Verb (Kriya) — Patwari Notes
Kriya is the backbone of a Hindi sentence and an essential part of pad-parichay (identifying nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, indeclinables). This page explains all the major types of verb — transitive, intransitive, causative, compound, perfective participial, and nominal — with examples, so that the type of verb in any sentence can be spotted quickly.
- Class 4–8 level
- 10 min read
Definition of Kriya and its role in a sentence
A word that conveys the doing or happening of an action is called kriya (a verb). In a Hindi sentence, the verb is the part that connects to the subject or object and completes the sentence; it is formed by adding a suffix to a dhatu (root form) — for instance, the root 'पढ़' gives rise to forms like 'पढ़ना', 'पढ़ता', 'पढ़ेगा'.
Verbs in Hindi are classified mainly on two bases — first, by whether an object is present (sakarmak/akarmak/dvikarmak — transitive/intransitive/ditransitive), and second, by formation and usage (causative, compound, nominal, perfective participial, and more). Exam questions can be built from either classification, so understanding both together is important.
Types of verb based on the object (karma)
| Type | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| सकर्मक क्रिया — Transitive verb | A verb whose effect passes from the subject onto an object; asking 'what?' gets an answer | राम ने पत्र लिखा (What did he write? — a letter) |
| अकर्मक क्रिया — Intransitive verb | A verb whose effect stays limited to the subject, with no object | बच्चा सोता है (The child sleeps) |
| द्विकर्मक क्रिया — Ditransitive verb | A verb that takes two objects (a main one and a secondary one) | माँ ने बच्चे को दूध पिलाया (The mother fed the child milk) |
| अपूर्ण अकर्मक क्रिया — Incomplete intransitive verb | An intransitive verb that needs a complement to complete its meaning | राम अध्यापक बना (Ram became a teacher — without 'अध्यापक', the meaning stays incomplete) |
Other major types, based on formation/usage
| Type | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| प्रेरणार्थक क्रिया — Causative verb | When the subject doesn't perform the action themselves, but has someone else do it | माँ ने बच्चे को पढ़ाया (first causative — direct causation); माँ ने बच्चे को पढ़वाया (second causative — causation through an intermediary) |
| संयुक्त क्रिया — Compound verb | Two verbs together conveying a single, combined sense (a main verb + a 'colouring' verb) | वह पढ़ने लगा (beginning), वह खा चुका (completion), वह चल सकता है (ability) |
| नामधातु क्रिया — Nominal verb | A verb formed from a noun, pronoun, or adjective | शर्म से शरमाना (to feel shy, from शर्म), लाज से लजाना (to feel bashful, from लाज), हाथ से हथियाना (to seize/grab, from हाथ) |
| पूर्वकालिक क्रिया — Perfective participial verb | When one of two actions by the same subject is completed before the other; usually takes the '-कर/-करके' suffix | राम खाना खाकर सोया (Ram slept after eating) |
Auxiliary verbs and their relation to tense
Auxiliary verbs like होना, रहना, सकना, चुकना, पाना attach to the main verb and make the tense, voice, or aspect clear — for example, in 'वह जा रहा है' ('he is going'), the auxiliary 'रहा है' shows the continuous aspect of the present tense.
An auxiliary verb does not give complete meaning on its own in a sentence — it always works attached to a main verb. In contrast, a compound verb has both verbs together creating a new, specific sense (such as beginning, completion, ability, or permission) — this is the core difference between the two. To tell them apart in the exam, check whether the second verb is adding a new sense to the main verb's meaning, or merely clarifying its tense/voice.
The test for telling transitive apart from intransitive
- The question test
- Ask 'क्या' (what) or 'किसे' (whom) along with the verb — if you get an answer, it's transitive; if not, it's intransitive
- An example pair
- 'वह सोता है' ('he sleeps' — intransitive) versus 'वह किताब पढ़ता है' ('he reads a book' — transitive; what does he read? — a book)
- Watch for exceptions
- Some verbs (like 'सोना' — to sleep) are usually intransitive, but can behave like a transitive verb with a cognate object — as in 'वह गहरी नींद सोया' ("he slept a deep sleep")
Examples of verb forms built from a root (dhatu)
| Root (dhatu) | Ordinary verb | Causative form |
|---|---|---|
| पढ़ | पढ़ना | पढ़ाना / पढ़वाना |
| लिख | लिखना | लिखाना / लिखवाना |
| सो | सोना | सुलाना / सुलवाना |
| उठ | उठना | उठाना / उठवाना |
The first causative form is usually built with the '-आना' suffix, and the second causative form with the '-वाना' suffix.
Memory trick
Identify by asking 'क्या/किसे' (what/whom) — if asking 'क्या' along with the verb gets a clear answer (the object), it's transitive; otherwise, intransitive. To identify a causative verb, check whether the subject is doing the action themselves or having it done. If you see the '-वाना' suffix, it's the second causative; if you see '-आना', it's the first causative — this small cue saves time in the exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Kriya asked about in the exam?+
Usually by asking you to identify the type (transitive/intransitive/causative, etc.) of an underlined verb in a sentence, or to choose the correct type from given options.
What is the main difference between a transitive and an intransitive verb?+
A transitive verb's effect falls on an object (a thing/person), and asking 'what?' gets an answer, while an intransitive verb's effect stays limited to the subject, with no object.
How many forms does a causative verb have?+
Two — the first causative (the subject has someone else do the action directly, as in पढ़ाना) and the second causative (the subject has the action done through a third person, as in पढ़वाना).
What is the difference between a compound verb and an auxiliary verb?+
An auxiliary verb attaches to the main verb and only shows tense/voice (as in 'जा रहा है'), while a compound verb combines two verbs to give a new, specific sense (beginning, completion, ability), as in 'पढ़ने लगा'.
How do I identify a ditransitive verb?+
A sentence whose verb takes two objects — a main object (a thing) and a secondary object (a person) — has a ditransitive verb, as in 'माँ ने बच्चे को दूध पिलाया', where 'दूध' is the main object and 'बच्चे को' is the secondary object.