Questions & Answers about भाई बाहर है; बहन अंदर है।
Why is there no word for the or a before भाई and बहन?
Hindi normally does not use articles the way English does. So भाई can mean brother, a brother, or the brother, depending on context. The same is true for बहन.
So:
- भाई बाहर है = Brother is outside / The brother is outside
- बहन अंदर है = Sister is inside / The sister is inside
Context tells you which English version sounds best.
Is the word order different from English here?
Yes, slightly.
In English, we say:
- Brother is outside
In Hindi, the pattern is:
- भाई बाहर है
- literally: Brother outside is
This is normal in Hindi. The basic structure here is:
- subject + location/state + form of "to be"
So बहन अंदर है follows exactly the same pattern.
What does है mean here?