मैं
ma͠i/mɛ̃ː/
The English word 'I' is expressed in Hindi as मैं (ma͠i). If unsure, use मैं. Wiktionary also lists हम (ham) and अहम् (aham).
Meaning: personal pronoun (pron)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| मैं | ma͠i | /mɛ̃ː/ (Hindi, Standard) /mə.ĩː/ (dialectal) |
| हम | ham | /ɦəm/ (Hindi, Standard) |
| अहम् | aham |
These terms are personal pronouns used to refer to oneself in the first person singular.
Which one should you use?
The standard form is मैं. While हम usually means 'we', it is sometimes used by a single speaker to mean 'I' to convey a more formal or authoritative tone.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
मैं is the common way to say 'I'. अहम् is a highly formal version that is rarely used in everyday spoken Hindi. हम can be used by a single speaker to sound more formal or authoritative.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using a transitive verb in the perfective aspect (past tense), मैं changes to the ergative form मैंने. Additionally, when the pronoun is the object of a preposition or a postposition, you must use the oblique forms मुझको or मुझे instead of मैं.
How do you pronounce it?
ma͠I
Did you know?
- The Hindi word मैं is a distant relative of the English word 'I' through a shared ancestor in Proto-Indo-European.
- The word हम has two different histories because Hindi borrowed one version from Persian and inherited another from Old Hindi.
Examples in context
- मैं दूध पीता हूँ।I drink milk.This sentence shows how to use मैं in a simple present statement.Tatoeba #7959199 by anushka, translation #3304449 by pne
- मैं उसे समझा पाया.I managed to make him understand it.This sentence demonstrates the use of मैं in a completed action.Tatoeba #883265 by thevikas, translation #284617 by CK
- मैंने एक सेब खाया।I ate an apple.This sentence shows the use of मैं in a sentence where it has changed to the ergative form मैंने.Tatoeba #7946406 by anushka, translation #3294474 by CK
- मैं विद्यालय जा रहा हूँ।I am going to school.
- आज मैं अपने दोस्त के साथ खेल रहा था।Today I was playing with my friend.
- 1464 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Aditya and Anjali are talking about their plans at a cafe.
- आदित्य Adityaमैं कॉफी पीना चाहता हूँ।Main coffee peena chahta hoon.I want to drink coffee.
- अंजलि Anjaliमैं भी कॉफी पीऊँगी।Main bhi coffee peeungi.I will drink coffee too.
- आदित्य Adityaक्या मैं तुम्हारे लिए कुछ लाऊँ?Kya main tumhare liye kuch laaun?Should I bring something for you?
- अंजलि Anjaliनहीं, मैं ठीक हूँ।Nahi, main theek hoon.No, I am fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I” translations and entries मैं, हम, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries मैं, हम, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
