The Hindi infinitive normally ends in -ना (-nā): करना “to do,” बोलना “to speak,” जाना “to go.” It is the dictionary form and can behave like a verbal noun or complement. It does not by itself locate an event in time or mark the actor's person, so it cannot replace an ordinary finite verb simply because English uses to + verb.
Forming the infinitive
Add -ना to the lexical stem.
| Stem | Infinitive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| कर- | करना | to do |
| बोल- | बोलना | to speak |
| पढ़- | पढ़ना | to read/study |
| जा- | जाना | to go |
| आ- | आना | to come |
| हो- | होना | to be/happen |
रोज़ थोड़ा पढ़ना अच्छी आदत है।
roz thoṛā paṛhnā acchī ādat hai.
Reading a little every day is a good habit.
Here पढ़ना names an activity and functions like a masculine singular verbal noun. अच्छी agrees with feminine आदत, not with the activity phrase.
Infinitive complements
After verbs such as चाहना “want,” the infinitive supplies the desired action while the finite verb carries agreement and tense.
रोहन तैरना चाहता है।
rohan tairnā cāhtā hai.
Rohan wants to swim.
सीमा तैरना चाहती है।
sīmā tairnā cāhtī hai.
Seema wants to swim.
हम अगले साल हिंदी सीखना चाहते हैं।
ham agle sāl hindī sīkhnā cāhte haiṃ.
We want to learn Hindi next year.
The infinitive तैरना/सीखना stays in its citation form. चाहता/चाहती/चाहते and है/हैं carry gender, number, and honorific-person information. English puts the subject features on neither to swim nor want in the same way, so follow the Hindi layers.
A compact agreement paradigm
In obligation, plan, or necessity constructions with होना, the infinitive may agree with the unmarked thing to be acted on.
| Controller | Infinitive phrase | Example frame |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | पत्र लिखना | मुझे पत्र लिखना है |
| masculine plural | दो पत्र लिखने | मुझे दो पत्र लिखने हैं |
| feminine singular | चिट्ठी लिखनी | मुझे चिट्ठी लिखनी है |
| feminine plural | चिट्ठियाँ लिखनी | मुझे चिट्ठियाँ लिखनी हैं |
मुझे आज यह चिट्ठी लिखनी है।
mujhe āj yah ciṭṭhī likhnī hai.
I have to write this letter today.
रवि को दो फ़ॉर्म भरने हैं।
ravi ko do form bharne haiṃ.
Ravi has to fill out two forms.
The semantic actor is मुझे/रवि को, but dative marking prevents it from controlling the infinitive. Feminine चिट्ठी selects लिखनी; masculine plural फ़ॉर्म selects भरने. If there is no overt agreement controller, masculine singular -ना is the default.
This is not ordinary person conjugation of the infinitive. The forms -ना/-ने/-नी show gender-number/case-like agreement, while the copula supplies tense and number.
Affirmative, negative, and question contrasts
मुझे आज काम करना है।
mujhe āj kām karnā hai.
I have to work today.
मुझे आज काम नहीं करना है।
mujhe āj kām nahīṃ karnā hai.
I am not supposed to work today / I don't have to work today.
क्या तुम्हें आज काम करना है?
kyā tumheṃ āj kām karnā hai?
Do you have to work today? (familiar)
नहीं precedes the infinitive predicate. The exact English reading of the negative depends on context: prohibition, lack of obligation, or a plan not to act. Hindi form alone does not reproduce English must not versus do not have to.
Time comes from the auxiliary and context
मुझे कल दिल्ली जाना था।
mujhe kal dillī jānā thā.
I was supposed to go to Delhi yesterday.
Changing है to था moves the obligation or plan into the past; जाना itself remains infinitival. A future plan may use होगा or another finite construction. This layered architecture—lexical stem + non-finite/modal material + auxiliary—is more useful than matching one Hindi form to one English tense.
Oblique infinitive in -ने
Before many postpositions, -ना changes to oblique -ने: करने के लिए “in order to do,” जाने से पहले “before going,” खाने के बाद “after eating.”
घर जाने से पहले मुझे फ़ोन करना।
ghar jāne se pahle mujhe fon karnā.
Call me before going home. (familiar reminder)
This sentence also illustrates an imperative-like infinitive फ़ोन करना, common in familiar reminders and instructions. It is a licensed construction, not proof that any bare infinitive can serve as an ordinary statement. The full case system is covered in the oblique infinitive -ने.
Infinitive versus finite predicate
Compare मैं हिंदी पढ़ता हूँ “I study Hindi” with ungrammatical statement मैं हिंदी पढ़ना. A finite predicate adds an aspectual or modal layer and, where required, an auxiliary.
Common Mistakes
❌ मैं हिंदी पढ़ना हूँ।
Incorrect—the infinitive cannot combine with हूँ to mean a habitual present.
✅ मैं हिंदी पढ़ता हूँ।
maĩ hindī paṛhtā hū̃.
I study Hindi. (male speaker)
❌ सीमा तैरनी चाहती है।
Incorrect in the ordinary ‘wants to swim’ construction—the complement remains तैरना.
✅ सीमा तैरना चाहती है।
sīmā tairnā cāhtī hai.
Seema wants to swim.
❌ मुझे यह किताब पढ़ना है।
Incorrect in this agreeing obligation construction—feminine किताब selects पढ़नी.
✅ मुझे यह किताब पढ़नी है।
mujhe yah kitāb paṛhnī hai.
I have to read this book.
❌ हम कल बाज़ार जाना।
Incorrect as a statement—the infinitive has no finite tense or agreement layer.
✅ हम कल बाज़ार जाएँगे।
ham kal bāzār jāẽge.
We will go to the market tomorrow.
Key Takeaways
- The infinitive is usually lexical stem + -ना and names an event without tense or person.
- Complement infinitives such as तैरना चाहती है stay in citation form while the matrix predicate agrees.
- In obligation constructions, -ना/-ने/-नी can agree with an unmarked object rather than the dative actor.
- Oblique -ने appears before postpositions; familiar reminders also license an imperative-like infinitive.
Related Topics
- Verb stems and removing -nāA1 — Recover the Hindi lexical verb stem by removing -ना, then understand which aspectual, modal, and agreement layers attach to it.
- The infinitive as verbal nounA2 — Use the Hindi -ना form to name an action while preserving its objects, modifiers, and understood or expressed subject.
- Oblique infinitive -neA2 — Recognize and form the Hindi oblique infinitive in -ने before postpositions and in purpose, onset, and related non-finite constructions.
- होना obligation constructionsB1 — Use an agreeing infinitive plus होना for assigned, scheduled, intended, or contextually required actions.
- Control with चाहना सकना and कहनाB2 — Track the understood subject of Hindi non-finite complements with चाहना, सकना, and कहना, and know when a finite कि clause is required.