronouns do not simply remain in their citation form before a postposition. Compare मैं maĩ with मुझसे mujhse, मुझमें mujhmeṃ, and मुझे mujhe; compare वह vah with उससे usse, उसमें usmeṃ, and उसे use.
| Direct pronoun | with को | with से | with में |
|---|---|---|---|
| मैं maĩ | मुझे mujhe | मुझसे mujhse | मुझमें mujhmeṃ |
| तुम tum | तुम्हें tumheṃ | तुमसे tumse | तुममें tummeṃ |
| वह vah | उसे use | उससे usse | उसमें usmeṃ |
| वे ve | उन्हें unheṃ | उनसे unse | उनमें unmeṃ |
मुझसे यह डिब्बा नहीं खुलेगा; उसमें कुछ फँसा हुआ है।
mujhse yah ḍibbā nahīṃ khulegā; usmeṃ kuch phãsā huā hai.
I won't be able to open this box; something is stuck in it.
The first से occurs in a capability construction; the second pronoun उसमें has a literal containment meaning. Their forms are conventional. Regional मेरे को mere ko occurs (regional/informal), but neutral Standard Hindi uses मुझे.
Compound postpositions
Longer relations often use a genitive linker plus a relational word: घर के सामने ghar ke sāmne “in front of the house,” मेरे साथ mere sāth “with me,” बच्चों के लिए baccoṃ ke lie “for the children.” The complement is still oblique, but the internal form is more complex.
दवा की दुकान बैंक के सामने है।
davā kī dukān baiṅk ke sāmne hai.
The pharmacy is in front of the bank.
यह बात हम दोनों के बीच रहेगी।
yah bāt ham donoṃ ke bīc rahegī.
This will stay between the two of us.
The linker is usually के, not freely chosen का/की, in established compound postpositions. Their detailed structure belongs on the oblique in compound postpositional phrases.
Literal meaning versus grammaticalized use
Some choices are transparently compositional: a cup physically inside a cupboard is अलमारी में; a phone physically on a desk is मेज़ पर. The same postpositions extend naturally to domains and occasions.
हमने फ़ोन पर ही सारी बात तय कर ली।
hamne fon par hī sārī bāt tay kar lī.
We settled everything over the phone.
No object is literally sitting on a phone. फ़ोन पर is a conventional medium expression. Similarly, हिंदी में means “in Hindi,” and सोमवार को means “on Monday.” English in, on, and at do not map word for word.
More importantly, some predicates select a particular postposition. Hindi says बस का इंतज़ार करना bas kā intazār karnā “wait for the bus,” उस पर भरोसा करना us par bharosā karnā “trust him/her,” and शोर से परेशान होना śor se pareśān honā “be troubled by noise.” These must be learned with the verb, noun, or adjective.
मैं आधे घंटे से बस का इंतज़ार कर रहा हूँ।
maĩ ādhe ghaṇṭe se bas kā intazār kar rahā hū̃.
I've been waiting for the bus for half an hour.
Here English for corresponds first to a duration construction with से, then to lexical का इंतज़ार. A single English preposition gives no reliable answer.
A natural exchange
आप कहाँ हैं? — स्टेशन पर हूँ; टिकट के लिए लाइन में खड़ा हूँ।
āp kahā̃ haiṃ? — sṭeśan par hū̃; ṭikaṭ ke lie lāin meṃ khaṛā hū̃.
Where are you? — I'm at the station, standing in line for a ticket.
The exchange uses पर for the general location, के लिए for purpose, and में for position within a line. English can use at, for, and in, but Hindi chooses each phrase by its relationship.
Common Mistakes
1. Putting the postposition first
❌ में उस कमरे बहुत अँधेरा है।
Incorrect: में follows its oblique complement.
✅ उस कमरे में बहुत अँधेरा है।
us kamre meṃ bahut ãdherā hai.
It is very dark in that room.
2. Keeping a masculine -ā noun direct
❌ नया लड़का को रास्ता बताइए।
Incorrect: the whole phrase must be oblique before को.
✅ नए लड़के को रास्ता बताइए।
nae laṛke ko rāstā batāie.
Please show the new boy the way.
3. Keeping a plural noun direct
❌ इन अलमारियाँ में फ़ाइलें हैं।
Incorrect: अलमारियाँ becomes oblique plural अलमारियों before में.
✅ इन अलमारियों में फ़ाइलें हैं।
in almāriyoṃ meṃ fāileṃ haiṃ.
There are files in these cupboards.
4. Translating English “at” mechanically
❌ मैं रीना पर हूँ।
Incorrect for 'I am at Reena's place'; पर does not mark a person's home this way.
✅ मैं रीना के घर पर हूँ।
maĩ rīnā ke ghar par hū̃.
I'm at Reena's house.
5. Translating lexical “for” with के लिए
❌ मैं बाहर आपके लिए इंतज़ार कर रहा हूँ।
Incorrect if the meaning is 'waiting for you'; इंतज़ार takes a का phrase.
✅ मैं बाहर आपका इंतज़ार कर रहा हूँ।
maĩ bāhar āpkā intazār kar rahā hū̃.
I'm waiting for you outside.
Key Takeaways
- Hindi postpositions follow an oblique complement.
- Masculine -ā singulars and all plural classes often show the case change overtly.
- Pronouns use special forms such as मुझे, मुझसे, उसमें, and उन्हें unheṃ.
- Simple and compound postpositions share the complement-before-relation order.
- Choose a postposition by the Hindi relationship or lexical frame, not by an isolated English preposition.
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Start learning Hindi →Related Topics
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- पर for surfaces locations and occasionsA2 — Use पर for surfaces, location points, activity sites, media, and occasions while distinguishing it from में and predicate-selected uses.
- Pronouns with से and मेंA2 — Form मुझसे, उससे, हममें, उनमें and related fused forms while preserving person, number, deixis, and honorific reference.