Modern Hindi Grammar - Indian Institute of Language Studies (IILS)

3. MORPHOLOGY

(iii) The feminine plurals are formed by adding the suffix -eM /ẽ/ to
the consonant-ending singular forms.

iktaba kita:b book iktabaoM kita:bẽ books
maoja, mez table maoja,oM mezẽ tables
gaaya ga:y cow gaayaoM ga:yẽ cows

(iv) The plural suffix -[yaaÐ -iyã: is added to the -[-M -i: ending feminine
nouns.

laD,kI larki: girl + [yaaÐ -iyã: = laD,ikyaaÐ larkiyã: girls
kusaI- kursi: chair + [yaaÐ -iyã: = kuisa-yaaÐ kursiyã: chairs
khanaI kaha:ni: story + [yaaÐ -iyã: = khainayaaÐ kaha:niyã: stories

Notice that when the suffix is added the final vowel of the stem is
deleted.

3.1.1.3. Case

The syntactic and semantic functions of noun phrases are expressed
by case-suffixes, postpositions and derivational processes. There are
two cases: direct and oblique. Case-suffixes and postpositions are
used to express syntactic and semantic functions. Case suffixes are
defined as bound suffixes, which do not occur independently as
words and are added only to the noun phrases. Case suffixes added
to the oblique forms of nouns agreeing in number and gender.

Case Masculine Feminine
Sg Pl Sg Pl
Direct Ø Ø Ø Ø
Oblique -e -e - AaoM -õ -[ -i - AaoM -õ
Vocative -e -e - Aao -o - [ -i - Aao -o

The vocative address forms may be preceded by the vocative
morphemes Aao o/ ho he/ Aro are. The role of case-suffixes and
postpositions is explained in the paradigms of laD,ka larka: ‘boy’ and
laD,kI larki: ‘girl’ given below.