Pronouns
હું, તું, તે, અમે and આપણે in every case (મને, મારું, તેને), કોણ and શું, and જે ... તે.
Learn
Pronouns, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Know the subject pronouns
હું I, તું you (a friend), તે or એ he, she or it, અમે and આપણે we, તમે you (polite or plural), આપ you (respectful), તેઓ they. તે is the same for he and she; the verb ending shows which.
Choose between અમે and આપણે
અમે is we without the listener: અમે ભારત જઈએ છીએ my family and I are going to India. આપણે includes them: ચાલો, આપણે સાથે જઈએ let's go together.
Use the ને forms for me, to me
મને, તને, તેને, અમને, આપણને, તમને, તેમને: તેણે મને ભેટ આપી she gave me a present. Feelings use them too: મને ગમે છે, મને ભૂખ લાગી છે I am hungry.
Use the possessive forms
મારું my, તારું, તેનું, અમારું, આપણું, તમારું, આપનું, તેમનું their or his and her said with respect. Each agrees with the thing owned.
Use the agent forms in the past
With a verb that has an object, the past uses મેં, તેં, તેણે, અમે, આપણે, તમે or તેમણે: તેણે ચા પીધી she drank some tea.
Ask who and what
કોણ who, કોને to whom, કોનું whose, કોણે who did; શું what: આ કોનું પુસ્તક છે? whose book is this?
Join two ideas with જે ... તે
જે begins the description and તે picks it up: જે છોકરો ત્યાં ઊભો છે તે મારો ભાઈ છે the boy who is standing there is my brother.
Say someone, something and everyone
કોઈ someone, કંઈક something, અમુક certain or some, બધા everyone, દરેક each: કોઈ દરવાજે ઊભું છે someone is at the door. Recognise these at Foundation; use them at Higher.
Pronouns key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Personal pronoun
- A word for a person: હું, તું, તે, અમે, તમે.
- Exclusive we
- અમે: we, not counting the person you are talking to.
- Inclusive we
- આપણે: we, including the person you are talking to.
- Object pronoun
- A pronoun the action is done to, with -ને: મને, તેને.
- Possessive pronoun
- A word for whose: મારું, તમારું, તેનું.
- Relative pronoun
- જે, who or which, paired with તે to join two ideas.
Common mistakes in Pronouns
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Writing I like it as હું ગમે છે.
The person who likes takes -ને: મને ગમે છે.
Using અમે when you mean you and me.
To include the listener, use આપણે: આપણે ફિલ્મ જોઈએ? shall we watch a film?
Writing હું ચા પીધી for I drank tea.
પીવું takes an object, so the past needs the agent form: મેં ચા પીધી.
Using તેનું for a teacher or a grandparent.
Show respect with the plural forms: તેમનું નામ, તેઓ આવ્યા.
Practice
Try a Pronouns question
A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.
Which completes the sentence? ___ છોકરો ગિટાર વગાડે છે તે મારો ભાઈ છે. (The boy who plays the guitar is my brother.)
- તે
- કોણ
- જે
- શું
Show the answer and the working
Answer: જે
જે begins the description and તે picks it up: જે છોકરો ગિટાર વગાડે છે તે મારો ભાઈ છે, the boy who plays the guitar is my brother.
- જે opens the description.
- તે points back to it.
- So જે છોકરો: the boy who.