मैं उपन्यास उधार लेती हूँ।

Because the speaker is understood to be female.

In Hindi, the main verb in this kind of sentence agrees with the subject in gender and number:

• मैं ... लेता हूँ = used by a male speaker
• मैं ... लेती हूँ = used by a female speaker

So:

• मैं उपन्यास uधार लेती हूँ। = a female speaker says this
• मैं उपन्यास उधार लेता हूँ। = a male speaker says this

हूँ is the present-tense form of the verb होना (to be) used with मैं.

In sentences like this, Hindi often uses:

• verb stem + habitual participle + form of होना

So here:

• लेती = habitual feminine singular form of लेना
• हूँ = am

Together, लेती हूँ gives the sense of I borrow / I do borrow / I usually borrow.

With other subjects, होना changes:

• मैं लेती हूँ
• तुम लेते हो
• वह लेता है
• वे लेते हैं

It is best understood as the habitual present.

That means it usually expresses something like:

• I borrow novels
• I borrow a novel
• I tend to borrow novels
• I am in the habit of borrowing novels

Hindi लेती हूँ does not usually mean I am borrowing right now.
For an action happening at this moment, Hindi normally uses the progressive:

• मैं उपन्यास उधार ले रही हूँ। = I am borrowing a novel.

So the sentence you gave most naturally describes a general habit, custom, or repeated action.

Here उधार means on loan / as a loan / by borrowing.

With लेना, the combination उधार लेना means to borrow.

So instead of a single verb meaning borrow, Hindi often expresses the idea with:

• उधार
  • लेना

A very common pair is:

• उधार लेना = to borrow
• उधार देना = to lend

Examples:

• मैं किताब उधार लेती हूँ। = I borrow a book.
• वह मुझे किताब उधार देता है। = He lends me a book.

Because उपन्यास here is the direct object, and direct objects in Hindi often appear without को.

Hindi uses को mainly when the object is:

• specific and animate
• a person
• sometimes marked for emphasis or definiteness

But inanimate things like उपन्यास often stay unmarked:

• मैं उपन्यास उधार लेती हूँ।
• मैं किताब पढ़ती हूँ।
• वह चाय पीता है।

You may sometimes see को with inanimate objects in more specific or marked contexts, but in a basic sentence like this, leaving it out is the normal choice.

Hindi usually prefers Subject + Object + Verb order.

So the structure is:

• मैं = subject
• उपन्यास = object
• उधार लेती हूँ = verbal expression

That is why the verb comes at the end.

A rough breakdown is:

• मैं — I
• उपन्यास — novel
• उधार — on loan / by borrowing
• लेती हूँ — take / borrow, feminine habitual

Hindi word order is somewhat flexible, but the verb normally stays near the end. This sentence is the most neutral and natural order.

Sometimes yes, but not every change sounds equally natural.

The standard order is:

• मैं उपन्यास उधार लेती हूँ।

You might also hear variations for emphasis, such as:

• उपन्यास मैं उधार लेती हूँ।
  This can emphasize novel.

But as a learner, it is safest to stick with the neutral pattern:

• subject + object + verb

That will sound natural in most situations.

Because in this sentence the verb agrees with the subject, not with the object.

The subject is मैं, and the speaker is female, so the verb is feminine singular:

• मैं ... लेती हूँ

The gender of उपन्यास does not control the verb here.

This is an important point for learners, because Hindi agreement can change in different constructions. But in a normal present habitual sentence like this one, agreement is with the subject.

Yes. Only the gender-marked part of the verb changes:

• मैं उपन्यास उधार लेता हूँ। = male speaker
• मैं उपन्यास उधार लेती हूँ। = female speaker

Everything else can stay the same.

In this exact sentence, उपन्यास is most naturally understood as a novel or novels depending on context.

Hindi often does not mark singular/plural on nouns as clearly as English does in every sentence. Context tells you which reading is intended.

So this could mean something like:

• I borrow a novel
• I borrow novels

If you want to make plurality clearer, Hindi can do that in other ways, for example with context, number words, or different wording.

You would usually use the progressive:

• मैं उपन्यास उधार ले रही हूँ। if the speaker is female
• मैं उपन्यास उधार ले रहा हूँ। if the speaker is male

Compare:

• मैं उपन्यास उधार लेती हूँ। = I borrow novels / I borrow a novel / I usually borrow
• मैं उपन्यास उधार ले रही हूँ। = I am borrowing a novel right now

This is one of the most useful tense contrasts in Hindi.

Yes. उधार लेना is the normal and very natural way to say to borrow.

Hindi often uses combinations like this, where a noun or adverb-like word combines with a common verb such as लेना, देना, करना, or होना.

So instead of searching for a single standalone verb meaning exactly borrow, learners should get comfortable with:

• उधार लेना = to borrow
• उधार देना = to lend

This is how native speakers commonly express the idea.