Breakdown of कपड़े सुखाने की रस्सी बाहर टाँगिए।
Questions & Answers about कपड़े सुखाने की रस्सी बाहर टाँगिए।
What is the basic structure of this sentence?
It breaks down like this:
- कपड़े सुखाने की रस्सी = the rope for drying clothes / the clothesline
- बाहर = outside
- टाँगिए = hang (said politely/respectfully)
So the pattern is:
[object] + [place/adverb] + [verb]
That is very normal in Hindi, because the verb usually comes at the end.
Why does कपड़े सुखाने की रस्सी mean clothesline?
Hindi often uses a descriptive phrase where English might use a single word.
So:
- कपड़े = clothes
- सुखाने = for drying
- रस्सी = rope
Literally, it is the rope for drying clothes. In natural English, that is often just a clothesline.
This kind of structure is very common in Hindi. For example:
- चाय पीने का कप = cup for drinking tea
- बैठने की जगह = place for sitting
Why is it सुखाने, not सुखाना?
सुखाना is the dictionary form, meaning to dry.
When this infinitive is followed by a postposition like का/की/के, it usually changes to the oblique form -ने:
- सुखाना → सुखाने
So:
- कपड़े सुखाने की रस्सी = rope for drying clothes
This is a very common pattern in Hindi:
- खाने का समय = time to eat / mealtime
- पढ़ने की मेज़ = desk for studying
- सोने का कमरा = room for sleeping / bedroom
Why is it की, not का or के?
Because रस्सी is a feminine singular noun.
In this structure, का / की / के agrees with the noun that follows it, here रस्सी.
So:
- रस्सी = feminine singular → की
- if the noun were masculine singular, you would use का
- if it were plural, you would use के
So कपड़े सुखाने की रस्सी uses की because of रस्सी, not because of कपड़े.
Is रस्सी feminine?
Yes. रस्सी is a feminine noun in Hindi.
That is why related words agree with it in the feminine, as in:
- लंबी रस्सी = long rope
- नई रस्सी = new rope
- सुखाने की रस्सी = rope for drying
Knowing the gender of nouns is important in Hindi because adjectives and markers like का/की/के often depend on it.
Why is कपड़े plural? Why not कपड़ा?
Because कपड़े usually means clothes in general.
By contrast:
- कपड़ा often means cloth/fabric, or sometimes a piece of clothing
- कपड़े means clothes
So in this sentence, कपड़े सुखाने means drying clothes, which is the natural expression.
What exactly does टाँगिए mean?
टाँगिए is the polite imperative form of टाँगना, which means to hang or to suspend something.
So टाँगिए means:
- hang it
- please hang it
- do hang it
depending on context and tone.
It is used when speaking respectfully, for example to:
- an older person
- a stranger
- more than one person
- someone you want to address politely
How polite is टाँगिए?
It is polite/respectful.
Hindi has different imperative levels. Very roughly:
- टाँग = very blunt/intimate
- टाँगो = familiar
- टाँगिए = polite/respectful
So this sentence sounds like a polite instruction or request.
You may also hear an even softer version such as:
- टाँग दीजिए
That often sounds a bit more like please hang it up.
Why is there no को after रस्सी?
Because रस्सी is the direct object, and in Hindi direct objects—especially inanimate ones—often appear without को.
Here:
- रस्सी = the thing being hung
- it is inanimate
- so no को is needed
Hindi often uses को more with:
- animate objects
- specific persons
- indirect objects
So रस्सी बाहर टाँगिए is perfectly normal.
What does बाहर do in the sentence?
बाहर means outside or outdoors.
It tells you where to hang the clothesline.
So:
- बाहर टाँगिए = hang it outside
Hindi adverbs like बाहर can move around somewhat, but the verb usually stays at the end. For example, these are all understandable:
- रस्सी बाहर टाँगिए
- कपड़े सुखाने की रस्सी बाहर टाँगिए
- बाहर रस्सी टाँगिए
The original sentence is natural and clear.
How do I pronounce टाँगिए?
A helpful transliteration is ṭā̃giye.
A few pronunciation points:
- ट is a retroflex t sound, made with the tongue curled slightly back
- ाँ nasalizes the vowel, so it sounds like taa with nasal resonance
- गि is gi
- ए here is part of -इए, giving a sound like -iye
So it is roughly:
ṭaan-gi-ye, with the first vowel nasalized.
Could this sentence be translated more naturally as just Hang the clothesline outside?
Yes. That is a very natural English translation.
Even though Hindi says literally the rope for drying clothes, English often prefers the single word clothesline.
So both of these capture the sentence well:
- Hang the clothesline outside.
- Please hang the clothes-drying rope outside.
The first one is more natural English; the second is more literal.
Is this sentence a command or a request?
Grammatically, it is an imperative, so it is a command/instruction.
But because the verb is in the polite form टाँगिए, it can sound like:
- a polite command
- a respectful instruction
- a request
So in real life, the exact force depends on tone and situation. Hindi polite imperatives often do the job of English Please ... even when please is not explicitly said.
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