Hindi uses infinitive + होना for an action that is assigned, scheduled, intended, or otherwise settled: मुझे कल जाना है “I have to / am to go tomorrow.” The actor normally appears with को, while the infinitive and the form of होना agree with an eligible unmarked object. This is why the semantic actor is not always the agreement controller.
Basic structure and meaning
The neutral structure is actor + को + infinitive phrase + finite होना. In the present, the final form is usually है/हैं; in the past it is था/थी/थे/थीं; future obligation uses होगा/होगी/होंगे/होंगी.
अंजलि को सोमवार तक आवेदन भेजना है।
añjali ko somvār tak āvedan bhejnā hai.
Anjali has to send the application by Monday.
हमें शाम सात बजे मेहमानों से मिलना है।
hameṃ śām sāt baje mehmānoṃ se milnā hai.
We are to meet the guests at seven in the evening.
The construction can express duty, a plan, or an arrangement. It does not by itself say that the actor is unwilling. English may choose “have to,” “be supposed to,” “be to,” or even a planned future, depending on context.
Agreement belongs to the infinitive phrase
With no accessible object, the infinitive stays in default masculine singular -ना, and singular है closes the present predicate. An unmarked object can instead control the infinitive's gender and number.
| Controller | Present pattern | Past pattern |
|---|---|---|
| default masculine singular | जाना है | जाना था |
| feminine singular | चिट्ठी लिखनी है | चिट्ठी लिखनी थी |
| masculine plural | दो लेख पढ़ने हैं | दो लेख पढ़ने थे |
| feminine plural | रिपोर्टें भेजनी हैं | रिपोर्टें भेजनी थीं |
विभा को यह सूची आज ही बनानी है।
vibhā ko yah sūcī āj hī banānī hai.
Vibha has to make this list today.
टीम को बैठक से पहले तीन लेख पढ़ने हैं।
ṭīm ko baiṭhak se pahle tīn lekh paṛhne haiṃ.
The team has to read three articles before the meeting.
नीरा को सारी रसीदें सँभालकर रखनी हैं।
nīrā ko sārī rasīdeṃ sãbhālkar rakhnī haiṃ.
Neera has to keep all the receipts safely.
The feminine actor नीरा को does not cause feminine agreement. Feminine plural रसीदें gives रखनी हैं. If the object is को-marked, it is unavailable for ordinary agreement and the default returns: मुझे बच्चों को बुलाना है.
Present, past, and future layers
The infinitive names the required event; the final form of होना locates the requirement in time. Hindi thus builds the predicate in layers rather than conjugating a one-word equivalent of English must.
मुझे कल सुबह बैंक जाना था, लेकिन छुट्टी थी।
mujhe kal subah baiṅk jānā thā, lekin chuṭṭī thī.
I was supposed to go to the bank yesterday morning, but it was a holiday.
अगले दौर में उम्मीदवारों को दो सवालों के जवाब देने होंगे।
agle daur meṃ ummīdvāroṃ ko do savāloṃ ke javāb dene hoṅge.
In the next round, the candidates will have to answer two questions.
Future होगा can also express probability elsewhere, but after an infinitive in this frame it commonly presents a future requirement. Agreement still follows the infinitive phrase: जाना होगा, किताब लौटानी होगी, फ़ॉर्म भरने होंगे, फ़ाइलें भेजनी होंगी.
Affirmative, negative, and question contrasts
आपको पहचान-पत्र साथ लाना है।
āpko pahcān-patr sāth lānā hai.
You have to bring identification with you.
आपको मूल दस्तावेज़ साथ नहीं लाने हैं।
āpko mūl dastāvez sāth nahīṃ lāne haiṃ.
You are not to bring the original documents with you.
क्या हमें प्रवेश-द्वार पर नाम लिखना है?
kyā hameṃ praveś-dvār par nām likhnā hai?
Do we have to write our names at the entrance?
Negative नहीं करना है is context-sensitive. In an instruction it means “is not to be done”; in a personal-plan context it can mean “do not intend to do”; and a question may ask whether there is no requirement. It does not inherently distinguish English “must not” from “do not have to.” When that distinction matters, add a clearer expression such as मनाही है “is prohibited” or ज़रूरत नहीं है “there is no need.”
Generic and institutional instructions
The को-marked actor can remain unexpressed when a notice, teacher, or procedure makes the intended audience obvious. The construction then sounds directive without using an imperative.
हर पन्ने पर अपना नाम साफ़ लिखना है।
har panne par apnā nām sāf likhnā hai.
You are to write your name clearly on every page.
दवा खाने के बाद आधा घंटा आराम करना है।
davā khāne ke bād ādhā ghaṇṭā ārām karnā hai.
You should rest for half an hour after taking the medicine.
This use is common in spoken instructions and institutional directions. It can sound firm because the action is presented as settled, but it is not grammatically an imperative.
होना, चाहिए, and पड़ना
All three can translate English “have to,” but they choose different viewpoints:
- करना है: the action is assigned, planned, scheduled, or settled;
- करना चाहिए: the action is advisable, proper, or normatively desirable;
- करना पड़ेगा: circumstances will impose the action.
हमें कल रिपोर्ट देनी है; इसलिए आज देर तक काम करना पड़ेगा।
hameṃ kal riporṭ denī hai; islie āj der tak kām karnā paṛegā.
We have to submit the report tomorrow, so we'll have to work late today.
The first clause states a settled deadline. The second presents late work as its consequence. See the चाहिए–पड़ना–होना comparison for a fuller decision guide.
Common Mistakes
Using a nominative actor
❌ मैं कल दफ़्तर जाना है।
Incorrect — the actor in this obligation construction takes को.
✅ मुझे कल दफ़्तर जाना है।
mujhe kal daftar jānā hai.
I have to go to the office tomorrow.
Making the auxiliary first person
❌ मुझे अभी निकलना हूँ।
Incorrect — dative मुझे does not select first-person हूँ.
✅ मुझे अभी निकलना है।
mujhe abhī nikalnā hai.
I have to leave now.
Ignoring object-controlled agreement
❌ हमें ये कुर्सियाँ बाहर रखना है।
Incorrect in the agreeing construction — feminine plural कुर्सियाँ requires रखनी हैं.
✅ हमें ये कुर्सियाँ बाहर रखनी हैं।
hameṃ ye kursiyā̃ bāhar rakhnī haiṃ.
We have to put these chairs outside.
Using the infinitive without a finite layer
❌ रीता को आज प्रस्तुति देना।
Incomplete as a neutral statement — the obligation needs a finite form of होना.
✅ रीता को आज प्रस्तुति देनी है।
rītā ko āj prastuti denī hai.
Rita has to give the presentation today.
Key Takeaways
Build the construction as को-marked actor + agreeing infinitive + होना. The infinitive or its unmarked object controls gender and number; the semantic actor does not. Final है/था/होगा supplies the time frame. Use the construction for settled duties, arrangements, and instructions, and use context or more explicit wording to resolve ambiguous negative meanings.
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Start learning Hindi →Related Topics
- The infinitive in -nāA1 — Form Hindi infinitives with -ना and distinguish their citation, complement, verbal-noun, and agreeing obligation uses from finite predicates.
- चाहिए necessity and advisabilityA2 — Use invariant चाहिए for needs, advice, and normative necessity, with dative experiencers and agreement on infinitives or past auxiliaries.
- पड़ना external necessityB1 — Use infinitive plus पड़ना when circumstances impose an action, with dative obligors and agreement controlled by the infinitive phrase.
- चाहिए versus पड़ना versus होनाB1 — Choose चाहिए for advice or norms, infinitive plus होना for a settled agenda, and infinitive plus पड़ना for necessity imposed by circumstances.
- Infinitive subjects and agreementA2 — Identify who performs a Hindi infinitive and distinguish default -ना from object-controlled infinitive agreement in necessity constructions.