V-आ/ई/ए/या (Did)

For actions that are done and finished — 'he ate', 'she went', 'they came'

Examples

masculine singular (आ/या)

लड़का गया

The boy went

feminine singular (ई)

लड़की गई

The girl went

masculine plural (ए)

लड़के गए

The boys went

Usage Notes

With transitive verbs (verbs that take an object), the subject gets ने and the verb agrees with the object instead. This is the trickiest rule for Hindi learners.

Compare: लड़का गया (boy went — verb agrees with boy, no ने) vs. लड़के ने किताब पढ़ी (boy read the book — verb agrees with किताब, ने on subject).

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Related — Verb Tenses & Aspects

V-ता/ती/ते + है (I do / He does)

For things that happen regularly — 'he drinks', 'she works', 'I eat'

V-ता/ती/ते + था (Used to)

For things that used to happen regularly — 'he used to drink', 'she used to work'

V + रहा/रही + है (Is doing)

For actions happening right now — 'he is eating', 'she is going'

V + रहा/रही + था (Was doing)

For actions that were happening at a past moment — 'he was eating', 'she was going'

V-आ/ई + है (Have done)

For completed actions that still matter now — 'I have eaten', 'she has left'

All Grammar Points