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

3. MORPHOLOGY

76. naIlaI saaD,I maoM vah AaOr BaI sauMdr lagatI hO.
    ni:li: sa:ri: mẽ vah ør bhi: sundar lagti: h ́.
    blue sari in she more part beautiful appear is
    She looks more beautiful in the blue sari.

76a. naIlaI saaD,I maoM vah AaOr hI sauMdr lagatI hO.
ni:li: sa:ri: mẽ vah ør hi: sundar lagti: h ́.

3.6.2. The Particle hI hi:

The particle hI hi: is generally used for emphasis and also in the
sense of ‘exclusiveness’ or ‘alone.’ As indicated above, the particle
hI hi: can be used as an emphatic marker with nouns. It can also be
used with different types of pronouns in both the direct and the
oblique cases: maOM hI m ́~ hi: ‘I myself,’ tU hI tu: hi: ‘thou thyself,’ Aap hI
a:p hi: ‘you yourself,’ kao[- hI koi: hi: ‘hardly anyone,’ kuC hI kuch hi:
‘hardly anything,’ ‘hardly a few.’

1. maOM hI Aa}Ðgaa.
   m ́~ hi: a:ũ:ga:.
   I past come-fut
   I will come myself.


2. Aap hI bata[e.
   a:p hi: bata:yiye.
   you part say
   You say (it) yourself.


3. kao[- hI yah kama kr sakta hO.
   koyi: hi: yah ka:m kar sakta: h ́.
   any part this work do able-ptc aux
   Hardly anyone can do this work.


4. kuC hI laaoga Aae qao.
   kuch hi: log a:ye the.
   some part people came aux
   Hardly a few people had come.

Adding the emphatic particle hI hi: to certain words results in certain
phonological changes.