को (ko)
postposition
को (ko) is one of the workhorse postpositions of Hindi: it marks indirect objects ('to'), certain definite direct objects, the experiencer in dative-subject constructions (with words like लगना (lagnaa) and चाहिए (chaahie)), and points in time ('on/at').
Sense
1
:
to/for (indirect object marker)
postposition Marks the recipient or goal of verbs like देना (denaa, 'to give'), बताना (bataanaa, 'to tell'), and भेजना (bhejnaa, 'to send'): राम को किताब दो (raam ko kitaab do, 'give the book to Ram').
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the core 'goal' sense of को (ko) -- something moves, literally or figuratively, toward the person marked by it. The other senses of को (ko) (marking objects, experiencers, even points in time) all extend from this same idea of something being 'directed at' a target.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for के लिए (ke lie) here, but के लिए marks purpose or benefit ('for the sake of'), while को marks the actual recipient of the action -- राम को दो (raam ko do, 'give [it] to Ram') is different from राम के लिए लाओ (raam ke lie laao, 'bring [it] for Ram').
Sample Sentences:
माँ बच्चे को दूध पिलाती है।
The mother feeds milk to the child.
(maan bachche ko doodh pilaatii hai।)
Listen: F85
कृपया यह चिट्ठी राहुल को दे देना।
Please give this letter to Rahul.
(kripyaa yah chitthii raahul ko de denaa।)
Listen: F85
वह हमेशा अपने दोस्तों को सलाह देता रहता है।
He always keeps giving advice to his friends.
(vah hameshaa apne doston ko salaah detaa rahtaa hai।)
Listen: M85
यह पत्र प्रधानमंत्री को भेजा जाएगा।
This letter will be sent to the Prime Minister.
(yah patr pradhaanmantrii ko bhejaa jaaegaa।)
Listen: M85
मैं चाहता हूँ कि यह उपहार तुम अपनी बहन को दो।
I want you to give this gift to your sister.
(main chaahtaa hoon ki yah upahaar tum apnii bahan ko do।)
Listen: F85
अगर मुझे पता होता, तो मैं तुम्हें पहले ही बता देता।
If I had known, I would have told you earlier.
(agar mujhe pataa hotaa, to main tumhen pahle hii bataa detaa।)
Listen: M85
उसने अपनी सारी दौलत गरीबों को दान कर दी।
He donated all his wealth to the poor.
(usne apnii saarii daulat gariibon ko daan kar dii।)
Listen: F85
टीचर बच्चों को कहानी सुना रही है।
The teacher is telling a story to the children.
(tiichar bachchon ko kahaanii sunaa rahii hai।)
Listen: F85
यह संदेश सभी कर्मचारियों को भेजा गया है।
This message has been sent to all the employees.
(yah sandesh sabhii karmchaariyon ko bhejaa gayaa hai।)
Listen: M85
Sense
2
:
marks a specific/definite direct object
postposition Appears on a direct object, especially a specific person, when the speaker wants to single it out: राम को बुलाओ (raam ko bulaao, 'call Ram [specifically]') versus बच्चों को खाना दो (bachchon ko khaanaa do, 'give the children food').
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Hindi speakers use को (ko) here the way English uses stress or word order to flag 'this particular one' -- a bare direct object feels generic, but adding को (ko) picks out a definite, known individual, almost always when that object is a person or named animate being.
Common Mistakes: 1) Dropping को on a definite human object makes a sentence sound odd or incomplete to a native ear -- राम बुलाओ (raam bulaao) reads as clipped or unnatural next to the correct राम को बुलाओ (raam ko bulaao). 2) Conversely, adding को to an indefinite object is wrong: मुझे एक किताब चाहिए (mujhe ek kitaab chaahie, 'I need a book') never takes को before किताब (kitaab) because the book isn't a specific, known one.
Sample Sentences:
माँ बच्चे को रोज़ स्कूल भेजती है।
The mother sends the child to school every day.
(maan bachche ko roz skool bhejtii hai।)
Listen: F85
पुलिस उस चोर को ढूँढ रही है।
The police are searching for that thief.
(pulis us chor ko dhoondh rahii hai।)
Listen: M85
उस लड़की को घर तक पहुँचा दो।
Drop that girl off at home.
(us ladkii ko ghar tak pahunchaa do।)
Listen: M85
शायद वे नए मैनेजर को कल बुलाएँ।
Maybe they will call the new manager tomorrow.
(shaayad ve nae mainejar ko kal bulaaen।)
Listen: M85
अगर मैं उस आदमी को पहचानता तो उसे रोक लेता।
If I had recognized that man, I would have stopped him.
(agar main us aadmii ko pahchaantaa to use rok letaa।)
Listen: M85
उस मुजरिम को अदालत में पेश किया गया।
That criminal was produced in court.
(us mujrim ko adaalat men pesh kiyaa gayaa।)
Listen: F85
कृपया अध्यक्ष महोदय को सूचित करें।
Please inform the honorable chairman.
(kripyaa adhyaksh mahoday ko soochit karen।)
Listen: M85
मैं अपनी बेटी को हमेशा प्यार करूँगा।
I will always love my daughter.
(main apnii betii ko hameshaa pyaar karoongaa।)
Listen: M85
उन्होंने अपने पुराने नौकर को नौकरी से निकाल दिया।
They fired their old servant from the job.
(unhonne apne puraane naukar ko naukrii se nikaal diyaa।)
Listen: M85
Sense
3
:
marks the experiencer in dative-subject constructions
postposition Used with verbs and constructions of feeling, necessity, or perception -- लगना (lagnaa), पसंद आना (pasand aanaa), चाहिए (chaahie), दर्द होना (dard honaa) -- where the person affected is marked with को (ko) rather than behaving as a grammatical subject: मुझको ठंड लगती है (mujhko thand lagtii hai, 'I feel cold').
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Hindi treats feelings, needs, and sensations as things that happen *to* a person rather than things a person actively does -- so 'I like it' becomes मुझे पसंद है (mujhe pasand hai, literally 'to me it is pleasing'). This को-as-experiencer (ko) pattern is one of the biggest conceptual shifts for an English speaker learning Hindi.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners who know को (ko) mainly as 'to' sometimes drop it here and treat the experiencer like an English subject: मैं पानी चाहिए (main paanii chaahie) instead of the correct मुझे पानी चाहिए (mujhe paanii chaahie, 'I need water').
Sample Sentences:
उसे कल रात अच्छी नींद नहीं आई।
She didn't sleep well last night.
(use kal raat achchhii niind nahiin aaii।)
Listen: F85
बच्चों को अंधेरे से डर लगता है।
Children are scared of the dark.
(bachchon ko andhere se dar lagtaa hai।)
Listen: F85
अगर उन्हें बुखार होता, तो वे आज ऑफ़िस नहीं आते।
If he had a fever, he wouldn't have come to office today.
(agar unhen bukhaar hotaa, to ve aaj ofis nahiin aate।)
Listen: M85
क्या तुम्हें यह गाना पसंद है?
Do you like this song?
(kyaa tumhen yah gaanaa pasand hai?)
Listen: F85
मुझे लगता है कि बारिश होने वाली है।
I feel like it's going to rain.
(mujhe lagtaa hai ki baarish hone vaalii hai।)
Listen: F85
उन्हें अगले हफ़्ते तक यह काम पूरा करना होगा, इसलिए उन्हें अभी से चिंता हो रही है।
He has to finish this work by next week, so he's already getting anxious.
(unhen agle hafte tak yah kaam pooraa karnaa hogaa, islie unhen abhii se chintaa ho rahii hai।)
Listen: F85
यात्रियों को समुद्र में उल्टी होने लगी।
The passengers started feeling seasick.
(yaatriyon ko samudr men ultii hone lagii।)
Listen: F85
महोदय, आपको किसी वस्तु की आवश्यकता तो नहीं है?
Sir, do you need anything?
(mahoday, aapko kisii vastu kii aavashyaktaa to nahiin hai?)
Listen: M85
काश मुझे भी वैसा ही सुकून मिलता।
I wish I got that same peace of mind too.
(kaash mujhe bhii vaisaa hii sukoon miltaa।)
Listen: M85
उसे शायद यह बात याद न रहे।
He might not remember this.
(use shaayad yah baat yaad n rahe।)
Listen: F85
मुझे तो कुछ समझ में ही नहीं आया।
I didn't understand anything at all.
(mujhe to kuchh samajh men hii nahiin aayaa।)
Listen: M85
Sense
4
:
on/at (marks a point in time)
postposition Attaches to days of the week and specific time expressions: सोमवार को (somvaar ko, 'on Monday'), सुबह को (subah ko, 'in the morning').
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: The same 'pointing at a target' logic behind को (ko) as 'to' also lets it single out a point in time, much like English 'on' before a day -- 'on Monday' and सोमवार को (somvaar ko) both aim the sentence at one specific slot.
Common Mistakes: 1) को (ko) is used with days of the week and general time-of-day words but tends to drop out with more elaborate calendar dates, which can confuse learners about when it's required versus optional.
Sample Sentences:
हमारी शादी पंद्रह तारीख़ को हुई थी।
Our wedding happened on the fifteenth.
(hamaarii shaadii pandrah taariikh ko huii thii।)
Listen: F85
वह हर शुक्रवार को मंदिर जाती है।
She goes to the temple every Friday.
(vah har shukrvaar ko mandir jaatii hai।)
Listen: F85
परीक्षा किस तारीख़ को होगी?
On which date will the exam be held?
(pariikshaa kis taariikh ko hogii?)
Listen: M85
कृपया गुरुवार को दफ़्तर ज़रूर आना।
Please do come to the office on Thursday.
(kripyaa guruvaar ko daftar zaroor aanaa।)
Listen: M85
अगर पार्टी शनिवार को होती, तो मैं ज़रूर आता।
If the party were on Saturday, I would definitely come.
(agar paartii shanivaar ko hotii, to main zaroor aataa।)
Listen: M85
उसका जन्म दस जनवरी को हुआ था।
He was born on the tenth of January.
(uskaa janm das janavrii ko huaa thaa।)
Listen: F85
मुमकिन है कि नतीजे बुधवार को आएँ।
It's possible that the results will come on Wednesday.
(mumkin hai ki natiije budhvaar ko aaen।)
Listen: M85
यह फ़ैसला पिछली बैठक को ही ले लिया गया था।
This decision was already made at the last meeting.
(yah faislaa pichhlii baithak ko hii le liyaa gayaa thaa।)
Listen: F85