Questions & Answers about वह किताब नई है।
वह can mean either he, she, it, or that, depending on context.
In this sentence, because it comes before किताब (book), it is usually understood as that:
- वह किताब = that book
Hindi often uses the same word for both a third-person pronoun and a demonstrative:
- वह आया। = He came.
- वह किताब नई है। = That book is new.
So you decide from context which meaning is intended.
Hindi normally follows Subject–Object–Verb order, and in simple equational sentences like this, the verb usually comes at the end.
So the structure is:
- वह किताब = that book
- नई = new
- है = is
Literally, it is closer to:
- That book new is.
This is completely normal in Hindi. The verb है usually comes at the end of the sentence.
Because किताब is a feminine noun, and the adjective must agree with it.
The adjective नया (new) changes form:
- नया for masculine singular
- नई for feminine singular
So:
- वह लड़का नया है। = That boy is new.
- वह किताब नई है। = That book is new.
Since किताब is feminine, नई is the correct form.
In Hindi, every noun has grammatical gender, and you often just have to learn it with the word.
किताब is feminine, so it takes feminine agreement:
- नई किताब = new book
- यह किताब अच्छी है। = This book is good.
Unfortunately, gender is not always predictable from meaning. A book is not biologically female, but grammatically किताब is feminine. It is best to memorize nouns together with their gender.
Hindi does not normally use articles like a, an, and the the way English does.
So:
- किताब can mean a book, the book, or just book, depending on context.
- वह किताब helps make it more specific, so it often means that book.
Hindi relies more on context, word order, and demonstratives like यह (this) and वह (that) instead of articles.
है is the present-tense form of the verb to be for singular subjects in sentences like this.
Here it means:
- is
So:
- वह किताब नई है। = That book is new.
In standard Hindi, you normally use है in this kind of sentence. In very casual speech, people may sometimes drop it, but learners should keep it:
- वह किताब नई है। ✅
For plural subjects, you would usually use हैं instead:
- वे किताबें नई हैं। = Those books are new.
In this sentence, नई is being used as a predicate adjective, not as an adjective directly attached inside the noun phrase.
Compare:
नई किताब = a new book
- Here नई directly describes the noun.
वह किताब नई है। = That book is new.
- Here नई comes as part of the predicate, followed by है.
So Hindi can do both:
- नई किताब = new book
- किताब नई है = the book is new
Yes. In everyday speech, वह is very often pronounced and written informally as वो.
So both are common:
- वह किताब नई है।
- वो किताब नई है।
The first is more formal or standard in writing. The second is very common in conversation.
Similarly:
- यह often becomes ये in speech.
नई is pronounced roughly like na-ee.
It has two vowel sounds:
- न = na
- ई = long ee
So do not pronounce it like one English syllable nay. It is more like:
- na-ee
Also, the spelling shows the feminine form clearly:
- नया = masculine
- नई = feminine
Yes, you can, if the context already makes clear which book you mean.
- किताब नई है। = The book is new / A book is new
- वह किताब नई है। = That book is new
Adding वह makes the noun more specific. Without it, the sentence is more general or depends more heavily on context.
If you want to say Those books are new, you need plural forms.
A common version is:
- वे किताबें नई हैं।
Breakdown:
- वे = those / they
- किताबें = books
- नई = new
- हैं = are
Notice:
- किताब becomes किताबें in the plural
- है becomes हैं
- नई stays the same here because the noun is feminine
Yes, it is a completely natural and correct Hindi sentence.
It is a good basic example because it shows several important patterns:
- वह as a demonstrative
- a feminine noun: किताब
- adjective agreement: नई
- the verb है at the end
So it is a very useful model sentence for beginners.