Before postpositions, direct demonstratives यह/वह/ये/वे switch to oblique stems. Singular near/far uses इस is / उस us; plural near/far uses इन in / उन un. These stems preserve both deixis—near versus far—and number.
They can also encode honorificity: one respected third person can use plural इन/उन forms and plural agreement.
Direct-to-oblique paradigm
| Reference | Direct | Oblique stem | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| near singular | यह yah | इस is | इस पर is par |
| far singular | वह vah | उस us | उससे usse |
| near plural | ये ye | इन in | इनमें inmeṃ |
| far plural | वे ve | उन un | उन तक un tak |
यह कमरा खाली है; आप इस कमरे में बैठिए।
yah kamrā khālī hai; āp is kamre meṃ baiṭhie.
This room is empty; please sit in this room. (respectful)
वह पुल पुराना है; उसके ऊपर भारी गाड़ियाँ नहीं जातीं।
vah pul purānā hai; uske ūpar bhārī gāṛiyā̃ nahīṃ jātīṃ.
That bridge is old; heavy vehicles do not cross over it.
The noun after इस also becomes oblique when its form changes: यह कमरा → इस कमरे में.
Simple postpositions and fused spelling
Some combinations are written together: इससे/उससे/इनसे/उनसे, इसमें/उसमें/इनमें/उनमें. Others remain separate: इस पर, उन तक.
इससे कोई फ़र्क़ नहीं पड़ेगा।
isse koī farq nahīṃ paṛegā.
This won't make any difference.
उनमें से दो लोग पहले ही जा चुके हैं।
unmeṃ se do log pahle hī jā cuke haiṃ.
Two of them have already left.
उस पर अपना नाम लिख दीजिए।
us par apnā nām likh dījie.
Please write your name on it. (respectful)
Pronunciation and spelling must both be learned: उससे contains doubled written स, while उस पर has a space.
Special को and ने forms
The को series is इसे/उसे/इन्हें/उन्हें; the ergative ने series is इसने/उसने/इन्होंने/उन्होंने.
मैंने उसे संदेश भेज दिया है।
maĩne use sandeś bhej diyā hai.
I have sent him/her the message.
उन्होंने हमारी बहुत मदद की।
unhoṃne hamārī bahut madad kī.
They helped us a great deal, or he/she helped us. (plural or respectful singular)
Do not build वहको or वहने. The oblique series is suppletive enough that whole forms should be memorized.
Honorific singular reference
A respected singular person uses plural/honorific इन/उन forms.
वे हमारे नए डॉक्टर हैं; आप उनसे कल मिल सकते हैं।
ve hamāre nae ḍokṭar haiṃ; āp unse kal mil sakte haiṃ.
He is our new doctor; you can meet him tomorrow. (respectful reference and address)
Non-honorific singular would be वह मेरा दोस्त है; तुम उससे मिल सकते हो. This is why honorificity affects not just social tone but stem choice and agreement.
Formal and informal minimal pair
तुम उससे कब मिले?
tum usse kab mile?
When did you meet him/her? (familiar addressee, non-honorific third person)
आप उनसे कब मिले?
āp unse kab mile?
When did you meet him/her? (respectful male addressee and respected third person)
The second sentence uses plural-honorific आप and उनसे even if each role contains one person.
Spoken ये/वो do not change the oblique system
Colloquial singular ये/वो still maps to इस/उस, not automatically इन/उन.
वो मेरी बहन है; मैंने उससे सुबह बात की।
vo merī bahan hai; maĩne usse subah bāt kī.
She's my sister; I spoke with her this morning. (colloquial singular)
Agreement है and singular उससे confirm the reference. See the colloquial direct forms for the spoken ambiguity.
Possession and compound relations
The same stems underlie इसका/उसका/इनका/उनका and compound-postposition forms such as इसके लिए, उनके सामने, and उसके बाद. The ending after the stem belongs to the possessive or relational construction.
इनके लिए दो कुर्सियाँ रख दीजिए और उसके लिए एक।
inke lie do kursiyā̃ rakh dījie aur uske lie ek.
Please put out two chairs for these people and one for him/her. (respectful request)
Plural इनके contrasts with singular उसके. When इनके respectfully denotes one person, context—not the form alone—supplies social singularity.
A dialogue: respect and number
उनसे मिलिए, वे हमारी प्राचार्या हैं। और उन छात्रों से? — उनसे बाद में बात करेंगे।
unse milie, ve hamārī prācāryā haiṃ. aur un chātroṃ se? — unse bād meṃ bāt kareṅge.
Meet her; she is our principal. And those students? — We'll speak with them later. (respectful singular, then true plural)
The same उनसे can be honorific singular or actual plural; noun phrases and context resolve it.
Common Mistakes
1. Keeping the direct form before a postposition
❌ यह पर हस्ताक्षर कीजिए।
Incorrect: यह becomes oblique इस before पर.
✅ इस पर हस्ताक्षर कीजिए।
is par hastākṣar kījie.
Please sign this.
2. Confusing singular and plural oblique stems
❌ ये किताबें अच्छी हैं; इसमें से एक चुनिए।
Incorrect: plural किताबें requires plural इनमें से.
✅ ये किताबें अच्छी हैं; इनमें से एक चुनिए।
ye kitābeṃ acchī haiṃ; inmeṃ se ek cunie.
These books are good; choose one of them.
3. Building को from the direct pronoun
❌ रीना ने वहको रास्ता दिखाया।
Incorrect: singular वह has the को form उसे.
✅ रीना ने उसे रास्ता दिखाया।
rīnā ne use rāstā dikhāyā.
Reena showed him/her the way.
4. Using singular morphology for a respected person
❌ वे हमारे दादाजी हैं; मैंने उससे बात की।
Incorrect: respectful वे requires plural-honorific उनसे.
✅ वे हमारे दादाजी हैं; मैंने उनसे बात की।
ve hamāre dādājī haiṃ; maĩne unse bāt kī.
He is our grandfather; I spoke with him. (respectful singular)
Key Takeaways
- Direct यह/वह/ये/वे map to oblique इस/उस/इन/उन.
- Special series include इसे/उसे/इन्हें/उन्हें and इसने/उसने/इन्होंने/उन्होंने.
- Colloquial singular ये/वो still takes singular इस/उस forms.
- A respected singular third person takes plural इन/उन forms and plural agreement.
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- 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.
- Colloquial ये and वो for singular referenceA2 — Understand ordinary spoken ये and वो as singular forms of यह and वह, using agreement and oblique stems to distinguish number and honorificity.
- Pronouns with कोA2 — Use the conventional को-series मुझे, तुझे, तुम्हें, आपको, इसे, उसे, इन्हें, and उन्हें for objects, recipients, and experiencers.
- Pronouns with से and मेंA2 — Form मुझसे, उससे, हममें, उनमें and related fused forms while preserving person, number, deixis, and honorific reference.
- Demonstrative possessives इसका उसकाA2 — Form third-person possessives from proximal and distal oblique stems while tracking possession, number, deixis, and honorific reference.
- Respectful third-person referenceB2 — Refer respectfully to one third person with plural ये or वे, plural oblique forms, and honorific agreement while preserving deixis and gender.