The Hindi simple subjunctive is built directly on a verb stem with endings that mark person, number, and honorificity: करूँ, करे, करो, करें. These forms are sometimes called the “present subjunctive,” but they do not independently locate an event at the present moment. Context places the desired, possible, or contingent event in time. Unlike करूँगा/करूँगी, a simple subjunctive has no gender ending.
Four productive personal shapes
Remove infinitive -ना to find the stem, then add the appropriate personal ending.
| Subject | Ending | करना | चलना |
|---|---|---|---|
| मैं | -ूँ | करूँ | चलूँ |
| तू / यह / वह | -े | करे | चले |
| तुम | -ो | करो | चलो |
| हम / आप / ये / वे | -ें | करें | चलें |
क्या मैं यह फ़ाइल अभी भेजूँ?
kyā maĩ yah fāil abhī bhejū̃?
Shall I send this file now?
कहो कि वह सीधे मेरे कमरे में आए।
kaho ki vah sīdhe mere kamre meṃ āe.
Tell them to come straight to my room. (familiar addressee in the main clause)
तुम चाहो तो मेरे साथ चलो।
tum cāho to mere sāth calo.
Come with me if you want. (familiar)
हम थोड़ा रुकें, फिर आगे चलें।
ham thoṛā rukeṃ, phir āge caleṃ.
Let's wait a little, then move on.
The तू/वह row shares -े, while हम/आप/वे share -ें. Pronouns and context identify the reference. A respectful singular third-person referent also takes the plural/honorific row: दादाजी चाहें तो आएँ “Grandfather may come if he wishes.” The familiar तुम ending -ो also appears in familiar imperatives, but the surrounding construction tells you whether a form is subjunctive or imperative.
Gender does not change the ending
अगर मैं चाहूँ, तो आज घर से काम कर सकता हूँ।
agar maĩ cāhū̃, to āj ghar se kām kar saktā hū̃.
If I choose, I can work from home today. (male speaker)
शायद अमित देर से आए।
śāyad amit der se āe.
Amit may arrive late.
शायद नीलम देर से आए।
śāyad nīlam der se āe.
Neelam may arrive late.
संभव है कि दोनों बहनें देर से आएँ।
sambhav hai ki donoṃ bahneṃ der se āẽ.
It is possible that both sisters will arrive late.
Both singular names take आए. Feminine plural बहनें takes plural आएँ, exactly as a masculine or mixed plural subject would. Gender appears elsewhere only if an adjective, participle, or main-clause predicate requires it.
Vowel-final stems
Stems ending in a vowel show common spelling and sound adjustments. Learn these high-frequency rows as patterns.
| Verb | मैं | तू/वह | तुम | हम/आप/वे |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| जाना | जाऊँ | जाए | जाओ | जाएँ |
| आना | आऊँ | आए | आओ | आएँ |
| लेना | लूँ | ले | लो | लें |
| देना | दूँ | दे | दो | दें |
| होना | होऊँ | हो | हो | हों |
क्या मैं आपके लिए चाय ले आऊँ?
kyā maĩ āpke lie cāy le āū̃?
Shall I bring you some tea? (respectful)
आप चाहें तो ये काग़ज़ साथ ले जाएँ।
āp cāheṃ to ye kāġaz sāth le jāẽ.
If you like, take these papers with you. (respectful)
उसे कहो कि वह मुझे जवाब दे।
use kaho ki vah mujhe javāb de.
Tell them to give me an answer. (familiar addressee in the main clause)
There is no dependable rule that produces every surface vowel sequence from English or from the full infinitive. In particular, standard लूँ/दूँ must not be mechanically expanded to लेऊँ/देऊँ. Full lexeme-specific paradigms belong in Verb Reference; these are the central productive patterns.
The same bases appear before future endings
Compare करूँ with करूँगा/करूँगी, करो with करोगे/करोगी, and करें with करेंगे/करेंगी. The future adds -गा/-गी/-गे to a base closely matching the subjunctive form. The page on future personal bases develops that relationship.
हो सकता है कि मैं कल आऊँ, लेकिन अभी पक्का नहीं है।
ho saktā hai ki maĩ kal āū̃, lekin abhī pakkā nahīṃ hai.
I may come tomorrow, but it isn't certain yet.
मैं कल आऊँगा, इसलिए मेरे लिए भी खाना रखना।
maĩ kal āū̃gā, islie mere lie bhī khānā rakhnā.
I will come tomorrow, so keep some food for me too. (male speaker)
आऊँ leaves arrival under possibility; आऊँगा makes a future assertion or commitment. The shared personal base does not make the moods synonymous.
Negatives and questions preserve the personal ending
मैं दरवाज़ा बंद करूँ या खुला छोड़ूँ?
maĩ darvāzā band karū̃ yā khulā choṛū̃?
Should I close the door or leave it open?
ध्यान रखना कि बच्चे बाहर न जाएँ।
dhyān rakhnā ki bacce bāhar na jāẽ.
Make sure the children don't go outside.
अगर वे जवाब नहीं दें, तो मुझे बताना।
agar ve javāb nahīṃ deṃ, to mujhe batānā.
If they don't answer, let me know.
न/नहीं precedes the verb; question words and क्या do not replace the ending. The choice between न and नहीं depends on construction and emphasis, not person.
An oblique actor does not select a personal ending
शायद हमें कल जल्दी निकलना पड़े।
śāyad hameṃ kal jaldī nikalnā paṛe.
We may have to leave early tomorrow.
The semantic actor is plural “we,” but dative हमें does not select पड़ें. The infinitival necessity जल्दी निकलना functions as a singular/default controller, so the modal verb is third-person singular पड़े. Hindi agreement follows the construction, not the English translation's subject.
Common Mistakes
Leaving the infinitive ending attached
❌ क्या मैं यह काम करनाूँ?
Incorrect — remove infinitive -ना before adding the first-person ending.
✅ क्या मैं यह काम करूँ?
kyā maĩ yah kām karū̃?
Shall I do this work?
Using the singular form with आप
❌ आप चाहें तो सामने बैठे।
Incorrect for respectful agreement — the requested action needs बैठें.
✅ आप चाहें तो सामने बैठें।
āp cāheṃ to sāmne baiṭheṃ.
If you like, please sit up front. (respectful)
Giving a feminine subject a special simple ending
❌ शायद रीना जाई।
Incorrect — the simple third-person subjunctive does not mark feminine gender.
✅ शायद रीना जाए।
śāyad rīnā jāe.
Reena may go.
Regularizing लेना
❌ क्या मैं यह किताब लेऊँ?
Nonstandard here — the first-person subjunctive of लेना is लूँ.
✅ क्या मैं यह किताब लूँ?
kyā maĩ yah kitāb lū̃?
Shall I take this book?
Agreeing with a dative actor
❌ शायद मुझे कल जाना पड़ूँ।
Incorrect — dative मुझे does not control पड़ना.
✅ शायद मुझे कल जाना पड़े।
śāyad mujhe kal jānā paṛe.
I may have to go tomorrow.
Key Takeaways
- Use -ूँ with मैं, -े with तू/वह, -ो with तुम, and -ें with हम/आप/वे.
- Simple subjunctive endings do not mark gender.
- Learn the high-frequency vowel-stem patterns जाऊँ, लूँ, दूँ, होऊँ rather than overregularizing them.
- The same personal bases underlie many future forms, but only the future adds -गा/-गी/-गे.
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Start learning Hindi →Related Topics
- Subjunctive overviewA2 — Recognize and use the Hindi subjunctive for desired, possible, contingent, and nonasserted situations without confusing it with the future.
- Subjunctive of होनाB1 — Use होऊँ (also हूँ), हो, and हों to place identity, location, existence, states, and layered aspectual predicates under possibility or desire.
- Future personal basesA2 — Build Hindi future predicates from person-number-honorific bases such as करूँ-, करे-, करो-, and करें- before adding gender-number endings.
- Subjunctive after चाहनाB1 — Choose between an infinitive and a कि-clause with the subjunctive after चाहना, while keeping desire-holder and embedded-subject agreement separate.
- Subjunctive versus future formsB1 — Distinguish Hindi subjunctive personal forms from futures that add -गा, -गी, or -गे, and choose between nonassertion and prediction.