की (kii)
postposition/verb
Most commonly the feminine possessive postposition ('of'), the counterpart to का (kaa) and के (ke); it is also the perfective feminine form of the verb करना (karnaa, 'to do').
Sense
1
:
possessive marker (feminine)
postposition Agrees with the feminine noun that follows it, e.g. राम की किताब (raam kii kitaab, 'Ram's book') because किताब (kitaab) is feminine.
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is one of the first grammar hurdles for English speakers, since English 'of'/'-'s' has no gender at all -- Hindi possession is really a hidden adjective agreeing with the possessed noun. Think of राम की बहन (raam kii bahan, 'Ram's sister') and राम का भाई (raam kaa bhaaii, 'Ram's brother') as your anchor pair for hearing the contrast.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often pick का (kaa)/की (kii)/के (ke) based on the gender of the preceding noun (the possessor) instead of the following noun (the thing possessed) -- the agreement is entirely with what comes after. 2) When the possessed noun is plural or oblique, की (kii) itself never changes since it already ends in ी -- only का (kaa) alternates to के (ke) in those environments, so learners sometimes hunt for a nonexistent plural form of की (kii).
Sample Sentences:
यह मेरी किताब है।
This is my book.
(yah merii kitaab hai।)
राम की बहन दिल्ली में रहती है।
Ram's sister lives in Delhi.
(raam kii bahan dillii men rahtii hai।)
सीता की साड़ी बहुत सुंदर थी।
Sita's saree was very beautiful.
(siitaa kii saadii bahut sundar thii।)
कल की मीटिंग रद्द हो गई है।
Yesterday's meeting has been canceled.
(kal kii miiting radd ho gaii hai।)
अगर यह उसकी गलती होती, तो वह माफी माँगती।
If this had been her mistake, she would have apologized.
(agar yah uskii galtii hotii, to vah maaphii maangtii।)
देश की तरक्की सबकी ज़िम्मेदारी है।
The country's progress is everyone's responsibility.
(desh kii tarakkii sabkii zimmedaarii hai।)
कृपया अपनी कक्षा की सूची जमा करें।
Please submit your class's list.
(kripyaa apnii kakshaa kii soochii jamaa karen।)
शायद यह उसकी पुरानी डायरी हो।
Maybe this is her old diary.
(shaayad yah uskii puraanii daayrii ho।)
गंगा की धारा युगों से बहती आई है।
The Ganges' current has flowed on since the ages.
(gangaa kii dhaaraa yugon se bahtii aaii hai।)
माँ की दुआएँ हमेशा साथ रहती हैं।
A mother's blessings always stay with you.
(maan kii duaaen hameshaa saath rahtii hain।)
कंपनी की नई नीति अगले महीने लागू होगी।
The company's new policy will be implemented next month.
(kampnii kii naii niiti agle mahiine laagoo hogii।)
Sense
2
:
did (feminine perfective of 'to do')
verb, transitive This is the feminine singular/plural perfective form of करना (karnaa); it appears with a feminine subject marked by ने (ne), e.g. उसने चाय बनाई (usne chaay banaaii) versus उसने काम किया (usne kaam kiyaa) -- compare उसने बात की (usne baat kii, 'she talked') where की (kii) agrees with the feminine object बात (baat).
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This form shows up constantly in set phrases like बात की (baat kii, 'talked'), मेहनत की (mehnat kii, 'worked hard'), and मदद की (madad kii, 'helped') -- all built on feminine nouns (बात, मेहनत, मदद) paired with करना (karnaa) as a light verb, so listening for these collocations is the fastest way to internalize the agreement pattern.
Common Mistakes: 1) Because करना (karnaa) is transitive, this feminine form appears not for a feminine subject but to agree with a feminine direct object -- learners who have just learned ने-agreement sometimes expect agreement with the (often masculine) subject instead. 2) Easy to visually confuse with the possessive postposition की (kii) in a sentence like उसने मेहनत की (usne mehnat kii, 'he/she worked hard') where it looks like it could be marking possession but is actually the verb itself.
Sample Sentences:
उसने बहुत मेहनत की।
She worked very hard.
(usne bahut mehnat kii।)
मैंने उससे साफ़ बात की।
I spoke to him/her frankly.
(mainne usse saaf baat kii।)
पड़ोसियों ने बाढ़ के समय हमारी बहुत मदद की।
The neighbors helped us a lot during the flood.
(padosiyon ne baadh ke samay hamaarii bahut madad kii।)
क्या तुमने अपनी माँ से माफ़ी माँगी और उनकी इज़्ज़त की?
Did you apologize to your mother and show her respect?
(kyaa tumne apnii maan se maafii maangii aur unkii izzat kii?)
अगर उसने थोड़ी भी मेहनत की होती, तो वह पास हो जाती।
If she had worked even a little hard, she would have passed.
(agar usne thodii bhii mehnat kii hotii, to vah paas ho jaatii।)
कंपनी ने अपने कर्मचारियों की तनख़्वाह में बढ़ोतरी की।
The company gave its employees a raise in salary.
(kampnii ne apne karmchaariyon kii tanakhvaah men badhotrii kii।)
समिति ने इस मुद्दे पर विस्तार से चर्चा की।
The committee discussed this issue in detail.
(samiti ne is mudde par vistaar se charchaa kii।)
उसकी मेहनत की वजह से पूरी टीम ने तारीफ़ की।
Because of her hard work, the whole team praised her.
(uskii mehnat kii vajah se poorii tiim ne taariif kii।)
जब उसने ग़लती मानी, तभी सबने उसकी तारीफ़ की।
Only when she admitted her mistake did everyone praise her.
(jab usne ghaltii maanii, tabhii sabne uskii taariif kii।)
उसने रोते हुए अपनी सारी बात की।
She said everything she had to, while crying.
(usne rote hue apnii saarii baat kii।)
उम्मीद है कि उसने अपने काम में पूरी ईमानदारी की होगी।
I hope she was completely honest in her work.
(ummiid hai ki usne apne kaam men poorii iimaandaarii kii hogii।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
की
(kii)
infinitive oblique:
कने
(kane)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
कता
(kataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
कते
(kate)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
कती
(katii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
कतीं
(katiin)
continuous (sg.m):
क रहा
(k rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
क रहे
(k rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
क रही
(k rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
क रहीं
(k rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
का
(kaa)
perfective (pl.m):
के
(ke)
perfective (sg.f):
की
(kii)
perfective (pl.f):
कीं
(kiin)
imperative (informal):
क
(k)
imperative (neutral):
को
(ko)
imperative (formal):
किए
(kie)
future (1sg.m):
कूँगा
(koongaa)
future (1sg.f):
कूँगी
(koongii)
future (1pl.m):
केंगे
(kenge)
future (1pl.f):
केंगी
(kengii)
future (2sg.m):
केगा
(kegaa)
future (2sg.f):
केगी
(kegii)
future (2pl.m):
कोगे
(koge)
future (2pl.f):
कोगी
(kogii)
future (3sg.m):
केगा
(kegaa)
future (3sg.f):
केगी
(kegii)
future (3pl.m):
केंगे
(kenge)
future (3pl.f):
केंगी
(kengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
कूँ
(koon)
subjunctive (1pl):
कें
(ken)
subjunctive (2sg):
के
(ke)
subjunctive (2pl):
को
(ko)
subjunctive (3sg):
के
(ke)
subjunctive (3pl):
कें
(ken)