मेरे दाँत साफ हैं।

Breakdown of मेरे दाँत साफ हैं।

होना
to be
मेरा
my
साफ
clean
दाँत
teeth

Questions & Answers about मेरे दाँत साफ हैं।

Why is it मेरे and not मेरा or मेरी?

Because मेरे must agree with दाँत.

In Hindi, words like मेरा / मेरी / मेरे mean my, but they change form depending on the gender and number of the noun that follows:

  • मेरा = for singular masculine nouns
  • मेरी = for singular feminine nouns
  • मेरे = for plural nouns (and also some masculine oblique contexts)

Here, दाँत is treated as masculine plural, so we use मेरे:

  • मेरा दाँत = my tooth
  • मेरे दाँत = my teeth

Why is the verb हैं and not है?

Because the subject is plural: दाँत = teeth.

In Hindi, है is generally used with singular subjects, and हैं with plural subjects.

So:

  • मेरा दाँत साफ है। = My tooth is clean.
  • मेरे दाँत साफ हैं। = My teeth are clean.

Why does साफ stay the same? Shouldn’t it change for plural?

Not all Hindi adjectives change form.

साफ is an indeclinable adjective, which means it does not change for gender or number. It stays साफ whether the noun is singular, plural, masculine, or feminine.

Examples:

  • कमरा साफ है। = The room is clean.
  • किताब साफ है। = The book is clean.
  • दाँत साफ हैं। = The teeth are clean.

By contrast, some adjectives do change:

  • अच्छा लड़का
  • अच्छी लड़की
  • अच्छे लड़के

But साफ does not.


Is दाँत singular or plural here? It looks the same as the singular form.

Here it is plural, because of the context:

  • मेरे = plural my
  • हैं = plural are

So even though दाँत often looks the same in singular and plural in the direct form, the other words around it show the number.

Compare:

  • मेरा दाँत साफ है। = My tooth is clean.
  • मेरे दाँत साफ हैं। = My teeth are clean.

This is very common in Hindi: sometimes the noun itself does not visibly change, but agreement words do.


How do you pronounce दाँत?

दाँत is pronounced roughly like daãnt.

A few useful points:

  • दा = like daa
  • shows nasalization of the vowel, so it is not just daat, but more like daãt
  • here is a dental t, made with the tongue touching the teeth, not the English t

So a rough guide is:

  • दाँतdaa(n)t, with a nasalized vowel

The nasalization is important. It helps distinguish the natural Hindi pronunciation.


What exactly does मेरे दाँत mean grammatically? Is it literally my teeth?

Yes. मेरे दाँत literally means my teeth.

Hindi usually shows possession by putting a possessive word before the noun:

  • मेरा = my
  • तुम्हारा = your
  • उसका = his/her/its

So:

  • मेरे दाँत = my teeth

Unlike English, Hindi does not need a separate word like of here.


Does Hindi have a verb meaning to have? Why isn’t this sentence built with I have?

Hindi usually does not use a verb exactly like English to have in simple possession.

Instead of saying something like I have clean teeth, Hindi often expresses the idea through possession plus to be:

  • मेरे दाँत साफ हैं। Literally: My teeth clean are.

This is a very normal Hindi structure.

So Hindi often says:

  • मेरे पास किताब है। = I have a book.
    Literally: Near me a book is.
  • मेरे दाँत साफ हैं। = My teeth are clean.

Why is the word order different from English?

Hindi and English often organize sentences differently.

English:

  • My teeth are clean.

Hindi:

  • मेरे दाँत साफ हैं।
  • Literally: My teeth clean are.

Hindi usually places the main verb at the end of the sentence. That is why हैं comes last.

A very common Hindi pattern is:

subject + description + verb

So here:

  • मेरे दाँत = my teeth
  • साफ = clean
  • हैं = are

Could I also say दाँत मेरे साफ हैं?

It is possible in some contexts, but it is not the most neutral or standard way to say it.

The normal sentence is:

  • मेरे दाँत साफ हैं।

If you change the order, it may sound marked, contrastive, or poetic, depending on context.

For a learner, the safest and most natural form is:

  • मेरे dाँत साफ हैं।

Can this sentence mean My teeth are brushed?

Not exactly.

साफ means clean. So the sentence means the teeth are in a clean state.

If you want to specifically talk about the action of brushing, Hindi would usually use a different expression, such as:

  • मैंने दाँत साफ किए। = I cleaned/brushed my teeth.
  • मैंने ब्रश किया। = I brushed.

So मेरे दाँत साफ हैं describes a result/state, not necessarily the action itself.


Is साफ the same as white here?

No. साफ means clean, not white.

If you want to say My teeth are white, you would use सफेद:

  • मेरे दाँत सफेद हैं। = My teeth are white.

So:

  • साफ = clean
  • सफेद = white

A person’s teeth can be clean without being especially white, so the distinction matters.


What is the role of हैं here? Can it ever be omitted?

हैं is the present-tense form of to be and is an important part of this full sentence.

  • मेरे दाँत साफ हैं। = My teeth are clean.

In very informal speech, Hindi speakers sometimes drop forms of होना (to be) in certain contexts, but learners should not do that at first.

So you should keep हैं here.


What would the singular version of this sentence be?

The singular version is:

  • मेरा दाँत साफ है। = My tooth is clean.

Notice the changes:

  • मेरेमेरा
  • हैंहै

But साफ stays the same.

So the contrast is:

  • मेरा दाँत साफ है। = My tooth is clean.
  • मेरे दाँत साफ हैं। = My teeth are clean.
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