वह बाहर गरज सुनती है।

She hears a roar outside.

Breakdown of वह बाहर गरज सुनती है।

• होना: to be
• बाहर: outside
• वह: she
• सुनना: to hear

Questions & Answers about वह बाहर गरज सुनती है।

Why does वह mean she here? I thought it could also mean he or that.

Yes—वह is ambiguous by itself. It can mean:

• he
• she
• that

Hindi third-person pronouns do not usually mark gender the way English pronouns do. In this sentence, the verb form सुनती shows that the subject is feminine, so here वह is understood as she.

If the subject were masculine, you would normally get:

• वह बाहर गरज सुनता है। = He hears thunder outside.

So the verb helps you decide whether वह is he or she.

Why is it सुनती and not सुनता?

Because सुनती agrees with a feminine singular subject.

Here the subject is वह = she, so the verb uses the feminine singular habitual form:

• सुनता है = masculine singular
• सुनती है = feminine singular

So:

• वह सुनता है = he hears
• वह सुनती है = she hears

This is one of the main ways Hindi shows gender in a sentence.

What exactly does है do in this sentence?