The English verbs 'must', 'should', 'ought to' and 'need' have no exact equivalents in Hindi. Necessity, need, and obligation are expressed by special constructions. There are three main must-constructions in Hindi.
One of such constructions includes the word चाहिए caahie 'necessary, needed' (चाहना caahnaa 'to want'). The past tense is formed by adding to this word the verb 'to be' in its past form. In a sentence, the word चाहिए caahie follows a noun or a verb. The person obliged or experiencing the need of something is denoted by a noun or a pronoun in the oblique form followed by the postposition को ko. When the construction includes a verb, the verb is always in the infinitive form. If the verb is transitive and a direct object occurs in the sentence, the verb agrees with it in gender and number. When the word चाहिए caahie is not followed by the verb 'to be' in its past form, it can agree with the direct object in number: चाहिएँ caahieN for the plural. When चाहिए caahie is followed by the past form of the verb 'to be', it has no plural form, and 'to be' agrees with the direct object in gender and number. This construction denotes the desirability or necessity of action.
Ex: उस को यह पुस्तक चाहिए।
us ko yeh pustak caahie.
'He needs this book.'
हमें जाना चाहिए।
hameN jaanaa caahie.
'We need to go.'
हमें जाना चाहिए था।
hameN jaanaa caahie thaa.
'We needed to go.'
उन को किताब पढ़नी चाहिए।
un ko kitaab paRhnii caahie.
'They need to read a book.'
The meaning of the construction with the verb होना honaa 'to be' is the same as above, but this construction can be also used in the Future Tense. The rules of agreement are the same as for चाहिए caahie.
Ex: मुझे मकान बेचना है।
mujhe makaan becnaa hai.
'I must sell the house.'
डाक्टर को दवाएँ ख़रीदनी होंगी।
DaakTar ko davaaeN kh'ariidnii hoNgii.
'The doctor will need to buy medicine.'
उस को चाबी ढूँढ़नी थी।
us ko caabii DhuuNRhnii thii.
'He needed to look for the key.'
The equivalent of the English expression 'to have to' is the verb पड़ना paRnaa. The rules of agreement are exactly the same as described above.
Ex: उन्हें छोटे से मकान में रहना पड़ता है।
unheN choTe se makaan meN rehnaa paRtaa hai.
'They have to live in a very small house.'
मुझे जाना पड़ा।
mujhe jaanaa paRaa.
'I had to go.'
तुम्हें टिकट ख़रीदना पड़ेगा।
tumheN TikaT kh'ariidnaa paRegaa.
'You'll have to buy the ticket.'
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