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2.1 Personal Pronouns

2.1 Personal Pronouns

Hindi has the following personal pronouns.

Singular Plural
First person मैं (I) हम (we)
Second person* तू (you-very familiar) तुम (you-familiar)
आप (you-polite)
Third person far वह (she/he/it/that) वे (they/those)
Third person near यह (she/he/it/this) ये (they/these)

*Some notes about “You”:

a. Note that Hindi has three ways of saying “you.”

b. Avoid using the Second person Singular form तू should only be used with people who are very close to you.It may also be used to address God.

c. In English, “you” is always grammattically plural, whether you are talking to one person, or to several people. The same is true in Hindi for both the familiar form तुम and the polite form आप : they are both always grammatically plural, and you can use them when addressing one person as well as a group of people.

d. You should generally use आप with strangers or people you want to show respect for, and तुम with friends or peers.

See Snell’s Teach Yourself Hindi (2000)
Section 1.1 page 21

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